Mid Summer

At The Point this morning due to the fisherman, the Tern roost was pushed right along the beach to switching station. After plodding out there to check the roost I could not find any Roseate Terns, the best was a 1st summer Little Gull. I spent an hour by the roost watching the coming and goings of the Terns but still no Roseates. Another hour from the sea watch hide was unproductive with a few Gannets and Common Terns tooing and froing, 6 Common Scoter W and 2 Kittiwakes W.
At the ARC Pit Pochard numbers are building up, 50+Swifts hawking, 3+ Hobby's and tame Fox Cub behind the Screen hide were the only things of note.  

Another Botanical Lesson

A brilliant day with GH and DW having a botanical lesson.

Late Spider Orchid

Late Spider Orchid

Man Orchid

Man Orchid

Lesser Butterfly Orchid

Lesser Butterfly Orchid

Fragrant Orchid with Late Spider Orchid

Heath Spotted Orchid

Heath Spotted Orchid

Another Rosy Day

 Arriving at The Point car park this morning I met Matt who had already been to The Patch and told me that there was a Roseate Tern there. Arriving at The Patch I quickly located it on the beach with c40 Common Terns and c10 Sandwich Terns and a few Gulls. I crawled to the edge of the sea wall so as not to flush everything and started photographing it. After about half an hour a second bird flew in to give more photographic opportunities. Later I made my way to the fishing boats and spent an hour sea watching. Little of note seen but 12 Swallows flew south. Then went back to The Patch where 1 Roseate was still on the beach as was a 1st Summer Little Gull also 2 Manx Shearwaters flew east and 7 Common Scoter. The Tern flew out to sea and was lost but later while watching from the sea watch hide I relocated the 2 Roseates feeding around the buoy

1st summer Little Gull with my first juv Black Headed gull at The Patch this year

Little of note

Remains of the hide at The Patch after winter storms

At The Patch this morning still 2 Roseate Terns, c50 Common Terns, c15 Sandwich Terns, 2 Portlandica type Terns, a Black Tern through, 16 Common Scoter E, 7 Fulmars E and c 40 Gannets tooing and froing. A plod along the shingle to Dengemarsh Gully found 1 pair of Ringed Plovers with at least 1 young, a family of Wheatears, c20 Linnets the Peregrines being very vocal  and little else of note.

Rosy Patch

I started this morning at Botolphs Bridge Road, West Hythe finding BM and GC already on site hoping that the recent Marsh Warbler would still be singing, but no sign today.
Next stop a plod down to the The Patch. Scanning the terns on the beach a Roseate Tern stood out and a few metres further on another among c80Common Terns, c10 Sandwich Terns and a couple of Portlandica type, both Roseates were still present at 16.00hrs.Off shore a Black Tern dipping and a Little Tern. Photography was virtually impossible with the heat haze from the beach.

Roseate, Common and Portlandica Terns

2 Roseate Terns and Common Terns

 At the south end of the ARC 3 Ringed Plovers, 1 Little Ringed Plover and 1 Redshank. Numbers of duck have stated to increase with10 Shoveller, 15 Gadwall, 8 Pochard, 7 Tufted Duck. The Oystercatcher nest looks like it has been predated and no sign of any birds. In the ARC car park a Tree Sparrow posed on the information board and on the track to Hanson Hide Reed, Sedge and Cetti's Warblers, Little Grebe on one of the small pools, Cuckoo and Hobby over.

Yesterdays Orchids

Today was a wash out!

Lizard Orchid

Bee orchid

Cute Killer

Arriving at The Point this morning in heavy rain which quickly eased, allowing me to reach the sea watch hide without getting to wet. From there a few Gannets and a couple of Kittiwakes tooing and froing. At The Patch 40+ Common Terns, 10+ Sandwich Terns and a 1st summer Mediterranean Gull among the resident gulls.

At the south end of the ARC Pit, 40+ Swifts, 3 Ringed Plovers, 2 Little Ringed Plovers and the Oystercatcher still sitting tight.

As the weather improved I moved on to try and get some pictures of some Lizard Orchids and Bee Orchids which was successful, but when I tried to down load them the computer say NO! 

At Scotney hundreds of Herring Gulls and Greylag Geese, the only birds of note were 3 Wigeon.

Next stop Dengemarsh. An hour on Springfield Bridge with 16+ Hobby's with some giving spectacular aerobatic displays, the others loafing on the anti-predator fence, up to 5 Marsh Harriers, 2 Curlews(returning birds?), a Bittern booming and plenty of Common Terns. No sign of the Purple Heron today although in truth I did not really look for it, as I spent most my time admiring the Hobby's.    

 Plodding round the anti predator fence Reed, Sedge and Cetti's Warblers singing as were a couple of Reed Buntings and Bearded Tits heard in the ditch but not seen.

 As I came out of Dengemarsh hide a Stoat dashed across the path into some brambles. I decided to wait a while in case it came back out, ten minutes later my patience was rewarded when it reappeared darting hither and thither playing and looking so innocent, always alert, inspecting holes, insects and sniffing sheep droppings. For what seemed an age this cutest of killers took no notice of me or the camera shutter then disappeared into the undergrowth. 

Damsels



Red Eyed Damselfly

Little of note around The Point today. At The Patch a few Common Terns amongst the resident gulls and a single 1st summer Mediterranean Gull. In the power station compound the family of Black Redstarts and a Wheatear.
At the south end of the ARC Pit 2 Little Ringed Plovers, the Oystercatcher amazingly still sitting tight and a Hobby.
The north end of the trapping area seemed devoid of avian life, but a few Dragons and Damsels kept me busy with the camera for a while though most the images were rubbish in the poor light.
A plod along the RM Canal Ruckinge to Bilsington for yesterdays 2 Whooper Swans (BB) drew a blank. Plenty of young Starlings in the fields, a family of Great Spotted woodpeckers, another of Green Woodpeckers, 4 Yellowhammers, a singing Blackcap, 2 Common Whitethroats and 3 singing Reed Warblers were some compensation.

Wild Flower Education

With very little happening at Dungeness on the avian front, I willingly took up the offer from GH and DW to try and educate a Philistine like me, by introducing me to some of the wild flowers around the marsh and giving me a very enjoyable afternoon.

Rosy Garlic

Burnet Rose

Bee Orchid

Greater Butterfly Orchid

Greater Butterfly Orchid

Common Spotted Orchid



White Common Spotted Orchid

Marsh orchid

Pyramid Orchid

Wild Weather

The gale force winds today made birding on shore a non starter, so a sea watch from The Point in the comfort and shelter of the car was the order of the day.
08.15-16.00
Manx Shearwater: 10W
Fulmar: 18W
Gannet: 226W  56E
Common Scoter: 3W
Common Tern:  c300+W
Sandwich Tern: c70+W
Arctic Skua: 1E
Great Skua: 1E
Kittiwake: 12W
Auk sp: 10W
Swift: c300 out
Ring Plover: 1 by the car most the day
Harbour Porpoise: 2+ off shore