28/03/2025

Sea watching today from the hide in the SW wind and drizzle with JY, RW, JS, OL

07.00-09.00    

Brent Goose: 283E

Common Scoter: 194E

Red-breasted Merganser: 4E all drakes in a single party

Oystercatcher: 1E

Sandwich Tern: 17W   32E

Kittiwake: 106E

Black-headed Gull: Present n/c

Common Gull: Present n/c

Herring Gull: Present n/c

Great Black-backed Gull: Present n/c

Razorbill: 1E

Auk sp: 91E

Red-throated Diver: 7W   24E

Fulmar: 1E

Gannet: 105E

Cormorant: Present n/c

Little Egret: 2E

Harbour Porpoise: 5 present

After getting some domestic stuff done I spent  most of the rest of the day on the reserve in the company of John. We had superb views of the Blue-headed Yellow Wagtails in Hay field 1 found yesterday by Richard, also a drake Garganey was present there.

Female Blue-headed Yellow Wagtail

Female Blue-headed Yellow Wagtail

Male Blue-headed Yellow Wagtail

                                                Male Blue-headed Yellow Wagtail

Male Blue-headed Yellow Wagtail

Drake Garganey Hayfield 1

1 of 3 Scandinavian (Littoralis) Rock Pipit

While watching the Wagtails a Bittern was regularly booming and some Bearded Tits were calling, I managed to miss the Ruff but did see 6 Dunlin. On Burrowes Pit of note there were 2 Yellow-legged Gulls and 2 Goldeneye. 2 Caspian Gull s were seen from Christmas Dell per JS.

 

27/03/2025

The very elusive Hoopoe at the Kerton Road Quarry yesterday

 07.00-08.00 from the sea watch hide still and foggy.Brent Goose: 52E

Common Scoter:

Red-breasted Merganser: 2E

Great-Crested Grebe: 2 present

Oystercatcher: 4E

Sandwich tern: 6E

Little Gull: 2E

Black-headed Gull: 16E

Common Gull: 7E

Herring Gull: present

Great Black-backed Gull: 18E

Red-throated Diver: 17E

Gannet: 9E

Cormorant: present

Carrion Crow: 2E

Linnet: 7 present

Tree Sparrow nest boxes, last years and new ones, there are now at least 26 boxes in this colony. Many thanks to Paul Trodd for making the boxes.

I joined Owen on Walland Marsh today, checking and cleaning out Tree Sparrow nest boxes,  also putting up some more boxes. Most of the boxes put up last year were used by Tree Sparrows, so hopefully we can help to enlarge the colony. It was amazing how many feathers and how much grass was stuffed in the boxes, they were were all full to the top of compacted nesting material.

Very little news from today apart from 8 Goldeneye on the ARC, a Ruff and a Blue-headed wagtail on Dengemarsh.

24/25/03/2025

This morning I went to the sea watch hide out of hope rather than expectation, the fog horn was blaring as visibility out to sea was only a few hundred metres, so I wasn't surprised that after an hours watching I'd only seen a handful each of Gannets, Red-throated Divers and Common Scoter. I spent the next couple of hours wandering around the ARC which was also very quiet avian wise.

After a late breakfast a message came through about a Hoopoe that had been seen on the west side of the Kerton Road, Cemex Quarry. After spending 90 minutes or so there with other locals there was no further sight of the Hoopoe which the finders had seen fly across the quarry and had photos of it, a Woodcock and a Caspian Gull were some consolation. The rest of the day was very quiet, there was still at least 4 Black redstarts around the Polish Memorial.

1st winter Caspian Gull on Denge Marsh yesterday

A very distant record image of the female Long-tailed Duck on Burrowes yesterday

 

22-23/03/2025

 Yesterdays undoubted highlight was this gorgeous Iberian Chiffchaff found by Dave Bunney in his garden. The bird showed very well all afternoon to all admirers. Many thanks are due to to Dave and Sheila Bunney for there hospitality                                      Iberian Chiffchaff glowing in the light of the setting sun

Iberian Chiffchaff

Iberian Chiffchaff

Iberian Chiffchaff

Iberian Chiffchaff about to devour a juicy fat fly

Sea watching continues to dominate my time with steady passage of wildfowl, Red-throated Divers, Sandwich Terns, Little Gulls, Kittiwakes etc. Probably the biggest surprise was when a Red-legged Partridge turned up un the power station bund this morning. This morning the sea was quiet, as an arrival of Redwings occurred early morning, I took a wander in the rain around The Long Pits where 100s of Redwings were in the bushes singing and chattering, a wonderful sound and worth the soaking. All of the weekend there have been double figure numbers of Black Redstarts around the peninsular especially around The Point.

Male Black Redstart

Male Black Redstart

Female Black Redstart

The first Little Ringed Plover, Sedge Warbler and Swallows were recorded over the weekend, hopefully more to come this week.

21,03/2025

After spending the last 10 days in Egypt it was good to get back to Dungeness and some proper sea watching. Hopefully I will get round to posting a few bits from my Egyptian holiday.

A party of Garganey passing this afternoon distantly, they looked much better in the scope.

06.55-15.15  ENE -SE 5     11º  With JS, RW, DW ,JY, SM

Brent Goose: 226E

Greylag Goose: 12E
Shelduck: 1E

Garganey 27E

Shoveler: 12E

Wigeon: 1E

Teal: 6E

Dabbling Duck sp: 15E
Eider: 1E
Common Scoter: 407E

Red-breasted Merganser: 6E
Great-crested Grebe: 6E

Oystercatcher: 15E

Avocet: 3E

Ringed Plover: 1E

Dunlin: 18E

Sandwich Tern: 237E

Little Gull: 58E
Kittiwake: 259E  
Black-headed Gull: 68E
Mediterranean Gull: 5E  
Common Gull:  Present n/c
Herring Gull: Present n/c
Great Black-backed Gull: Present n/c

Lesser Black-backed Gull: 26E
Razorbill: 120E

Guillemot: 18E
Auk sp: 17W 
Red-throated Diver: 3W     230E
Fulmar: 2E
Gannet: 1,049E
Cormorant: present n/c 

Kestrel: 2E

Merlin: 1E

Carrion Crow: 5E

Reed Bunting: 1 Behind the hide.
Harbour Porpoise: 4+
Grey Seal: 1

A drake Eider passing the Bouy

 Ther was an arrival of Black Redstarts on the peninsular with c20 birds being found, several Wheatears also arrived with a few Chiffchaffs. A Hawfinch per JS over the Long Pits was an exellent record, also a few Chaffinches on the move but little else of note.

07/03/2025

Pintails and Shovellers flying East over the sea watch hide

A Dungeness record breaking day count of Pintail migrating past The Point and quite possibly a national record day migration count. A day that will stay with us forever.😁

06.30-17.30 SSE 3-5          
Brent Goose: 634E
Shoveller: 474E

Gadwall: 1E

Pintail: 3,705E  (Many of these birds were very high over the hide and some over the Power Station)

Wigeon: 4E

Teal: 97E

Common Scoter: 317E

Red-breasted Merganser: 1E
Great-crested Grebe: 14 Present

Oystercatcher:

Grey Plover: 7E

Golden Plover: 6E

Curlew: 27E

Bar-tailed Godwit: 3E

Turnstone: 1W

Sandwich Tern: 12

Little Gull: 5E
Kittiwake: 134E  
Black-headed Gull: 25E
Mediterranean Gull: 58E
Common Gull: 149E
Herring Gull: Present n/c
Great Black-backed Gull: 51E

Lesser Black-backed Gull: 10E
Razorbill: 22E
Auk sp: 163E
Red-throated Diver: 312E     8W
Fulmar: 4E.   1W
Gannet: 584E     16W

Cormorant: present n/c 

Peregrine: 1 present

Skylark: 5 in off
Grey Seal: 1
Harbour Porpoise: 2

Very High Pintails and Shoveler with some stratospheric birds top centre

Very High Pintails and Shoveler

Lovely to watch the flocks of Gannets coming through today

Brent Geese along the shoreline with an Oystercatcher 

Yesterdays 2nd calendar year Caspian Gull in front the hide

05/05/2025

Poor Visibility and a calm sea made for a very slow sea watch, just a couple of flocks of Brent Geese were the highlight.

I couldn't find the female Scaup or the Purple Sandpiper at Scotney today, the best there was a Greenshank. The Tree Sparrow flock and c200 Golden Plover was still at the old sand pit but little else.

The reserve remains quiet, with the female Smew still on the ARC and the Long-tailed Duck still on the New Diggings,  a Bittern has been booming regularly on Denge Marsh, also a single Water pipit was seen there per JY.

Meadow Pipit on the perimeter wall

Black Redstart on the perimeter wall

Long-tailed Duck on the New Diggings still camera shy

Smew on the ARC is very camera shy

Redwings in a Wood Ant nest in Orlestone Forest yesterday

03/03/2025

As the peninsular was fog bound this morning there was no sea watch. A wander from the ARC to Denge Marsh and back was pretty quiet, a Bittern calling half heartedly at the back of Hookers was the highlight. At the back of Denge Marsh hide a Mink scurried across the path, disappearing into a ditch after going through the anti predator fence round the hayfields. On Boulderwall Fields 67 Golden Plover were noted.

The Scotney Purple Sandpiper have itself up to me this morning

A cycle ride out to Scotney and Walland Marsh gave reasonable views of the Purple Sandpiper found by Stephen Message at the weekend, Greenshank and Green Sandpiper there. At the western end of the Scotney complex in East Sussex the flock of c100 Tree Sparrows is still present. The swirling masses of Golden Plover and Lapwing seemed to have moved off leaving a few stragglers. A Ring-tail Hen Harrier, several each of Marsh Harriers and Common Buzzards were over the sheep fields and set aside.

Tree Sparrows at the old sand pit which has now filled with water, so no Sand Martin colony or migrant waders this year.

Tree Sparrows 

There are at least 60 Tree Sparrows in this image

Little Owls enjoying the warm afternoon sun on Walland

Good to see Greenfinches coming back onto my garden feeders

01/03/2025

A lay in this morning courtesy of the fog which didn't clear till 08.30ish.

09.06-10.06 from the Sea Watch hide with JY who kindly collated the numbers:

Mute swan 3 offshore then west
Shelduck 5E
Mallard pr offshore
Common Scoter: 7E  
Great-crested Grebe: 1W 1E  
Kittiwake 1W 1E 
Black-headed Gull: Present n/c
Mediterranean Gull: 2E
Common Gull:  Present n/c
Herring Gull: Present n/c
Great Black-backed Gull: Present n/c   
Auk sp: 2E
Guillemot 1E
Red-throated Diver: 5W 12E
Fulmar 1E
Gannet: 121E
Cormorant: Present n/c
Peregrine hunting offshore then in-off
Merlin hunting offshore then in-off
Grey seal 1
Harbour Porpoise 1

The Long-tailed Duck was still on the New Diggings this morning and the Smew still at the ARC.

I found 3 Jack Snipe today with aid of the thermal imager

The reserve in general remains fairly quiet avian wise, hopefully things will start to pick up a little but probably not till next month.

Surprise of the day was an excellent find by Stephen Message of a Purple Sandpiper at Scotney viewed from the double bends, shame it was a bit to far for any photographs. It remains a a scarce bird on the peninsular and definitely the first one I have seen at Scotney. The female Scaup was also still present there.