022/05/2024

Juvenile Long-tailed Tit in the trapping area

A wander around The Desert and TA this morning saw very little of note, 40+ Swallows, 2 Grey Herons going out and a Hobby which presumably had just come in off the sea were the only birds noted.

Common Lizard at the ARC

Again very little noted here this afternoon, an increase in Hirundines along with c50 Swifts. Without islands the ARC is not attractive to birders, another month of dry weather and hopefully there will be some islands and with them some birds, the same can be said for Burrowes.

Yesterday Dave and Sheila Bunney kindly allowed me into there garden to see a Marsh Warbler, unfortunately the Warbler had other ideas and only allowed a few glimpses in several hours, although it was singing quite frequently. 

Spoonbill on Burrowes yesterday

 

20/05/2024

A gorgeous Woodchat Shrike that graced the return trail on 19/05/2024, the first I have seen at Dungeness since one near the fish shack on 12th May 2017.

The continuing very high water levels and no islands for Terns, Waders and Gulls to nest and rest on, has meant the reserve has been very quiet avian wise, what I find more more concerning is the general lack of Hirundines and the small numbers of Reed and Sedge Warblers, where once there was a cacophony of sound emanating from the reed beds, they now appear to me to be quite quiet, I have no idea why as the habitat is still there with little change to it, I'd like to think that the birds are just late in returning but I don'r really believe that. 

The distance and heat haze made photography challenging

Devouring a Bee

It also pounced on a Lizard that it appeared to half impale and half consume

Esperia sulphurella although seemingly a common species this is the first I have found in my trap, though I have probably overlooked this minuscule micro moth in the past. 
 

15-16/05/2024

15/05/2024 06.45-09.00 with RW, CP, OL

Brent Goose: 2E
Common Scoter: 126E
Great-crested Grebe: 4 present 
Oystercatcher: 19E      3W
Kittiwake: 58E   1W
Black-headed Gull: 20E
Mediterranean Gull: 7E 
Great Black-backed Gull: Present N/C
Herring Gull: present n/c
Sandwich Tern: 20E
Common Tern: 37E 
Arctic Skua: 6E 
Guillemot: 3E  
Red-throated Diver: 2E     1W
Fulmar: 1W
Gannet: 30E  
Cormorant: 2E        6 present
Harbour Porpoise: 4 
Grey Seal: 1

A reasonable sea watch this morning was brought to an abrupt end by a message from Tom Wright that the Melodious Warbler was still present and showing well.

Melodious Warbler

What should have been a nice series of images of the bird taking a Cinnabar Moth, was marred by the failure to get a focus lock.

This lovely "Rubicola" Stonechat is also resident in The Moat

One of the 1,000s of Marsh frogs around the Marsh

Nic elf the RSPB to provide this Common Gull a nesting platform among the dummy Terns at Christmas Dell. While I was there the highlight of the day a Pair of Garganey flew over and dropped into Hayfield 3.

14/05/2024

The undoubted star of yesterday was this gorgeous Bee-eater

An unsurprisingly slow late sea watch, due to the appearance of a very elusive Melodious Warbler in The Moat, I probably had no more that half a dozen fleeting views of it in 2 hrs. A walk out into the trapping area proved fruitless. 

A Fox scavenging in front the sea watch hide

11.20-13.20 from the hide.

Common Scoter: 107E

Great-crested Grebe: 2 present 

Oystercatcher: 1E

Black-headed Gull: 2E

Mediterranean Gull: 2E

Common Gull: 1E 

Great Black-backed Gull: Present N/C

Herring Gull: present n/c

Sandwich Tern: 44E

Common Tern: 41E 

Arctic Skua: 1E   

Red-throated Diver: 2E

Black-throated Diver: 2E

Gannet: 9E  6W

Cormorant: present N/C

Harbour Porpoise: 3 

Grey Seal: 1

2 Spoonbills on Burrowes viewed from Makepiece late afternoon

2 Grey Plovers on the hay fields

A Great White Egret and several Little Egrets were on the hay fields along with 12 Redshank showing signs of displaying

A Pristine Painted Lady on the Denge Marsh track

Great Tit utilising a hole in Hanson Hide

Brown Argus at the ARC

A General Red-eyed Damselfly at the ARC

11/05/2024

Pomarine Skua

06.45-10.00 & 12.05-16.00 with OL, RW, DW, JD et al 

Velvet Scoter: 1E

Common Scoter: 74E         17 present

Great-crested Grebe: 6 present 

Oystercatcher: 8E

Grey Plover: 25E   

Curlew: 1E

Whimbrel: 133E   1W

Bar-tailed Godwit: 8E

Sanderling: 20E

Kittiwake: 18E   

Black-headed Gull: 40E 

Mediterranean Gull: 2E 

Great Black-backed Gull: Present N/C

Herring Gull: present n/c

Sandwich Tern: 35E   

Common Tern: 24E

Pomarine Skua: 9E

Arctic Skua: 6E  

Guillemot: 1E 

Gannet: 34E   3W

Cormorant: present n/c 

Swallow: 24 in off

Harbour Porpoise: 4+ 

Grey Seal: 1

Pomarine Skua: 2E @ 16.50 per GP. which I missed😢

Pair of Pomarine Skuas

7 Pomarine Skuas in the glare and gloom

2 Arctic Skuas

Whimbrel passing the Bouy

 There was no news from the reserve today.

10/05/2024

Some of the Turtle Doves I saw this morning

 

Turtle Dove Purring, full volume probably necessary

I did not visit the reserve today but PT did and it would appear that nothing new has arrived, though not surprising as anything that used to settle on Burrowes and the ARC have no where to alight unless they are ducks, a flock of 18 Redshanks dropped in the other day and were swimming for a few minutes before clearing off to find more favourable habitat elsewhere.

Yellowhammer siding its heart out this morning, sadly now few and far between on Walland Marsh

Yellow Wagtail

My usual view of Barn Owls on Walland Marsh

Tree Sparrows on Walland yesterday seem to be using the next boxes we put up for them

One legged Yellow Wagtail at the back of Scotney, seems to be good numbers out there this year