Try again Tomorrow!

With a light south easterly blowing after early morning rain, I was hoping the sea would produce the goods, once again it was not to be. In 3hrs  just 2 Bonxies, 2 Arctic Skuas, 300+ Brent Geese,  and c50 Gannets, c80 Sandwich Terns. Overhead c800 Swallows,  c100 Meadow Pipits and the first 4 Fieldfare of the Autumn. At the fish dump another colour ringed Great Black Backed Gull, still no Caspians!

Great Black backed Gull JY907 at the fishing boats

Great black backed Gull with a dodgy eye at the fishing boats.

At the ARC from Hanson a Pectoral Sandpiper still present until flushed by 2 Peregrines, also 4 Greenshank, 2 Ruff and a Black-tailed Godwit.
Near the Tower 2 Ring Ouzels, 20+ Blackcap, 20+ Chiffchaffs, a Red-crested Pochard and 2 Marsh Harriers.
On Burrowes up to 6 Great White Egrets, 4 Black-necked Grebes, 8 Little Egrets, 13 Egyptian Geese, 2 Little Stints, 2 Ruff and a Dunlin among the common wildfowl.

Eastern Type Lesser Whitethroat?

I joined AJG at the fishing boats for a sea watch, but after a short while of little passing at sea we turned 180 degrees and started watching the impressive vis mig. During the morning we counted c5000 Swallows and several hundreds each of House Martin and Meadow Pipits and 10s of Linnet, Goldfinch and Pied Wagtail. These numbers were undoubtedly the tip of the iceberg. We wandered around the trapping area which was seemingly virtually devoid of avian activity until a call from DW alerted us to a Lesser Whitethroat that was caught in the Heligoland trap. The bird was processed, photographed and released into The Moat, while doing so a few breast feathers came out and were retrieved for DNA. It appears to be of one of the eastern races Halimodendri perhaps? I am sure others will have there own opinions. Hopefully DNA results will be conclusive.

Eastern type Lesser Whitethroat?

                                                                 Eastern type Lesser Whitethroat?

                                                             Eastern type Lesser Whitethroat?

                                                                   Eastern type Lesser Whitethroat?

This afternoon on the reserve highlights were a Spoonbill which was new in, 3 Great White Egrets, 4 Black-necked Grebes, a little Stint, a Ruff, 2 Marsh Harriers  and a Rock Pipit which is probably rarer here than Spoonbills. By the entrance track near Boulderwall Farm a Common Redstart, 2 Stonechats, a Whinchat and a Wheatear and at the farm 10+ Tree Sparrows. At the south end of the ARC another Great White Egret and still good numbers of Sand Martins.

Late afternoon at the fishing boats a Yellow-legged Gull at the fish dump along with numerous other gulls but no Caspian in sight!

                                         Brent Geese past the fishing boats this afternoon.

                                                   Feeding time at the fishing boats for LY8T

Grasshopper Warbler makes my day!

No posts over the weekend more due to tardiness than the fact that the birds present on Friday were still about at the weekend. In fact there was not much change today today.

45 minutes from the sea watch hide produced:

Balearic Shearwater: 1W

Brent Geese: 147

Wigeon: 128

Teal: 32

Arctic Skua: 2 off shore

Common Tern: 1 off shore

Sandwich Tern: c10 off shore

Meadow Pipit: c100E

Swallow: c300E

Pied wagtail:16E

Wheatear: 4 on beach

In the Desert 10 Song Thrushes were probably continental birds.

While I was plodding around The Desert,a Penduline Tit flying south over the trapping area(DW) probably flew over me, but with my hearing no chance. 

Sunrise over the ARC from Plodland this morning.

 I'd like to be able to say I took the above shot today at the ARC, but in fact about the best I will get there is one the below of the 2 Pectoral Sandpipers. I took the one above on October 7th 2007 at Pagham Harbour.

2 Pectoral Sandpipers

 A couple of visits to the ARC  saw 2 Pectoral Sandpipers, 3 Little Stints, a Curlew Sandpiper, 5 Greenshank, 3 Ruff, 3 Curlews, and a Red-crested Pochard  were of note.
At the end of the Willow Trail I flushed a Grasshopper Warbler(very scarce at Dungeness) from the damp grass at the side of the path, it flew up into the Sallows allowing a few seconds viewing with the bins before dropping into the Juncus.

Stock Doves behind the pines

Making my way to The Pines I received a text from SB that a Ring Ouzel was there. In the short time it took me to get there it had disappeared. Fortunately SB relocated it albeit distantly.
While there a flock of c100 Stock doves was flushed by a Marsh Harrier, there was also a few Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps, a Spotted Flycatcher and a Lesser Whitethroat.
15.30-17.00 from the fishing boats:
Brent Geese: 2E
Gannet: n/c
Common Scoter: 12E
Arctic Skua: 2 off shore
Little Gull: flock of 6W and 1E
1w Mediterranean Gull: 1W
Sandwich Tern: n/c
Trickle of Swallows east
Grey Seal: 1
Harbour Porpoise: 3+
Not the best 90 minutes sea watching. Had that total been a few years ago in Shoreham West Sussex  where I used to live I would have been delighted.

Waders

As the sea was very quiet this morning with just a few Teal and Brent Geese moving, 2+ Arctic Skua's chasing Terns and a distant Bonxie, I didn't stay to long.

On the ARC from Hanson in 2 visits, 2 Pectoral Sandpipers, 4 Curlew Sandpipers, a Little Stint, 4 Ruff, a Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Knot, 8 Dunlin, 2 Ringed Plovers, 2 Greenshank, c100 Golden Plover, c200 Lapwing, 3 Marsh Harriers, a Hobby, a Red-crested Pochard and a Black-necked Grebe. 20+ Chiffchaffs around the pines and Willow Trail.

Great White Egret from Firth

This afternoon from Firth hide the Great White Egret, a Knot, 3 Ruff, a Black-tailed Godwit and a Little Gull.  

Colour Ringed Gulls

07.30-09.00 from the sea watch hide:

Gannet: c50 fishing

Brent Geese: 181W  49E

Common Scoter: 12W

Teal: 113W

Wigeon: 121W

Pintail: 2W

Curlew: 1W

Sparrowhawk: 1 in

Arctic Skua: 4+ off shore

Sandwich Tern: c50 off shore

Commic Tern: c10 off shore

Little Gull: 1 over the boil

Meadow Pipit: 78 in

Harbour Porpoise: 3+

A wander around the trapping area found 2 Spotted Flycatchers, 1 Wheatear, 1 Whinchat, 11 Chiffchaffs, 6 Blackcaps, 1 Common Whitethroat and 26 Swallows.

Spotted Flycatcher

 Early afternoon at the ARC from Hanson: 1 Pectoral Sandpiper, 3 Curlew Sandpipers, 3 Ruff, 1 Little Stint, 2 Greenshank, 4 Common Snipe and a Marsh Harrier.

1w Mediterranean Gull

 This evening from the fishing boats with DW:
Brent Goose: 75E  96W
Mediterranean Gull: 4+
Arctic Skua: 3+

99L Great black Backed Gull

 On the beach after the discarded waste pieces off fish colour ringed 99L probably rung in Normandy and VRB probably rung in Felixstowe area.

VRB Herring Gull

Skua's, Balearics and Pecs

A wander around the bushes this morning found only a few Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps with a few Meadow Pipits and Linnets over head.

A sea watch from the fishing boats this morning with AJG was slow but the marauding Arctic Skuas kept us amused for an hour, also seen:

Wigeon: 122 w

Teal: 120 w

Common Scoter: 30 w

Brent Goose: 5w 3E

Razorbill: 1 on sea
Bar-tailed Godwit: 2

Sanderling: 3w

Curlew: 1E

Arctic Skua: 2 around
2 Seals and several Harbour Porpoises off shore

Who is chasing who? at the fishing boats this morning.

At the ARC from Hanson:
Pectoral Sandpiper: 2
Curlew Sandpiper: 2
Dunlin: 6
Ruff: 2
Black-tailed Godwit: 2
Greenshank:1
Common Snipe: 21
Golden Plover: 150+
Lapwing: 300+
Spotted Redshank: 1 at the south end
Great White Egret: 1 along with all the usual wildfowl.

Balearic Shearwaters 

A surprise in another sea watch this evening with DW in form of a party of 5 Balearic Shearwaters moving west. Off shore 4+ Arctic Skua's were beating up the Sandwich Terns, 30 Teal moved west as did 81 Brent Geese. Several harbour Porpoises still off shore.

Twitching a butterfly

The Patch was quiet this morning with just 1 Arctic Tern and 1 Little Gull among the few Common Terns and Black-headed Gulls. On the perimeter fence behind the hide 3 Chiffchaffs, 3 Black Redstarts and a Whinchat. A wander around the bushes with AJG was also quiet, just a hand full of Chiffchaffs, another Whinchat, 2 more Black Redstarts, a Wheatear and in stark contrast to yesterday just 11 Swallows.

Whinchat

Long Tailed Blue Kinsdown

 A long with DW, GH and AJG I spent a few hours at Kingsdown admiring the Long Tailed Blue butterfly's which showed quite well. While there a Peregrine dashed through.

Peregrine Kingsdown

Arctic Skua at the fishing boats this evening

 This evening at the fishing boats with DW 5+ Arctic Skuas were terrorising the Sandwich Terns and 17 Brent Geese flew west.

Hirundines and Chiffchaffs

06.55-07.25 a superb half hour at the fishing boats with in excess of 10,000 Swallows out towards France creating a marvellous spectacle. The French  coast was as clear as I have ever seen it and the sea was like a mirror, as the Swallows and smaller numbers of Martin's came over the beach they flew very low over the sea towards the french coast some picking insects off the surface as they went. As far as I could see in all directions there were Hirundines making there way south. Also seen were 12 Sandwich Terns, 1 Common Tern, 2 Common Scoter, 3 Teal, 1 Turnstone on the beach and c100 Meadow Pipits coasting west. 

A plod around the Desert and the bushes around The Point found:

Chiffchaff: 91

Blackcap: 18

Common Whitethroat: 9

Lesser Whitethroat: 1

Reed Warbler: 2

Stonechat: 2

Whinchat: 4

Wheatear: 4

Spotted Flycatcher: 3

Robin: 8

Blue Tit: 6

Great Tit: 7

Meadow Pipit: c100

Linnet: c70

Marsh Harrier: 1

Hirundines: 1,000s more

At the observatory many more Chiffchaff and Blackcaps, with at least 1 Garden warbler and 2 Reed Warblers.

Chiffchaffs seemed evenly spread across the peninsular there must have been 1,000s of them here today. The Swallows were seen in large numbers across Walland Marsh as well as the peninsular probably totaling 10s of 1,000s.

In a couple of visits to the ARC 6 Ruff, 8 Black-tailed Godwits, 2 Avocet, 3 Curlew Sandpipers, 2 Little Stints, 6 Dunlin, 8 Common Snipe, c100 Golden Plover. The track to Hanson and the Willow trail were full of Chiffchaffs.

At the pines early evening 3 Spotted Flycatchers, 1 Redstart and 50+ Chiffchaffs with Swallows still moving south.

Another day of Hirundines

07.30-09.30 I did the WeBs count at The Midrips and Wicks it was very disappointing, if it had not been for all the Hirundines and Meadow Pipits it would have been a very long walk. On the bright side I managed a year tick in the form of a Rock Pipit (scarce at Dungeness) by the security block house.

Next stop The Patch where 2 Little Gulls, an adult Mediterranean Gull, 3+ Arctic Terns among the Common Terns, 26 Sandwich Terns and an Arctic Skua could be seen. On the perimeter fence 5 Chiffchaffs and 3 Wheatears. 

The bushes from the ARC car park up to the pines held c40 Chiffchaffs, 5 Blackcaps, 4 Common Whitethroats, 2 Reed Warblers, 2 Cetti's Warblers and 2 Spotted Flycatchers. Overhead masses of Hirundines. From the screen hide 3 Curlew Sandpipers, a Little Stint, 4 Ruff and 5 Dunlin.

 In 2 visits to Hanson early afternoon and this evening 2 Little Stints, 2 Curlew Sandpipers, 6 Ruff, 31 Knot, 6 Dunlin, 8 Ringed Plover, 1 Redshank, 2 Grenshank, c100 Golden Plover, 15 Curlew, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 6 Black-tailed Godwit, a Peregrine a Marsh Harrier, a Water Rail and 2 Egyptian Geese.

31 Knot flushed by a Peregrine

 On Burrowes this evening 1 Curlew Sandpiper, 2 Dunlin, 8 Black-tailed Godwits, 4 Ruff, a Great White Egret, 2 Marsh Harriers and 4 Black-necked Grebes.

3 of the 4 Black-necked Grebes present this evening,

Black-necked Grebes, Hirundines and Chiffchaffs

This morning as I came out of the house and scanning across the fields towards the power station the air was thick with Hirundines.  The whole peninsular was alive with birds there must have been 1000s. On the reserve 2 Black-necked Grebes from Dennis's hide and from Firth 5 Ruff, 3 Dunlin and 50+ Golden Plover. 

Black-necked Grebes from Dennis's Hide

 From Makepeace 4 more Black-necked Grebes, Great White Egret, 2 Marsh Harriers and more Hirundines. The bushes by the track to Scott hide held 10+ Chiffchaffs, 4+ Reed Warblers, 3 Sedge Warblers, 2 Cetti's Warblers and Hobby dashing among the Hirundines overhead.

Black-necked Grebe from Makepeace

          Surprisingly the the bushes at Christmas Dell held only 2 Chiffchaffs and a Whinchat.

Bearded Tit Dengemarsh

 The reed fringe at Dengemarsh held a party of 12 Bearded Tits, a Bittern, 4+Reed Warblers and 4+ Sedge Warblers. The Copse at Hookers held c20 Chiffchaffs, a Spotted flycatcher, 3 Lesser Whitethroats, 6 Common Whitethroats, 2 Blackcaps, 2 Reed Warblers, 2 Cetti's Warblers and behind the copse another party of 10 Bearded Tits and 2 Marsh Harriers. The return trail held another Whinchat, a Stonechat and 4 Common Whitethroats.
Late afternoon at the south end of ARC another Black-necked Grebe 3 Ruff and 8 Black-tailed Godwits.

Great White Egret from Makepeace

 This evening on the reserve the 2 Ruddy Shelduck from Makepeace and a Great White Egret roosting near Scott Hide.

Ruddy Shelduck from Makepeace this evening

Sand Martin from Makepeace this evening