Sunday, 17 October 2021

17/10/2021

 As the bushes around the peninsula are bird free zones this autumn, it's little wonder I spent most of my time at the fishing boats staring out to sea or in Dennis's Hide staring at Gulls legs.
Apart from a handful of Brambling and Siskin that flew over the bushes NW I saw nothing in the time I spent looking at the top end of the Long Pits, OL spent 2 hrs flogging the TA, Desert and Long Pits with the same result.
These 2 Eider were probably the highlight of the day
2 Sea watches today with RW, AJG and DW 
07.30-11.00 & 14.00-15.00
Eider 2W
Common Scoter: 3W
Red-throated Diver: 9W
Gannet: 859W    273E
Cormorant: 94W    30E
Oystercatcher: 1W
Black-tailed Godwit: 1W
Kittiwake: 1,882W
Mediterranean Gull: 15W     2E
Caspian Gull: 1 around
Sandwich Tern: 137W      14E
Great Skua: 1W
Arctic Skua: 6W
Guillemot: 60W   13E
Razorbill: 38W
Auk sp: 36W   45E
Swallow: 2 out
Chaffinch 5 in
Grey Seal: 1 
Harbour Porpoise: 2
1w Caspian Gull at the fishing boats
On the reserve The Egrets and Ibis still present among with the Golden Plover flock and a few more Wigeon and Pintail.
Border Force intercepting a migrant RIB c 2 miles offshore yesterday afternoon, containing 40+ people, including women and children all seemingly without life vests, a tragedy waiting to happen.

Friday, 15 October 2021

15/10/2021

Sea watching the last couple of days has been poor with very little movement off shore. 100+ Gannet feeding, with smaller numbers of Kittiwakes, Mediterranean Gulls and Sandwich Terns, a few Red-throated Divers, 40+ Razorbills and a handful of Guillemots.  
Very little on the land apart from Chiffchaffs, early mornings have produced a few flyover Brambling, Siskins, Tree Sparrows and Reed buntings , also several Jays which are scarce on the peninsular.
On the reserve the great Egrets and still at least 4 Cattle Egrets along with the 2 Glossy Ibis. ^00+ Golden Plover have been roosting on the islands on Burrowes along with c40 Common Snipe, 4 Dunlin, 6 Grey Plover and a Black-tailed Godwit. At least 1 Black-necked grebe and a Goldeneye there.
Record of yesterdays Slavonian Grebe found by DW on the ARC, the first record for Dungeness this year
Adult Yellow-legged Gull by the entrance track to the VC
Greater White-fronted Goose at Scotney today
A party of Red-throated Divers at the fishing boats this afternoon
The Glossy Ibis showing well today




 

Wednesday, 13 October 2021

13/10/2021

AJG & RW sea watch this morning and kindly sent me there sightings:
07.00-09.00 from the fishing boats
Brent Goose: 91W    22E
Wigeon: 30W     40E
Common Scoter: 7W      8E
Red-throated diver: 4 around
Great-crested Grebe: 4 around
Gannet: 58W     c75 feeding offshore
Cormorant: 13E
Merlin: 2 around
Oystercatcher: 4E
Kittiwake: 18W
Sandwich Tern: 3E
Great Skua: 1W
Guillemot: 5 around
Razorbill: 1W      4 around
Swallow: 3 out
Pied Wagtail: 7 on beach
Meadow Pipit: 17 over
Goldfinch: 33 over
Starling: 200 in
Grey Seal: 2 around
I walked around the bushes which were fairly quiet though at least 50 Chiffchaffs and a few Blackcaps were seen or heard, 40+ each of Brambling and Siskin flew NW, sadly Thrushes were or less absent just a handful each of Redwing, Blackbird and Song Thrush. The star was the Bittern that OL spotted sunning itself in the Sallows.
Bittern sunning itself high in the Sallows at the Long Pits this morning

Blackcap in the trapping area
Long-tailed Tit in the trapping area
13.00-15.45 from the fishing boats:
With AJG, RW, OL
Brent Goose: 64W      14E
Wigeon: 2W
Teal: 7W
Red-throated Diver:  4E    2W         4 on
Great-crested Grebe: 5 on
Sooty Shearwater: 1E
Gannet: 48W      c50 feeding o/s
Cormorant: 9 on
Kittiwake: c150 around
Mediterranean Gull: 66W
Sandwich Tern: 6 around
Guillemot: 11 on
Razorbill: 56 on
Auk sp: 16W  2E
Yellow Wagtail: 1 over 
Rock Pipit: 2 over
Grey Seal; 1
Harbour porpoise: 4+
Late afternoon at the reserve still at least 4 Cattle Egrets around, 500+ Golden Plover, 3 Dunlin and a Goldeneye of note.
Glossy Ibis's at the ARC yesterday

 

Monday, 11 October 2021

11/10/2021

AJG kindly sent me the highlights of his sea watch this morning:
07.00-08.00
Brent Goose: 13W
Red-throated Diver: 1E
Gannet: 33W
Peregrine:  1 in off the sea
Arctic Skua: 1 around
Birding on the land was just as poor, during a walk around the bushes small numbers of  Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps were seen or heard, a few Siskin and Reed Buntings over, 5 Swallow through, just a single Song Thrush flushed, the highlight being a flock of 17 Stock Doves NW. Late morning when I was at a very quiet Galloways I saw 3 Large flocks of Starlings numbering several 1,000s high up in the distance over The point coming in off the sea.
The reserve held the usual Egrets and 2 Ibis. On Burrowes 44 Common Snipe, 8 Grey Plover, 8 Dunlin and c200 Golden Plover were the highlights.
Around the hay fields late afternoon several Bearded Tits in the ditches, Hayfield 1, 2 and 3 look good for waders but alas I saw none.
Scotney sward held c400 Golden Plover but they wouldn't settle for a good look through, also 9 Curlew there.

Linnets at West Beach this morning
One of at least eight Cattle Egret present today 
The 2 Glossy Ibis this morning
2 Black Redstarts among the barbed wire at the Lydd Watchtowers today
The ARC car park scavenger eating bread this afternoon
A gorgeous Clouded Yellow at the ARC this afternoon
A Bloxworth Snout in my trap yesterday morning
 

Saturday, 9 October 2021

09/10/2021

This mornings sea watch by RW, SO, CT and AJG who kindly sent me the log:
07.00-09.00 from the fishing boats:
Brent Goose: 88W
Wigeon: 9W
Shovellor:1W
Common Scoter: 34W
Red-throated Diver: 6 around
Great-crested Grebe: 5 around
Gannet: Present n/c
Cormorant: present n/c
Common Snipe: 2E
Kittiwake: 8E
Black-headed Gull: Present n/c
Mediterranean Gull: 2 around
Common Gull: Present n/c
Great Black-backed Gull: Present n/c
Herring Gull: Present n/c
Lesser Black-backed Gull: Present n/c
Sandwich Tern: 8 around
Arctic Skua: 7 around
Auk sp: 16W
Swallow: 26 out
Meadow Pipit: 43 in off
Carrion Crow: 17E
Jackdaw: 11 around
Starling: 275 in off
Goldfinch: 60W
Brambling: 1 heard
I went for a wander around The Desert which for the time of year and weather was very disappointing Avian wise, though not really unexpected in this dire autumn.
Wheatear in The Desert was the highlight
Few grounded migrants today I was reduced to photographing a Robin in The Desert
Chiffchaff in The Desert
Red-throated Diver
I joined RW who kindly kept the log at the fishing boats this afternoon 14.00-15.00
Brent Goose: 2E
Wigeon: 6W
Common Scoter: 7W    17E
Red-throated Diver: 2 around
Gannet: c50 feeding off shore
Kittiwake: 1E
Sandwich Tern: 20W    38E
Arctic Skua: 1 around
Razorbill: 5W
Auk sp: 32W
Grey Seal: 1
Harbour Porpoise: 2
Pectoral Sandpiper
After the sea watch we moved to Dennis's Hide on the reserve, while I was looking at Gulls legs Richard spotted a wader that turned out to be a Pectoral Sandpiper, whether it is the same bird that was present on the 06/10/2021 or a new bird I guess we will never know, it could have been hiding on the islands in front of Makepiece which are now near on impossible to view as the the is shut. 
Also from Dennis's the usual Golden Plovers and Lapwings, 5 Dunlin, a Ruff, 6 Grey Plover, an Avocet
and a Black-necked Grebe, also 2 Norwegian colour ringed Great Black-backed Gulls, both rings were read and details logged on the Norwegian web site.

Barry Bansons Radfords Flame Shoulder
 

Thursday, 7 October 2021

07/10/2021


Brent Geese passing west today
 07.00-10.00 with AJG & CT,

Brent Goose: 290W        42E
Shelduck: 10W
Wigeon: 22W
Common Scoter: 104W     17E
Red-throated Diver: 1W
Great-crested Grebe: 4 around
Grey Heron: 9 in  7 + 2 in off 
Gannet: 142W
Cormorant: Present n/c
Sparrowhawk: 2 around
Turnstone: 1 around
Kittiwake: 38W
Black-headed Gull: Present n/c
Mediterranean Gull:15W
Common Gull: Present n/c
Great Black-backed Gull: Present n/c
Herring Gull: Present n/c
Lesser Black-backed Gull: Present n/c
Sandwich Tern: 18W      4E
Great Skua: 1W
Arctic Skua: 9W  
Razorbill: 4W
Auk sp: 41W. 17
Kestrel: 1 in off
Swallow: 135 out
Pied Wagtail: 2  around     
Harbour Porpoise: 8
Grey Seal: 4
Common Seal: 1
Turnstone on the beach
Some of the many House Martins and Swallows that were around this morning
Chiffchaff in The Desert
Apart from a few Chiffchaffs and even fewer Blackcaps the bushes were very quiet, lots of House Martins and Swallows around this morning with the latter trickling through all day. A Goldeneye on the ARC was new in.

This afternoons sea watch was predictably quiet.
14.30-16.00 with AJG & CT
Brent Goose: 30W.  1 on
Common Scoter: 26E
Red-throated Diver: 2 on
Gannet: 159W
Sanderling: 2E
Kittiwake: 37W
Mediterranean Gull: 14W
Sandwich Tern: 61W
Arctic Skua: 2 around
Auk sp: 17W    8E

No sign of yesterdays Pectoral Sandpiper from Dennis's, though CT and myself did see a Stint or Peep on the islands in front of Makepiece viewed from Dennis's late afternoon, but we had to leave it as the reserve gates are locked at 17.00.😢
The Egret roost tonight held both the Glossy Ibis's, 10 Cattle Egrets but only 6 Great Egrets and even stranger only 2 Little Egrets.
2 Glossy Ibis coming into roost this evening
8 of the 10 Cattle Egrets that came into roost this evening

Wednesday, 6 October 2021

06/10/2021

With a strong cold North Westerly blowing across the peninsula I opted for a walk around the point rather than a cold sea watch, however AJG did watch and kindly sent me his sightings:
07.45-09.15
Sooty Shearwater: 1W
Gannet: 26W
Cormorant: present n/c
Black-headed Gull: Present n/c
Common Gull: Present n/c
Great Black-backed Gull: Present n/c
Herring Gull: Present n/c
Sandwich Tern: 4W
Arctic Skua 11 down
Auk sp: 2W
Hobby: 1 around
Swallow: 59W
Hose Martin: 3W
Linnet: 70W
Yellow Wagtail: 1W
Pied Wagtail:  7W
My walk around the point added Merlin, Kestrel and Sparrowhawk, 2 Wheatears, 11 Chiffchaffs, 6 Skylark, a few more Swallows, Meadow Pipits Linnets and Goldfinches.
At Boulderwall still all 3 Egret sp and the Glossy Ibis on Cooks Pool.
Lydd Fields held 100s of Gulls in the flood pools, along with the usual Reed Buntings, Wagtails and Pipits. 
Rather distant Pectoral Sandpiper out on the islands opposite Dennis's hide
I'd just finished lunch and was doing some domestic chores when CT called me to say he and LW had a Pectoral Sandpiper on the islands in front of Dennis's Hide, a few minutes later I was in the hide with them watching the bird, many thanks to both for the call. Also Burrowes of note c100 Golden Plover, 3 Ruff, 2 Curlew, 4 Dunlin, 4 Grey Plover, and a Black-necked Grebe.




Lapwing and Golden Plover
Curlew over Burrowes
Merlin in pursuit of a Linnet
A late afternoon walk down Galloways saw a Merlin and a Linnet giving a fantastic aerial display and the Linnet survived this time. Apart from Wrens, Robins, Dunnocks and Stonechats little else was seen.
After a minute of high speed twisting and turning the Merlin breaks off panting and hungry

Tuesday, 5 October 2021

05/10/2021

07.05-10.05 with CP, AJG, BW, GH, Dw
Wigeon: 2W
Common Scoter: 3W     4E
Red-throated Diver: 1W
Manx Shearwater: 1W
Balearic Shearwater: 1W
Great-crested Grebe: 3W   4 around
Gannet: 491W
Cormorant: 138W
Sparrowhawk: 2 around
Turnstone: 8 around
Kittiwake: 1W
Black-headed Gull: Present n/c
Mediterranean Gull: 4W
Common Gull: Present n/c
Great Black-backed Gull: Present n/c
Herring Gull: Present n/c
Lesser black-backed Gull: Present n/c
Sandwich Tern: 446W
Common Tern: 48W
Great Skua: 4W
Arctic Skua: 46W  Tony recorded 59W
Guillemot: 1W
Razorbill: 24W
Auk sp: 62W
Kestrel: 1 around
Merlin: 1 around
Hobby: 1 around
Sand Martin: 2 out 
House Martin: 2 out
Swallow: 27 out
Pied Wagtail: 2W     
Meadow Pipit:14W
Goldfinch: 4
Grey Seal: 1
The flooded fields around the peninsular were covered in 1,000s of Gulls which were constantly being disturbed by raptors, Sparrowhawks and Peregrines mainly, while the Linnet and Pipit flocks were being hunted by Kestrel and Merlin. Great, Little and Cattle Egrets could all be seen at Boulderwall and Dengemarsh where at least six Yellow Wagtails were lingering.
On the ARC the Glossy ibis was feeding on its favourite island along with a Garganey, a Black-necked Grebe was out on the lake.  
                                          Yellow Wagtail at the Dengemarsh dung heap   

One of several Yellow Wagtails at Dengemarsh Flood 
Unobliging Kingfisher opposite Springfield Bridge
The ARC car park scavenger
Garganey and Shoveler on the ARC