23/10/2024

 

100+ Swallows around The Desert this morning

No sea watch this morning due to the very light wind. Instead I joined Richard in a wander around The Desert which in truth pleasant enough but not particularly rewarding, 3 flocks of Wood Pigeons over totalling c100 birds, 40+ Stock Doves, several Siskins over all unseen as were the 2 Brambling, a single Golden Plover also over. In the bushes just a handful each of Song Thrush and Blackbirds with a Chiffchaffs seen and more heard and a Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Cetti's Warbler by the track to Hanson

A visit to the ARC saw little of note though there seemed to be numerous Cetti's Warblers calling all around. The Islands have all but gone and once again 2 Glossy Ibis came in and landed somewhere behind the spit out of sight. Another Great spotted Woodpecker was in the Willow Trail.

Migrant Hawker by the track to Hanson

One of the Little Owls was still showing well late morning on my cycle ride

Another quick cycle out to Scotney found 6 Curlew on the Sward very little else of note, out the back several 100s of Golden Plover and 126 Egyptian Geese  among the greylags and Canadas, but again no sign of any winter Geese.

A 1w Caspian Gull on one of the new islands from Denge Marsh hide

The new islands seem to be attracting the roosting Gulls, also several 100 of Lapwing and a single Black-tailed Godwit.

It's a hard life for a Caspian Gull

22/10/2024

A timely call from Tom telling us he had trapped another Yellow-browed Warbler, save myself and Richard from enduring a very poor sea watch any longer.

35 minutes was more than enough of this tedious watch:

 08.00-08.35 from the Hide with RW 
Wigeon: 1W
Oystercatcher: 11E
Common Tern: 1W
Arctic Tern: 1W
Sandwich Tern: 4W
Black-headed Gull: present n/c
Mediterranean Gull: 2W        
Common Gull: present n/c
Herring Gull: present n/c
Great Black-backed Gull: present n/c
Lesser Black-backed Gull: present n/c 
Arctic Skua: 1W
Razorbill: 12W    
Auk: 20W    3E
Gannet: 32W.   14E
Cormorant: present n/c
Swallow: 6W 
Starling: 265W

After viewing the Yellow-browed Warbler we wandered out towards The Desert, several Swallows and House Martins flew over along with a couple of Brambling and some Siskins, we only got as far as the High Gorese when Owen called saying he'd found a pair of Bearded Tits in the Gorse and Bramble by the Polish Memorial. They seemed quite happy sunning themselves giving us superb extended views, eventually they flew off North.

Female Bearded Tit

Bearded Tits

Male Bearded Tit

Little Owl sunning itself

As the weather was so nice I went out on the marsh on my Bicycle this afternoon where I encountered 3 Little Owls, 5 Marsh Harriers and 2 Common Buzzards of note, sadly no winter Thrushes yet nor wildfowl. At Scotney a Ruff and 4 Redshank were on the Sward but only a handful of Golden Plover  and no wild Geese. Later I cycled down to Denge Marsh hide where the new islands were attracting roosting Gulls (The islands on Burrowes and the ARC have nearly all submerged) among the Gulls were a Brute of a 2w Caspian Gull and a 2w Yellow-legged Gull, also several Common Snipe on the islands. Passing Boulderwall there were 7 Cattle Egrets and 2 Glossy Ibis with the cattle, it seems likely that there are now 3 Glossy ibis present on the reserve.

"You can't see me"

Another Little Owl

The resident pair of Little Owls

Yet another Little Owl out enjoying the sun

2w Caspian Gull on the new islands at Denge Marsh

2w Yellow-legged Gull on the new islands at Denge Marsh

20/10/2024

It was a little uncomfortable at the fishing boats this morning which gave scant shelter in a blustery SSW wind blowing force 6+. When the Leach's Petrel flew by fairly close to the shore the dis comfort was soon forgotten until around 10.15 when the rain started and visibility closed right in.

Leach's Petrel

07.45-10.15 from the Boats with RW, SO et al

Common Scoter: 12E

Great-crested Grebe: 1W     1 present

Oystercatcher: 36E

Common Tern: 1W

Sandwich Tern: 32W

Black-headed Gull: 16W

Mediterranean Gull: 1W       

Common Gull: 15W

Herring Gull: present n/c

Great Black-backed Gull: 4W

Lesser Black-backed Gull: present n/c 

Great Skua: 1E juvenile 

Arctic Skua: 1W   

Razorbill: 48W    

Auk: 16W

Red-throated Diver: 1  present

Leach’s Petrel: 1W

Sooty Shearwater: 1W

Balearic Shearwater: 1W 

Gannet: 559W

Cormorant: present n/c

Merlin: 1 in off

Swallow: 38 out  

Meadow Pipit: 16 in off

Starling: 20 in off

Linnet: 85W

Goldfinch: 224W

Harbour Porpoise: 2

Grey Seal: 2

Leach's Petrel

Leach's Petrel

One of 500+ Gannets that flew West this morning

The only Arctic Skua seen this morning

The only Mediterranean Gull seen this morning

19/10/2024

After disappointing and damp sea watch from the sea watch hide this morning, I just managed to finish a cup of coffee before I received the White-tailed Eagle message.

Apart from the Eagle it was very quiet day around the peninsular, a Glossy Ibis was on Cooks Pool, while on Burrowes 4th calendar year Caspian Gull with 3rd calendar year Yellow-legged Gull and a Black-necked Grebe.

G542 a 4th calendar year female White-tailed Eagle (Thanks to Tim Mackrill and the Roy Dennis Foundation for the details) made its 3rd appearance on the Dungeness peninsular this morning at Scotney GPs. Many thanks to Stephen Message for putting the sighting out quickly enabling me to be on site just a couple of minutes later.

Its huge size against an accompanying Rook

 

A showy Black-necked Grebe from Dennis's Hide this afternoon

Radford's Flame Shoulder was the outstanding pick of a very meagre haul in my trap this morning

18/10/2024

Due to the lack of wind this morning I gave the Sea Watch a miss. A wander around the the area this morning found very little, most birds seemed to have cleared out with the clear weather, a few each of Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Thrushes were seen along with a some small flocks of Stock Doves, but the morning was rescued by a Yellow-browed Warbler trapped in The Moat, also the contents of Dave Bunnies moth trap.

A super Yellow Browed Warbler at the DBO this morning

A very smart Speckled Crimson and Diasemiopsis ramburalis (Migrant Sable) also at the DBO this morning courtesy of Dave Bunney.

Ring Ouzels at Brett's Marina and Galloways found on my afternoon cycle ride

One of several Ruff on the eastern causeway at Scotney

A distant Little Owl at Scotney

A frustratingly brief view of a Ring tailed Harrier at Scotney this afternoon

17/10/2024

Little Gull at the fishing boats this morning

07.15-08.30 from the Boats with RW.

Brent Goose: 3W

Wigeon: 3W

Common Scoter: 2W    5E

Great-crested Grebe:    4 present

Common Tern: 1W

Sandwich Tern: 19W

Little Gull: 1W

Kittiwake: 4W

Black-headed Gull: Present n/c     

Common Gull: Present n/c

Herring Gull: present n/c

Great Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Lesser Black-backed Gull: present n/c  

Arctic Skua: 2W  

Razorbill: 9W

Guillemot: 1W      

Auk: 52W

Red-throated Diver: 1W

Gannet: 225W 

Cormorant: 209W

Merlin: 1W  juv/fem

Harbour Porpoise: 2

Grey Seal: 1

We cut our sea watch short today thinking that the land would be more productive, we were wrong, a handful of Thrushes around the The Desert and TA, along with a few Siskin, Swallow and Skylarks over were about as good as it got until 4 Ring Ouzels put in a brief appearance. From Dennis's a smart 1w Caspian Gull on Burrowes and a few Cattle Egrets on Boulderwall Fields, late afternoon Mike Buckland found a Yellow-browed Warbler at Christmas Dell.

Very poor image of one of 4 Ring Ouzels that flew around the observatory today

A female Gem from the trap this morning

A male Gem from the trap this morning

My first Sallow of the year

16/10/2024

A Juvenile Great Skua passing the fishing boats, now very much a notable bird since the Bird Flu!

Great To see Polish Ringed Black-headed Gull TJVV back for its 5th winter at Dungeness

07.40-09.0 & 13.00-14.30 with RW, OL TW, JY, DW

Brent Goose: 103W     6E

Shoveler: 3W

Common Scoter: 6W    8E

Great-crested Grebe: 1E     3 present

Marsh Harrier: 1 in off the sea

Common Tern: 9 E/ present

Sandwich Tern: 46W

Little Gull: 2E

Kittiwake: 5W       2 present

Black-headed Gull: present n/c

Mediterranean Gull: 101W      12E       

Common Gull: present n/c

Herring Gull: present n/c

Great Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Lesser Black-backed Gull: present n/c  

Great Skua: 1W

Arctic Skua: 5W          3E 

Auk: 42W     16E

Red-throated Diver: 1E    

Gannet: 211W   33E

Swallow: 82 out to sea

Harbour Porpoise: 4

Grey Seal: 1

Common Scoter passing the fishing boats this afternoon

Glossy Ibis on Boulderwall Fields by Cooks Pool

A visit to Hanson saw plenty of common wildfowl but nothing notable the fast diminishing islands, though a Black-necked grebe was seen there late afternoon. As I type a thunder storm is crashing around outside with torrential rain, so I think this is the end of ARC islands, Burrowes islands won't be far behind them.

On Burrowes this afternoon 3 Yellow-legged Gulls and 2+ Caspian Gulls of note but no sign of the Black Tern. There are still double figure numbers of Common Snipe at Christmas Dell but the hay fields are avian free despite plenty of water. A few Bearded Tits are being seen daily from the ramp at Denge Marsh.

One of 7 Gems in the trap this morning