17/08/2022

 This mornings sea watch was again very meagre. A single Fulmar west was the highlight, c60 Sandwich Terns feeding off shore, 23 Gannets East, 4 juvenile Mediterranean Gulls west and 2 Harbour Porpoises, 24 Common Terns were feeding over The Patch which was just about rippling the surface. Hopefully soon the Shearwaters, Skuas and Terns will start to appear.

The White Stork has again spent most of the day around Lade Pits.

Common Redstart at the observatory courtesy of Jacob

Around the trapping area small numbers of the common warblers and not much else.

Yellow Wagtail Lydd Fields

At the ARC from Hanson this evening despite all the disturbance from the on going works to the islands, Black-tailed Godwits, 3 Knot, 2 Ruff, Common and Green Sandpipers, Ringed and Little Ringed Plovers, Dunlin, Garganey, Bittern, Great White Egret, Little Egret, Glossy Ibis and the usual wildfowl were seen. The White Stork is again roosting at Lade Pits.

Black-headed Gull X93J roosting in front of Hanson

Life History of Black-headed Gull X93J

16/08/2022

One of the Cockles Bridge Common Buzzards. The muddy feet are from catching frogs in the ditch.

GBA2 White Stork atop Lade mobile phone mast today. A bird from the Knepp reintroduction.

 Ibis's, Herons and Waders were all giving superb views from Hanson Hide at the ARC. Hopefully when the work is complete on the islands in the next few days they will be back.🤞

Dengemarsh looks quite good now but was little disappointing today as I was hoping all the birds disturbed from the ARC today would move to there.

The bushes were busy with common warblers this morning, another Pied Flycatcher was seen, also 5 Common Redstarts with 1 ringed. Galloways held 5 Whinchats and the usual Wheatears.

A short sea watch this afternoon was predictably poor, the highlight being a single Arctic Skua chasing Sandwich terns off shore.

Little Egrets

Juvenile Grey Heron

Black-tailed Godwits

Green Sandpiper

Ruff

Last few Days

Black-tailed Godwits from Hanson

Hanson hide has been giving excellent views of some of the birds on the ARC, delighting a number of visitors.

In general wader passage is very slow, the first Little Stint of the year arrived yesterday but was gone by this morning, an elusive Wood Sandpiper has been on Dengemarsh, which fortunately is now looking good for waders as there will be much disturbance in front of Hanson Hide this week with the necessary remedial works to the islands.

The bushes around the peninsula have played host to at least 4 Pied Flycatchers and several Spotted Flycatchers, Whinchats,  Willow Warblers and the usual Sylvia warblers.

The sea is still very unproductive but will hopefully improve in the next few days.

Glossy Ibis from Hanson

Little Egret catching Marsh frogs from Hanson

Juvenile Grey Heron from Hanson

2 Garganey from Hanson

Lapwing from Hanson

5 of the 8 Cattle Egrets dropping into the ARC

This Herring Gull seems able to feed well despite its tongue hanging out of a hole in its throat

1 of 45 Mediterranean Gulls past the fishing boats

Evergestis pallidata is relatively common in England but this is the first one to my trap

Beautiful Marbled in the trap this morning

 

12/08/2022

A newly fledged Cetti's Warbler trapped and ringed this morning

 07.30-09.00 from the sea watch hide:
Common Scoter: 1W      2E
Fulmar: 1W
Gannet: 16W     5E
Cormorant: 3W      1E
Oystercatcher: 2W
Kittiwake: 1 juvenile  present
Sandwich Tern: 49E         25W
Common Tern: 2E
Arctic Skua: 3E
Guillemot: 1 present
Sand Martin: 22E
Swallow: 13 in 
Wheatear: 2 present
Grey Seal: 1
Harbour Porpoise: 3
Hummingbird Hawkmoth: 6+ 

There has been a trickle of migrants around the peninsula, 3 Pied Flycatchers, Spotted Flycatcher, Common Redstart, several Whinchats and Wheatears as well as the expected Willow Warblers, Common Whitethroats and Garden Warbler.

This evening at Dengemarsh there were plenty of islands visible, even the ridges are starting to appear which I have not seen for many years, though it looked good for birds there only 3 Glossy Ibis, 2 Great White Egret and 25 Black-tailed Godwits present, c200 Sand martins dropped into the reeds to roost.

Hummingbird Hawkmoth

Linnet at Lydd Fields

Juvenile Swallow Lydd Fields

Sparrowhawk Lydd Fields

10/08/2022

Wheatear in The Desert

Another baking hot day around Dungeness with a dribble of migrants. The sea is still very unproductive with just a a few each of Sandwich Tern, Gannet and Mediterranean Gulls of any note. A wander around the Desert and trapping area found a few Wheatears and a few calling Willow Warblers but little else.

At The ARC during 4 visits today 100s of Sand Martins with smaller numbers of Swallows and House Martins, 5 Glossy Ibis, 7 Cattle Egrets that are mostly seen in the Boulderwall Fields, 4 Garganey, Common and Green Sandpipers,Ringed and Little Ringed Plovers, Black-tailed Godwits and the usual wildfowl. Common Whitethroats, Reed and Sedge Warblers were noticeable by their absence. My personal highlight of the day was finding a colour ringed Cormorant, (I'm easily pleased).

There are still 100s of Sand Martins around Dungeness

Juvenile Swallow at the ARC car park

Green Sandpiper

Cattle Egrets

Black-tailed Godwit

Party of 4 Garganey at the ARC from Hanson

Cormorant that I believe was ringed in Cheshire. I await details.