14/05/2023

Not surprisingly another underwhelming sea watch this morning.

 07.45-08.45 

Common Scoter: 12E

Great-crested Grebe: 1 present

Sanderling: 5E

Whimbrel: 13E  6 + 7

Kittiwake: 12E

Mediterranean Gull: 2E

Sandwich Tern:   c30 feeding 

Common Tern: c20 feeding

Guillemot: 1E

Auk sp: 1W

Fulmar: 3E

Gannet: 14E     5W

Swallow: 1 in

Grey Seal: 1

Harbour Porpoise: 4+

A wander around the reserve today was notable for its paucity of birds. There were some very bored visitors wandering around the tracks among the cyclists and a couple of dog walkers, I guess this is what the RSPB want these days. A Grey Plover settled briefly on a hay field, I also managed my first and second sighting of Cuckoo for the year here today. 2 Turnstone on the small island from Makepiece were the highlights on Burrowes, I'm not surprised the visitors looked bored, there is no one on site to point things out to them. I met 3 people at the viewing ramp who were hoping to see a Hobby, they asked me if I'd seen one, I pointed out 4 directly above us, at the same time a Bittern was booming which I also pointed out. In the 3 hours I was wandering around the reserve I didn't see a single member of staff outside the visitor centre. 

Early evening at the ARC was equally underwhelming.

A walk around the hay fields produced a single Grey Plover 

My first Cuckoo of the year was behind Christmas Dell

The highlight on Burrowes were these 2 Turnstones

13/05/2023

With a strong NNW wind this morning a slow sea watch was not unexpected.

 08.30-10.00 with AP

Common Scoter: 5W

Red-tbreasted Merganser: 1E

Great-crested Grebe: 5 present

Oystercatcher: 2E

Kittiwake: 14W

Sandwich Tern:   c30 feeding 

Common Tern: c20 feeding

Arctic Skua: 3E

Auk sp: 1W

Fulmar: 1E

Gannet: 17E     41W

Swallow: 4 in

Grey Seal: 1

Harbour Porpoise: 6+

Huddle of 3 Marsh Frogs at the ARC this morning

As the water levels are so high at the ARC there was little to see there avian wise. Many Marsh Frogs were leaping about as I wandered around the Willow trail. 2 Hobbys were hawking over the Tower pits, also a Couple of Common buzzards and a Marsh harrier were thermalling. Reed and Sedge Warblers seem rather subdued.

Hobby at Dengemarsh

Dengemarsh this afternoon saw another 2 Hobbys, a Greenshank was calling unseen by me, as were the Bearded Tits, I didn't spend too much time there due to the cold wind.

France

The Melodious Warbler at Guines was a good singer but a real skulker, so here is one I photographed a few weeks ago in the Sahara Desert.

I joined Chris and Richard on a birding day trip to Calais area, we made a slowish start at Guines, where Turtle Dove was purring, Short-toed Treecreeper was seen, Great White Egret, Reed, Sedge and Cetti's warblers but probably to early for Marsh Warbler, I'm guessing the Bluethroats and Grasshopper Warblers were busy nesting. In the forest the usual woodland species were seen along with the Melodious Warbler. Our next stop was the Oye Plage pools and beach. The pools were full of waders, 20+ each of Greenshank, Redshank, Common Sandpipers, Avocets and Black-winged Stilts, only slightly smaller numbers of Little Ringed Plovers, also several Ruff, Grey Plover, Ringed Plover, Knot, Wood Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpipers, Whimbrel, 2 Temminck's Stints, a minimum of 10 drake Garganey, 8 Black-necked Grebes, Cattle Egrets, c200 each of Sandwich Terns and Little Terns, smaller numbers of Common Terns, at least 10 Kentish Plovers along with all the hirundines and much more.

The tunnel queues and passport control weren't to painful, but I shudder to think what it will be like in the holiday season.

Temminck's Stint with Little Ringed Plovers and Common Sandpiper

Black-winged Stilt

Kentish Plovers

It was depressing to visit Dungeness RSPB today and look out onto the ARC and Burrowes, not a single wader or Tern to be seen. At least the Herring Gulls and Common Gulls are looking rather smart.

10/05/2023

This mornings sea watch was for the most part a typical end of spring passage affair, the Manx Shearwaters were a definite bonus.

06.45-09.15 with CP, RW  

Brent Goose: 7E

Common Scoter: 111E       1W

Swift: 1 in off

Great-crested Grebe: 1E     1W     2  present

Whimbrel: 1W

Kittiwake: 12E     1W

Black-headed Gull: 7E

Mediterranean Gull: 2E

Common Gull: 4E

Sandwich Tern: 64E

Common Tern: 18E

Guillemot: 1E

Auk sp: 9E       7W

Fulmar: 1E     1W

Manx Shearwater: 13E      3W

Gannet: 40E    75W

Cormorant: 6E      9W

Hobby: 1 in off

Carrion Crow: 2 in off

Swallow: 66  in

Pied Wagtail: 1 in off

Grey Seal: 1

Harbour Porpoise: 2

The new Tern raft in front of Dennis's Hide

I sat in Dennis's Hide for a while today spending most of my time winding myself up about the state of the birding on the reserve. In that time a single Whimbrel circled then flew east as there is no place for it on Burrowes, 3 Common Buzzards were thermalling over the Open Pits & c40 40 Swallows were feeding low over the lake opposite Makepiece, but as there is no where to view that area comfortably I did not give them the scrutiny they deserved. As regards the Terns my only hope is the Herring Gulls hatch and fledge quickly leaving the way clear for the Terns to nest late June early July. Elsewhere on the reserve the usual Warblers, Beardies and Marsh Harriers were seen, the highlight being 2 Avocets on the ARC. 

On the mend

 After spending a couple of weeks in Morocco, I came home with a virulent stomach bug caused by food poisoning which absolutely  floored me. I lost 10.5 KG in 10 days which left me with no energy. I am now more or less back to normal if a little skinny.

I did manage to get to the beach for the Pomarine Skuas and caught up with most of the Dungeness scarcities with the help of other locals.

As this mornings sea watch was abandoned early due to thick fog, I joined RW in parking at the the ARC walking to the Pines and back then across Boulderwall and Dengemarsh to Hayfield 3 and back to the ARC. To say it was disappointing would be an understating how we felt back at the cars. The telescope Richard carried did not leave his shoulder, between us we barely raised our binoculars. Apart from the ever present noisy Cetti's Warblers there were a few Sedge and Reed Warblers, with some Common Whitethroats and a couple of Lesser Whitethroats but very few, it is as if the birds have not arrived even though its the 9th May, c30 Swallows were hawking over Dengemarsh, the hay fields held a handful of Lapwing and Redshanks whose breeding attempts are probably doomed to failure due to Crow predation, even the Greylag Geese seem to have only 2 or 3 goslings per pair.

After a late breakfast I went back to the ARC to see if I could find the Glossy Ibises but was unable to find them, as far as I know they have not been seen this month.

Common Terns in front of Dennis's Hide

 Next I drove down to Dennis's hide where at least 4 Common Terns trying to chivvy the Herring Gulls off of the new purpose built Tern raft. The RSPB has allowed one pair of Herring Gulls to build a nest on this raft, Herring Gulls have already taken over the other rafts and all the islands leaving no where safe for the Terns. If management had gone out to the raft a couple of times as soon as the Herring Gulls showed interest in building, they would have moved on to another raft or island lat least giving the Terns a chance.😢

Thoroughly depressed I wandered round the trail passing the new KOS islands at Makepiece, which already have Herring Gulls nesting on them, also a Coot and Oystercatcher so the Herring Gulls chicks won't go hungry. The only highlight in the hours I spent on the reserve were 3 Hobbys actually catching dragonflies.

Hobby over New Excavations

An hour with Richard in the sea watch hide this afternoon saw just 2 Arctic Skuas of any note.

The superb Short-toed Treecreeper that spent a day in the Garden of Southview, many thanks to Dave and Sheila Bunney for their hospitality.

12/04/2023

After yesterdays excellent sea watch see https://www.trektellen.nl/count/view/2389/20230410 todays was very poor, with just a handful of Common Scoter, Red-throated Divers, Sandwich Terns and Gannets.

Around the peninsula new arrivals were thin on the ground, just a handful of Wheatears and Sand Martins. Sedge Warbler numbers are increasing, but I didn't hear any Reed Warblers today, though that could be weather related. The now resident Glossy Ibises, Marsh Harriers, Bitterns and Bearded Tits can all be seen with patience along with usual species.

The drake Scaup still hanging out with Pochards at Scotney today

Brown Hare at Dengemarsh

Skylark at Dengemarsh

 

06/04/2023

Some of the Brent Geese that passed in todays gloomy conditions

A force 4 SSW with constant drizzle made for quite a good sea watch today.

06.45- 1130 from the hide with CP,RW, JY, PT.

Brent Goose: 1,024E

Shoveler: 4E     4W

Teal: 2E

Garganey: 1E

Eider: 11E      1 on

Common Scoter: 1,138E

Velvet Scoter: 2E

Red-breasted Merganser: 2E 

Great-crested Grebe: 1E   2 on

Oystercatcher: 2E     

Whimbrel: 1E 

Curlew: 1E

Dunlin: 3W

Kittiwake: 15E

Little Gull: 6E

Mediterranean Gull: 2E    

Sandwich Tern: 78E     32W  

Arctic Skua: 1E  

Guillemot: 6E 

Auk: 12E     

Red-throated Diver: 71E    

Great Northern  Diver: 1E

Fulmar: 2E    1W   

Gannet: 187E    27W  

Swallow: 1 in off

Harbour Porpoise: 4+

A close look will reveal 3 Series in the above image, taken by the Dungeness approach road just before dusk yesterday.

The first Willow Warbler of the year to ringed at Dungeness. Courtesy of Dungeness B.O.

This afternoon I managed very poor views of 2 male Redstarts in the recording area, also some Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers and a Swallow there. There was very little news from elsewhere apart from the Ruff still present at Boulderwall. The drake Scaup was still on Scotney from the double bends yesterday.

04/04/2023

A biting force 4 Easterly wind and clear skies this morning didn't bode well for a classic sea watch, but it was an improvement than of late.

06.30 - 09.00 from the hide with RW, CP 

Brent Goose: 19E

Greylag Goose: 2 out   

Shoveler: 10E

Pintail: 1E

Garganey: 3E all drakes

Teal: 25E  

Common Scoter: 259E

Red-breasted Merganser: 17E

Great-crested Grebe:  3E    2 on

Oystercatcher: 5E

Curlew: 5E

Kittiwake: 8E

Mediterranean Gull: 4E

Common Gull: 57E

Sandwich Tern:21E    

Guillemot: 12E   

Auk: 41E     

Red-throated Diver: 43E   

Fulmar: 2E    

Gannet: 36E    43W  

Harbour Porpoise: 4+

Grey Seal: 1

Most of the rest of my day was taken up with waiting for parcels to be delivered. I did get out late afternoon to the ARC where the highlight was a confiding male Siskin at the Pines with a couple of Greenfinches. Several Sand Martins and Swallow flew through and 2 Goldeneye were present, but I missed the 2 Garganey that spent most of the day there.

The 2 Glossy Ibis are still around but it seems as though the Cattle Egrets have departed, there are still Great White egrets around, also a single Greater White-fronted Goose. The hay fields attracted there first Garganey of the year today and Red Kite flew over per BH.

It is not often a Siskin is seen well at Dungeness like this bird as they are usually flyovers. 

Nice to see a Greenfinch tucking into the conifer seeds

Yesterday the Penduline Tit showed well at the ARC, but the highlight for me was an Alpine Swift that powered through late afternoon, a self found tick for me, pity it didn't hang around for better photographs.

The Alpine Swift as it powered away from me

Penduline Tit

 

02/04/2023 The Weekend.

1 of 2 Alpine Swifts that spent Saturday afternoon hawking over the peninsula

 

This tatty Hooded Crow spent a couple of hours on the beach near the fishing boats Saturday morning

Todays Penduline Tit at the ARC was a little distant but a good find by Rick Smith

A relatively showy Water Pipit at the ARC was unusual today

Six distant Brent Geese over Luxury super yacht "SERENE" which purred past Dungeness early Saturday morning. Which was probably the highlight of the weekends very poor sea watching. 

31/04/2023

The sea watch hide was unsurprisingly rocking this morning in the force 8-10 SSW gale, add to that bands of heavy rain limiting visibility to a few hundred meters, it was no surprise that little was moving out at sea. 

07.45 - 10.00 from the hide with RW 

Brent: 77E    

Common Scoter: 395E     2W

Great-crested Grebe: 2E 

Curlew: 2E

Kittiwake: 1W

Mediterranean Gull: 1E       

Arctic Skua: 1E

Sandwich Tern: 19E  

Guillemot: 45E

Red-throated Diver: 3E  

Fulmar: 9E    2W

Gannet: 294E    12W  

Harbour Porpoise:2

1 of 20+ Sand Martins at the ARC late morning

Goldeneye from Hanson today

2 Common Terns at Burrowes late morning

Single adult Little Gull at Burrowes today

The Ibises were again in the pools by Boulderwall Farm. The Cattle Egrets were in the fields around the horse paddocks.

A Norwegian ringed 2nd calendar year Great Black-backed Gull