23/09/2021

 As I keep being asked when the hides are going to open again. As far as I know Firth Hide will never open again as it  has been replaced by the Firth Look Out which probably seemed liked a good idea, in reality it is only really usable in perfect weather especially with a scope, very few birds stay on the close islands as the first person to walk onto the Look Out flushes them. Makepiece won't open until they can get enough funding to replace it. Scott Hide has been replaced by another Look Out with the same drawbacks as Firth. Dengemarsh should open in the next couple of weeks, don't hold your breath. Hanson won't open until the new Willow Trail Boardwalk is completed, so probably not till next year at the earliest. The Screen is open albeit with the back completely removed, at the moment the vegetation is so high little can be seen, most people walk past the screen and stand on top of the bank. The good news is Christmas Dell hide is open at the moment, so somewhere to eat your sandwiches and have a sleep. Dennis's Hide is open at the moment so at least some of Burrowes can viewed irrelative comfort.

The best hide at the moment is the car, especially by entrance track where the Egrets and Ibis sometimes show very well, though I expect to find double yellow lines there one day.😂

An Obliging Great Egret again today

The Cattle Egrets weren't to bad either

Todays sea watches were again poor but least the sun shining:

07.30-08.30 

Common Scoter: 4W

Gannet: 110 feeding 

Cormorant: 11 around

Merlin: 1 in off the sea

Grey Plover: 2W

Kittiwake: 1 at Patch 1w

Mediterranean Gull: 1 at Patch 1w

Sandwich Tern: 2E

Guillemot: 1E

Swallow: 131 SW

House Martin: 46 SW

13.30-15.30 from Fishing boats:

Common Scoter: 35W       5E

Red-throated Diver: 1W

Gannet: 51W

Cormorant: 14E

Kittiwake: 43W      19 on

Sandwich Tern: 137W

Arctic Skua: 4W      1E

Guillemot: 1E   1 on

Swallow: 28 SW

Wheatear: 1 around

Grey Seal !

Harbour Porpoise: 4

The bushes were very quiet, a few each of Chiffchaff and Blackcap. 

Lydd Fields had a few Yellow Wagtails and  Meadow Pipits over with a couple of Marsh harriers and Common Buzzards. Dengemarsh the 2 juvenile Hobby's still present, a single Wheatear, 2 Ravens and more Yellow Wagtails. 

21/09/2021

Sea watching the last couple of days has been very slow, a few Brent Geese, Teal and Wigeon have started to move through and couple of Sooty Shearwaters were seen, otherwise its just a a handful of the same Arctic Skuas harrying the Sandwich Terns and a few Gannets, a flock of c150-200 Kittiwakes has built up off shore, Common Terns have been virtually non existent.

Elsewhere on the peninsular there has been a dearth of passerines, just small numbers of Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps, Wheatears etc. On the reserve a White Winged Tern was found yesterday on Burrowes but no sign today, I should probably have spotted it yesterday morning when I went up to Firth and Makepiece, but with a not especially strong North West wind blowing viewing Burrowes from the ridiculous lookout with a scope was impossible and very uncomfortable, even using the fence at Makepiece to rest my bins on, did not work as the fence was shaking so much in the wind, this on a relatively calm and warm day, heaven knows what it will be like in the winter, so I gave up even trying to view the lake very quickly and marched back to the car and left in a sulk. I did let the volunteer staff in the shed know politely my feelings on closing the hides, but it is not their fault and they have no say in the matter.

Brent Goose which walked along the beach in front of the sea watch yesterday

A showy Great Egret yesterday

9 Cattle Egrets together in a pre roost gathering yesterday

The White Winged Tern, images taken in the failing light

Wheatear on the perimeter wall this morning

Rooks and Jackdaw greeting a local Common Buzzard over my house late morning

Cattle Egrets and Glossy ibis late this afternoon at Boulderwall

Hoary Footman the highlight in the trap today

 

18/09/2021

One of the many Arctic Skuas that have been hanging around offshore about to attack a Common Tern

07.30-09.00 with SO, AJG and RW who kindly kept the log:

Mallard: 1W

Teal: 5W

Common Scoter: 11W    17E

Shearwater sp: 1W

Gannet: 328E

Cormorant: 3W

Kittiwake: 96W     57 around

Mediterranean Gull: 1W

Sandwich tern: 122W   37E

Common Tern: 7W         7E

Great Skua: 1E

Arctic Skua: 12E       5W

Auk sp: 3W

Swallow: 4 out

Yellow Wagtail: 1 out

Grey Wagtail on the filter beds behind the sea watch hide

Chiffchaff in The Desert

A wander around The Desert with RW & SO was very quiet, a define clear out of Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps from yesterday, we only saw a handful of Chiffchaffs, a couple of Wheatears, Yellow Wagtail over and a trickle of Hirundines, 2 Clouded Yellows were seen as well,  the highlight was a juvenile Marsh Harrier that came over the trapping area and flew straight out to sea.

Black-necked Grebe at southern end of the ARC

Cattle Egret at the ARC

1 of 2 Ravens over Lydd Fields

I spent a while late morning early afternoon in the field opposite my house waiting for the stream of Honey Buzzards to come over, I'm still waiting! while I was out there 4 juvenile Hobby's put on a superb aerial display tussling with a Kestrel, a Rook and a Crow. 2 Ravens came over cronking, a mewing Common Buzzard and a very tatty male Marsh Harrier added to the aerial festival. In the stubble numerous Meadow Pipits, Linnets, Reed Buntings and a couple of Yellow Wagtails, while in the ditch a Cetti's Warbler shouted, and a Reed Warbler skulked while a Clouded Yellow flew up and down. Who needs twitching with all that literally on my doorstep.

Juvenile Hobby

Juvenile Hobby and Kestrel tussling with each other

2 of the 4 Hobby's with a Kestrel

Juvenile Hobby teasing a Rook

13.30-15.30 with SO, AJG and RW who kindly kept the log:

Common Scoter: 3W    

Gannet: 33E     43W

Cormorant: 6W

Oystercatcher: 2E

Kittiwake: 24E      28W    15 around

Mediterranean Gull: 1W

Sandwich tern: 78E  

Common Tern: 4E        12W

Great Skua: 1E

Arctic Skua: 12E       5W

Guillemot: 4 around

Swallow: 25out

1 of 2 Great Egret and 4 of the 11 Common Snipe on Burrowes on the island to the right of Makepiece

1 of 2 Black Terns on Burrowes

Little Stint on Burrowes on island to the right of Makepiece

This mornings Marbled Beauty clearly brighter and less worn the yesterdays individual

Hoary Footman a first for my trap yesterday

16/09/2021

This mornings sea watch was scaled down version of yesterdays watch, with 6+ Arctic Skuas back and forth chasing a few Sandwich and Common Terns, a flock of 90 Kittiwakes were loitering offshore, as were a c20 Gannets, a Guillemot on the sea was a first for the Autumn for me, 10 Common Scoter moved West, probably the only birds actually migrating were 3 Teal that flew West, at least 7 Harbour Porpoise were offshore with a Grey Seal. 3 Grey Wagtails were on the settling beds behind the sea watch hide.

A pleasant hour in the  warm sunshine this afternoon at the fishing boats with AJG who kindly collated the numbers:

14.30-15.30

Gannet: 8E

Cormorant: 9 around

Kittiwake: 13 around

Mediterranean Gull: 1E

Sandwich Tern: 31 around

Common Tern: 1 around

Arctic Skua; 6 around

Guillemot: 1 on

Auk sp: 1W

Swallow: 39 out

Sand Martin: 11 out

Harbour Porpoise: 9+

Grey Seal: 1

1 of many Chiffchaffs around this morning

A chilly early morning around the bushes c40 Chiffchaffs, 15 Blackcaps, 2 Lesser Whitethroats, 5 Common Whitethroats, 3 Wheatear and Tree Pipit I nearly trod on which is exactly what I have to do to be close enough to hear them call. As soon as temperature started rising the birds seemed to melt away. 

The Glossy Ibis was still on its chosen island at the ARC today, also 3 Clouded Yellows there. 2 Cattle Egrets were at the top of Cooks pool with 2 Great Egrets and a Little Egret. Burrowes from Dennis's a Black-tailed Godwit and a Common Snipe among the Lapwings.

An hour in the Lydd Fields 11.00-midday skywatching for Honey Buzzards which failed to materialise again, but instead saw a Common Buzzard, a Marsh Harrier, a Hobby, 2 Sparrowhawks, 4 Yellow Wagtails, several Reed Buntings, a Reed Warbler, a Cetti's warbler calling, more Chiffchaffs and 100s of Greylags dropping into the stubble.

Cattle Egrets at top end of Cooks Pool

Reed Bunting Lydd fields

Yellow Wagtail Lydd fields

Hummingbird Hawkmoth on the perimeter wall early morning

A late Small Elephant Hawkmoth in the trap yesterday

 

14/09/2021

An unusual pale headed Arctic Skua

06.30-08.30 AJG, MC, OL

Gannet: 41E         8W

Cormorant: 5W

Oystercatcher: 6E

Kittiwake: 9E

Mediterranean Gull: 2E

Sandwich Tern: c200 around

Common Tern: 3 around

Arctic Skua: minimum 20 around

Great Skua: 1 around

Grey Seal : 1

Harbour Porpoise: 6+

The chap in the Kayak certainly had the best views of the Arctic Skuas this morning

First Razorbill of the autumn with a 1w Mediterranean Gull

The afternoon sea watch was very similar to the morning watch, with the addition of 2 firsts of the autumn for me, a Razorbill and summer plumage Red-throated Diver,  though another was seen this morning by another birder.

The bushes seemed devoid of birds today. There was no news from the reserve today though I not sure if any of the locals bothered to visit today. The Glossy Ibis was on its usual island late afternoon and at least 1 Black-necked grebe was present on the ARC.

This evening at Galloway's and out to South Brooks just 2 each of Wheatear and Whinchat and a Common Buzzard, it looks so good for raptors and Owls but I saw none.

c400 mainly Swallows with a few Sand Martins around the fishing boats this afternoon 

 

The last few days

1 of 4 Tree Sparrows I came across in The desert on Sunday 

 The sea watch highlight on Sunday morning was a Sooty Shearwater that moved West at great speed, little else was seen. 10 Tree Sparrows had dropped into a private garden but soon left, so I was surprised when I was walking through The Desert to come across 4 feeding on Blackberries. Apart from Wheatears and handful of Willow warblers, Common and Lesser whitethroats and Blackcaps I saw little else. Late morning I received a call from PT saying that there was White Stork over the Beehives, I quickly went up stairs and set my scope up on the small balcony and spotted the bird almost instantly, it drifted around for a few minutes before seemingly heading off NE. Late afternoon a message on the local WhatsApp group from Dave Scott saying he had 30-40 White storks high over his house at Greatstone, once again I set my scope up on the balcony only this time it it took me an agonisingly long time to find them through the murk and heat haze over The lade Desert, although they were quite distant they were still a superb spectacle even if they are the Knepp birds. many thanks to Chis who got much better views and sent me his photographs. Thanks again to Dave for putting the news out on the local group enabling most the members to see them.

Most of the flock of White Storks that toured the peninsular late Sunday afternoon. Both these images were taken by Chris Philpot as they flew in front of his house at St Mary in The Marsh

This mornings sea watch was slight improvement than of late.

07.00-08.30 AJG who kindly kept the log.

Common Scoter: 2W

Great-crested Grebe: 1W

Gannet: 13E

Cormorant: 6W

Kittiwake: 1W   1E

Sandwich tern: 9E   c20 around

Great Skua: 1E

Arctic Skua: 3W     14E

Gret Seal; 1

Harbour Porpoise: 2

 

Wheatear in The Desert this morning

Black Kite over the fields in front of my house late morning, Honest!!!

When I finished going through the moths in my trap, I took the egg boxes a few 100 yds down the track opposite my house to empty the moths out. As I was doing this I noticed a large raptor coming towards 

me, thankfully as I wear my binoculars most of the time, I lifted them and immediately realised the bird was a Black Kite, I immediately called Colin T as he lives a few doors up from me and would easily see it, unfortunately for him he was not at home, I cursed at myself for carrying my camera, but tried with the phone, as you can see from the image above the results were woeful.

Pity this Clouded Yellow at The ARC was just out of focus

Great White Egret catching Marsh Froglets at The ARC early afternoon

Glossy Ibis on its usual island this afternoon

Another very poor sea watch

14.05- 15.05 MC

Common Scoter: 2E

Gannet: 5E

Cormorant: 2E    4W

Sandwich tern: 57E

Arctic Skua: 1W

Harbour Porpoise: 6

Cattle Egrets at the southern end of the ARC this afternoon