25/10/2024

Sea watching the last 2 days has been very poor, 2 Balearic Shearwaters have been the only quality in several hours of staring out to sea.

There have been at least 3 Dartford Warblers around The Desert lately

While I was in The Desert yesterday a party of Blue Tits dropped out of sky but quickly moved on
 

Red-throated Diver on Burrowes today

Black-necked Grebe on Burrowes today

3w Caspian Gull

There were at least 5 Caspian Gulls on Burrowes this afternoon

3w Caspian Gull

1w Caspian Gull

3w Caspian Gull

Adult and 2w Yellow-legged Gull with what is probably a hybrid Caspian gull

23/10/2024

 

100+ Swallows around The Desert this morning

No sea watch this morning due to the very light wind. Instead I joined Richard in a wander around The Desert which in truth pleasant enough but not particularly rewarding, 3 flocks of Wood Pigeons over totalling c100 birds, 40+ Stock Doves, several Siskins over all unseen as were the 2 Brambling, a single Golden Plover also over. In the bushes just a handful each of Song Thrush and Blackbirds with a Chiffchaffs seen and more heard and a Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Cetti's Warbler by the track to Hanson

A visit to the ARC saw little of note though there seemed to be numerous Cetti's Warblers calling all around. The Islands have all but gone and once again 2 Glossy Ibis came in and landed somewhere behind the spit out of sight. Another Great spotted Woodpecker was in the Willow Trail.

Migrant Hawker by the track to Hanson

One of the Little Owls was still showing well late morning on my cycle ride

Another quick cycle out to Scotney found 6 Curlew on the Sward very little else of note, out the back several 100s of Golden Plover and 126 Egyptian Geese  among the greylags and Canadas, but again no sign of any winter Geese.

A 1w Caspian Gull on one of the new islands from Denge Marsh hide

The new islands seem to be attracting the roosting Gulls, also several 100 of Lapwing and a single Black-tailed Godwit.

It's a hard life for a Caspian Gull

22/10/2024

A timely call from Tom telling us he had trapped another Yellow-browed Warbler, save myself and Richard from enduring a very poor sea watch any longer.

35 minutes was more than enough of this tedious watch:

 08.00-08.35 from the Hide with RW 
Wigeon: 1W
Oystercatcher: 11E
Common Tern: 1W
Arctic Tern: 1W
Sandwich Tern: 4W
Black-headed Gull: present n/c
Mediterranean Gull: 2W        
Common Gull: present n/c
Herring Gull: present n/c
Great Black-backed Gull: present n/c
Lesser Black-backed Gull: present n/c 
Arctic Skua: 1W
Razorbill: 12W    
Auk: 20W    3E
Gannet: 32W.   14E
Cormorant: present n/c
Swallow: 6W 
Starling: 265W

After viewing the Yellow-browed Warbler we wandered out towards The Desert, several Swallows and House Martins flew over along with a couple of Brambling and some Siskins, we only got as far as the High Gorese when Owen called saying he'd found a pair of Bearded Tits in the Gorse and Bramble by the Polish Memorial. They seemed quite happy sunning themselves giving us superb extended views, eventually they flew off North.

Female Bearded Tit

Bearded Tits

Male Bearded Tit

Little Owl sunning itself

As the weather was so nice I went out on the marsh on my Bicycle this afternoon where I encountered 3 Little Owls, 5 Marsh Harriers and 2 Common Buzzards of note, sadly no winter Thrushes yet nor wildfowl. At Scotney a Ruff and 4 Redshank were on the Sward but only a handful of Golden Plover  and no wild Geese. Later I cycled down to Denge Marsh hide where the new islands were attracting roosting Gulls (The islands on Burrowes and the ARC have nearly all submerged) among the Gulls were a Brute of a 2w Caspian Gull and a 2w Yellow-legged Gull, also several Common Snipe on the islands. Passing Boulderwall there were 7 Cattle Egrets and 2 Glossy Ibis with the cattle, it seems likely that there are now 3 Glossy ibis present on the reserve.

"You can't see me"

Another Little Owl

The resident pair of Little Owls

Yet another Little Owl out enjoying the sun

2w Caspian Gull on the new islands at Denge Marsh

2w Yellow-legged Gull on the new islands at Denge Marsh

20/10/2024

It was a little uncomfortable at the fishing boats this morning which gave scant shelter in a blustery SSW wind blowing force 6+. When the Leach's Petrel flew by fairly close to the shore the dis comfort was soon forgotten until around 10.15 when the rain started and visibility closed right in.

Leach's Petrel

07.45-10.15 from the Boats with RW, SO et al

Common Scoter: 12E

Great-crested Grebe: 1W     1 present

Oystercatcher: 36E

Common Tern: 1W

Sandwich Tern: 32W

Black-headed Gull: 16W

Mediterranean Gull: 1W       

Common Gull: 15W

Herring Gull: present n/c

Great Black-backed Gull: 4W

Lesser Black-backed Gull: present n/c 

Great Skua: 1E juvenile 

Arctic Skua: 1W   

Razorbill: 48W    

Auk: 16W

Red-throated Diver: 1  present

Leach’s Petrel: 1W

Sooty Shearwater: 1W

Balearic Shearwater: 1W 

Gannet: 559W

Cormorant: present n/c

Merlin: 1 in off

Swallow: 38 out  

Meadow Pipit: 16 in off

Starling: 20 in off

Linnet: 85W

Goldfinch: 224W

Harbour Porpoise: 2

Grey Seal: 2

Leach's Petrel

Leach's Petrel

One of 500+ Gannets that flew West this morning

The only Arctic Skua seen this morning

The only Mediterranean Gull seen this morning

19/10/2024

After disappointing and damp sea watch from the sea watch hide this morning, I just managed to finish a cup of coffee before I received the White-tailed Eagle message.

Apart from the Eagle it was very quiet day around the peninsular, a Glossy Ibis was on Cooks Pool, while on Burrowes 4th calendar year Caspian Gull with 3rd calendar year Yellow-legged Gull and a Black-necked Grebe.

G542 a 4th calendar year female White-tailed Eagle (Thanks to Tim Mackrill and the Roy Dennis Foundation for the details) made its 3rd appearance on the Dungeness peninsular this morning at Scotney GPs. Many thanks to Stephen Message for putting the sighting out quickly enabling me to be on site just a couple of minutes later.

Its huge size against an accompanying Rook

 

A showy Black-necked Grebe from Dennis's Hide this afternoon

Radford's Flame Shoulder was the outstanding pick of a very meagre haul in my trap this morning

18/10/2024

Due to the lack of wind this morning I gave the Sea Watch a miss. A wander around the the area this morning found very little, most birds seemed to have cleared out with the clear weather, a few each of Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Thrushes were seen along with a some small flocks of Stock Doves, but the morning was rescued by a Yellow-browed Warbler trapped in The Moat, also the contents of Dave Bunnies moth trap.

A super Yellow Browed Warbler at the DBO this morning

A very smart Speckled Crimson and Diasemiopsis ramburalis (Migrant Sable) also at the DBO this morning courtesy of Dave Bunney.

Ring Ouzels at Brett's Marina and Galloways found on my afternoon cycle ride

One of several Ruff on the eastern causeway at Scotney

A distant Little Owl at Scotney

A frustratingly brief view of a Ring tailed Harrier at Scotney this afternoon