08/10/2023

The Juvenile Pallid Harrier continues to be the star attraction at Dungeness, its appearances seem to be around 09.00 in the morning and seems quite reliable between 15.00-16.00 in the afternoon viewed from the Denge Marsh Chicken Sheds. This morning 100s of House Martins were feeding over Lydd Fields. Elsewhere on the reserve the 3 Glossy Ibis are still present along with the Egrets, Bitterns are only being seen occasionally and even Bearded Tits are few and far between, a few Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps can be found but the Thrushes still haven't reached here, hopefully in the next few days this will happen and the sea will hopefully be more productive. A Black-necked Grebe is still on Scotney viewed from the double bends.

I was stupidly on the wrong side of a bush as the juvenile Pallid Harrier came across the field and over

Ready to pounce

 

One of the local Kestrels

Grey Heron on telegraph pole

Common Buzzard over my garden while I was having lunch

Full house of Goldfinches on one of the feeders in my garden

06/10/2023

The sea watching is just about stuttering along with absolutely no surprises, Auk numbers are picking up, Red-throated Divers are now ever present in tiny numbers as yet, Gannets, Kittiwakes, Sandwich Terns, and Mediterranean Gulls make up the bulk of the birds, just a very small trickle of Brent Geese. On the land the superb Pallid Harrier continues to be difficult to catch up with, unless you are lucky or put a lot of time in, the 3 Glossy Ibis and 3 Egret species can still be found around the reserve along with the usual wildfowl, waders apart from Lapwing and a couple of Golden Plover are non existent at the moment. The reed beds are quiet now just the occasional Bearded Tit and Marsh Harriers quartering them. In the bushes Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps and Tit parties are all that's left, hopefully soon the Crests, Thrushes and Finches will arrive.

Red-throated Diver past the fishing boats today

This angler reeled in several nice Bass, but he wasn't the only one catching them.

Grey seal with a Bass

Young Great Black-backed Gull keeping a respectful distance from those teeth.

Common Buzzard on a young Mute Swan carcas

Blackcap at Galloways

03/10/2023

Juvenile Sparrowhawk, this bird came in off the sea and landed on the beach in front the hide, it looks like it has a British ring on but I am unable to read it, it could even be a Dungeness bird that had been hunting tired migrants out at sea in the same way Merlins and Peregrines do.

This mornings sea watch was a vast improvement to the last few days, though I'm sure it will get better as month goes on.

8.00-09.15

Gadwall: 10E

Common Scoter: 11W    4E

Great-crested Grebe: 1W      1E

Kittiwake: 13W 

Little Gull: 3W 

Mediterranean Gull: 26W

Sandwich Tern: 25W   

Great Skua: 1W  

Arctic Skua: 5W   1E       1 present

Guillemot: 8W        1E

Razorbill: 41W

Auk sp: 309W

Red-throated Diver: 2W

Gannet: 222W       6E      

Cormorant: Present n/c

Merlin: 1 in off

Sparrowhawk 1 in off

Peregrine: 1 in off

Swallow: 11 out

Meadow Pipit: 8 out

Wheatear: 1 in front of hide

Juvenile Wheatear on the beach in front of the sea watch hide

Juvenile Pallid Harrier hunting over Lydd Fields

I'd just finished sorting through my moth traps after the sea watch when a message from Richard via the local WhatsApp that a Ring-tail Harrier was heading south over the ARC, moments later another message from James that the bird was over the top of the Long Pits, followed quickly by another message that it was heading back to the ARC, then another message from Richard that it was heading towards the airport, by this time I was already in my driveway frantically scanning the fields, then it came into view albeit very distantly hunting the fields opposite Cockles Bridge, even from this distant view I could tell that it was a Pallid/Montys Harrier, I put the news out, then drove to Cockles Bridge, in the couple of minutes it took me to get there the bird had disappeared. I then moved onto Boulderwall for a more panoramic view, in the mean time Owen, John, Richard and James had arrived at Cockles Bridge and saw it drop into a Kale field at the back of Hookers by the track to Lydd, we made our way there, after walking a short distance up the track the bird came out of the field, giving great views and photographic opportunities to clinch the ID as juvenile Pallid Harrier.

01/10/2023

A lovely warm morning, with the down side that the low autumn sun making sea watching in the morning quite difficult.

08.00-09.15 from the sea watch hide today

Brent Goose: 7W

Common Scoter: 12W    

Great-crested Grebe: 3 present

Kittiwake: 26W  

Mediterranean Gull: 12W

Sandwich Tern: 10W   

Great Skua: 1W  

Arctic Skua: 7W   1E

Guillemot: 1W

Razorbill: 23W

Auk sp: 34W

Gannet: 40E   34W      

Cormorant: Present n/c

Swallow: c300 out

Meadow Pipit: c100 out

Harbour Porpoise: 1

Grey Seal: 1

As has been the case for for seemingly forever the ARC and Boulderwall have been the most interesting, with Little Stints, Ruff, Common Snipe, Garganey, Glossy Ibis, the 3 species of Egrets, Hobby, etc. Though Burrowes has been hosting a Curlew Sandpiper from the Firth Fence, Apart from Great Black-backed Gulls and the odd Yellow-legged Gull few Gulls have been coming to Burrowes to roost.

A Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs can be found just about anywhere on the peninsular, a Dartford warbler has been residing in The Desert and decent numbers of Hirundines have been passing through but little of note.

2 Little Stints from Hanson Hide

Garganey from Hanson hide

Glossy Ibisfrom Hanson hide

29/09/2023

This Little Stint has now been present for week

The last few days have been rather poor avian wise considering the time of year, apart from large numbers of Hirundines moving South passerines and waders have been few and far between, even the sea has been quiet the few days and don't think it will improve this weekend looking at the weather forecast. The Glossy Ibis and Cattle Egrets and Great Egrets continue to show reasonably well, lets hope something else turns up this weekend.

Curlew Sandpiper from the Firth Fence

Great White Egret from Dennis's

26/09/2023

Juvenile Long-tailed Skua that flew West past the fishing boats today

Along with LTS there were 12 Sooty Shearwaters, a Balearic Shearwater, 13 Arctic Skuas, 2 Black Terns, 1,00s of Hirundines and Meadow Pipits etc

At the ARC the usual wildfowl and Herons , a handful of Snipe, c100 Lapwing but little else. Sadly the reserve was no better.

Sooty Shearwater from today passing the fishing boats

Juvenile/1w Caspian Gull at the fishing boats this morning

Juvenile/1w Yellow-legged Gull at the fishing boats this morning

 

 

25/09/2023

The undoubted highlight for me at the weekend was this Leach's Storm Petrel that came slowly past the fishing boats on Sunday afternoon. In the morning sea watching produced Good numbers of Sooty, Balearic and Manx Shearwaters as well as Great and Arctic Skuas. There were also many 1,000s of Hirundines moving South West out to sea.

Manx Shearwater

Manx Shearwater checking out some flotsam

Todays highlight from Hanson was this Little Stint

Sea Watching this morning produced singles of Sooty and Manx Shearwater, 13 Arctic Skuas, 250 Gannets a few Terns and Scoter, not a bad haul for a couple of hours. 

The 3 Glossy Ibis with the 6 Cattle Egrets until Daisy blocked my view.

23/09/2023

 Black Tern on Burrowes

Yesterday The Desert and TA were full of Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs, with streams of Meadow Pipits and good numbers of Siskins overhead, also at least 10 Wheatears. Today most of the Warblers had filtered away leaving a handful of Common and Lesser Whitethroats, though there was 1,000s of House Martins and Swallows were over the peninsula early morning. With northerly winds the sea was very quiet. At the ARC most of the waders have departed but 3 Glossy Ibis were nice, 6 each of Cattle Egrets and Great White Egrets could be found on the reserve , but it was generally quiet.

The Gulls have started use Burrowes for roosting with a Caspian gull and Yellow-legged Gull along with several colour ringed birds.

Ruff in front of the Firth Fence

                                                                                              

Painted Lay in The Desert today

Wheatear at The Polish Memorial

Glossy Ibis from Hanson

1st winter Caspian Gull from Dennis's Hide this afternoon

Yellow-legged Gull from Dennis's Hide this afternoon