St Mary's Marsh, 15:00 to 17:45, Sunshine with clearing cloud, decreasing WNW breeze.65 Mute Swan (18 on grazing marsh and 47 feeding on adjacent arable field), 2 Buzzard, 1 Stonechat, 19 Linnet.]
Cliffe Pools, 12:30 to 14:00, Sunny with cloud. A mod chilly WNW breeze. A visit to the Timber Lake and Alpha Pool after a quick scan of the RSPB reserve from Allen's Hill. No sign of Bewick Swans in the area today, or on Higham Marshes.250 Wigeon (Timber Lake), 8 Gadwall (Timber Lake), 180 Pochard (Timber Lake), 1 Long-tailed Duck (Alpha Pool), 1 Red-breasted Merganser (Red-head on Alpha Pool), 1 Slavonian Grebe (Alpha Pool), 2 Black-necked Grebe(Alpha Pool), 1 Marsh Harrier (male over the Timber Lake), 1 Avocet (Timber Lake).
Cliffe Quarries, 12:15 to 12:3033 Pochard, 8 Goldeneye (2 drakes), 6 Great Crested Grebe.
The North Kent Marshes are a very special area and worth preserving at all cost.
I think it fairly safe to assume the Bewicks's have left Kent now for the Siberian Tundra, see you next year!