Dartford Warblers!

 Brent Geese over the turning circle

07.10-09.00 from the turning circle:
Brent Goose: 22 up       51 down
Shelduck; 6 down
Common Scoter: 14 up
Great-crested Grebe: 2 around
Gannet: c40 around
Cormorant: 343 flew into Lade Bay
Sparrowhawk: 1 large female in, 1 male hunting over beach.
Kittiwake: c20 around
Auk sp: 17 down
Pied Wagtail: 4 around    8 in
Skylark: 3 in    2 on beach
Meadow Pipit: 24 in
Fieldfare: 1 in
Starling: 3,300 in
Brambling: 2 in
Goldfinch: 120 in
Linnet: 30 around
Siskin: 4 in
Redpoll: 17 in
Tree Sparrow: 1 in

 Dartford Warbler

 Redwing

A long walk around The Point and The Desert and along the beach was fairly uneventful, though 3 Dartford Warblers were good, 5 Stonechats, 2 Goldcrests and 2 Redwings were the highlights.

 Dartford Warbler

 Stonechat gleaming in the afternoon sun

14.00-16.00 from the fishing boats with RW
Brent Goose: 36 up     84 down
Pale-bellied Brent Goose: 1 down
Shelduck: 15 down
Goldeneye: 1 down
Common Scoter: 12 up
Red-throated Diver: 2 up
Great-crested Grebe: 3 around
Gannet: c80 around
Turnstone: 7 around
Great Skua: 1 down
Mediterranean Gull: 2 around
Kittiwake: 25 around
Guillemot: 2 around
Auk sp: 37 up
Harbour Porpoise: 2
Grey Seal: 1

Heavily cropped over exposed image of Pale-bellied Brent Goose passing the fishing boats today

Young male Sparrowhawk trapped and ringed by Lee yesterday

08.30-10.00 from the turning circle:
Brent Goose: 26 down   7 up
Wigeon: 1 down
Common Scoter: 14 up   
Great-crested Grebe: 3 around
Gannet: c400 off shore
Curlew: 1 down
Mediterranean Gull: 14 off shore
Kittiwake: c500 off shore
Sandwich Tern: 2 around
Razorbill:  5 up
Guillemot: 8 up   4 on sea
Auk sp: 137 up      21 down
Swallow: 1 out
Starling: 270 in
Grey Seal: 1

 juvenile Arctic Skua

A walk around the area found nothing of note. On the reserve the usual Great White Egrets and Cattle Egret, also a Ring Ouzel still by the entrance track per PB.

 1 of the 200+ Mediterranean Gulls past the fishing boats today

13.50-16.20

Brent Goose: 18 up        38 down
Shelduck: 1 down
Common Scoter: 23 up 
Great-crested Grebe: 5 around
Gannet: 78 up   15 down
Little Egret: 1 up
Common Buzzard: 1 in
Turnstone: 16 around
Dunlin: 7 up
Arctic Skua: 1 up (the usual Juvenile)
Mediterranean Gull: 194 up
Kittiwake: 143 up
Yellow-legged Gull: 1 around
Sandwich Tern: 27 up
Razorbill: 6 up        2 down
Guillemot: 18 up    3 down
Little Auk: 1 down
Auk sp: 279 up
Grey Seal: 1

Dutch ship Thalassa close inshore this morning

A Slow Days Birding!

Steve G photographing this mornings sunrise. An iphone image.

Clear skies, a light North wind, what could possibly go wrong? Myself, SG, AJG and MH waiting from before dawn at The Point for the avalanche of Finches, Pipits, Larks, Starlings etc, well only a handful of birds turned up so another failed attempt for a Dungeness Hawfinch, despite Owen having one fly over his garden heading our way early morning.  

Stonechat north end of The Desert

Several hours plodding around The Desert and bushes only came up with a Dartford Warbler, a Wheatear, a few Stonechats, Skylarks and Goldcrests. At the observatory a Swordgrass, Cosmopolitan and Red-headed Chestnut were all on display and all new moths for me.

Long-tailed Duck Pett Pools

A sea watch from the fishing boats 14.00-14.30 with AJG was so poor he suggested we go to Pett Pools  to see a Long-tailed Duck, needless to say I readily agreed and was very pleased to see the duck very well.

Kingfisher from Hanson late afternoon very high iso required

Very late afternoon from Hanson in very poor light, a Kingfisher came onto to it's perch, 10 Great White Egrets, were around the lake, 10 Black-tailed Godwits on an island, c150 Golden plovers present, 4 Pintail along with usual wildfowl.

Great White Egret from Hanson late afternoon

Starlings, Finches and 3 Ducks!

Early morning at The Point vis migging saw small numbers of Goldfinches, Linnets, Chaffinches, Redpolls, Siskins, Alba wagtails and Skylarks. The stars were c16,000 Starlings that came in from France including a flock of c6,000. A Great Northern Diver that appeared from the NW that presumably cut across the back of The Point and went south between the lighthouses was a surprise, all very nice but still no Hawfinch.  

While at The Point a couple of hundred Brent Geese went west as did 2 Great Skuas, an Arctic Skua, 3 Eider, a few Mediterranean Gulls, Kittiwakes and Sandwich Terns and the usual several 100s on Gannets.  

 Bullfinch 1 of 4 of this scarce at Dungeness species trapped today

Around the bushes many Goldcrests, at least 2 Firecrests, c20 Chiffchaffs, 2 Blackcaps, 2 Ring Ouzels, 10+ Song Thrushes and a Redwing. 4 Bullfinches were trapped and processed the first I have seen on the peninsular. A late Hobby was seen early morning per LG.

1 of 2 Dartford Warblers near The Brittania

 Newly rung Goldcrest

 Chiffchaff lighthouse garden

 Cattle Egret doing what they do this afternoon

This afternoon a quick dash to Burrowes to see 3 distant Mandarin Ducks, quite pathetic really, but they are the first I have ever seen at Dungeness, also several Great White Egrets showing well on Burrowes. On the way out by the entrance track the Cattle Egret was showing well.

3 very distant Mandarin Ducks on Burrowes a drake and 2 ducks.

Caspians Gulls!

1w Caspian Gull X594 photographed yesterday but still present today 

Ringing data for X594 showing it was rung on the 29th May this year in Germany near the Polish border. Unfortunately does not say whether both parents were pure Caspian as there has been some queries with this birds purity.

1w Caspian Gull photographed yesterday but still present today

Little Gull!

 Manx Shearwater this morning past the fishing boats

07.30-10.00 from the fishing boats with SG, MH & AJG who kindly collated the numbers:
Brent Goose: 38 down
Gadwall: 4 down
Wigeon: 37 down/in
Common Scoter: 17 down
Red-breasted Merganser: 1 down
Red-throated Diver: 1 down
Manx Shearwater: 1 down
Gannet: 1,045 down
Oystercatcher: 1 up
Turnstone: 21 on beach
Dunlin: 19 down
Great Skua:1 down
Arctic Skua 4 down
Pomarine Skua: 1 down
Mediterranean Gull: 1 down
Kittiwake: 54 down
Little Gull: 21 down
Razorbill: 259 down
Guillemot: 64 down
Auk sp: 597 down
Swallow: 4 down
Harbour Porpoise: 2
Grey Seal: 1
A couple of hours wandering around The Desert and Long Pits in near constant drizzle looking for grounded migrants found 3 Ring Ouzels, 10+ Song Thrushes, a few each of Chiffchaff and Goldcrest but little else of note.

Juvenile Little Gull about to grab its prize

This afternoon at the fishing boats 14.00-16.30 with MH, SG, AJG, LG, MF, PT.

Brent Goose: 129 down

Common Scoter: 18 down  1 up

Red-throated Diver: 3 Down

Great-crested Grebe: 1 around

Gannet: 242 down

Dunlin: 2 down

 Bar-tailed Godwit: 2 down

Arctic Skua: 2 around

Caspian Gull: 2 x 1w around

Little Gull: 2 down    1 around

Kittiwake: 11 down

Sandwich Tern: c20 around

Guillemot: 11 down

Razorbill: 26 down

Auk sp: 32 down

Swallow: 5 down

Harbour Porpoise: 4 

Grey Seal: 1
A beautiful juvenile Little Gull put on a superb show at the fishing boats this afternoon, it's a pity that the light was so poor

Juvenile Little Gull

                                                                Juvenile Little Gull

Juvenile Little Gull

                                                                 Juvenile Little Gull

 Juvenile Little Gull and Black-headed Gull showing size comparison

 Juvenile Little Gull

 Juvenile Little Gull

 Juvenile Little Gull

                                                                 Juvenile Little Gull
On the reserve the Red-necked Grebe, Curlew Sandpiper and 2 Little Stints were all still on the ARC per PT. Also the Cattle Egret still present and the usual Great White Egrets.

Caspian Gull!

07.30-10.00 at The Point vis migging with SG & MH saw small numbers of Goldfinches, Linnets, Siskins, Redpolls, Chaffinches, Pied Wagtails, Skylarks, Wood Pigeons, Swallows and a Merlin but still no Hawfinches.

A damp walk around the trapping area found 7 Ring Ouzels, Great spotted Woodpecker, more Swallows, several each of Goldcrest and Chiffchaff, 4 Stonechats, a noticeable increase in Song Thrushes and Blackbirds.

 German ringed 1w Caspian Gull at the fishing boats

  German ringed 1w Caspian Gull at the fishing boats

  German ringed 1w Caspian Gull at the fishing boats

14.00-16.30 from the fishing boats and turning circle:

Red-necked Grebe: 1 down
Great-crested Grebe: 4 around
Gannet: 362 down
Cormorant c 60 off shore
Turnstone: 6 on beach
Yellow-legged Gull: 1 adult around
Caspian Gull: 1 1w around yellow ring X594
Little Gull: 1 adult around
Kittiwake: 17 down
Sandwich Tern: 8 around
Common Tern: 1 down
Arctic Tern: 1 down
Auk sp: 14 down

 Gannets showing well at the fishing boats today

 Red-necked Grebe past the fishing boats this afternoon

 Arctic Tern 

An Arctic Tern flew over the beach this afternoon while we were sheltering from the rain in my car, I was rather slow in getting out with the camera, so only managed a rear end shot. 

A colour ringed Herring Gull at the fishing boats, waiting for a reply on this one.

Disappointing Brian!

A drake Eider was frequenting the fishing boats just before Storm Brian arrived also a summer plumaged Black-throated Diver went west. Storm Brian hasn't so far brought anything unusual to Dungeness. Yesterday the regular Arctic Skuas and a Great Skua with a few Brent Geese, Common Scoter, 6 Grey Plover and the usual Gannets and Sandwich Terns, also a Great Northern Diver which went west before I arrived. This morning the sea was fairly quiet with c150 Gannets and 20+ Sandwich Terns milling around offshore, a single juvenile Arctic Skua and few finches around.

Eider past the fishing boats

Brent Goose battling through the spray from storm Brian

At the ARC from Hanson 2 Little Stints, the Red-necked Grebe, 4 Pintail and a Great White Egret were noted, a Curlew Sandpiper appeared after I left per Steve G. A nice male Ring Ouzel was in the Hawthorns near the Water Tower along with a couple of Song Thrushes, so no big arrival.

On Burrowes 12 Great Whit Egrets and 8 Little Egrets were noted, the Cattle egret was with the cattle in Boulderwall fields. 

Ring Ouzel near the water tower

14.05-15.05 from the fishing boats with RW & AJG who collated the numbers:

Brent Goose 51 down

Wigeon: 6 in

Common Scoter: 4 down   2 up

Red-throated Diver: 1 down

Gannet: 164 down

Turnstone: 21 on beach

Mediterranean Gull: 1 down

Kittiwake: 17 down

Sandwich Tern 3 down

Guillemot: 2 down

Razorbill: 4 down

Auk sp: 7 down

Grey Seal: 1

Harbour Porpoise: 2+

adult Yellow-legged Gull

Late afternoon around the the boats a Merlin came in, 2 more Mediterranean Gulls were seen, an adult Yellow-legged Gull was around the puddles and more unusual 2 Shags quite distant off shore first spotted by Barry Wright, we watched them for a few minutes before they flew off towards Hythe. As the light faded a 1w Caspian Gull came into the puddles only to flushed by walkers.

1w Mediterranean Gull

Red-green Carpet the first for my MV

07.10-10.00 from the fishing boats:

Brent Goose: 11 down     2 up

Shelduck: 5 down

Shoveler: 1 down

Wigeon: 11 down

Pochard: 5 down

Common Scoter: 30 up   2 down

Great-crested Grebe: 1 on

Gannet: 192 down    596 up

Cormorant: 27 around

Merlin: 2 around

Turnstone: 1 around

Dunlin: 41 down

Curlew: 1 down

Great Skua: 1 down

Arctic Skua: 1 down

Mediterranean Gull: 102 down

Little Gull: 1 down

Kittiwake: 15 down

Sandwich Tern: 7 down

Razorbill: 28 down

Auk sp: 7 down

Swallow: 5 out

Wheatear: 1 around

Starling: 6 in

Harbour Porpoise: 2

During the same period behind the fishing boats Steve G & Mark H logged 6,000+ Goldfinches along with many Linnets, Redpolls and Siskins and a single Hawfinch.

As I lost my mobile phone yesterday by stupidly leaving it on the roof my car and driving off, I spent a few hours today trying to sort out a replacement. Its pathetic that I should feel almost bereft without it, hopefully a replacement will arrive soon.

 Eider at the fishing boats this afternoon

 1 of 1,000+ Gannets past the fishing boats today

Arctic Skua at the fishing boats

14.45-16.45 from the fishing boats:
Brent Goose: 41 down
Teal: 1 up
Common Scoter: 9 up   7 down
Eider: 1 drake on sea
Great-crested Grebe: 2 around
Gannet: 306 down
Turnstone: 2 around
Arctic Skua: 2 down  + the usual juvenile
Mediterranean Gull: 8 down
Kittiwake: 19 down
Sandwich Tern: 35 down
Common Tern: 1 down
Guillemot: 3 down
Razorbill: 33 down
Auk sp: 9 down
Harbour Porpoise: 2
Grey Seal: 1