A big thank you to John Draper for the above stunning images taken on a memorable day.

The session got off to a great start with three species of swan in a field of oilseed rape - viewed from the Raptor Viewpoit at Capel Fleet and the Harty Ferry Road.  Amoung the mute swans were at least five Bewick's and a single whooper swan - all adults.  Also at Capel Fleet the usual flock of corn buntings, several marsh harriers, a grey male hen harrier and flocks of golden plovers passing overhead in loose 'v' formation.  A hare broke cover from only a few feet away.

At Shellness Point the tide was rising and thousands of waders were gathered on Shellness Point to roost.  Oystercatchers, knot, dunlin and grey plovers were the most numerous.  Bar-tailed godwits and redshanks were also present.  Returning to the sea wall, a single short-eared owl appeared at close range much to the delight of the group.  Two more emerged a few minutes later and perched on a telegraph wire together.

A walk along the sea wall to the start of the Swale NNR produced more great sightings - a ringtail hen harrier, white-fronted geese, a lesser white-front and a barn owl.  By now the saltmarsh was completely flooded by the incoming tide and we were glad to be back on the sea wall.  A surprising find was a single drake goosander on the sea with a group of shelducks.  This species is more typically seen on freshwater but does occasionally turn up on the coast.  Several other ducks were also offshore including pintails and wigeon.