Ross's Gull, Vlissingen.

On Friday I joined DW & GH on trip to Vlissingen to see the Ross's Gull. It was a successful trip in the fact we saw the Gull on number of occasions through the day, unfortunately the bird refused to perform for the camera.

 Mistle Thrush by the new lighthouse yesterday

A sunny weekend at Dungeness brought out all the tourists and fishermen wandering along the beach flushing the Gulls, causing me to sulk and wish for bad weather. Yesterdays highlight was a newly arrived Mistle Thrush around the new lighthouse, the Glaucous Gull was feeding in the power station as it was this morning. As I was out on Walland this afternoon I missed seeing the 2 Glaucous Gulls that came to Mick & Richards offerings, though I'm not to disappointed as it seems the second bird was the same bird I bumped into at Ramsgate Harbour.

On Walland plenty of Tree Sparrows to be seen as well as Fieldfare and Redwing, while waiting for the Harriers to come to roost 2 Barn Owls were seen along with Peregrine, Merlin, Sparrowhawk and 2 Common Buzzards. A least 16 Marsh Harriers flew over the reed bed I was watching but none roosted.

4 yrs ago today!

Very quiet at Dungeness again today with no sign of any migration. 4 yrs ago today the Penduline Tit below was posing in front of Hanson Hide.

 Penduline Tit from Hanson 15th February 2014 

A day at The Patch!

With the continuing gales the only real option was to spend most of the day in 2 visits either side of high tide at The Patch.

There were plenty of Gulls to look and a few colour rings to note.

Offshore a few each of the usual suspects.

 3w Caspian Gull 

 1w Glaucous Gull

JK586 1w Great Black-backed Gull 

 Ad Yellow-legged Gull

 1w Great Black-backed Gull 

 1w Great Black-backed Gull 

 1w Great Black-backed Gull 

 1w Great Black-backed Gull 

 1w Great Black-backed Gull 

 1w Great Black-backed Gull 

 1w Great Black-backed Gull 

Not sure about this one hunkering down in the teeth of a force 8 gale, first thoughts were adult Caspian Gull but doesn't seem quite right.

07.30-09.00 from the fishing boats with MH & CP:

Brent Goose: 6 up
Shelduck: 1 down
Common Scoter: 3 down.  2 up
Red-throated diver: 5 down.  4 up
Fulmar: 8 down
Gannet: 576 down
Cormorant: c1,500 down
Oystercatcher: 2 up
Turnstone: 1 down
Black-headed Gull: c2,500 down
Mediterranean Gull: 1 down
Common Gull: c100 down
Kittiwake: 1,341 down
Guillemot: 580 down
Razorbill: 305 down
Auk sp c500 down

At a very windswept Scotney no sign of any grey geese, the usual feral Barnacles were feeding on the sward but nothing else of note.
By the time I reached the reserve the rain had started, 500+ Golden Plover among 14 Curlew the Lapwing on Boulderwall Fields, also Great White and Little Egret there. A drake Smew could be seen from the visitor centre and a couple of Goldeneye, by lunchtime the weather had deteriorated so much I gave up for the day. 

Hawfinch!

1w Glaucous Gull

As I had an appointment in NE Kent this morning, I took the opportunity after to make my first ever visit to Ramsgate Harbour to try and see the long staying 1w Iceland Gull and the 2 Snow Buntings. When I arrived I didn't have a clue as to where I was going so I took pot luck and wandered out along what I now know is the East Pier. About halfway along I spotted a white winger sitting on a pontoon a long way off on the other side of the harbour. Being lazy I wasn't carrying my scope so assumed at first it was the Iceland Gull, though it did seem very chunky, as I got a little nearer I realised it was 1w Glaucous Gull. As I reached the end of the pier it took off and flew past me out to sea. I was going to walk round to the West Pier but when I got back to the car it was surrounded by smartly dressed veterans bearing flags, colours and some with Bugles who were about to have a parade if some idiot wasn't blocking there progress with his car, I quickly got in my car and left somewhat embarrassed.

 1w Glaucous Gull

 1w Glaucous Gull

 Hawfinch

 As it was bright sunny day I decided to come home via Godmersham Church to try and finally see some of this winters invasion of Hawfinches. On arrival there was quite a crowd gathered there and a female Hawfinch could just about be seen deep in the thick cover of a Yew tree. Quite quickly most observers drifted away and the birds became a little more cooperative, though mostly in deep shade.

Horned Lark!

A bright fresh start to the morning persuaded me to walk along the seaward side of Lydd Ranges from Galloways to The Wicks and back. A 2 hour trudge along the beach and through the salt marsh saw just a few Gulls along the shore, while around the salt marsh 2 Oystercatchers, 4 Curlews, 2 Ringed Plovers and 5 Redshanks, not single Bunting, Finch, Lark or Pipit was seen. Needless to say I wont be repeating that walk in a hurry. 

Late morning I was in the reserve car park after looking at Burrowes from Dennis's Hide, I was contemplating visiting The Patch when GH called with an offer of a lift to Staines to see the Horned Lark, after the poor morning I'd had I wasn't going refuse. AS we travelled along the motorways the weather deteriorated, by the time we arrived it was quite unpleasant. Mounting the causeway we could see 4 birders in the distance who appeared not to be looking at anything. Eventually we found the Lark which after a while flew to the north basin and showed quite well.

 

Garden First!

 First Long-tailed Tit after 6yrs

Due to the miserable weather this morning, I spent longer than usual drinking coffee and staring out into the garden, where I saw a long overdue first for my garden, Long-tailed Tits, 3 of them coming to a fat feeder.

I joined Mark and Chris at the fishing boats around 08.30

Thanks to Mark for collating the totals.

07.15-09.00 

Common Scoter: 23 down

Red-throated Diver: 12 up

Great-crested Grebe: 10 on sea
Fulmar: 52 down
Gannet: c40 off shore feeding
Great Skua: 1 down
Caspian Gull: 1 adult down
Kittiwake: 75 down
Razorbill: 15 around
Guillemot: 100+ around

 Glaucous Gull at The Patch

At The Patch the Glaucous Gull was showing well among the usual Gulls, a few colour ringed gulls were read including 1w Great Black Backed Gull JZJ93 which has been around Dungeness for a few months now. 

Norwegian ringed JZJ93  

A visit to Lade Pits saw both the Long-tailed Ducks on Lade South though both kept to the far side of the lake.

Late afternoon on the reserve the Glaucous Gull came into roost as usual, though little else of note was seen on the lake. In the Boulderwall Fields c500 Golden Plover and 2 Great White Egrets were notable. Considering the weather conditions the birding wasn't that bad. 

Dartford Warbler!

 Due to domestic stuff I didn't get to The Patch until very late morning. I was pleased to see many Gulls over the boil and in the roost in front of the hide. After spending quite some time scanning through the Gulls over the boil and finding anything of note, I turned my attention to the roosting birds. More or less the first bird I saw at the furthest end of the roost was the regular Glaucous Gull, apart from a couple of Rainham/Pitsea ringed Herring Gulls I found nothing else of note in the first sweep, as I started the second sweep the Gulls started to get fidgety and thats when I noticed 3 photographers creeping along the beach, needless to say a few seconds later all the gulls had flushed either out to sea or over towards the reserve. A party of 43 Red-throated Divers flew up channel while I was in the hide but little else was moving. As I left the hide the photographers asked me if I had seen the Glaucous Gull!!
At the fishing boats despite deploying a quantity of bread there was no sign of the 1w Caspian Gull again, I fear it may have departed.

 Dartford Warbler

I was going to the observatory but the road was blocked by a builders lorry, so thanks to Owens tweet I had a wander through the Broom in the Kerton Road Triangle where I eventually caught up with a couple of Dartford Warblers, 3 Stonechats and a Meadow Pipit. 

 Dartford Warbler

 Dartford Warbler

 Dartford Warbler

 Dartford Warbler

Dartford Warbler

 Black-throated Diver from Dennis's Hide

Mid afternoon from Dennis's Hide in the company of RO, the Black-throated Diver was showing fairly well, the Glaucous Gull was among the Great Black Backed Gulls as was an adult Yellow-legged Gull.

1w Glaucous Gull from Dennis's Hide