Oare Marshes.......... Wow 3 patch ticks

Male and Female Scaup.

I had a very enjoyable couple of hours at Oare Marshes this morning , i parked up in the viewing layby and then headed for the East flood hide where i had excellent scope views of my first of 3 patch ticks in the form of male and female Scaup , these have been around the reserve for approx a week and this was my first chance of trying to see them .

 From here i headed back to my car and drove down to the sea wall and then walked along the sea wall in a biting wind and met up with Murray Wright near the sea hide and spent a very productive session birding with him , he picked out a distant Red Throated Diver on the Swale and this was my 2nd patch tick of the morning , there were lots of waders around including , Grey Plover , Dunlin , Curlew , Oystercatcher and 100+ Avocets , whilst checking through the waders Murray pointed out a pair of Red Breasted Mergansers flying up the Swale , after a while i decided to head on with my circuit of the reserve and i had only walked half a dozen steps when Murray called be back as he had just found  a Slavonian Grebe  fairly close in ,  this was my 3rd patch tick of the day.

Slavonian Grebe .

 I enjoyed this bird for some time  before i said my goodbyes and carried on with my walk , i added a smart male Stonechat and i got better views of the male Scaup from this side of the reserve .

Male Scaup with a Pochard.

I didn't really add much more to my trip list here although 2 Bearded Tits along the roadside was good to see plus on my way out a Great Spotted Woodpecker  flew on to a telegraph pole by the cottages giving yet another year tick . Just like to Thank Murray for his company and picking out the Slavonian Grebe .