Fiona from Marwell comes to Dungeness

Fiona the Greater Flamingo former resident of Marwell Zoo at Dungeness today.  

 A noticeable increase in the number of birds in the bushes around the peninsular. With personal totals of 17 Common Whitethroat, 9 Lesser Whitethroats, 6 Blackcaps, 4 Sedge Warblers, 14 Reed Warblers, 30+ Chiffchaffs, 2 Willow Warblers, 150+ Yellow Wagtails(most on the Dengemarsh Road) 5 Whinchats, 16 Northern Wheatears, 5 Sparrowhawks, 3 Common Buzzards and large numbers of Hirundines over the reserve accompanied by 2+ Hobbys. On the sea no sign of the Long-tailed Skua despite reports to the contrary but 3+ Arctic Skuas hanging around off shore, 2 Little Gulls, 50+ Knot, 7 Sanderling, 1 Black Tern and a few Common, Arctic and Sandwich Terns.
At the ARC from Hanson 2 Ruff, 2 Little Stints, 4 Avocets, 5 Dunlin, 2 Marsh Harriers and the usual mixed flock of 400+ Lapwing and Golden Plover.At the south end first thing this morning 1 Little Gull, 1 Black Tern and 1 Spotted Redshank.

Sparrowhawk trapped at the obs today

Wasp Spider devouring a Grasshopper sp.

There was 3 Clouded Yellows around the Denge Marsh hide this morning also a couple of Wasp Spiders.

Vis Mig

This morning i spent a very pleasant and fruitful 3hrs at The Point with MH and BP, not looking at the sea but inland. After a quick look at the L.T.Skua, i joined MH & BP watching many Meadow Pipits, Swallows, Sand Martins and House Martins and a few Finches on the move. Also moving were 2 Spoonbills, 2 Common Cranes, no less than 40 Sparrowhawks, 3 Marsh Harriers, 3 Common Buzzards, 1 Hobby, 1 Grey Wagtail and Spotted Redshank.

An early afternoon sea watch produced 4 Arctic Skuas, 2 Little Gulls, 1 1W Med Gull, 60+Knot, 50+ Common Terns, 50+ Sandwich Terns, small numbers of Gannets and the Long-tailed Skua gave another outstanding performance trying to eat a dead fish thrown in by a fisherman. The Skua was eventually robbed by a Great Black Backed Gull.  

This afternoon at the ARC from Hanson Hide with MH we saw 2 Little Stints, 1 Ruff, 100+ Golden Plover, 1 Dunlin, 2 Curlew, 1 Arctic Tern, 1 Common Tern, 1 Hobby, 1 Marsh Harrier and the Goosander.

Long Tailed Skua

I drove straight to the point this morning and spent an hour staring out to sea and seeing 2 Arctic Skuas, a few Terns and Gannets, lots of Meadow Pipits coming and a steady procession of Hirundines going out including 1 Swift and 2 Yellow wagtails. I then received a text telling me of a Long Tailed Skua a few hundred yards away that had been there all the time i was looking at not alot. The Skua showed well up and down the beach ranging from The Patch to the Fishing Boats spending alot of time hunched up on the beach, probably because it only had one leg(See picture below) till at least 4.30 P.M. It appeared to be feeding well and was watched robbing a Black Headed Gull and a Sandwich Tern as well as picking up what looked like some kind of shellfish from the surface of the sea.  Also on the beach was 2 Sanderling, 16+ Turnstone, the Glaucous Gull and 3+ Little Gulls off shore. Below are just a few of the 2000+ images i took and will still be sorting next week.

Showing its stump

Cattle Egret

Cattle Egret posing on gate at Boulderwall Farm this morning 

09.00-10.30 sea watching from the point produced



Balearic Shearwater 2E
Arctic Skua  3W
Bonxie 1W
Little Gull 1W
Black Tern 1W
Sandwich Tern c100W
Common Tern c100W
Gannet c50W
Common Scoter 12W + 9E
Swallow & Sand Martin 100s S
Glaucous Gull 2W on the beach.
At Boulderwall Farm the Cattle Egret posed at last. Also there 2 Marsh Harriers and 2 Wheatears.
At the ARC from Hanson the islands had been taken over by Greylags, 1 Ruff, 3 Redshanks, 6 Dunlin, 200+ Lapwing, 3 Common Terns and the usual wild fowl.
In the bushes by the car park, 3 Common Whitethroats, 1 Lesserv Whitethroat, 2 Reed Warblers and1 Great Spotted Woodpecker.
At Scotney 200+ Golden Plover and 2 Yellow Wagtails.

Balearics and back to Rye

In 3 hrs from the fishing boats 11 Balearic Shearwaters W, 10 Arctic Skuas w, 2 Bonxies W, 2 Fulmars W, 4 Black Terns W, 2 Little Gulls W, 21 Common Scoters W, at least 1 Arctic Tern W, 100+ Common Terns W, 100+ Sandwich Terns W, Numerous Gannets, a steady trickle of Swallows and a few Sand Martins out to sea, 4 Grey Herons in off, also several Porpoises off shore. On the beach the Yellow legged Gull Adult and the Glaucous gull.

News of the Buff Breasted Sandpiper still at Rye made me have another look in decent light also there with the BBS, 6 Curlew Sandpipers, 4 Dunlin and 3 Ringed Plovers.

Buff Breasted Sandpiper

Managed to get to Rye Harbour at 7.20 PM this evening where the Buff Breasted Sandpiper was showing well with 7 Curlew Sandpipers, 3 Dunlin and 3 Ringed Plovers. Pity about the poor light.

In the best part of 5 hours sea watching in 2 periods from the fishing boats 24 Arctic Skuas, 9 Little Gulls, 4 distant Shearwaters (Prob Balearic), 2 Black Terns, 2 Med Gulls, 1 Eider, 3 Whimbrel, the usual Gannets, Common and Sandwich Terns, 5 Swallows in, the Glaucous and Yellow Legged Gull on the beach and several Porpoises off shore. 

At the ARC Pit a very sparse show, with 6 Dunlin, 4 Ringed Plover, 1 Golden Plover, 1 Garganey, 12 Wigeon, the Goosander 2 Common and 1 Sandwich Tern plus the Lapwings over the road at Boulderwall  Farm the Cattle Egret as ever a distant white blob. At Scotney 200+ Golden Plover and 2 Marsh Harriers near the wind mills.

Stormy Sea Watch

In 5rs at the fishing boats between 08.10-13.10 including a 20 min nap the grand total:

2  Balearic Shearwaters (Probably the same bird)
19 sightings of Arctic Skua probably involving only 4-5 birds
9 Guillemots
1 Common Scoter o/s
50-100 Gannets
100+ Terns (Common and Sandwich)
2W Glaucous Gull still on the beach

Growing its Tail

 A sea watch this morning and another this afternoon in the company of Mark H we saw 1 Balearic Shearwater, 5+ Arctic Skuas were milling around beating up the Terns off which 200+ were feeding o/s as were 200+ Gannets, 2 Little Gulls W, 5 Common Scoter W, 1 Black Tern W, 1 Fulmar W, 6 Swifts went out, 1 Grey Seal and several Porpoises were o/s, 4 Northern Wheatears were on the beach and the Glaucous Gull was by the approach road.
In between sea watches on the reserve The Cattle Egret and Great White Egret distant as usual, the leucistic Heron gave a fly by, 2 Ravens, 2 Spotted Redshanks, 1 Greenshank, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Hobby, and 2+ Marsh Harriers. On the ARC from Hanson highlights were the usual Lapwing and Golden Plover, 6 Dunlin, the Goosander, 1 Little Gull, 1 Black Tern, 1 juv. Garganey and a Water Rail.

A Very Pleasant Sea Watch

After a plod from the lighthouse round the moat and back, finding only 2 Common Whitethroats, 4 Yellow Wagtails over and a few Swallows and Sand Martins on the move a sea watch was the order of the day.
DW was already at the fishing boats and had had Shearwaters and Skua's. I was there from 09.30- 13.30 the last hour in the car.
Arctic Skua's were on view virtually non stop though probably only about 20 individuals were involved as they were cruising up and down beating up the terns. 3 Bonxies W and 1 E, at least 3 Balearic Shearwaters were feeding off shore (DW had a Manx earlier), a super flock of 9 Greenshanks and 2 Sanderling W, 2 Little Gulls, 1 Shag o/s, 3 Barwits N, 20+ Guillemots o/s, 3 Wigeon W, 7 Teal W, 26 Common Scoter W, several hundred Common and Sandwich Terns with Gannets  o/s. On the beach 4 Yellow Wagtails, 3 Northern Wheatears and a Sparrowhawk.

9 Greenshanks

Balearic Shearwater

Balearic Shearwater

I resisted the temptation to go to Springfield Bridge on the news of a Corncrake being seen there. But went to the ARC Pit to be told in the car park by PT of a myriad of waders there only to see most  them go as i walked along the track to the hide leaving just 1 Little Stint, 3 Barwits, 50+ Oycs and 6 Dunlin.
A look at Boulderwall Farm for the Cattle Egret drew a blank but 4 Whinchats by the track were compensation.