27/11/2024

A horrible wet and windy morning at the fishing boats, with little passage, 2 Sooty Shearwaters before I arrived was the highlight. This afternoon the juvenile Glaucous Gull returned.

On the reserve the Black-necked Grebes and Slavonian Grebe still reported as being present. 3 Greater White-fronted Geese at Scotney yesterday.

Juvenile Glaucous Gull at the fishing boats today

Juvenile Glaucous Gull on the Tern raft at the ARC, I sure this is the first one I have seen on the ARC
 

Merlin at The fishing boats yesterday

Turnstones at The fishing boats yesterday

Kittiwake at The fishing boats today

Mediterranean Gull at The fishing boats yesterday

Near adult Caspian Gull at The fishing boats yesterday

Red-breasted Merganser at The fishing boats yesterday

25/11/2024

Juvenile Glaucous Gull on the beach at the fishing boats early this morning 

An excellent sea watch today would have been even better had I not left to get some breakfast, thereby missing the undoubted bird of the day the Great Shearwater. Seen by Peter Eerlands soon after I left.

Juvenile Glaucous Gull

A Herring Gull that stood out from the crowd this morning at the fishing boats

One of two Great Northern Divers past the fishing boats today

Black-necked Grebe on Burrowes as the sun came out late afternoon

23/11/2024

In the storm today sea watching was really the only thing to do. 

From the hide this morning and the fishing boats this afternoon1,000+ Gannets and 100s of Kittiwakes and Cormorants dominated the sea, highlights for me were Sooty Shearwater and Velvet Scoter, a couple of Bonxies and frustrating view of skua that I believe was probably a juvenile Pomarine Skua, also several Fulmars, Red-breasted Mergansers and Red-throated Divers but I managed to miss all the Sabines Gulls old age catching up with me.

Velvet Scoter passing the fishing boats this afternoon

Sooty Shearwater passing the fishing boats this afternoon

One of the many Kittiwakes seen today

1 of 3 Sandwich Terns this afternoon

Whooper swans at the southern end of the ARC today

 

21/11/2024

Just shy of 500 Kittiwakes went East as we were watching today

3 of the 4 Sandwich terns feeding off the fishing boats this afternoon

A bitterly cold day around the Peninsula, the sea watch showed promise but the rain moved in.

It was probably just a coincidence that while we were sea watching from the hide this morning, a small duck with a pale belly caught my eye fairly close in, I tried to adjust myself to get a better view but alas it had already gone past, I said to Owen and Richard that I think a Long-tailed Duck has gone through then forgot about it, until and hour later where Graham found a Juvenile Long-tailed Duck on Burrowes, unfortunately the bird had gone by the time arrived, but he showed me his image which reinforced my belief it was the same bird that went past the hide. 

07.50-10.10 & 14.00-15.00 with RW & OL

Brent Goose: 18W      3E
Mallard: 1 in off

Shoveler: 1W
Wigeon: 8W
Teal: 28W
Eider: 1W  (drake)
Common Scoter: 49W    4E
Great-crested Grebe: 12E    3 present
Oystercatcher: 6E       8 present
Sandwich Tern: 5 present
Kittiwake: 494E
Black-headed Gull:  present n/c 
Mediterranean Gull: 42E
Common Gull:  present n/c
Herring Gull: present n/c
Great Black-backed Gull: present n/c
Guillemot: 1E    1W
Razorbill: 2E
Auk: 165E      15W  
Red-throated Diver: 46E    16W        5on    
Gannet: 374E    17W
Cormorant: present n/c
Raven: 1 present
Harbour Porpoise: 3
Common Seal: 2
Grey Seal: 3

Sandwich Tern

                                                   Slavonian and 2 Black-necked Grebes on Burrowes

Slavonian and Black-necked Grebe

Black-necked Grebe

1w Caspian gull on Burrowes, 1 of 5 Caspian Gull present there today

A Ring-tail Hen Harrier disappearing towards the Hay fields

20/11/2024

1˚ in NW wind this morning, so not surprising the watch was poor.  

08.00-09.00 from the Hide with RW 

Brent Goose: 15W

Shelduck: 5W

Common Scoter: 15W

Great-crested Grebe: 3E    2 present

Dunlin: 3W

Kittiwake: 3W.  38E

Black-headed Gull:  present n/c 

Common Gull:  present n/c

Herring Gull: present n/c

Great Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Guillemot: 1W

Auk: 7W.  8E   

Red-throated Diver: 1W    10E    2 on      

Gannet: 38W        9E

Cormorant:  383W         62E

Starling: 40W

Common Seal: 1

Grey Seal: 1

A very quiet days birding around the area, on the reserve the Grebes and and the Egrets still present, the only addition was a female Common Scoter on Denge Marsh.

Female Pochard from Hanson this morning, very little else of note there.

The local Little Owls were enjoying being out of the wind and in the sunshine

Polish ringed Black-headed Gull TJVV still at the fishing boats this afternoon in its 5th winter here.
 

19/11/2024

The Slavonian Grebe on Burrowes showed well this afternoon in the rain

Most of my day was spent doing domestic stuff due to the horrible weather, I eventually forced myself out it this afternoon and was rewarded with good views of the Slavonian Grebe and distant views of 2 Black-necked Grebes, a Red-throated diver and 5 Goldeneye.

On Boulderwall Fields 18 Cattle Egrets and a Great White egret were feeding among the Cows, also 100s of Lapwing present. Scotney was virtually birdless. 
 

18/11/2024

2 Whooper and a Bewick Swan early this morning from the causeway

France looked in touching distance this morning, flat calm sea and not a breath of wind

In this mornings calm conditions the sea watch was predictably poor.

7.45-09.00 from the Hide with RW & OL

Brent Goose: 30W

Shelduck: 1W

Common Scoter: 5W

Great-crested Grebe: 2E      3 present

Oystercatcher: 6E

Sandwich Tern: 3W     1E

Common Tern: 1E

Kittiwake: 1W

Black-headed Gull:  present n/c 

Mediteranean Gull: 1W

Common Gull:  present n/c

Herring Gull: present n/c

Great Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Auk: 5E   

Red-throated Diver: 3E      1W        1 on      

Gannet: 19W        3E

Cormorant:  217W         21E

Merlin: 1 in off

Common Seal: 1

Grey Seal: 1

Brent Geese passing the Bouy

A merlin landed on the beach

A late Common Tern from this mornings watch

 

Green Woodpeckers have been scarce on the peninsular this year so it was very pleasing to see these 2 behind the screen hide today.

The Bewick Swan leaving the ARC mid morning

A lunchtime visit to Scotney was unrewarding, though the Barnacle Goose flock had risen to 32 today

2 Cattle Egrets at Boulderwall fighting over a Newt this afternoon

Great White Egret at Firth

One of 3 Black-necked Grebes on Burrowes today also the Slavonian and Red-throated Diver sitll present
 

17/11/2024

As the wind was blowing from the NW it was no surprise that the this mornings sea watch was again poor, but if you don't look you will never see.

7.45-09.115 from the Hide.

Great-crested Grebe: 2E      2 present

Sandwich Tern: 13W     2E

Kittiwake: 1W

Black-headed Gull: 7W 

Mediteranean Gull: 1W

Common Gull:  11W

Herring Gull: present n/c

Great Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Auk: 6W   70E   

Red-throated Diver: 2W      

Gannet: 268W           66E

Cormorant:  present n/c 

Harbour Porpoise: 1

Grey Seal: 3

After a late breakfast and some domestic stuff I cycled out to Scotney. A bit too breezy for the local Little Owls to be out and there was 2 Ravens very close by.

Scotney delivered all the usual species including 3 White-fronted Geese and Ring tail Hen Harrier that flew across the road and out onto the ranges. I only found a single Green Sandpiper at the back of the lakes. The monthly Harrier roost count again produced no roosting birds in my chosen reed bed in fact I saw very little at all there. As I got out of my car in the driveway of my house, I heard a familiar call from 2 Whooper Swans and a Bewick's Swan that could just about be made out in the dark heading for the ARC.

There were 3 Greater White-fronted Geese on the Scotney Sward early afternoon

Culew on the sward

A couple of Pintail on the main Scotney Lake. definitely not a daily occurrence

15/11/2024

As there was barely a breath of wind this morning I gave the sea watch a miss, instead I wandered out into The Desert and Trapping Area both of which were very quiet, a handful of Siskin and a couple of Redpolls flew over, a few Blackbirds and the odd Chiffchaff also a Great Spotted Woodpecker in the bushes and 3 Dartford Warblers in the Broome.

On the reserve there were 2 Black-necked Grebes, a Slavonian Grebe and the Red-throated Diver all on Burrowes per RW. 

A cycle ride out to Scotney in the drab conditions found the roving flock of 40+ Tree Sparrows, 5 Greater White-fronted Goose and another Black-necked Grebe, on the sward c1,000 Golden plover and 17 Barnacle Geese was about as good as it got.

A late afternoon visit to The Midrips was ver disappointing no Owls of any description, just 5 Avocet, c100 Teal and 30+ Shelduck were the highlights.

Tree Sparrows around Scotney

5 Greater White-fronted Geese at Scotney today

The Barnacle Goose flock has increased to 17 on the Scotney sward

Avocets at The Midrips