Day Trip to the Pas de Calais

On Wednesday 27/05/2025 Myself, Chris, Jacob and Richard had a days birding trip to the Pas de Calais, 

we took the 06.15  shuttle to Calais, then a short drive to Guines. The weather was not as good as we hoped but that didn't seem to deter the birds as we started at the wetland board walk. Short-toed Treecreeper was seen and heard very quickly, along with Cuckoo, Blackcaps, Reed, Sedge and Cetti's Warblers, an astonishing 13 mainly singing Marsh Warblers, 2 singing Bluethroats, White Stork, a Honey Buzzard, several Marsh Harriers, Turtle Doves purring along with other common species. A Scarce Chaser dragonfly was a surprise.

1 of 13 singing Marsh Warblers we found at Guinnes

White Stork over the Guinnes Boardwalk

Scarce Chaser at Guines

 Our next stop was very close by at Guinnes Forest

Spotted Flycatcher nesting behind a security light on a building by the car park

Several Lady Orchids were seen by the track in the forest

Honey Buzzard Overload

As we walked along the forest track we spotted a Hone Buzzard displaying and wing clapping. then another appeared and over a period of about half an hour at 6 different Honey Buzzards were seen displaying and play fighting, we were awe struck by this magical sight, just to crown things off a Melodious Warbler was singing beside us which were virtually ignoring due to the awesome sight of all the Honey Buzzards overhead.

Male Honey Buzzard

Male Honey Buzzard

Male Honey Buzzard

Female Honey Buzzard

Female Honey Buzzard

Female Honey Buzzard

2 Honey Buzzards

3 Honey Buzzards

Honey Buzzards Tussling

Honey Buzzards Tussling

Honey Buzzards Tussling

Honey Buzzards Tussling

Honey Buzzards Tussling

Honey Buzzards Tussling

Honey Buzzards Tussling

Wing clapping Honey Buzzard 

Wing clapping Honey Buzzard 

Wing clapping Honey Buzzard 

Wing clapping Honey Buzzard 

Wing clapping Honey Buzzard 

Wing clapping Honey Buzzard 

The first Marsh Tit I have seen for a few years, we also saw and heard several Hawfinches.

Definitely Roe Deer😅

Black-necked Grebe at Oye Plage

A blizzard of Sandwich, Common Terns with a few Mediterranean and Black-headed Gulls at Oye Plage

Our last stop was at Oye Plage where due to the dry spring there were very few waders, it is the first time I have visited site in spring and not seen Black-winged Stilts, however we still saw 15 Spoonbills, Egrets, Little Ringed Plovers, Black-necked Grebes. Several Fan-tailed Warblers were seen here along with at least 5 Kentish Plovers and an Icterine Warbler.

We caught the 19.16 shuttle back to Folkstone, many thanks to Chris, Jacob and Richard for there great company and cakes and making this a trip to remember always.

25/05/2025

A brilliant image of the Eastern Bonelli's Warbler in the trapping area today captured by James Dee and published here with his kind permission. Many thanks James.

You will need to turn your volume right up to hear 4 trills of the Eastern Bonelli's Warbler found in the trapping area this morning by James Dee, a brilliant find and much deserved due to all the time he spends scouring The Point looking for birds. It is the first Eastern Bonelli's Warbler to be found at Dungeness and quite possibly the first Kent record.  Although the bird was singing more or less continuously for the several hours I was in the trapping area this morning, I only actually saw it 4 times and only once fairly well, but with no chance of photographing it, I'm sure the strong wind did not help. Fortunately James managed to get some images of it when he first discovered it.

Elsewhere on the peninsula was very quiet avian wise, there was a Ruff on Burrowes, also a few Dunlin and Ringed Plovers. The Red-footed Falcon appears to have gone as well as most of the Hobbys.

At the ARC there are now 3 sitting Avocets and 5 sitting Black-headed Gulls on the long back island viewed from Hanson.

24/05/2025

A short sea watch this morning in damp breezy conditions and very poor visibility, so it was unsurprising that I saw very little.

I then went Hanson hide where the Avocets were still insitu along with the Black-headed Gulls. The Common Terns look as though they might try and nest there.

A wander around Burrowes saw 6 Knot, 7 Grey Plover, 3 Dunlin, 2 Turnstone, a Reeve and c20 Ringed Plover. From Christmas Dell I could see lots of Hobbys hawking over the back of Hookers, so I headed there stopping for a look at Hayfield 1, which held 5 Avocet, a Bar-tailed Godwit, 4 Shelduck, more Ringed Plovers and 3 Cattle Egrets. At the back of Hookers 15+ Hobbys were hawking insects, also the female Red-footed Falcon giving me insane views as hawked over the lake and path sometimes skimming my head, just a pity about the very windy conditions and low light, I still managed some nice pictures as it performed for all comers for several hours.

The above and below images were taken last night as the sun was setting

These are just a sample of images taken today of this stunning bird

22/05/2025

The gorgeous immature female Red-footed Falcon found at Dengemarsh late this afternoon by Tone.

The light for photography was very challenging as well as being drizzly, thats my excuse for my poor efforts.

 

Immature female Red-footed Falcon perched with 2 Hobbys at Hookers

Immature female Red-footed Falcon with Dungeness power station in the background

Red Kite over Boulderwall this morning

It looks as though 2 pairs of Avocet are going to nest in front of Hanson, hopefully the Hayfield birds will join them, the Red-crested Pochard was still around today, not seen by me, but very little else in the cold conditions.

One of several Hobbys over the Tower Pits this morning

19/05/2025

This mornings sea watch was very slow, but did produce the best bird of the day a Shag! the first one I've seen for 2 years at Dungeness.

The avian interest was centred around the reserve with lots of waders dropping in, why they chose today I have no idea. There were 400+ Each of Tundra Ringed Plover and Grey Plover, 10+ Knot, at least 5 little Stints, a Temminck's Stint, Dunlin, Sanderling, Greenshank, Black-tailed Godwits, Avocets and Redshanks as well as Cattle Egrets with Hobbys overhead. Sadly passerines were not to be seen.

Tundra Ringed Plovers on Hayfield 1

 

Cattle Egrets Hayfield 1

Greenshank Hayfield 1

Little Stint Hayfield 1

Temminck's Stint on the ARC from Hanson this afternoon

Temminck's Stint on the ARC from Hanson this afternoon

Knot from Makepiece

Stoat bounding up the path towards me at Christmas Dell this afternoon

Skids to halt when it sees me

Giving me the side eye

Trying to out stare me before vanishing into the undergrowth

18/05/2025

This mornings sea watch was very poor with just a handful of Sandwich terns, Gannets and Common Scoter. From reports I reieved the bushes around the peninsula were also poor for migrants except for a small arrival of Spotted Flycatchers. There was nothing new reported from the reserve.The Westernmost pool at the Midrips is rapidly drying out, the other pools (see image below) are a little better, but probably wont last long if the current weather conditions prevail.

In walk along the green wall from Jury's Gap to the Wicks 34 Avocets were feeding but no sign of any breeding, also 9 Grey Plovers, 8 Turnstone, 4 Bar-tailed Godwits, 14 Sanderling, 3+ Dunlin, 4 Redshank, at least 60 Ringed Plovers majority of which were Tundrae birds, there was also Sandwich, Common and Little Terns feeding offshore.

Despite the difficulties in visiting these pools, climbing over the concrete sea wall and scrambling over the boulders at high tide or navigating a very slippery staircase at low tide, and that is only if the army is not live firing, it can be quite pleasant and rewarding walk, a scope is usually required as most birds tend to be distant.

A Dunlin that actually came close enough for a decent photograph

Heavily cropped Sanderling and Turnstone

A Ringed Plover with a recently hatched chick

17/05/2025

A few Manx Shearwaters moved East past the hide this morning with a trickle of waders, also notable was a drake Eider but little else.

Little Ringed plover on the nearest island to Hanson this afternoon

Chiffchaff by the Willow Trail

A couple of the 50+ Swallows that were around the ARC today

Red-crested Pochard gleaming in the afternoon sun at the ARC today

The pair of Garganey at the ARC this afternoon

A Marsh Harrier bringing a Marsh Frog to the nest today

A 1st Summer Little Gull on one of the back lakes at Scotney this evening. TRhere were also 12 Whimbrel at the back.

A couple of the 40+ Yellow Wagtails around Scotney this evening