12/12/2021

AJG was kept very busy this morning  counting the huge numbers of Cormorants coming out of Lade Bay 

Apart from the spectacle of all the Cormorants, this distant Bonxie was the highlight of the sea watch

There were still 2 Cattle Egrets in the horse paddocks late morning. Of note both Ibis were still around Cooks Pool, at least 4 Great Egrets were around the reserve and 7 Goldeneye.

An adult Caspian Gull from Dennis's hide late morning, another was present this afternoon

One of two Jack Snipe found this afternoon in the company of JY

Amazing camouflage

 

10/12/2021

I was up well before dawn this morning, not realising just how cold and strong the North West wind was, so when I went out to the car I did an about turn and had a nice cooked breakfast and more coffee and did some domestic stuff. It was still bitterly cold when I ventured out to the reserve, where to my dismay last nights heavy rain on top of all the rest of this weeks rain had submerged 2 more of the Gull islands, the rest being taken over by Cormorants, in 2 visits to Dennis's  today I did not find a single Caspian or Yellow-legged Gull, nor any colour ringed Great Black-backed Gulls, the highlight for me was colour ringed Cormorant, which I'm still trying to find the owner of the scheme.

Around the peninsula there are still at least 4 Great Egrets, at least 2 Cattle Egrets, the usual Little Egrets, the 2 Ibis, 5+ Goldeneye but little else. It's looking like 2021 will be the first calendar year on record without a Smew being recorded, though I'm ever hopefull the last half of the month will surprise me.

I very rarely twitch birds, but it is very frustrating because of a mixture Brexit and Covid, I can't just jump in the car and go through the Chunnel to Calais and twitch the lovely juvenile Ross's Gull at Dunquerque, which I believe is now there for its 5th day. It is only 67miles as the Gull flies from Dungeness.

The 2 Glossy Ibis can still be seen regularly around Cooks Pool

At least 2 Cattle Egrets still hanging around, these ones in the Horse Paddocks

The Little Egrets are also enjoying the Horse Padocks at the moment

A Kittiwake checking out the bread offerings this afternoon

The Polish Black-headed Gull has been the first in the bread queue the last couple of days

 

08/12/2021

Below is the totals for a couple of hours sea watching this morning.

This time of year in the weather we area experiencing, the only viable birding is either sea watching or looking at Gulls, so its just as well I enjoy both. The only other news was of the 2 Greater White-fronted Geese on the Scotney sward today per SM.

Adult Caspian Gull on Burrowes today

2w Caspian Gull on Burrowes today

1w Caspian Gull on Burrowes today

2w Caspian Gull on Burrowes today

2 adult Yellow-legged Gulls and a Herring Gull with Yellow legs on the right on Burrowes today

 

06/12/2021

I joined Sam and Owen in front the sea watch hide this morning, for a cool but reasonably busy sea watch this morning, 8 Bonxies east up channel in a December sea watch were the definite highlight.

A comparatively small 2nd calendar year Caspian Gull roosting on Burrowes this morning

I made 2 visits to the reserve today, late morning  and early afternoon, on both occasions I never got any further than Dennis's, a great shame as there was certainly more to be seen at the other end of Burrowes, but with no other hides overlooking Burrowes open, also not being prepared to subject myself to todays elements on the viewpoints what ever was there went unseen and unrecorded, or maybe all the visitors who said they would rather have viewpoints were there recording everything, if that was the case they must have walked in as the car park was empty.

A huge adult Caspian Gull with a damaged leg roosting on Burrowes this morning

An adult Yellow=legged Gull roosting on Burrowes this morning

This afternoon on Burrowes this 1st calendar year Norwegian ringed Great Black-backed Gull was probably the highlight there in the terrible weather conditions.
 

05/12/2021

5 Whooper Swans on the ARC that flew in from the west  over Dengemarsh was Saturdays highlight 

1W Caspian Gull on Burrowes late morning

From t6he car at Springfield Bridge during yet another shower today, the 2 Glossy Ibis were feeding at the back of Dengemarsh, also 3 Cattle Egrets and 2 Great Egrets, little else was seen on this cold miserable Sunday.

Norwegian Ringed 1st cal year Great Black-backed Gull JJ363 ringed near Bergen as a chick in June

Map of the known travels of JJ363

The regular 4 Black-tailed Godwits that roost on Burrowes at high tide, then feed on Lade Sands

One of the many Red-throated divers that have been off shore

The Polish Black-headed Gull still present this weekend

Y63 a Normandy ringed bird on Burrowes yesterday

 

03/12/2021

 A very wet and miserable morning was a good excuse not to venture outside too early this morning. When I did I visited the ARC to look for yesterdays Whooper Swans but they appear to have gone, likewise the Bewick Swans on Burrowes. An hour looking at Gulls there found just a singles Caspian and Yellow-legged Gulls and 3 Goldeneye, 4 Cattle egrets were in the Boulderwall fields. Another hour gulling from Dennis's this afternoon found the days highlight a Polish ringed Caspian Gull.From a wild miserable morning to a still and tranquil afternoon with the fog slowly rolling in at Burrowes2 Caspian Gulls that are just about to be unceremoniously pushed out of the way by an incoming juvenile Great Black-backed Gull                 Yellow ringed Polish Caspian Gull P:T54 this afternoons highlight on Burrowes

 

02/12/2021

                                                                       

                              1 of todays Merlins coming in off the sea with prey

I joined Sam Perfect at the fishing boats for this mornings for a very busy and chilly sea watch:

 08.15-09.30

Brent Goose: 3W

Red-breasted Merganser: 1W

Red-throated Diver: 17W    192E

Manx Shearwater: 1W (I can't recall seeing one at Dungeness before in December)

Great-crested Grebe: 4W     1E        38 around

Gannet: 6W       2E

Sandwich Tern: 1W        2E

Great skua: 2E

Guillemot: 172W

Razorbill: 1W     1E

Auk sp: 33W       93E

Blackbird: 1 in off

Song Thrush: 1 in off

Merlin: 2 in off

Yesterdays Merlin coming in off the sea with prey

When I left the beach I pulled over at the gantry end of the ARC for a scan of the lake from the car, I immediately picked out 6 Swans that were not Mutes at the Hanson end of the lake, as I reached onto the back seat of the car for a scope a police car pulled up alongside me making it clear they wanted me to move. I drove off making the mistake that the Swans must be Bewick's as I cannot recall ever seeing 6 Whoopers at Dungeness before( I will check with DW to find out the last time that many were seen here). After I had been home for breakfast I went back to the ARC and with a bit of trespass managed to see the Swans properly, I immediately realised that they were in fact Whoopers and tweeted to that effect. If the track to Hanson or better still the hide were open superb views of the Whooper Swans in good light could have been obtained.

A ropey image of the 6 Whooper Swans on the ARC today

There were very few Gulls on Burrowes this morning as the islands were black with Cormorants, the one free island did hold the adult Caspian Gull above. Also on Burrowes at least 3 Goldeneye including a drake. 8+ Cattle Egrets were scattered around the reserve per MH, but no reports of any of the Glossy Ibis.

As darkness fell over the visitor centre car park JY, SP , CT and myself heard some Bewick Swans calling, looking up 12 flew over circled Burrowes and then landed opposite Firth to roost, in the darkness ti looked liked there were 9 adults and 3 juveniles.

Great White Egret at Cockles Bridge

Polish ringed Black-headed Gull TJVV on the beach this week for the second winter running.

An adult Caspian Gull from this week on the beach

Yet another oddity at Scotney today

28/11/2021

A bitterly cold morning, so I had a drive around Walland Marsh looking for wild geese and swans and failed on both accounts. There were a couple of small flocks of Fieldfare around the Cheyenne Triangle,  also few Redwing and Song Thrushes feeding in various hedgerows that the have so far escaped the ravages of the local guardians of the countryside efforts to rip them all out.

At Scotney despite much scrutiny I was unable to find any wild geese among the 100s of feral geese, a Black-necked Grebe was the best I could find.

In the Boulderwall Fields both the Ibis were still present along with 3 Cattle Egrets, 2 Great Egrets flew over towards the ARC. On Burrowes most the Gulls were at the southern of the lake which meant they could only be viewed properly from the Firth Viewpoint, I wasn't prepared to stand there being blown about by the freezing wind, nor was any one else from what I could see.

1 of 3 late Sandwich Terns drifting into Lade Bay

13.00-14.30 from the fishing boats, joined by CT.

Common Scoter: 4W

Red-throated Diver: 16W   5E       4 on

Great Northern Diver: 1W   

Great-crested Grebe: 4E       4 on

Gannet: 28W     15E

Cormorant: c350 around

Kittiwake: 4E        7W

Black-headed Gull: present n/c

Mediterranean Gull: 2E

Common Gull: present n/c

Herring Gull: present n/c

Great Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Lesser Black-backed Gull: 1E

Sandwich Tern: 3E

Great Skua: 1E

Razorbill: 12W       4E

Guillemot: 16W      27E

Auk sp: 108E     44W

Gret Seal: 1

A very distant Great Northern Diver, surprisingly scarce at Dungeness

A regular at the fishing boats

 

27/11/2021

Juvenile Merlin at the fishing boats

Sea watching the last few days has been a little repetitive, with mainly smallish numbers of Gannets, Cormorants Red-throated Divers, Kittiwakes and Auks making up the bulk of the numbers, hope fully after storm Arwen has moved through the sea may liven up a bit.

Dartford Warbler near the fish shack

Russian White-fronted Geese at Scotney

Bar-tailed Godwit on Lade Sands

1w Caspian Gull

Adult Yellow-legged Gull with an adult Caspian Gull

I have spent a good deal of time in Dennis's Hide looking at Gulls, where double figure numbers of Caspian Gulls have been seen, along with Yellow-legged Gulls and number of colour ringed Gulls have been seen. Most the rings have been Norwegian Great Black-backed Gulls, but we have seen at least 4 Polish a German and a Lithuanian ringed Caspian Gull. 

2w Caspian Gull

1w Caspian Gull

Adult Caspian Gull