Not a Great Day!

Very disappointing watch this morning from the fishing boats:
07.10-08.10:
Brent Goose: 8W
Common Scoter: 16W
Arctic Skua: 1W
Great Skua: 1W
Sandwich Tern: 9W
Swallow: 2 out
Goldfinch: 120W
Linnet: 50W
Not a single Gannet seen in the hour!

In 3 Visits to the ARC the Glossy Ibis still, 4 Greenshank, 5 Grey Plover, c400 Lapwing, c300 Golden Plover, 10 Curlew, 3 Black-tailed Godwits, 8 Common Snipe, 4 Dunlin, a Curlew Sandpiper, an Oystercatcher, 2 Goldeneye among the common wildfowl. In the reeds and bushes,  4+ Water Rail, 3+Cetti's Warblers and 4 Chiffchaffs.
The best 2 birds of the day a Penduline Tit and a Red-necked Grebe. Even though the Penduline was showing for an hour and despite being only minutes away I and all the other locals missed it due to slow dissemination of information.    
On the reserve 5 Great White Egrets, 8+Little Egrets, 2 Black-necked Grebes, a Ruff, 6+ Common Snipe, 3 Black-tailed Godwits, 6+ Chiffchaffs, 2 Blackcaps, 2 Swallows, 3 Marsh Harriers and 3 Bitterns(BP).

Crossbills Revisited!

From the fishing boats 07.20-08.50 with AJG and DW:

All west unless stated otherwise.

Gannet: 114 

Common Scoter: 819 

Velvet Scoter: 2 

Wigeon: 4 

Merlin: 1 around

Curlew: 1 

Razorbill: 1 on sea

Arctic Skua: 3

Great Skua: 1

Sandwich Tern: 132 

Little Gull: 4 

Rock Pipit: 1 

Pied Wagtail: 3 around 

Swallow: 8 out

Goldfinch: 270 

Linnet: 159 

Starling: 15 in

Thanks to AJG for collating the numbers.

On the ARC from Hanson an obvious overnight clear out and another increase in the water levels. The Gloss Ibis was still doing its thing around the islands, the Red Crested Pochard was asleep on an island as were 2 Black-tailed Godwits and a Dunlin, only 6 Golden Plover among c50 Lapwing and 4 Common Snipe trying to like rocks. Only a few dabblers present today. 

Two Barred crossbill

 This afternoon I visited Hempstead Forest with DW and GH, which was a spectacular success with superb views of the Two Barred Crossbill and great scope views of at least 7 Parrot Crossbills, also many Common Crossbills, a few Siskins a Redpoll and a Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Two Barred Crossbill

Parrot Crossbills

Common Crossbill

Common Crossbill

Waders and Wildfowl!

I joined DW at fishing boats this morning and later joined by RS: All West unless otherwise stated.

Balearic Shearwater: 1

Manx Shearwater: 1

Gannet: c150

Common Scoter: 265

Velvet Scoter: 2 (Minutes before I arrived)

Long-tailed Duck: 1

Wigeon: 39

Merlin: 1 around

Arctic Skua: 3+

Great Skua: 5

Little Gull: 1

Kittiwake: 2

Mediterranean Gull: 1

Sandwich Tern: 155

Guillemot: 2

Razorbill: 2

Auk sp: 12

Swallow: 52 out

Grey Wagtail: 1 out

Goldfinch: c1,800 out

Linnet: c150 out

Siskin: c20 out 

At the ARC from Hanson the Glossy Ibis still wandering around the islands, joined by a Curlew Sandpiper, 8 Dunlin, 5 Grey Plover, 2 Greenshanks, a Redshank, 2 Black-tailed Godwits, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 2 Turnstone, 6 Common Snipe, c100 Golden Plover and c150 Lapwing. A Bittern gave a close fly by view, a Red-crested Pochard was roosting on and island along with good numbers of dabblers being occasionally flushed by a Marsh Harrier.  

 By the track to the reserve a Wheatear, 2 Stonechats and in the gull roost a colour ringed Great Black Backed Gull and a colour ringed Herring Gull both too distant to read.
On Burrowes Pit, 2+ Great White Egret, 9 Little Egrets, 4 Black-necked Grebes, a Little Stint, a Ruff, a Greenshank, 4 Common Snipe and all the usual wildfowl and Marsh Harriers.

Late afternoon at Scotney very few birds, the exception being the feral Barnacle Geese and a Marsh Harrier.

Another day at Dunge!

07.30-09.30 From the fishing boats:

Red throated Diver 1 W

Balearic Shearwater 5W

Gannet 118 W

Scoter 425 W

Wigeon 3 W

Sandwich Tern 52 W

Kittiwake 3 W

Little Gull 3 W

Arctic Skua 2 W

Guillemot 2 W

Razorbill 1 W

Auk sp 8 W

Merlin in around

Curlew 1 W

Rock Pipit 1

Swallow 37

Goldfinch 357 W
Brambling: 1 in

linnet 135 W

 At the ARC from Hanson the Glossy Ibis still wandering around the islands despite being flushed several times by a Marsh Harrier, along with c50 Golden Plover, c150 Lapwing, 4 Dunlin, 6 Common Snipe, 1 Curlew Sandpiper, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 1 Black-tailed Godwit, and good numbers of dabblers. In the bushes round the hide 4 Chiffchaffs and 1+ Cetti's Warbler.  

Flushed by the Marsh Harrier

Yellow-legged Gull

 In the Gull roost by the track to Burrowes a Yellow-legged Gull probably 4cy. On Burrowes 2 Black-necked Grebes, 4+ Great White Egrets, 10 Little Egrets, a Ruff, a Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Dunlin and a Ring Plover of note among the many Dabblers.
Another watch from the fishing boats 14.10-16.10 was some what disappointing:
Gannet: 24W
Sandwich Tern: 45W
Little Gull: 6W
Swallow: 1 out
Harbour Porpoise: 2

Goldfinch waiting its turn on the Plodland feeders.

Plastic Wildfowl!

From the fishing boats this morning 2 Arctic Skuas, a Little Gull, a few Common Scoter, 80+ Gannets, a few Sandwich Terns, a Merlin, a few parties of Finches and few Swallows out. 

Black-necked Grebe from Makepiece

On Burrowes Pit the highlights were 2 Black-necked Grebes, 4 Great White Egrets, 7 Little Egrets, a Peregrine and a Marsh Harrier.
At the ARC from Hanson the Glossy Ibis, a Curlew Sandpiper, 2 Greenshank, a Bar-tailed Godwit, a Grey Plover, 7 Dunlin among the usual wildfowl. In the bushes and reeds several Chiffchaffs and a Water Rail also a Bittern flew over to the tower pits.
At Scotney 400+ Golden Plover, 4 Egyptian Geese, 2 Ruddy Shelduck, c300 Greylag Geese, c150 Canada Geese and 85 Barnacle Geese with its attendant 6 Heinz 57s.
This evenings Harrier roost count was at least consistent with last winters with no Harriers roosting in the reed bed I watched. 

Jack Snipe

With the rain falling steadily, a lay in, followed by a full English was the best way for me start my day. Mid morning I drove to Scotney where c500 Golden Plover, 9 Ruff, a Redshank and the feral Barnacle Goose flock could be seen. A walk around the outside of the camp looking for Crossbills, was damp and drew a blank.

Late morning I visited the ARC Hanson hide where a very obliging Jack Snipe could be seen bobbing and was still present after my second visit at 17.00. Also seen there the Glossy Ibis, a Bittern, a Curlew Sandpiper, a Greenshank, a Ruff, 12 Dunlin(1 with a colour ring) c250 Golden Plover, 3 Grey Plover, 2 Marsh Harriers, 2+ Water Rail squealing, 2 Cetti's Warblers calling, also many Wigeon, Teal, Gadwall Shovellor present. 

 At the reserve on Burrowes Pit 7 Great White Egret, 9+ Little Egrets, a Ruff, 4 Grey Plover, a Little Stint, a Marsh Harrier, 3 Black-necked Grebes, 12+ Chiffchaffs, 2 Rock Pipits, a Wheatear, and 2 Goldeneye among the common wildfowl.

Crossbills!

07.40-08.25 from The Point:

Gannet: N/C

Brent Goose: 8W

Common Scoter: 12W

Wigeon: 9W

Hen Harrier: 1 in off

Arctic Skua: 1E

Little Gull: 1 off shore

Sandwich Tern: 6 off shore

Swallow: 17 in of

Chiffchaff Lighthouse garden

 In an hour spent looking into the Lightouse garden I managed several brief views of the Yellow Browed Warbler, a Goldcrest and a Chiffchaff. With news that the Two Barred Crossbill was still at Hempstead forest saw myself, DW, BP and DR make our way there. On arrival we were making our way up the track towards the gathered birders who started waving at us as the Two Barred Crossbill was showing. We hastened our walk a little and were soon getting good scope views of the bird, but no good for photography.

Distant Two Barred Crossbill

 We were told on arrival that 2 Parrot Crossbills had been seen, so we waited and after a while the male was picked out on distant conifer, a few moments later it and 2 other Crossbills flew towards us and landed in the trees above the drinking pool. Once again great scope views were had but much to far for me tom get any decent photographs. I believe some good phonescope shots were obtained by others, I am sure over the next few days other good ones will be obtained.

                                                          Parrot Crossbill

Left to right:  Common Crossbill, female type Parrot Crossbill, Male Parrot Crossbill.

Male Parrot Crossbill

This afternoon back at Dungeness the Glossy Ibis could again be seen from Hanson along with all the usual wildfowl. At the Lighthouse the Yellow Browed Warbler was still not behaving itself.

YBW!

I went straight round to the lighthouse garden this morning, within minutes a Yellow Browed Warbler appeared along with a couple of Chiffchaffs and a couple of Goldcrests.

From the fishing boats 09.30-10.00:

Brent Goose: 4E

Common Scoter: 12E   2W

Gadwall: 9W

Wigeon: 7W

Teal:  8W

Grey Heron: 1 out

Sandwich Tern: 6 off shore

Swallow: 22 out

Meadow Pipit: 9 out  

 At the ARC the Glossy Ibis was still performing distantly, also 2 Greenshank, 1 Redshank, 1 Ruff, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 24 Dunlin, c100 Golden Plover, c150 Lapwing, my first Goldeneye of the autumn, a Marsh Harrier, good numbers of Wigeon, Teal, Pintail, Shovelor, Gadwall, 2 Water Rails, 8 Swallows through, 2 Chiffchaffs, 2 Cetti's Warblers and a Peregrine.

 This afternoon from Firth Hide the highlights were a Rock Pipit of undefined race, a Ruff, 4 Dunlin, 22 Common Snipe, 2 Black-necked Grebes, 6 Great White Egrets, 6 Little Egrets and a Wheatear.

Late afternoon after the rain had passed and the sun came out, at the Lighthouse Garden The Yellow Browed Warbler was still present and a little more showy than this morning. 

Yellow Browed Warblers and Red Breasted Flycatcher!

Driving out to the fishing boats just after 07.00 I met AJG coming away shaking his head. While turning at the end of the concrete road a Merlin came in off the sea and flopped onto the beach and a Chiffchaff was picking around in a patch of Sea Kale.

From the observatory I walked out into The Desert and around the southern end of the trapping area seeing 6+ Ring Ouzels, 5 Song Thrushes, 12 Redwing, 1 Brambling, 1 Sparrowhawk, 13 Chiffchaffs, 34 Swallows and 9 House Martins. Arriving back at the observatory I was met by AJG with the news that a Yellow Browed Warbler had been trapped, he had phoned and text me but some how I had turned the sound on my phone off!  

YBW trapped at the Obsevatory

 After viewing the YBW at the observatory, myself and AJG went to the lighthouse to look in the garden, where we found another Yellow Browed Warbler which promptly left and visited nearby gardens ending up back in the lighthouse garden.

YBW in garden of Studio 2

YBW in garden of Studio 2

YBW in the experimental station

 OL found a Red-breasted Flycatcher in the trapping which eventually gave me and a couple of others very brief views before disappearing.

Water rail from Hanson

 On the ARC from Hanson a Water Rail showed well in front the hide, the Glossy Ibis showed well on the islands albeit distantly. Also there a Great White Egret, 50+ Golden Plover, a Greenshank, 6 Dunlin, 8 Common Snipe, the juvenile Little Gull and all the usual wildfowl.

Brambling under the reserve feeders

 A short visit to the reserve late afternoon saw the Brambling still by the feeders, 4 Great White Egrets from Dennis's Hide, another from Firth Hide, c25 Common Snipe and a Chiffchaff in front the hide.

Chiffchaff from Firth hide

Herons!

This morning around the ARC 2+ Ring Ouzels, 10s of Redwing and Song Thrush, 8+ each of Chiffchaff and Blackcap, 2+ Cetti's Warblers, 6 Common Snipe over, a Common Buzzard and 2 Marsh Harriers. On the pit the Glossy Ibis could be seen from the Screen and Hanson, 2 Greenshank, 4 Dunlin, 60+ Golden Plover, a Ruff and the juvenile Little Gull. 

Wood Sandpiper

 A plod around the reserve found 2 more Ring Ouzels, a few more Redwing, Fieldfare and Chiffchaffs, 17 Swallows over and Peregrine over. On the small pool on Hayfield 1 the Wood Sandpiper still present, also 2 Black-necked Grebes, 4+ Great White Egrets and a Bittern.

Part of the view from Firth

 Another visit to the reserve late afternoon I headed straight to Firth Hide. From the empty hide, the late afternoon sunshine added to the Mediterranean feel, as 6 Great White Egrets, 8 Little Egrets and 9 Grey Herons fed in the shallows along with several Cormorants, 3 Black-tailed Godwits, a Ruff, 10 Common Snipe, 3 Dunlin,  c50 Lapwing and an obliging Pintail.