Saturday 27 July 2019

I Live for Days like Today!

 Flock of Greenshanks over Burrowes this morning
Todays weather brought what I believe to be unprecedented numbers of waders of at least 22 species down onto the peninsula throughout the day. Redshank were most abundant with a day total of c600, I even had a flock of 100+ over my house, 60+ Greenshank, c30 Spotted Redshank, c40 Curlew Sandpipers, c20 Wood Sandpipers, c20 Common Sandpipers, c10 Green Sandpipers, 7 Ruff, 7 Knot, 15 Dunlin, 2 Temminck's Stint, Black and Bar-tailed Godwits, Curlew, Whimbrel, Avocet, Golden Plover, Ringed Plover, Little Ringed Plover, Lapwing, Oystercatcher and Common Snipe. 
Even at 20.00 this evening Wood, Green and Common Sandpipers were dropping into Burrowes from the Dennis's picnic area, with Greenshank overhead. A most memorable day at Dungeness, I'm afraid the images aren't brilliant due mainly to the dull conditions and my incompetence, but I don't really care I had a brilliant day and to make things the better the moths have been superb. A Little Tern at Burrowes this evening was probably ringed in Denmark but could have been ringed in Senegal, I will update when I get a reply from the ringers.
 Mainly Redshanks over Burrowes this morning
  Redshanks and Curlew Sandpipers at Firth this morning
 Temminck's Stints at Firth

 Wood Sandpiper at Firth
Common Sandpiper at Firth
Wood Sandpipers at the ARC
The recent warm weather brought a brilliant array of goodies to my moth trap along with 100s of the common moths, there has been several Plumed Fan-foot, Jersey Tigers, 100s of Xylostellas and double figure numbers of Silver Y. 
 A gorgeous Tawny Wave only the 13th Dungeness record
 Small Purple-barred only the 8th Dungeness record and the second since 2010 
 Ancylolmia tentaculella the 3rd Dungeness area record 1in1935 another in 2003, probably only the 10th British record
 Cydia amplana a scarce migrant
Pale Shoulder the 9th or tenth Dungeness are record

2 comments:

  1. Now, that is a day and a half. Reward for all of the shingle-bashing and trap-checking you and the gang do Martin. Marvellous stuff.

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