31/10/2022

A couple of hours wandering around the trapping area was a little disappointing this morning, Siskins and Redpolls were heard passing unseen overhead, a few continental Blackbirds, Chiffchaffs, Skylarks and 2 Swallows over were about as good as it got for me. A Ring Ousel was trapped and ringed late morning.

Drake Long-tailed Duck at Scotney today

The sward at Scotney held a few Golden Plover and 7 Ruff along with the usual feral Geese and c150 Wigeon, highlight on the lake was the distant drake Long-tailed Duck.

 

Adult Arctic Tern at the fishing boats today

An hour sea watching at the fishing boats this afternoon was enlivened by the 2 Arctic Terns, a few Sandwich terns, Gannets and Mediterranean Gulls and a Merlin, but generally disappointing.

1w Arctic Tern at the fishing boats today

Sandwich tern at the fishing boats today

Merlin at the fishing boats

Black-tailed Godwit from Hanson yesterday

Great White Egret from Hanson yesterday

The male and female Kingfisher from Hanson Hide yesterday

Speckled Crimson behind the fishing boats

Speckled Crimson in my moth trap

28/10/2022

Brent Geese passing the fishing boats today

A poor sea watch today, small numbers of Brent Geese, Gannets, Auks and Sandwich Terns, the Arctic Tern and Common Tern were still present and a Merlin was hunting off shore.

Arctic Tern at the fishing boats

Common Tern at the fishing boats

Redwing flushed from the Kerton Road triangle

1 of 2 Dartford Warblers in the Kerton Road triangle

The Glossy Ibis showing well this morning at the ARC

A brilliant surprise to find this pristine Deaths Head Hawkmoth in my MV trap this morning

Small Mottled Willow moth my first for several years

1 of 4 Vestals in the trap this morning

27/10/2022

Record of a distant Grey Phalarope

08.00-13.00 & 14.00-16.00 from the fishing boats with JS, JY, JH, SM, DW

Common Scoter: 4E     1W

Red-throated Diver: 1E    1W  1present 

Great-crested Grebe: 9W  4 present

Sooty Shearwater: 1W

Gannet: 369W

Cormorant: present n/c

Oystercatcher: 4E

Turnstone: 3 present

Sanderling: 1W

Grey Phalarope: 1W

Kittiwake: 630W

Black-headed Gull: present n/c

Mediterranean Gull: 31W     1E

Common Gull: present n/c

Herring Gull: present n/c

Great Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Lesser Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Sandwich Tern: 18W

Common Tern: 1W

Arctic Tern: 1 present

Arctic Skua: 9W

Guillemot: 32W

Razorbill: 1,521 W

Merlin: 1+ around, seen several times heading out to sea to hunt.

Swallow: 9 out to sea

Grey Seal: 1

Harbour Porpoise: 3

Merlin over the fishing boats direct into the sun.

Arctic Tern

1 of 9 Arctic Skuas past

Crimson Speckled by the fishing boats

                                            Crimson Speckled by the fishing boats

A few images from yesterday

Dartford Warbler

Stonechat

Kingfisher at the ARC

Little Stints at the ARC

An odd Lapwing at Scotney

25/10/2022

Merlin on the beach this morning

The sea was fairly quiet today with just a few each of Gannets, Little Gulls, Razorbills, Sandwich terns, the highlight was a drake Eider that flew west.

Dartford Warblers around The Desert

In my wander around The Point today there were small flocks of finches, Skylarks and a few Swallows

A very distant drake Long-tailed Duck on Scotney main pit today

A walk along the cycle path at Scotney, saw all the usual feral Geese, along with usual Duck, Lapwings and Golden Plover, a Raven, 2 Common Buzzards, 2 Marsh Harriers flew over. It was only on my back along the path that I spotted the Long-tailed Duck which I assume is the same bird seen there at the weekend by Neil Burt.

At the ARC the female Long-tailed Duck was still present, as were the 2 Glossy Ibis, Little Stint and a Dunlin.

Little Stint at the ARC today

One of 22 Great White Egrets on Burrowes this afternoon

Ruff with Lapwing on Burrowes this afternoon

Grey Wagtail on the reserve this afternoon

24/10/2022

Hen Harrier heading out to sea at the fishing boats this morning

08.00-11.00 & 13.30-15.30  from the fishing boats with JS, JY, DW & DS:

Common Scoter: 17W     8E

Red-breasted Merganser: 1W

Red-throated Diver: 3W     1 present

Great-crested Grebe: 8W     6 present

Balearic Shearwater: 1W

Sooty Shearwater: 1W

Gannet: 873W

Cormorant: present n/c

Hen Harrier: 1 Ring tail out to sea

Oystercatcher: 4E

Ringed Plover: 1W

Little Stint: 1W

Kittiwake: 1 Feeding in bay

Little Gull: 204W

Black-headed Gull: present n/c

Mediterranean Gull: 1 feeding in bay

Common Gull: present n/c

Herring Gull: present n/c

Herring Gull sub sp Argentatus: 1 present

Lesser Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Great Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Sandwich Tern: 75W

Common Tern: 1W

Arctic Tern: 1W

Arctic Skua: 1 feeding in bay

Guillemot: 7W

Razorbill: 517W

Auk sp: 165W

Short-eared Owl: 3 in 

Swallow: 11W

Grey Seal: 1

1 of 3 Short-eared Owls seen from the boats today

Arctic Tern

Arctic Skua harrying a Sandwich Tern

Argentatus Herring Gull, a big bruiser of a bird

Long-tailed Duck at the ARC today, also a Little Stint there