03/12/2024

Purple Sandpiper at the fishing boats briefly this morning, only just about annual here these days

A better sea watch from the fishing boats this morning, with a Purple Sandpiper being the highlight, rare bird at Dungeness these days, also a minimum of 3 Merlins present on the beach and hunting out at sea.

08.00-09.30 from the Boats with OL

Brent Goose: 7W         8E

Shoveler: 5E

Wigeon: 2W

Teal: 6W

Common Scoter: 4E

Great-crested Grebe: 16E    7 present

Oystercatcher: 17E

Turnstone: 1 present

Sanderling: 1W   16E

Purple Sandpiper: 1E

Sandwich Tern: 2E

Kittiwake: 10W

Black-headed Gull:  present 

Mediterranean Gull: 2W

Common Gull:  present

Herring Gull: present

Great Black-backed Gull: present    

Guillemot: 6E     

Auk: 73W    12E

Red-throated Diver: 153E       26W      

Gannet: 80E   

Cormorant: present n/c

Merlin: 3 present

Grey Seal: 2

Common Seal: 2

A look around the beaches at Dengemarsh Gully and Galloways found 100s of large Gulls but alas I couldn't pick out a Glaucous among them. Yet another Merlin was hunting the beach at Galloways.

I didn't visit the reserve today and I didn't hear of any news from there.

2 of the 3 Merlins present at the fishing boats today, the wire fence is a regular perch for them.

The very active Hume's Warbler showed well occasionally

A local Long-eared Owl was a little shy today

02/12/2024

Another very poor sea watch this morning!

08.00-10.00 from the Boats

Common Scoter: 2E

Great-crested Grebe: 1E    6 present

Oystercatcher: 9E

Turnstone: 2 present

Kittiwake: 27W

Black-headed Gull:  present 

Mediterranean Gull: 4E

Common Gull:  present

Herring Gull: present

Great Black-backed Gull: present  

Lesser Black-backed Gull: 2 present   

Guillemot: 4W      2 on

Auk: 15W    3E

Red-throated Diver: 27E       14W        2 on

Gannet: 85W   

Cormorant: present n/c

Merlin: 1 present

Redpoll: 2 in off

Grey Seal: 2

Common Seal: 1

Things improved with the discovery that the yesterdays Hume's Warbler was still present around the observatory. Although I saw it a number of times in the bushes I failed miserably to get any images and eventually the bird seemed to disappear. I scoured The Moat for it and was just looking into the Heligoland Trap when I heard it call, I eventually located its position in the trap, typically there was no phone signal so quickly went back into the observatory to get David. Thankfully it was still in the Heligoland when we got back and was quickly ushered into the catching box, then processed and released wearing a shiny new ring.

Hume's Warbler

Therefore at least 3 Black Redstarts fly catching from the perimeter wall this afternoon

Black Redstarts

 

01/12/2024

A miserable day on the peninsula started rather well due to a message from David Walker, saying he had heard and seen a Hume's Warbler in the Dungeness Observatory garden. I was already on my way to The Point when I got the message, so just a few minutes later I was at the Observatory where the Hume's Warbler showed and called immediately but briefly, which it did on several occasions, the views being to brief for either of us to get an image of it, fortunately David had deployed his Nocmig and recorded several calls. DG joined us and saw the warbler, soon after it flew to the back garden and disappeared, though it must surely still be nearby. 

The only other news was that the Glaucous Gull was again present at the fishing boats per N Burt & J Burt.

In a relatively poor sea watch a notable 268 Brent Geese in 17 Small flocks flew East in just over an hour and half this morning, surely not the start of the return migration?

Brent Geese from the sea watch hide this morning

08.50-10.30 from the Hide joined by NB & JB

Brent Goose: 268E   (17 small flocks)  

Shelduck: 1E  

Common Scoter: 3E

Great-crested Grebe: 3E    1 present

Kittiwake: 19E        3W

Black-headed Gull:  present 

Mediterranean Gull: 3W

Common Gull:  17E

Herring Gull: present

Great Black-backed Gull:present     

Guillemot: 14W       3E

Auk: 315W    16E

Red-throated Diver: 5W   2E      2 on

Gannet: 206W    117E

Cormorant: present n/c

Grey Seal: 2

Gannets from the hide

More Brent Geese from the hide

30/11/2024

Humpback Whale

This Humpback Whale is probably the most amazing site I will see at Dunge this year, certainly something I never expected to ever see at Dungeness. Fingers crossed that it is not sick and won't get stranded on a shallow beach, a magnificent animal. My images don't do it justice but it was difficult to photograph as there was a lot of guesswork as to where it would surface, when it did it wasn't up for long.

 
                                                            Humpback Whale 

                                                                    Humpback Whale

                                                                  Humpback Whale

Humpback Whale

The Blow just before it surfaced

Surfacing with Blow behind it

29/11/2024

 

Merlin on the beach by the fishing boats early morning

Shelduck and Brent Geese passing the fishing boats this morning

07.20-09.20 from the Boats with CP, TH

Brent Goose: 69W  
Shelduck: 26W   
Wigeon: 4W
Common Scoter: 6W    3E
Great-crested Grebe: 10W
Oystercatcher: 4E
Dunlin: 37W
Sandwich Tern: 4W
Kittiwake: 76W
Black-headed Gull:  c250 present 
Mediterranean Gull: 2E
Common Gull:  41W
Herring Gull: c200 present
Great Black-backed Gull: c20 present
Lesser Black-backed Gull: 2 present
Sandwich tern: 4W       
Guillemot: 116W
Razorbill: 259W
Auk: 510W 
Red-throated Diver: 25W  
Sooty Shearwater: 1W @ 07.20 per CP 
Gannet: 124W    11E
Cormorant: present n/c
Merlin: 1 present
Harbour Porpoise: 1
Common Seal: 1
Grey Seal: 2
13.20-14.00
Turnstone: 1W
Kittiwake: 5W
Mediterranean Gull: 1E
Auk sp: 58W
Red-throated Diver: 2W
Gannet: 37W

Guillemots passing this morning

Brent Geese overhead along the beach

Very quiet around the peninsula today. The Black-necked Grebes and a Slavonian Grebe was still on Burrowes Pits with another Black-necked Grebe on the ARC, Scotney was very windswept with little to see of note. 

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