The Somme!

 Earlier this week I joined AJG and Jacques on a day trip tho the Somme, the weather wasn't brilliant but we still had a great time with lots of birds, though overall numbers appear to be lower than usual.
At our first stop at Bonnelle Turtle Doves were purring and Song Thrushes were singing as we got out the car, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Blackcap  & Garden Warbler were also singing, as were Sedge, Reed, and Cetti's Warbler. As we walked the track a Marsh Harrier chased off a Hen Harrier, then  AJG spotted a gorgeous male Red-backed Shrike flying in and landing fairly close, at the same time we spotted the first of 6 Bluethroats we found at this site. Further along we found Stonechat, White Stork, Great White Egret, Avocet, Black-winged Stilts, Greenshank, more Turtle Doves and Warblers and another Red-backed Shrike that was being mobbed by 2 Bluethroats. Nearby lovely male Black Redstart in the usual garden, 2+ Marsh Warblers were singing from the roadside Sallows and Nettles.

Red-backed Shrike

Distant Bluethroat 

Red-backed Shrike being mobbed by 2 just about visible Bluethroats

 Black-winged Stilts

Honey Buzzard

En route to a site near St Valery we spotted a large raptor which turned out to be a Honey Buzzard that obligingly flew over head. There we found more Black-winged Stilts, Channel Wagtails, more Egrets and Storks, several Spoonbills flew through and best of all though very distant a Purple Heron.

At another nearby site there was more of the same, also a Savi's Warbler and a showy Garganey.

By the time we got into Crecy forest it was raining, even so we managed to locate 2 singing Melodious Warblers and another Marsh Warbler. From a view point over looking Crecy forest a large raptor appeared distantly, as it got nearer we could see it was a Black Kite, an excellent way to end a brilliant day out in great company, many thanks to AJG for doing the driving.

Garganey

 White Stork

An elusive Marsh Warbler

Another Bee-eater Finale!

As I was driving round the Lydd roundabout early this morning, a very tatty Red Kite flew low from the allotments over Lydd Wood heading down towards Dengemarsh.
The sea was apparently very quiet this morning so I went to the reserve where 5 Little Gulls were showing well from Firth Hide, but in appalling light conditions. My visit was cut short by a call from DW saying a Bee-eater was flying around the observatory. On arrival at the observatory needless to say the Bee-eater had departed, in compensation a Honey Buzzard was heading away from the observatory towards the Open Pits with 2 Red Kites and a Common Buzzard for company, I cant remember ever seeing the 3 species in the same field of view before.

Very high Honey Buzzard (a bit of imagination required) heading away from the observatory.

The Bee-eater mad several more appearances around the peninsular but managed to elude me, even though I plodded all round the area for a couple of hours.

This afternoon back at the reserve the adult Little Gulls had gone but the 3 immature birds were still present along with an adult Mediterranean Gull. On the islands a Whimbrel joined 13 Curlews, one of which was a colour ringed individual, also 5 Turnstone, 3+ Sanderling, 5+ Ringed Plovers, a Greenshank and a few Dunlin.

 Little Gulls from Firth Hide this afternoon

 1 of 2 adult Little Gulls at Firth this morning

Mediterranean Gull fro Firth

Whimbrel with Curlews on Burrowes this afternoon

 Bee-eater finale again

Thanks to a call from Owen this evening I finally managed to catch up with the/another Bee-eater today, which was flying around his house and roosted in nearby trees in Station Approach, Littlestone. It doesn't matter how many I see I still get a huge buzz from seeing them.

Kentish Plover!

I went to the reserve first thing this morning where I joined GP in Firth Hide, he pointed out 3 Common Scoter which are unusual on the pits, on the islands at least 4 Greenshank, 4 Redshank, 4 Turnstones, 2 Common Sandpipers, several Dunlin and Sanderling. We moved up to Makepiece as the Scoter appeared to be heading that way.

 1s Little Gull from Makepiece grabbing an insect

Common Scoter from Makepiece

Common Scoter from Makepiece

Common Sandpiper from Makepiece

Distant Kentish Plover

While making our way back to the centre I received a call from Liz Hunter saying she thought she had a Kentish Plover from Dennis's Hide, a couple of minutes later I was in Dennis's looking at a Kentish Plover, a Dungeness tick for me, many thanks to Liz.

 Bittern from the screen hide

As news of the Kentish Plover spread very quickly the hide filled up very quickly, so I moved out and went up to the screen hide, hopefully to see the Bitterns and maybe yesterdays Bee-eater which was seen very early this morning. One of the Bitterns obliged, while over the lake House and Sand Martins, Swallows and Swifts hawked.  

A lunchtime sky watch from by Cooks Pool saw 3+ Hobby's 3+ Marsh Harriers and 2 Common Buzzards. A Bittern gave a nice fly by and a Herring Gull ate a Cootling.

 A Herring Gull swallowing a live Cootling, no doubt getting in practice for the Common Tern chicks

The Hoopoe was present on and off all day till dusk, but after the early morning excitement things were fairly quiet.

Bee-eater Finale!

Whinchat

An early morning message from Dave Bunney alerted me to a fine male Whinchat behind his house on The Point. A short sea watch just a few each of Gannet, Common and Sandwich Tern, 3 Common Scoter, the usual few Great-crested Grebes  and a few Harbour Porpoises. A single Chiffchaff was the highlight in the lighthouse garden.

A walk around The Desert saw just a few Common Whitethroats, a couple of Reed Buntings but little else of note. 

4+ Common Buzzards and a pair of Peregrines were hunting were over the trapping area where a Garden Warbler was singing as were Blackcaps, Lesser and Common Whitethroats and Chiffchaffs.

From the garden 6 Common Buzzards, 4 Marsh Harriers and 2 Hobby's were over the fields.

SG (http://northdownsandbeyond.blogspot.co.uk/) called offering me a lift to Rye to see the Terek Sandpiper, an offer I couldn't refuse. The bird was showing all the time I was there, sometimes quite well, a Curlew Sandpiper was also seen as was Little Ringed Plover, Avocets and numerous Mediterranean Gulls. Rye Harbour NR is a superb reserve, I must make the effort to visit more often as it is so close to my home.  

Terek Sandpiper

Terek Sandpiper

 Terek Sandpiper

Terek Sandpiper

Terek Sandpiper

Terek Sandpiper

Curlew Sandpiper shot into the sun

Hoopoe

This evening I thought I'd see if I could get better images of the Hoopoe at Dengemarsh seeing as it is literally only a 2 minute drive from my home, on arrival at Springfield Bridge the Hoopoe was busy eating caterpillars it found in the stonecrop at the side of the road. Even though i was the only person there it was still wary, another birder turned up and offered to let me use his passenger seat as a hide, I'm sorry I did not get your name but many thanks are due to you, he slowly drove down the road allowing me to get some good images. 

 Hoopoe

Hoopoe

While I was still at Springfield Bridge I met Barry Wright, another birder turned up and quite matter of factly mentioned that he had just come from the ARC where he had seen a Bee-eater and thought it might still be there, needless to say Barry and myself were at the Arc a few minutes later, while he checked the track to the pines I went towards Hanson where I spotted the Bee-eater perched up in the Sallows. Barry quickly arrived as did most of the locals. A superb end to another excellent day around the shingle.

Bee-eater

Bee-eater

 Bee-eater

Hoopoe!

As the sea was very quiet with just a handful of Sandwich Terns, Gannets and a marauding Arctic Skua off shore, I went down to The Patch with JTM. c75 Common Terns were over the boil, 4 Mediterranean Gulls and 4 Pitsea ringed Herring Gulls (all have been previously recorded at The Patch) were on the beach, most unusual was a Shelduck in the Gull roost. 

Hoopoe disappearing onto the ranges

As we were leaving The Patch the range safety boat passed us, which meant Galloways would be open for me to check out.

Little Owl Lydd Camp

 I stopped off at the Little Owl at Lydd camp then went to Galloways, 4 adult Stonechats were seen along with a few Common Whitethroats, near the car park at the bottom 2 Corn Buntings were unusual as were 2 Red-legged Partridges, there was no sign of any breeding Wheatears there though. Driving slowly back up I flushed a Hoopoe from the side of the road, by the time I had stopped and untangled seat belt and camera strap the bird was lost to sight some 50 mts out on the ranges. A few calls were made and first to arrive were MH & SG, shortly after there arrival the Hoopoe flew out of cover and disappeared into the distance on the ranges. A couple of Hobby's and Common Buzzards were noted over the ranges.

After lunch I went to the ARC screen hide to see if the Bitterns were showing, in the very short time I was there a drake Garganey could be seen but not the Bittern. My visit was cut short by a call from OL telling me the Hoopoe was showing in Dengemarsh Road. As far as I know the bird was still in the area at Dusk.

Drake Garganey at the ARC

 The Hoopoe in Dengemarsh Road

North Wind Still Blowing!

When I woke up early this morning I could hear the north wind howling outside so I turned over and went back to sleep for a couple more hours, which turned out to be a mistake as AJG later informed me I missed a Pomarine Skua, 5 Arctic Skua's and a Great Skua, as well as a few Manx Shearwaters.

08.00-09.00

Common Scoter:2E

Red-throated Diver: 1E

Diver sp: 1W

Great-crested Grebe: 12 around

Fulmar: 1E

Gannet: 13E  5W

Bar-tailed Godwit: 5E

Great Skua: 1W

Arctic Skua: 1E

Mediterranean Gull: 4E all adults

Kittiwake: 2E

Little Tern: 2E

Sandwich Tern: 12E   53W

Common Tern: c100 around

Auk: 2E

Grey Seal: 1

Harbour Porpoise: 4+

Late morning at the reserve on Burrowes 13 Curlew, 4 Turnstone, an Avocet, a Sanderling, a Whimbrel, 2 Bar-tailed Godwits and 2 Little Gulls, several Swifts were feeding high over the lake, also the Common terns mating and looking for nest sites.

Chiffchaff in the lighthouse Garden this afternoon was the only migrant on The point I could find.

14.30-17.00 in the company of SG

Common Scoter: 19E   6W

Red-throated Diver: 2W

Fulmar: 2E

Gannet: 38E  6W

Cormorant: 26 around

Oystercatcher: 4E

Bar-tailed Godwit: 4E

Whimbrel: 16E

Arctic Skua: 1W

Kittiwake: 29E

Sandwich Tern: 69E    23W

Common Tern: 16E

Auk sp: 7E

Swallow: 4 in

Grey Seal: 1 

Harbour Porpoise: 3+

At least 2 Bitterns were reported as showing well from the screen hide today.

Common Terns

Quiet Day!

The sea was as expected very quiet this morning, the highlight being a Black Tern with c70 Common Terns at The Patch.

One of two Spotted Flycatchers at the top end of the Long Pits this morning

I joined AJG in walk around the trapping area and Long Pits. Common and Lesser Whitethroat, Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Reed Warbler and Cetti's Warbler were all seen or heard, the undoubted highlight was 2 Spotted Flycatchers at the top end, a party of 9 Whimbrel flew over the area, also a handful of Swallows and Swifts.

A raptor watch at lunchtime from the garden was very disappointing with just a single Common Buzzard being seen

15.00-16.00 from the boardwalk

Great-crested Grebe: 26 around

Gannet: 9E    4W

Kittiwake: 12E    4W

Sandwich Tern: 37E    18W

Common Tern: 24E

Grey Seal: 1

For the first time in a while no Porpoises seen!

 Bitterns from the Screen hide early this evening

An early evening visit to the ARC saw 2 Bitterns from the Screen hide, also seen several broods of Mallard ducklings feasting on hatching of insects that carpeted the surface of the lake, otherwise it was very quiet.
A quick look at Lydd camp saw one of the Little Owls perched on the rusty posts.

 A resident male Wheatear

After hearing from AJG the highlight of a 90 minute early morning sea watch which was 2 Hobby's I decided to walk down to the switching station where there were the resident Wheatears a few Linnets and Crows, not really worth the effort but if you don't look you wont find. A stop at The Patch on the way back found colour ringed Herring Gull K7LT which I first saw 18/11/2016, 7 Common Terns over the boil and a few Gannets feeding out at sea. A Greenland Wheatear came in off the sea as did 9 Swallows.

 Herring Gull K7LT not quite got the hang of mating

 Hairy Dragonfly

Mid morning around the trapping area found the resident Common and Lesser Whitethroats, Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs but no new migrants. In the sheltered warmer spots a few Hairy Dragonfly's, a couple of Grizzled Skippers and many more Small Coppers. 

Grizzled Skipper

Early afternoon at Dengemarsh Gully absolutely no new migrants. From Springfield Bridge 2 Hobby's battling the near gale force northerly wind. On the reserve on Burrowes 4 Turnstones, 2 Curlew, 4 Dunlin, 2 Sanderling a Redshank and 40+ Common Terns.

At the ARC a 1s Little Gull and 2 more Hobby's. While I was in the screen hide I heard Gulls alarming behind me, I turned round to see a Spoonbill heading low towards Dengemarsh.