DUNGE YEAH

Got up at 5.45am this morning for the Boozy Birders Trip to Sunny Dungeness and Sunny it was although a little bit nippy.Not too many on the trip due to other commitments and illness (get well soon Sam!)but those who did make it were treated to a bird bonanza courtesy of Big H,Howard the Cat Vaughan,Penduline Tits are this mans Speciality and he didn't fail in coming up with the goods.
But first things first,macdonalds at Ashford where i smashed the granny out of a Double Sausage & egg Mcmuffin meal,complete with the complimentary Hash Brown & Small coke.
After this we made our way to Dungeness or DUNGE as its known in birding circles,an RSPB reserve in South Kent,not a million miles from Folkestone but far enough that car crime is not an issue! We started off in the ARC Pit and the Hanson hide,first bird of the day when pulling into the car park and exiting our cars was a Great White Egret,a first for a couple of us,my second of the year (had one over my house at about 5am one morning after an airport run back in the summer if my memory serves me right but i can't be bothered to check my book).
We headed towards the hide,entering all the usual suspects were in view,ducks,herons etc etc,a quick scan by the boozy massives produced a female Long Tailed Duck,good numbers of Goldeneye,plenty of Marsh Harrier activity and a nice sparrowhawk hunting near the hide.
We then decided to head to the lighthouse and beach in search of the Glaucous gull and as per usual Big H comes up trumps,some seawatching produced plenty of great Crested grebes,the odd Diver and Auks,kittewakes etc etc.After this we went to the visitor centre and for a walk around the reserve,it was at this time that i found out the News of the Day,that should Hornchurch beat Farnborough we will be going to Grimsby Town in the FA Trophy,smell my fish,but more about this later.
After a couple of shortbread biscuits purchased from the visitor centre we proceeded to do the circuit,we found another Great White egret,in the distance and we would find this bird later on (or at least we thought it was the same bird but it may of been another,such is the fest that is GWE in DUNGE.)Other birds of note was a lovely Bittern in the smashing light,plenty more Marsh Harriers,but by now all i could think about was Grimsby Away,more of that later.
We then decided to spend the lasy hour or so back at the ARC pit where within a few moments of arriving we had Smew,we stayed for a while but the weather looked like closing in so we thought we would check out the reedbed round the back for the penduline so we went for a wander,upon reaching the reedbed H's phone went off,the Penduline was back at the hide,so off we went,me at 40mph and it was me who first reached back at the hide.the penduline was there not 10 feet away from us on the mace giving cracking views,well worth the day out and glad i went as usual.the drive home was knackering,by the time we reached the tunnel i was absolutely shattered and ready for bed,its now 11pm and i havent been to sleep yet and i am up in 5 1/2 hours for yet another airport run.
As for grimsby,we have to beat Farnborough Wednesday at their gaff and then we play at a big boys ground,the first time since last week when we lost 4-1 to colchester but that was the Essex Cup in front of 300 people,the Trophy is a bit different,COME ON YOU URCHINS