Frank Cackett

Bit gutted to have driven past the Seasalter Desert Wheatear in my haste to get home, and not looking at my WhatsApp messages on Saturday, so here’s another that was in exactly the same place on 29th October 2019!

@Eastkentbirder Cheers mate, light was superb and so warm, felt like being in Spain again!😎👍

@FCackett It’s amazing how different the P.Swift looks in bright sunlight, yesterday it took me half an hour to be personally happy to ID it in much darker conditions but a great lesson to always have in the UK. Lovely photos btw 👌

Brilliant morning in NE Kent, 2 Pallid Swifts showed brilliantly at Botany Bay, with a bonus Vagrant Emperor in the carpark which made me choke on my take away coffee!, then great views of the Dusky warbler at Westbrook, but too elusive for a photo for me!

@MarcHeathym007 Unfortunately not,didn’t hang around long enough, saw enough for positive id tho, last seen in local gardens

@NeilBurt5 @RareBirdAlertUK @BirdGuides @KentishPlover A good day Neil!👍

A day that will live long in the memory… elation when this little beauty popped up in front of me… a 1stW male Desert Wheatear !!! At South Swale NNR on the seawall between the Sportsman Pub and Castle Coote (Seasalter). @RareBirdAlertUK @BirdGuides @KentishPlover

Interesting day at work at Rye St Cliffe Merlin, Crossbill, Redpoll and Redwings over, and mid afternoon at least 4 high flying Noctule bats put on a performance till dusk

@Eastkentbirder @alex_wx_ 😳

@alex_wx_ Correction: of all time! With 185mph sustained winds 🤯

With a Flight Level wind of 173kts in the latest pass - I believe this is the highest ever observed FL wind in an Atlantic Hurricane beating Irma's 171kt. Please correct if wrong. Melissa extremely powerful.

2 Slavonian grebes and a Red throated diver on the Swale from Milton creek Kemsley this morning, while attempting to relocate the recent Shorelark ( which I didn’t!)🙄

Sea watch from Shellness isle of Sheppy this afternoon wasn’t classic, but did have my first Little Auk for a few years, a couple of Arctic skuas, RBMerg, 4 Arctic and 15 Sandwich terns, 3 large Auks, better than working in the rain tbf!😂

2nd visit to Margate cemetery in wet and windy conditions, very brief views of the RFBluetail, which was extremely elusive. Also around 3 YBWblrs, Firecrests, single Brambling. No sign of the Pallas’s though

@MaliHalls Thanks Mali👍

@FCackett Beautiful Frank

An excellent day in east Kent, Pallas’s and several YBWblrs,Firecrests, Black redstart, Jack snipe,loads of thrushes, and had the GGShrike to myself on Worth marshes this evening,which was amazingly tame!

@weight_bernard Cheers Bernie, good to see you as well👍

@FCackett Cracking set of shots Frank. Good to see you today

@_jdbirder Cheers mate, great to see you, ( and Craig) thanks for the info👍

@FCackett Pleased you got the Pallas’ mate! Good to see you

@Baldbirder1 😂

@FCackett It probaby thought you were a fence post or a scarecrow or something...

@Baldbirder1 It actually flew in and landed in front of me just feet away, seemed not bothered by my presence!😳

@FCackett Lovely set of shrike snaps you got there Frank - I should have followed you down there.

Birds were moving west over Great Chattenden wood yday, 28 Crossbills, over 200 Redwing, 2 Fieldfares,Brambling, Siskins and Chaffinch streaming through nearly all day. Later just 1 Brambling at Northward hill rspb

End of another October stay at Driftwood Kilnsea,a bit quiet this time, but still some good birds etc, even if the weather felt more like Spain than the east coast of Yorkshire!!😎

More going on today at Spurn, Hawfinch, Little Bunting,Glossy ibis best, lots of other bits

A bit quiet at Spurn last few days, but always something to look at!