Damp and Dreary

Common Spotted Orchid?

A very damp day with most birds keeeping there heads down. On the ARC Pit 1 Greenshank, 4 Little Ringed Plovers, 4 Little Egrets, 60+ Lapwing, 4 Redshank, 2 Common Terns and the usual wildfowl. In the Willow Trail  Reed Warblers and Cetti's Warblers singing and a small patch of what i think is Common Spotted Orchids. On the reserve the Great White Egret still present, 2 Peregrines sheltering under the Ravens old nest, 2 Hobbys hunting low over Burrowes Pit with 100+ Swifts and House Martins and a lone Mediterranean Gull huddled down with 40+ Black Headed Gulls.  

Rye Harbour and Dungeness

A pleasant morning spent at Rye Harbour. Turtle Dove, 2 Cuckoo's and 2 Lesser Whitethroats singing by the Long Pit. Many Common and Sandwich Terns and Meditteranean Gulls but i could only find 12 Little Terns. The ARC Pit was very quiet so i spent a couple of hours on Springfield Bridge watching the 5+ Hobbys and 4 Marsh Harriers.

Denge Wood

Spent the day in Denge Wood looking for late Duke of Burgundy butterflies but  could find none. However the wood was full of singing warblers,Tits, Thrushes and Crests including several  Firecrests also Common Buzzards mewing overhead.  

Stubby Tail Still Here

A look at The Patch this morning was much the same as yesterday and the Black Redstart was still singing on the power station. A walk out to the fishing boats Northern Wheatears, Skylarks and Meadow Pipits were all collecting food for their young. I was surprised to find the Glaucous Gull on the beach as i have not seen it for a while. 

In the layby opposite Hamstreet Garden Centre 30+ House Martins were busy collecting mud.

A good days birding

An Early morning walk around some of Walland Marsh was very rewarding with good numbers of Tree Sparrows seemingly in every bush and flying over into the fields, plenty of Yellow Wagtails, 4+ Corn Buntings, 3 Lesser Whitethroats, 4 Marsh Harriers, 2 Turtle Doves, 2 Hobbys and a singing Quail. From there i went to The Patch but just the usual culprits there. A Black Redstart was on the power station wall. At the carpark i heard the news of the Great White Egret and the Marsh Warbler. As i walked from the car park at the centre to the viewing ramp 3 Ravens flew over calling (2ads 1juv). As i approached the viewing Ramp i could hear the Marsh Warbler, but in 3 hours all i had was 3 fleeting views even though most of the time it was singing less than 20 feet away, its mimicry was brilliant with Great Tit, Chaffinch, Bee-eater, Nightingale, Sedge Warbler, Cetti's Warbler, House Martin all copied.
While waiting for it to show 2 Common Cranes flew over, A Bittern was booming, Beardies were pinging, 6+ Hobbys were hawking over head and the Great White Egret was showing well on Denge Marsh.
From the screen and Hanson hide on the ARC Pit 2 Avocets, 8 Black tailed Godwits, 11 Dunlin, 2 Little Ringed Plovers and more Hobbys. At the Eastern end of the pit 2 pairs of Little Ringed Plovers chasing each other presumably a territorial dispute.           

Pannel Valley and Rye Harbour

Bearded Tit Pannel Valley

In the Pannel Valley this morning 2 Cuckoo's, 2 Marsh Harriers, 2 Common Buzzards, 1 Hobby, numerous Reed Warblers, Sedge Warblers and Reed Buntings singing, 2 Blackcaps, 3 Common Whitethoats, a Bearded Tit and many Swifts moving infront of thrf the showers. On the scrape 2 Little Ringed Plovers, 6ad Med Gulls, 1 Greenshank, 2 Redshank, 20+ pairs of Avocets with at least 14 young so far, 2+ pairs of Oystercatchers with 2 young, a Tufted Duck with a brood of new ducklings with a Heron in attendance swallowing them whole.  

At Rye Harbour by the Long Pits a Nightingale singing, as was a Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Cuckoo's and several Common Whitethroats, Sedge Warblers and Reed Warblers. On the scrapes 5+ pairs of Avocets with at least 4 young, 1 Whimbrel, 4 Black Tailed Godwits, and a 1 legged Ringed Plover. On the way to the Ternery Pool 20+ Little Terns 2 Northern Wheatears and 1 Marsh Harrier. On the Pool many pairs each of Common Tern, Sandwich Tern, Black Headed Gulls and  Med Gulls. A flock of 100+ Oystercatchers and probably rarest of all in Sussex 1 pair of Common Gulls nesting on one of the islands.   

Afternoon Hobbys

An afternoon visit to the ARC Pit was rewarded with up to 12 Hobbys around the area, On the pit were 2 Little Ringed Plovers, 2 Ringed Plovers, 1 Dunlin and 4 Little Egrets.

Trouble with Blogger

For a few days i have been unable to sign in to Ploddingbirder. Looking on the web i am not alone as it appears thousands of Bloggers are suffering a similar experience. Hopefully Google have fixed the problem.

 



Heath Fitillary



A visit to East Blean Woods on Wednesday late morning i found at least six stunning fresh Heath Fritillaries on the bank in the centre of the car park. From the car park Garden Warblers, Blackcaps and Nightingales were all singing.
The last few days around Dungeness have been relatively quiet with a pair of Garganey taking up residence on the ARC Pit. Also 4 + Little Ringed Plovers there and Burrowes pit, up to 10 Hobbys and hundreds of Swifts yesterday. The water levels are dropping on the ARC and Burrowes and the islands now appearing are starting to attract waders so hopefully some good things will be found. Today they held 1 Knot, 5 Sanderling, 4 Dunlin, 1 Common Sandpiper, 4+LRP, 6 Ringed Plover, 6+ Oystercatchers and 1 Bar tailed Godwit a good start. An hour watching the sea at The Patch 11.00 - 12.00.  122 Gannets W + 26 E, 16 Common Scoter E, 8 Kittiwake W, 12 Auks sp E, 1 Red Throated Diver W, 2 Fulmar W, 1 Balearic Shearwater W at 11.25 and hundred or so Common Terns with a few Sandwich Terns milling around the outfall. 

Record of 2 Summer Plumage Black-necked Grebes

A relatively quiet day at Dunge yesterday with 5 Med Gulls at The Patch and 300+ Common Terns. The Black Redstart was still singing on the Power Station as was a male Wheatear.  The trapping area held 2 singinging Lesser Whitethroats, 2 more Wheatears and several Common Whitethroats. At the ARC Pit from the causeway 2 Little Gulls, 1 Brent Goose and a Little Ringed Plover. From the Screen hide 2 Garganey 3 Marsh Harriers 2 more LRPs and 4 Hobbys. A visit to Orlestone Forest last night for Nightjars was a failure but 5 + singing Nightingales and 2 roding Woodcock were compensation.
Today at Dunge the strong wind made things difficult. On the reserve 6 Sanderling and 2 Ravens were the highlight. On the ARC pit only 1 Little Gull, 2 Garganey, 2 LRPs, 2 Black-necked Grebes and many swifts and Martins hawking over the pit.  

Garganey Pose but Golden O no show

I arrived the ARC to late to see the Golden O but up to 12 Hobbys over the Tower Pools was compensation. This evening at a deserted RSPB a pair of Garganey infront of Firth hide posed just for me, the lower water levels are exposing more islands and looking good for waders, 2 Whimbrel, 8 Dunlin, 2 Little Ringed Plovers and 4 Ringed Plovers. The strong wind made finding any passerines difficult but 2 Yellow Wagtails at Makepiece were good and 3 Ravens over.