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

08/05/2024

There were good numbers of Whimbrel this morning but otherwise, this mornings sea watch had that end of season feel about it, though I'm sure there is more to come.

06.30-09.00 with RW, Ol et al

Mute Swan: 2W

Shoveler: 2E

Common Scoter: 19E     358W

Great-crested Grebe: 4 present 

Oystercatcher: 9E   18W

Ringed Plover: 1 in off

Grey Plover: 3E

Whimbrel: 192E

Sanderling: 8E

Kittiwake: 17E

Black-headed Gull: 19E

Great Black-backed Gull: Present N/C

Herring Gull: present n/c

Sandwich Tern: 10E

Common Tern: 6E    2W

Guillemot: 1 present

Gannet:  58E   33W

Cormorant: present n/c 

Collared Dove: 1 flew out to sea then came back

Swallow: 21 in off

Harbour Porpoise: 5

Grey Seal: 2

The gorgeous Melodious Warbler trapped by assistant warden Tom Wright in The Moat yesterday

Juvenile Stonechat at West Beach with dad nearby

The reserve is still very disappointing with no islands to attract passing waders or nesting Terns. The rafts have of course been taken over by Herring Gulls. With the water levels high in the hay fields there is very little evidence of much breeding Redshank and Lapwing at the moment. There are rumours of a new predator fence being put in around the Boulderwall Fields to try to encourage reeding Lapwings, but I fear it will be as useful as the existing predator fences around the hay fields, also very expensive. 

One of the many Lesser Whitethroats around the peninsula 

Willow Warbler in The Moat

Black Redstart Lydd ranges

My local Nightingale that I can hear from my garden with a Cuckoo in the background. Volume up

Spotted Flycatcher top of the Long Pits

A 2nd year male Hen Harrier at Jurys Gap last night and was hunting The Midrips this afternoon

 

05/05/2024

The 1st Pomarine Skua of the day

Another reasonable day sea watching, but not as good as the weather promised. Once again there were very little new arrivals on the land, also again the hay fields that promise so much were very disappointing.

06.00-12.00 & 15.45-18.00 with SO, M Cartwright, P Cartwright et al. Wind SE 2-3 Temp 4° at 06.00

Tufted Duck: 1E

Common Scoter: 57E   

Great-crested Grebe: 1E 1W  4 present 

Oystercatcher: 21E      5W

Grey Plover: 3E

Curlew: 1E

Whimbrel: 30E

Bar-tailed Godwit: 95E

Knot: 58E

Sanderling: 7E

Kittiwake: 28E   

Black-headed Gull: 18E   6W

Great Black-backed Gull: Present N/C

Herring Gull: present n/c

Sandwich Tern: 119E     14W

Little Tern: 6E

Common Tern: 620E  14W

Arctic Tern:  98E

Pomarine Skua: 9E 

Arctic Skua: 7E

Guillemot: 6E   3W   1 present

Auk Sp: 9E    4W

Red-throated Diver: 1E   1W       3 present

Fulmar: 8E    

Gannet: 179E   64W

Cormorant: present n/c 

Swallow: 4E

Harbour Porpoise: 6+ 

Grey Seal: 1 

The ring on Mute Swan at Dengemarsh, I will give the details of the bird once I have received a reply.

 

02/05/2024

Hairy Dragonfly at Denge Marsh

 It has to be said that so far May has been totally underwhelming avian wise, even with good conditions yesterday the sea watch was meagre, todays foggy conditions meant very little was seen. Around Denge Marsh a few Bearded Tits, Hobbys, Cuckoo and the usual warblers, but waders and Hirundines are very few and far between, even the hay fields that look in good condition for waders are not attracting much, as far as I know the new birds are a party of Cattle Egrets at Boulderwall and a Ring Ouzel in the power station.