02/11/2020

2 Sea watches today, the morning one (07.00-10.30) in drizzle and strong SW winds, the afternoon watch (14.00-15.00) in bright sunshine and strong SW winds and much cooler.

From the fishing boats with AJG, SP & DW.

Common Scoter: 9W  3E

Red-throated Diver: 1W      1 o/s

Great Northern Diver: 1W

Gannet: 304W

Cormorant: 352W

Merlin: 2 off shore hunting finches

Turnstone: 24 on beach

Kittiwake: 5W

Black-headed Gull: Present N/C

Common Gull: Present N/C

Great Black-backed Gull: 

Herring Gull: Present N/C

Lesser Black-backed Gull: Present N/C

Sandwich Tern: 15W

Arctic Skua: 1W

Guillemot: 8W

Razorbill: 14W

Auk sp: 32W

Goldfinch: 1027W

Siskin: 6W

At the ARC a Black-necked Grebe was viewable from the causeway. A wander up to the pines and dow the railway line found very little, apart from a few Water rails and Cetti's warblers calling unseen.

Unsurprisingly at Scotney in the wind very little on the sward, just a handful of Golden Plover and a Ruff of any note, the usual feral Geese but no wild Geese.

1 of the many Lapwings around the hay fields

A wander around a very wind swept the hay fields found no sign of the Eastern Yellow Wagtail or the Water pipits.

Great White Egret over the hay fields

Polish ringed Black-headed Gull TJVV now a resident around the fishing boats

Swallow over Littlestone Golf Course

A late afternoon visit to Littlestone Golf Course found a party of 9 Swallows, possibly the last I'll see this year, no sign of any of the recent goodies there including Short-eared Owls. A new  Thames rung Herring Gull for me was on the beach, along with a a Sandwich tern and c40 Sanderling.

Herring Gull N2GT on Littlestone beach late this afternoon

Sandwich tern on Littlestone Beach late this afternoon

Lovely Sanderlings on Littlestone Beach late afternoon.

 

31/10/2020

A non stop stream of Gannets West past the fishing boats this morning

Sooty Shearwater

A really enjoyable sea watch today that was terminated by heavy rain at 11.50 and the fact that I was very cold as I stupidly did not put my winter coat on. Had I not been such a wimp todays totals would have been much higher especially the Gannets. Apparently todays Total is probably a Dungeness record so I am rather annoyed with myself for wimping out. The Ring Tail  Hen Harrier coming in off the sea was a definite highlight for me as they are now sadly so scarce on the peninsular.  

06.30-11.50 from the fishing boats with AJG who kept kindly kept the log, SP, RW, PE, CP et al

Brent Goose: 6W

Common Scoter: 24W   12E

Great-crested Grebe: 2 o/s

Red-throated Diver: 10W

Sooty Shearwater: 2W

Manx Shearwater: 1W

Gannet: 4,858W

Cormorant: present n/c

Merlin: 2 present including an adult male

Hen Harrier: 1 N (a rare sight at Dungeness these days as this came in off the sea)

Sanderling: 1W

Purple Sandpiper: 1W

Kittiwake: 483W

Black-headed Gull: present n/c

Mediterranean Gull: 5W

Common Gull: present n/c

Great Black: backed Gull: 118W

Herring Gull: present n/c

Lesser Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Sandwich Tern: 40W

Great Skua: 24W

Pomarine Skua: 2W

Arctic Skua: 7W

Skua sp: 1W

Guillemot: 31W

Razorbill: 167W

Auk sp: 472W

Puffin: 1W

Skylark: 6W

Swallow: 1W    2N

Starling: 901 in

Alba Wagtail: 1W

Linnet: 125W

Crossbill: 2W

Goldfinch: 2,172W

Siskin: 55W

Grey Seal: 1

Harbour Porpoise: 2

Great Skua

3 of a flock of 5 Great Skuas

Arctic Skua

A distant Manx Shearwater

1 of at least 2 Merlins hunting Goldfinches coming in

Sandwich Tern

1 of the many Kittiwakes

Another brief 1w Caspian Gull

Teaser not from today!!

 

29/10/2020

This Black-throated Diver was the highlight of this mornings sea watch, my first of the year.

Another very wet dark and dismal day at Dungeness. Sea watching this morning brightened up by the Black-throated Diver, otherwise it was the usual Gannets, Sandwich Terns, Auks, Gulls and 3 Merlins hunting. Another very short sea watch this afternoon saw very little. There doesn't seem to be much improvement in the weather for tomorrows birding.

1st calendar year Great Black-backed Gull JU581 ringed in Norway, its short life history is below.

Black-headed Gull and adult Mediterranean Gull

2nd cal year Mediterranean Gull

 

28/10/2020

Juvenile Arctic Skua at the fishing boats this morning

A thoroughly miserable day at Dungeness, with a mixture of gales, thunder storms and more general heavy rain meant sea watching was realistically the only birding to do, even that was curtailed early due to the strength of the rain and gales. I n the time at the boats this morning and for an hour this afternoon 16+ Arctic Skuas moved west, along with over a 1,000 Gannets, c300 Cormorants, 150+ Sandwich Terns a small number of Auks, a 1w Caspian Gull and a 1w Yellow-legged Gull, but very few Divers, Ducks and Geese, 3 Merlins hunting over the sea was nice though.

The possible Eastern YellowWagtail was not seen today, though not surprising considering the appalling weather. The 2 Glossy Ibis and 3 Cattle Egrets and several Great White Egrets were all seen.    

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

Another 1w Caspian Gull makes a brief appearance at the fishing boats this morning

1w Yellow-legged Gull at the fishing boats this morning

 

26/10/2020

1st calendar year Caspian Gull at the fishing boats briefly this morning

This mornings sea watch was virtually a repeat of the lat few days, lots of Gannets, Sandwich Terns and Auks, with a bonus of a juvenile Pomarine Skua for those who got up early, sadly I didn't. Full details can be seen at https://www.trektellen.nl/count/view/2389/20201026

The Red-backed Shrike still at St Marys Bay today

Sadly this chap appears to have departed , so no pictures of it posing in the sunshine.

The adult and 2 juvenile Dark-bellied Brent Geese that have been frequenting the green at Littlestone 

Unusual sight of a Golden Plover on the beach at Littlestone

The 2 Glossy Ibis and 3+ Cattle Egrets, along with several Great White Egrets are still to be found around Cooks pool, along with usual birds around the reserve. The islands on the ARC are now fast disappearing so little of note seen here.

Adult Yellow-legged Gull at the fishing boats this afternoon

At the fishing boats this afternoon, probably Dutch.

 

An interesting Yellow Wagtail sp found by Sam and James at Dengemarsh this afternoon

23/10/2020

This mornings sea watch from the fishing boats with Sam Perfect and AJG who kindly kept the log:

07.10-09.10 from the fishing boats

Common Scoter: 4E  5W                           

Red-breasted Merganser: 1W                             

Red-throated Diver: 1W                     

Great-crested Grebe: 9 o/s 

Gannet: 186W

Cormorant: present n/c                                

Merlin: 2 around                                  

Oystercatcher: 5E                            

Knot: 3W                                       

Turnstone: 5 on beach                                        

Curlew: 1E                                       

Arctic Skua: 3 around                         

Great Skua: 2W                                   

Kittiwake: 6 down                                

Mediterranean Gull: 103W                                     

Sandwich Tern: 261W

Razorbill: 69W

Guillemot: 10W

Auk sp: 488W

White-fronted Geese opposite Scotney Farm Yard this morning

I had a long walk around the back of a breezy Scotney this morning, I came across a small flock of Tree Sparrows, a few Corn Buntings and a party of 14 White-fronted Geese, also I had my first 3 figure count of Egyptian Geese 104 there.😧 Also a trickle of Swallows heading Southeast. 

Passage Swallow

Swallow about to take an insect, pity it is not quite in focus.

The Shorelark by Littlestone Golf Course, St Marys Bay found by Alison Borlase this afternoon. As the area is like a Winalot advert it was amazing that it was still present at 17.20 when I left site, so hopefully it will still be there tomorrow.

The gorgeous and confiding Red-backed Shrike at Littlestone Golf Course, St Marys Bay today

22/10/2020

 .                            Merlin hunting over beach behind the fishing boats this morning

07.10-09.40 from the fishing boats with SP and AJG who collated the numbers:

Dark-bellied Brent Goose: 1E

Velvet Scoter: 1W drake

Common Scoter: 1W    2E

Red-throated Diver: 4W  

Gannet: 485W   

Cormorant: 680 pushed from Lade Bay by the Range Boats

Peregrine: 1 out

Merlin: 3 hunting around the beach

Sparrowhawk: 1 in off

Oystercatcher: 2W

Turnstone: 18E

Kittiwake: 2W

Black-headed Gull: 17W

Mediterranean Gull: 4W

Common Gull: 42W

Herring Gull: present n/c

Great Black-backed Gull: 149W

Lesser Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Sandwich Tern: 181W

Arctic Skua: 2 o/s

Great Skua: 1W

Razorbill: 9W

Skylark: 15N

Swallow: 31S

Alba Wagtail: 4 on beach

Rock Pipit: 2W

Goldfinch: 525W

Grey Seal: 1

Harbour Porpoise: 2+

Another 90 minutes at the fishing boats this afternoon was very poor with juat a handful of Terns and Gannets.

German ringed 3rd calendar year Caspian Gull preening moments before being flushed by another Merlin

Life history of the 3rd calendar year Caspian Gull that was in the roost by the track to the VC this afternoon. Also an adult Yellow-legged Gull present.

At Boulderwall the 2 Glossy Ibis and 3 Cattle Egrets were still present this afternoon, along with a Great White Egret. 4 Black-tailed Godwits on Burrowes were the only notable birds seen there.

The islands on the ARC are disappearing quite quickly, so no surprise that it was very quiet avian wise there.