Redpolls and Grey Ghost!

Scotney first thing this morning, the light was superb and the air was crystal clear. A young Merlin spooked the Lapwings on the spit and another adult male was chasing a Meadow Pipit over the ranges. A ring tail Hen Harrier hunted the north bank of the lake and 2 Marsh Harriers were by the wind turbines. On the lake numbers of wildfowl appear to be increasing and on the grass field the usual feral Barnacle Geese and c200 Golden Plover.

                                                    Male Common Redpoll

At the observatory Lesser and Common Redpolls were being trapped as well as some showing characteristics of both also a couple of Chiffchaffs.

                                         Probably a female Common Redpoll
A walk along the beach failed to find any Purple Sandpipers and little of note on the sea.

While at Scotney early afternoon the Long-tailed Duck flew in, flushed from the far bank by workmen.

On Walland the first 14 Bewick Swans of the winter flew over Coldharbour Lane to the fields SE of Wheelgate Farm.

                                                Grey Ghost coming to roost!

On Walland Marsh late afternoon 6 Marsh Harriers and a superb male Hen Harrier came to roost, a Water Rail was squealing, Bearded Tits were calling and Common Buzzard was seen. The sunset was amazing.

                                      A superb sunset over wind turbines on Walland.

Widewater

I spent the day in Shoreham, West Sussex today visiting mum. While there had a quick look at Widewater a site I used to visit several times a week for many years. The confiding Goosander was just that and the first I have ever seen on Widewater. Though I have seen them quite regularly in severe weather on the nearby River Adur and Shoreham Harbour. Even the Grey Herons and Little Egrets were confiding the 9+ Little Grebes not so. Staring out to sea there was no change from when I regularly used to  do it, nothing to be seen. On the rock groynes 2 Rock Pipits.

Cap Gris Nez

I visited Cap Gris Nez again today with AJG and SO. We spent most the time sea watching, with superb light there that as usual lets you see the birds in there true colours.  It was shame that most the birds weren't as close as they usually are, had it been anywhere on Although not the best sea watch we have had there,the English south coast it would have been very good.

Common Scoter in light that we on the South coast rarely see them.

 07.30 - 13.30:
Red-throated Diver: 37
Black-throated Diver: 19
Great Northern Diver: 1
Sooty Shearwater: 7
Balearic Shearwater: 1
Gannet: 1,815
Spoonbill: 4
Common Scoter: c300
Velvet Scoter: 1
Brent Goose: 5
Shelduck: 2
Pintail: c25
Wigeon: c50
Gadwall: 4
Merlin: 1
Curlew: 3
Bar-tailed Godwit: 1
Dunlin: c500
Great Skua: 35
Arctic Skua: 1
Sandwich Tern: 2
Little Gull: 18 (Many more very distant)
Mediterranean Gull: c40
Kittiwake: c750
Auks: 715
Grey Seal: 2
In the wood above Cap Gris Nez very little, but a Short-toed Treecreeper showed well and a Goldcrest and a Common Buzzard. In the surrounding fields small flocks of Fieldfare and good numbers of Skylarks.

A distant Black-throated Diver but easily identified because of the superb light at Cap Gris Nez.

  

A Crab Banquet for a Purple Sandpiper

07.30 and very murky at the fishing boats this morning, with very little passage. Highlights were:

Brent Goose: 330W

Common Scoter: 234W

Eider: 3W

Great Skua: 2W

Little Gull: 13W

Sandwich Tern: 2W

As the rain got heavier passage came to a full stop.

At the ARC from Hanson the highlights were a Great White Egret, 2 Little Egrets, 2 Goldeneye and 2 Marsh Harriers. In the Willow Trail 2+ Water Rails squealing still no Goldcrests.(I have seen more Yellow-browed Warblers than Goldcrests so far this Autumn)

At Scotney the Long-tailed Duck could be seen from the double bends sheltering under the far bank, plenty of the usual feral geese still but little else.

This afternoon on my way back to the beach 2 Great White Egrets at the southern end of the ARC. It was very nice to see a Woodcock that had found its way into the Heligoland Trap being ringed at the observatory its cryptic plumage and huge eyes are superb.

Late afternoon back at the beach near the fishing boats a Purple Sandpiper was cleaning out some of the many crab claws that the storms washed up, its a shame the light was so bad, I was using 1000 iso most the time. While sitting on the beach waiting for the Sandpiper to come to me a Great Skua, an Arctic Skua and a Red Throated Diver flew west 

Black Brant!

                                  Black Brant the first Dungeness record.

From the fishing boats with AJG, DW, MH and PT. All west unless stated.
07.00-11.30  13.30- 15.45:
Red-throated Diver: 9
Great-crested Grebe: c50 o/s
Gannet: c200 o/s
Brent Goose:  1,855
Black Brant: 1  first Dungeness record
Shelduck: 2
Mallard: 2
Gadwall: 3
Pintail: 31
Shoveler: 15
Wigeon: 400
Teal: 22
Tufted Duck: 6
Eider: 2
Common Scoter: 360
Velvet Scoter: 4
Goldeneye: 4
Red-breasted Merganser: 53
Merlin: 1 on beach
Oystercatcher: 26E
Grey Plover: 1
Knot: 7
Sanderling: 7
Turnstone: 6+ on beach
Purple Sandpiper: 1
Dunlin: 591
Great Skua: 3E
Mediterranean Gull: 1
Kittiwake: c50
Guillemot: 7
Auk sp:  25
Swallow: 4 out
Skylark: 1 in
Starling: 655 in
Little Gulls have been an everyday occurrence off Dungeness recently. Oddly enough none were seen today, yet record counts numbers were seen at Seaford and Portland!
I had a brief look at Scotney but was unable to locate the Long-tailed Duck in the deteriorating weather.

Harrier Roost!

                                               Rainbows from Plodland yesterday.
After yesterdays wash out this mornings blue skies were welcome. Unfortunately the cold NW wind brought nothing on the sea nor the land. 25 miles across the channel at Le Clipon was a different story see Here hopefully we will get across the channel later this week.
At the ARC the islands are now submerged, a Great White Egret and a couple of Marsh Harriers could be seen and in the Willow Trail 2 Chiffchaffs were the highlights.
The Long-tailed Duck was still on Scotney along with the feral Barnacle Geese.
Out in the middle of Walland Marsh once again no Marsh Harriers roosted in the reed bed I was watching, however I did see at least 8 Marsh Harriers, a Common Buzzard, a Peregrine, a Merlin, 100s of Lapwings and Golden Plover and 5 Ruff, also a bird that has been very scarce on the marsh this year a Short-eared Owl No.220 on the marsh this year. 

A day at the Fishing Boats

I spent most of the day at the fishing boats where a steady passage just about kept my interest.

Also present for some of the period covered were: AJG, MH, SO, PT and Barney.

Period covered: 07.00 - 11.00    12.00 - 1300    14.30 - 15.55  All west unless stated.

Red-throated Diver: 10

Black-throated Diver: 1

Red-necked Grebe: 1

Great-crested Grebe: c40 o/s

Gannet: 138

Shelduck: 5

Brent Goose: 387

Pale Bellied Brent Goose: 1

Mallard: 1

Tufted Duck: 2

Teal: 5

Common Scoter: 675  (the vast majority of which were juvenile/female)

Common Eider: 9

Red-breasted Merganser:  14

 Bat-tailed Godwit: 4

Sanderling: 1

Purple Sandpiper: 1

Turnstone: 4 on beach

Peregrine: 1

Great Skua: 5 

Arctic Skua: 5

Sandwich Tern: 48

Little Gull: 29

Mediterranean Gull: 15

Kittiwake: 101

Guillemot: 1

Razorbill: 10

Auk sp: 27

Goldfinch: 45

Snow Bunting: 1

Not a bad day looking at the sea!

Pale Bellied Brent Goose

Eider

Common Scoter juvenile/female

Kittiwake

A truly terrible long distance shot of the Red-necked Grebe

Late afternoon a quick look at the ARC from Hanson saw the Glossy Ibis, 2 Great White Egrets, 4 Little Egrets , a Water Rail and the usual wildfowl and a Chiffchaff by the path to the hide.

Coues Arctic Redpoll

From The Point this morning with AJG and DW 07.00 - 11.00 all west unless stated:

Great Northern Diver: 1 on sea

Red-throated Diver: 12

Balearic Shearwater: 1

Gannet: 66

Brent Goose: 79

Red-breasted Merganser: 5

Common Scoter: 580

Velvet Scoter: 2

Merlin: 1 hunting off shore

Peregrine: hunting over beach

Great Skua: 9

Sandwich Tern: 8

Little Gull: 17

Kittiwake: 34

Mediterranean Gull: 1 o/s

Razorbill: 1

Auk sp: 18

On new Diggings a Great White Egret could be seen from the causeway.

I had just had lunch and was just about to go back to the beach when I received a call from DW to say that some interesting Redpolls had been trapped at the observatory.

There was several Lesser Redpolls, 2 Meally Redpolls and the Coues Arctic Redpoll.  

Coues Arctic Redpoll

                                                         Coues Arctic Redpoll

                                                            Coues Arctic Redpoll

                                                              Coues Arctic Redpoll

                                     Coues Arctic Redpoll (Single thin black shaft on the undertail coverts)

                                                            Coues Arctic Redpoll

                                                          Coues Arctic Redpoll

                    Meally Redpoll left                             Coues Arctic Redpoll right

                     Meally Redpoll left                             Coues Arctic Redpoll right

                        Meally Redpoll left                             Coues Arctic Redpoll right

                                       Meally Redpoll left                             Coues Arctic Redpoll right

                                                         Meally Redpoll

                                                             Lesser Redpoll
Elsewhere around the peninsular 4 Great White Egrets and a Black-necked Grebe on Burrowes also 2 Bitterns and the usual Marsh Harriers but little else of note.

Housebound

With my car in for service and MOT I was stuck at home most the day. However before I went stir crazy this afternoon, I was rescued by MH who kindly picked me up and took me down to the end of the concrete road for some sea watching 13.45 - 15.15:

Red-breasted Merganser: 3W
Common Scoter: 8W
Brent Goose: 36W
Shelduck: 3W
Arctic Skua: 1 o/s
Little Gull: 2W
Sandwich Tern: 8 o/s
Razorbill: 1W
Swallow: 2W

An excellent sea watch!

As I arrived at The Point this morning my expectations of a good sea watch were not high, the first half hour re-enforced this and then the passage started. Totals collated by AJG  also present DW:

07.00 - 11.40 all west unless stated.

Great Northern Diver: 1       Probably the same bird flew east a couple of hours later.    

Gannet: 82

Brent Goose: 1,895

Shelduck: 10

Wigeon: 6

Common Scoter: 118

Velvet Scoter: 1  came past with a Merganser

Eider: 1 very smart drake

Red-breasted Merganser: 15

Great Skua: 4

Arctic Skua: 1

Sandwich Tern: 29

Little Gull: 178 an excellent passage

Kittiwake: 21

Mediterranean Gull: 7+ around

Probable Hybrid Black-headed Gull x Mediterranean Gull: 1 around
Razorbill: 4
Auk sp: 19

Turnstone: 94 on beach

Purple Sandpiper: 2 on beach

Dunlin: 129

Knot: 3

Grey Plover: 2

Greenfinch: 7 in

Starling: 6 in
At c14.00 while checking the gull flock DW saw a Sabine's Gull fly east. 

Great Northern Diver

Eider

        Hybrid Black-headed Gull x Mediterranean Gull? (Look out for this one Mick and Richard)

Fred Olsen Line "Braemar" and a container vessel about to crush a Submarine.

While at home having my lunch news came of a Long Eared Owl on the reserve at Hookers that was showing in a Willow. So instead of going back to the beach I went to the reserve and minutes later PB was drawing me a diagram of exactly which Willow the bird was in. MH and PT kindly gave me a lift to the Willow, on arrival minutes later we found an empty tree the bird had gone and i'd missed a Sabine's Gull.
MH, PT and myself then went round Dengemarsh and Galloways  seeing very little of note.
When I left them I went to Hanson where the Glossy Ibis was still on what remains of the islands, giving a nice flyby when flushed by a Marsh Harrier, also there a Goldeneye, a Great White Egret, a Little Egret, a Chiffchaff and a male Merlin dashed across the lake.
In the fading light the Long-tailed Duck was asleep in the bay by the road at Scotney GP.