Caspian Gull!

A lovely warm autumn day on the peninsular but fairly quiet avian wise. Around the trapping area a few Finches over including Siskin, Redpoll and Brambling. In the bushes a few Goldcrests and Chiffchaffs. A Marsh Harrier and a Great Spotted Woodpecker also flew through. Of note a dartford Warbler seen by SG.

Late morning I was joined by Sally on walk out to the back of Scotney to the wind turbines, which stood stationary with not a breath of wind to stir them. We saw most of the usual birds out there, including 6 Common Buzzards, 2 Short-eared Owls and a Merlin, also the Rough-legged Buzzard which was over Cheyne.

This afternoon I joined Mick and Richard on the beach for an afternoon of Gulling. See HERE how they pull in the Gulls.

At least 2 1w Caspian Gulls came in this afternoon.

 1w Caspian Gull by the fishing boats

 JZ235 Great Black Backed Gull

Turstones making the most of a free meal

Another Shrike!

07.30-09.30 from The Point with MH and AJG who kindly collated the numbers:

Common Scoter: 9E    4W

Red-throated Diver: 4W

Gannet: 677 W

Merlin: 1 along beach

Great Skua: 1E

Arctic Skua: 1W

Kittiwake: 174W

Little Gull: 6W

Mediterranean Gull: 1 adult W

Sandwich Tern: 5 around

Guillemot: 11W   4E

Razorbill:2W

Auk sp: 8W   6E

Starling: 400 in

Goldfinch: 50W

The rest of the morning was taken up with domestic stuff, but I did have a party of 24 Goldfinches on the Plodland feeders.

 Distant Great Grey Shrike

My plans of an afternoon sea watching changed on news of a Great Grey Shrike behind Hookers Pit. A few minutes after getting the news I was having distant views of the Shrike which was quite mobile. Walking around Hookers several Bearded Tits could be heard even above the honking of 100s of Greylag Geese.

When I arrived at the beach, Richard Smith text me to say a 1w Caspian Gull was on the beach, unfortunately it flew off as I arrived but was replaced by a 2nd w Caspian Gull. 

2nd w Caspian Gull this afternoon.

At the ARC Egret roost this evening 8 Great White Egrets and 19 Little Egrets came in. While waiting 2 Black-necked Grebes appeared at the southern end of the New Diggings.

Barred Warbler!

A quieter morning around The Point, though still a few each of Siskins, Redpolls, Goldfinches, Chaffinches, Linnets, Bramblings and 4 Swallows over. A single Fieldfare in The Desert, 2 Redwing and 2 Song Thrushes flushed from the Broom, 3 Mistle Thrushes and a Ring Ouzel in The Moat along with a number of Goldcrests, Chiffchaffs and 2 Firecrests. 

The highlight of the day was Barred Warbler (216) which found its way into a mist net in the trapping area.

Fieldfare on the edge of The Desert

Goldcrests in the Broom

 Barred Warbler

 Kestrel opposite Lloyds

Great White Egret at the south end of the ARC

A visit to Galloways this afternoon was again disappointing, no Owls, just a couple of Stonechats.

The Rough-legged Buzzard is still showing on and off at Scotney though usually distant.

With the number of Short-eared Owls around, I spent the late afternoon early evening at home scanning the fields opposite Plodland. No Owls were seen, however 2 Ravens flew over, 2 Marsh Harriers were hunting the ditches, 3 Little Egrets flew over along with 100s of corvids going to roost. 

Scotney revisited!

 First thing this morning a Great Spotted Woodpecker trying out the sleepers on the edge of The Desert. A wander around The desert was much quieter than of late, Thrushes were virtually non existent, though finches could be heard flying over but remained mainly unseen.

I joined Steve Gale in a walk around the back of Scotney where the Rough-legged Buzzard performed for the best part of 40 minutes for us, though distant for photographic purposes before it disappearing out onto Walland Marsh. We also saw a Raven a couple of Marsh Harriers, many Golden Plover and Lapwings, a few Skylarks, Corn and Reed Buntings, Swallows and a Stonechat.

Yellow-legged Gull

A walk from the ARC car park to The Pines and out the back of the water works saw of note a Merlin, 2 Marsh Harriers, 2 Sparrowhawks, Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers and 4 Swallows.
The sea was very quiet this afternoon, just a handful of Gannets and a Sandwich Tern. The usual adult Yellow-legged Gull was in the roost.

Great Grey Shrike!

Merlin just after grabbing a Goldfinch for Breakfast 

07.30-09.00 from the Point                           09.30-11.00 The Desert

Brent Goose:             4E      39W
Gadwall:                    2 on sea
Goldeneye:                1W
Red-breasted Merganser: 2E
Gannet:                      c15 around
Merlin:                       1 around
Sparrowhawk:            2 around                            3
Oystercatcher:            3E
Golden Plover:           1 in
Curlew:                                                                 1 over
Sandwich Tern:          3 around
Skylark:                     6                                         4
Swallow:                  44                                       11
House Martin:          33
Meadow Pipit:          21                                       15
Pied Wagtail:            17                                        4
Stonechat:                   2
Long-tailed Tit:                                                    6
Great Grey Shrike:                                            1
Starling:                 500 in                                 210 in
Brambling:                1
Linnet:                     83                                        15
Redpoll:                   14+                                       4+
Goldfinch:              360                                        70+
Siskin:                      11+                                     28+
Reed Bunting:            4                                          1

Eurasian Treecreeper trapped and ringed at the observatory (214)

This Great Grey Shrike (215 local patch year) flew past me as I was working The Desert, fortunately it landed on some bushes c400mts away. It was quite flighty and gradually moved north, crossed the road, then lost to view near the ARC. Fortunately it was around long enough for about dozen other observers to see it.  

Stonechat, Scotney

This afternoon I spent 4hrs at the back of Scotney waiting for Rough-legged Buzzard to show, It didn't. It was seen around midday and probably caught a Rabbit, and spent the rest of the day sitting around digesting it. While I was there c3,000 Lapwings and c500 Golden Plovers were out on the fields along with 100s of feral geese. The set aside held many Reed Buntings, Linnets and Goldfinches along with a few Corn Buntings and Yellowhammer.

3 Merveille du Jour recently in the Plodland trap

Cypress Carpet

Some good birds but dodgy images!

The sea was again very unproductive this morning:

O7.30-08.00 from The point:

Common Scoter: 20E

Gannet: c25 around

Kittiwake: 1W

Sandwich Tern: 2E

Guillemot: 2 on sea

Auk sp: 13E

Harbour Porpoise: 2

I spent the rest of the morning around The Desert and Long Pits. Good numbers of Siskin, Redpolls Goldfinches and 3+ Brambling flew over, 44 Ring Ouzels including a flock of 37 that dropped in as bad weather approached, Fieldfares, Redwing, Song Thrushes and a Mistle Thrush flew through. More details of numbers can be found D.B.O.Web Site A Jack Snipe was flushed, also 2 Common Snipe and up to 5 Short-eared Owls were in the area.

 Jack Snipe at The long Pits

 Short-eared Owl in The Desert

I met MH at Brickwall farm who pointed out this superb male Brambling. Pity about the image.

I walked both sides of Dengemarsh Gully and barely a bird was seen. Galloways was opened early this afternoon. I spent 90 minutes there and was very surprised not to see a Short-eared Owl there considering the numbers around the peninsular, I did see 6 Stonechats, Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Meadow Pipits but little else.

I had just arrived home when David Walker called to say he had a Rough-legged Buzzard at Scotney. A couple of minutes later I was there and the Buzzard soon appeared hovering over the fields north side of the lake viewed from the double bends. A Short-eared Owl, 2 Marsh Harriers and  2 Sparrowhawks were also there.

 Rough-legged Buzzard over the border in Sussex.

 Rubbish long distance images but you can see what it is. Hopefully it will still be around tomorrow when I will be able to get around the to the back of the lake for better views

Excellent Day on The Peninsular!

A brilliant day started with a wander from the Observatory towards the Desert. As I crossed The Moat 2 Ring Ouzels and 2 Redwing broke cover, overhead the first of several Brambling wheezed, Siskins were calling most unseen. In The Desert more Ring Ouzels, Redwings, Fieldfare, Song Thrushes and a Mistle Thrush flew over, also Goldfinches, Chaffinches, Redpolls, Reed Buntings more Siskins and Brambling and 100s of Swallows. In the bushes Chiffchaffs, Goldcrests, a few Blackcaps, Tits, including a flock of 17 Long-tailed Tits. I missed a party of 4 Continental Coal Tits were trapped just as I was tucking into a fry up. A male Peregrine put on an aerial performance chasing off  2 Ravens. This afternoon a flock of 5 Ring Ouzels(minimum of 15 for the day) dropped into The Desert and 2 more Short-eared Owls appeared. For full details of numbers see D.B.O.Web Site

Late afternoon at the ARC by the track to the Pines several Cetti's Warblers calling, both Green and Great-spotted Woodpeckers were seen, more Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests. Walking out to the airport Pits I flushed a Common Snipe, another Ring Ouzel flew towards the mirrors also several Redwings, at the pits a Merlin tried to catch a couple of large Bats, 2 more Short-eared Owls were seen and 4 Marsh Harriers roosted.  

 Short-eared Owls

 Ring Ouzel +DNA

Ring Ouzel

Owls and Goldcrests!

I've not posted the last couple of days due to domestic stuff and problems with windows 10 which hopefully have now been resolved.

In the last few days I have spent most of my birding time around the bushes at Dungeness. Although there was not large numbers of grounded migrants, overhead migration has been quite good, with many Siskin, Redpoll, Goldfinches, Chaffinches also Fieldfares, Redwings, Song Thrushes, Ring Ouzels, Reed Buntings, Bramblings, Meadow Pipits and few Swallows and House Martins. In the bushes Goldcrests and Chiffchaffs were fairly numerous, some Blackcaps also Common and Lesser Whitethroat. A few Wheatears, Stonechats and Black Redstarts were seen each day.  This afternoon an influx of Short-eared Owls with at 6 in the Desert and 2 more in the Kerton Road Triangle.

 Goldcrest Willow Trail

 Short-eared Owl 

 1 of 2 adult Yellow-legged Gulls in the beach roost

 JE680 Great Black Backed Gull

Sea watching has been very poor recently, though I did see a Sooty Shearwater fly west this afternoon, while in the early mornings a Merlin has been hunting incoming migrants.

On the reserve still at least 10 Great White Egrets usually around Burrowes pit. A ring tailed Hen Harrier was seen at the back of the ARC yesterday afternoon per SO. 

 Wheatear 1 of 3 in the Desert today

Hare in the Desert

Short-eared Owls!

07.55-08.30 from The Point a slow watch but enlivened by the Short-eared Owl coming in.

Brent Goose: 57W     1E

Wigeon: 10W

Shoveler: 4W

Common Scoter: 7E

Gannet: 26E 14W

Sandwich Tern: 1W

Auk sp: 4W  1E

Short-eared Owl: 1 in

 Short-eared Owl arriving off the sea.

 Jack Snipe near the Long Pits

I spent 3hrs out in the Desert/Trapping Area/Long Pits this morning, once again it was hard work in the brisk North wind with a few showers. A steady trickle of Siskins and Goldfinches flew over with very small numbers of Redpolls, Skylarks Song Thrushes, Redwing, Fieldfare and only 5 Swallows. however another Short-eared Owl was nice as was a Jack snipe found by Owen Leyshon. In the bushes a few Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests also a Lesser and Common Whitethroat.

Short-eared Owl over The Desert

 Yellow-legged Gull in the beach roost today.

From Dennis's Hide 8 Great White Egrets and 7 Little Egrets could be seen, also Shoveler numbers appear to building there.

 This Great Black Backed Gull is unable to fold it's wings properly. This does not seem to be any real problem for the Gull as it has been like it for a few years.

Another sea watch from The Point 13.30-14.30 was again very slow:

Brent Goose: 7W
Great Crested Grebe: 3 around
Gannet: 16E
Kestrel: 1 in
Mediterranean Gull: 1 around
Sandwich Tern: 4W
Auk sp: 3W
Harbour Porpoise: 2+

A quick look around Lydd Wood found of note a Jay, which was probably a migrant.

Scotney had very little of note apart from a Marsh Harrier and a common Buzzard there.

A plod around Dengemarsh Gully found of note, a Ring Ouzel, 3 Chiffchaffs and a Raven over.  

Short-eared Owl Galloways

Late afternoon at Galloways a Short-eared Owl showed well, also 2 Stonechats and 2 Marsh Harriers there.

Migration Slows!

A 30 minute sea watch first thing this morning from The Point was cold and fruitless, 17 Brent Geese flew west and a handful each of Gannets and Sandwich Terns.

At the observatory a walk around The Moat yielded a single Ring Ouzel, several Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests, also Siskins, Redpolls, Goldfinches and Swallows over. A couple of hours in the trapping area was hard work in the strong north wind, more Siskins, Redpolls, Goldfinches, Skylarks, Swallows and a few House Martins were seen and heard also 1500+ Starlings came in. In the bushes a few Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests nut the wind made in more or less un-birdable. A quick look from Dennis's hide saw 8 Great White Egrets on Burrowes sheltering under the causeway bank.

A windswept Scotney held the usual feral geese, 15 Golden Plover, good numbers of Wigeon and a few more Swallows. 

Dengemarsh Gully was also un-birdable in the wind.

Another 30 minute sea watch this afternoon from The Point saw little change from this morning, apart from a 2nd winter Mediterranean Gull. Sometimes it's best just to give up and go home.  

A late afternoon call from MH about 3 Short-eared Owls showing on Galloways, just a couple of minutes drive from home nearly got me back out again but I was comfortable in the armchair with a hot cup of tea and a packet of Bourbons no contest! 

The moth trap has been quite poor lately though a Delicate was a nice surprise, a Vapourer and Green-brindled Crescent were new for the year.

Delicate

Vapourer

Green-brindled Crescent