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