Whiskered Tern!

Emptying the moth trap this morning did not take long as numbers were disappointing low, though my 3rd Four-spotted Footman this year and 3 Small Mottled Willows were some bonus.

Juvenile Kittiwake at the boats

 The ARC was very disappointing this morning as I could find just a single Dunlin among the Lapwings, not a Sandpiper in sight while I was there.
The observatory area was also very quiet, a juvenile Cuckoo being the only migrant seen. I spent the rest of the morning at home listening to the Aussies collapse. At lunch I went to the fishing boats to spend the afternoon sea watching while continuing to listen to the cricket. Approaching the boats I could see Terns streaming past and wished I'd arrived earlier. As soon I realised that there was a movement happening I contacted some of the locals, which is easier said than done due to the poor mobile phone signal at Dungeness, I had to leave the beach to get a signal. While waiting for them to arrive, I carried on counting the Terns passing when I picked up a marsh tern with noticeably white cheeks, against a black cap, dark back and patchy dark belly and chest flying along the colour change, it was with 2 Black Terns among a party of Common Terns, realising that it was an adult Whiskered Tern I followed it in the scope until it flew out of my view, I briefly thought about trying to photograph it, but it was to far out to get a useful image even if I could find it in the view finder.

13.30-17.00 from the fishing boats joined by: AJG,DW,MH,CP,BM,AH and BH.

Shelduck: 2W
Common Scoter: 17E    14W
Great-crested Grebe: 3 around
Gannet:  26E         68W
Cormorant: 18 around
Ringed Plover: 2W
Sanderling: 11W
Redshank: 2W
Kittiwake:  3W     1 around
Little Tern: 1W
Sandwich Tern: 57W
Common Tern: 777W
Black Tern: 74W
Whiskered Tern: 1W
Swift: 4 out
Grey Seal: 1
Harbour Porpoise: 2+

Four Spotted Footman in the Plodland trap this morning.