Christmas Dell

An hour at the sea watching hide this morning produced only 1 Red-throated Diver w, 3 Common Scoter w, 1 Auk w 1 Kestrel in off and a few each of Gannets, Sandwich and Common Terns.
A call from DW to say a Pectoral Sandpiper had been seen infront of Firth hide, gave me the excuse to stop the sea watch and go to the reserve. When i arrived the Sandpiper was still there though distant and straight into the sun and the hide was packed with a large group of visitors, so i carried on around the reserve. From the empty Makepiece hide the Sandpiper was still visible and much in better light but even more distant. From there to Christmas Dell there were a few Chiffchaffs and Cetti's Warblers in the bushes but little else. At Christmas Dell though a Spotted Flycatcher, 1 Whinchat, 2 Stonechats,  6 Common Whitethroats, 3 Lesser Whitethroats, 4 Blackcaps, 3 Chiffchaffs, 2 Sedge Warblers, 2 more Cetti's, 1 Hobby over, 1 Marsh harrier over and the leucistic Grey Heron. The Great White Egret still at Denge Marsh and on the way back to the car park another look from a now empty Firth hide revealed no sign of the Pectoral Sandpiper.

Whinchat Christmas Dell

Leucistic Grey Heron Christmas Dell



Spotted flycatcher Christmas Dell

To Late again

Image taken on same day as L.T.Skua at the fishing boats

A late start this morning with a lot less birds around. At the ARC from Hanson of note:
Little Stint:  2
Curlew Sandpiper: 1
Dunlin: 10
Wigeon: 12
Chiffchaff: 3
Cetti's Warbler: 2
Goosander: 1 at the south end.

From the fishing boats 11.30 - 13.30
Balearic Shearwater: 1w
Gannets: constant stream E and W
Arctic Skua: 2 off shore
Bonxie: 1w
Little Gull: 1w
Brent Geese: 10w
Common Scoter: 15w
Little Tern: 2w
Arctic Tern: 3w
Common Tern: 56w
Sandwich Tern: 84w
Guillemot: 2 off shore
Shovellor: 1w
Sanderling: 36w
Dunlin: 22w
Ringed Plover: 14w
Bat-tailed Godwit: 1w
Swallow: many parties moving south
I was informed that apparently there were Skuas and Shearwaters galore while i was having a leisurely breakfast at home this morning.

Jokers First Shag On The Reserve

A walk around The Point, The ARC, The Reserve and Dengemarsh found totals of birds of note in and around the bushes 65 Chiffchaffs, 6 Willow Warblers, 9 Blackcaps, 13 Common Whitethroats, 2 Lesser Whitethroats, 8 Reed Warblers, 3 Sedge Warblers, 12 Cetti's Warbler, 3 Bearded Tits, 6 Northern Wheatears, 4 Whinchats, 6 Stonechats, 1 Black Redstart, 1 Common Redstart, 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 18 Siskins, 2 Great Spotted Flycatchers, 6 Green Woodpeckers,  14 Yellow Wagtails, 300+ Swallows and 100+ Sand Martins moving south. On the pits 2 Little Stints, 2 Ruff, 1 Knot, 2 Turnstones, 2 Black-tailed Godwits, 5 Dunlin, mixed flock of 500+ Lapwing and Golden Plovers, 1 Little Gull, 1 Black Tern, 1 Hobby, 5 Marsh Harriers, 1 Spoonbill, 1 Great White Egret, 1 Cattle Egret, 14 Little Egrets, the leucistic Heron and finally the infamous 1w Shag.

Jokers first

The Ahh factor!

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.