20/10/2023

Unsurprisingly this mornings sea watch with Richard was very poor and abandoned after a fruitless hour. A wander around the trapping area was just as fruitless, apart from Siskins and Redpoll flocks, a Yellow-browed Warbler briefly at the old lighthouse garden found by SM, had disappeared by the time I arrived.

A check of the southern end of the ARC on my way home for breakfast saw the 2 Whooper Swans.

The Whooper Swans have now relocated to the southern end of the ARC where they spent most of last winter.
 

An aberrant Golden Plover at Burrowes

 The 3 Glossy Ibis were at Boulderwall. At Burrowes all 3 Egret Species, a Polish ringed 1w Caspian Gull, an adult Yellow-legged Gull, Golden Plovers, a Ruff and the usual wildfowl.

At the fishing boats this afternoon a confiding Red-throated Diver and c50 Mediterranean Gulls but little else of note.

Some of the 60+ Goldfinches currently coming in to my garden to feed.

19/10/2023

As a blustery force 6-7 southerly wind was blowing this morning I felt sure we would be in for a good sea watch, sadly again this was not the case. 600+ Gannets were seen but I was expecting many more, not a single Shearwater and only a one Arctic Skua, this afternoon from the fishing boats was even poorer.

Common Tern

One of several Red-throated Divers seen today

On the reserve at Burrowes, a single Spoonbill, a Goldeneye, 10 Grey Plover, c150 Golden Plover, 21 Dunlin, 2 Knot, a Redshank, a Ruff and fly through juvenile Little Gull were the highlights.

Spoonbill at Burrowes today

Grey Plover, Knot and Dunlin

A fly through juvenile Little Gull this afternoon at Burrowes

16/10/2023

 

Short-toed Treecreeper first heard and seen by Owen, an hour or so later unexpectedly turned up in one of the nets. Many thanks to David Walker for letting us see the bird before releasing it into The Moat. Also my first Goldcrest of the autumn found its way into a net.

Whooper Swans at the ARC today, last years returning birds? sadly no young with them.

1  of 2 not very obliging Arctic Terns at the fishing boats this afternoon

Also from the fishing boats of note in a biting east wind 4 Little Gulls, 870 Brent Geese, a Common Tern and a single Arctic Skua.

Long-tailed Tit at The ARC yesterday

Small White at the ARC yesterday

14/10/2023

One of the Sooty Shearwaters passing the bouy

One of the Arctic Skuas passing the bouy

An excellent day of sea watching at last!

Beautiful Little Gulls from the fishing boats

An Arctic Skua from the fishing boats

Todays sea watching was as expeditiously poor due to the brisk NW wind, 12 Little Gulls all very distant were the highlight. A walk around The Desert area produced my first Brambling of the year on the peninsula, many Siskins, Goldfinches Chaffinches flew over as well. 

From Hanson a couple of Great White Egrets, 3 Glossy Ibis and the returning colour ringed Lapwing were the highlights there, on Burrowes 2 Spoonbills, 3 Garganey, 3 Ruff and 5 Great White Egrets.

The ARC car parks regular Common Buzzard today

Welsh ringed Lapwing White FL from Hanson today

One of 2 Spoonbills that were on Burrowes Pit today

3 Garganey from the Firth Fence

11/10/2023

 Some of the many Razorbills passing today

The sea was quite busy this morning.

07.00-09.30 & 12.30-14.30 with RW, 

Brent Goose: 19W

Common Scoter: 3W   

Great-crested Grebe: 3W. 1 present

Turnstone: 2 present

Kittiwake: 660W 

Black-headed Gull: 45W

Little Gull: 21W 

Mediterranean Gull: 65W 

Common Gull: 9W 

Great Black Backed Gull: 14W  

Lesser Black-backed Gull: 3W

Sandwich Tern: 61W   

Arctic Skua: 11W  2 present

Guillemot: 9W    

Razorbill: 2,729W  

Auk sp: 148W

Red-throated Diver: 6W      2 present

Gannet: 1,084W 

Cormorant: 39W  

Peregrine: 1 present    

Meadow Pipit: 8W

Harbour Porpoise: 4

Grey Seal: 2

The little Gulls were all quite distant

Red-throated Diver

The 3 Glossy Ibis were in the pool in front of the Axell look out

2 Pintail the highlight from Hanson today

Golden Plover from Hanson Yesterday

The Black Stork that spent a few minutes circling high over Lydd yesterday

One of the 3 Ring Ouzels in The Desert yesterday

Black-necked Grebe at Scotney, viewed from the double bends

In general the peninsula has been very quiet, with just small numbers of Finches and Pipits migrating over,  most of the Hirundines appear to have departed. There is a distinct lack of Thrushes and Crests, as for scarce passerines there are none. At least the Pallid harrier is still around though difficult to predict its appearances.

A holly Blue in my garden, I rarely see them with their wings open

A magnificent Flame Brocade, a rare migrant from the continent was the star in m trap

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