Redshanks!

With a little overnight rain and still drizzling first thing this morning as I drove to The Point, I had high hopes of there being lots of passerine migrants grounded there. AJG was already there and quickly burst my hopes, as he had been out around the trapping area seeing just a single Common Whitethroat. We sea watched until the visibility deteriorated, seeing just a few Sandwich and Common Terns, Gannets, 3 Common Scoter and 2 Swifts.

As the drizzle worsened I decided to go to Firth Hide where 5 Wood Sandpipers, 2 Common Sandpipers, a Green Sandpiper, 2 Common Snipe, a colour ringed juvenile Black-headed Gull, 6 Yellow Wagtails, 5 Swifts and 100s of Sand Martins.

In the car park I met The Joker and we decided to go to Hanson on the ARC. On opening the flaps we could see one of the islands was covered in waders, we were amazed to see that they were all Redshanks 139 of them, without doubt the biggest single flock of Redshank I have seen. Also new in were 4 Little Stints, 11 Black-tailed Godwits, later being joined by 2 Spotted Redshanks. 4 Garganey were found among the numerous eclipse duck, also 100s more Sand martins and 2 more Swifts.   

25N1 probably a Fairlight bird

 139 Redshanks

Juvenile Ringed Plover Rye

Because of this arrival of waders AJG, CT and myself decided to go to Rye thinking that there may be a lot more there. We did mange to find 4 Curlew Sandpipers, 4 Knot and 5 Bar-tailed Godwits among c100 Dunlin but all were very distant, God forbid a small peep out there.
Driving past Northpoint GP a Hobby flew over the road.
This afternoon a Caspian Tern spent a few minutes in front of the visitor centre, before flying off high towards the power station. Myself The Joker, AJG and JC went to The Patch where 1,000s of Gulls, c 200 Common Terns and an adult Black Tern were feeding but no Caspian Tern.

Willow Warblers

2 Hummingbird Hawk Moths on the perimeter wall as I made my way to The Patch. 3 Juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls among many Black-headed and Herring Gulls there this morning, also an increase the number of Lesser black Backed Gulls, unfortunately no legible colour rings. Still very few Terns and only small numbers of Gannets moving down channel.

Met Chiddy at the sea watch hide and chewed the fat for a while looking at nothing in particular, the highlight being at least 4 Harbour Porpoises near the buoy.

We looked in the Lighthouse Garden and saw not a bird, though when we reached The Moat there were several each of Common Whitethroat and Willow Warbler there. AJG arrived after walking around the trapping area noting good numbers of WW, CW and Spotted Flycatcher.

 Elephant Hawk Moth perimeter wall. One day I'll get a really sharp one.

I joined The Joker in Hanson hide where the islands are growing each day. Of note a Ruff, Little Ringed Plover, a Redshank, a Garganey and 3 Common Snipe among the large numbers of Gadwall, Shoveller, Pochard and feral Geese.

Next stop Firth hide where we were joined by BB, highlights were 5 Wood Sandpipers, 2 Green Sandpipers, 1 Common Sandpiper and 2+ Marsh Harriers.

Another visit this to the ARC this afternoon found 3 Garganey and 100s of Sand Martins over the Tower Pits. On the reserve the Green Sandpipers had risen to 3 and the Common to 4 and 1 of the juvenile Mediterranean Gulls was showing in front of Firth.    

 Green Sandpiper Makepiece

 Juv.Mediterranean Gull Firth

Gold Spot in the trap this morning

Water Spout!

First thing this morning I met AJG by the Power station car park. On the way to the sea watch hide there were 3 Hummingbird Hawk Moths basking on the perimeter wall. From the hide we could see an angler at The Patch, so no Gulls on the beach but there were 3 juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls over the boil, among many Black-headed and Herring Gulls, but few Terns and nothing moving off shore apart from 2+Harbour Porpoises.

We looked in the Lighthouse Garden where a Common Redstart and Willow Warbler were recorded. 

Whilst making our way towards The Desert a Water Spout developed off shore and touched down. We covered most of trapping area and the Long Pits, most of the birds were in southern half of the trapping area:

Willow Warbler: 70+

Common Whitethroat: 60+

Lesser Whitethroat: 1

Garden Warbler: 1

Reed Warbler: 9 (most probably resident)

Redstart:  1

Black Redstart:  2

Sparrowhawk: 2

 Water Spout off The Point today

A quick stop at the southern end of the ARC found 3 Garganey among the eclipse duck there and 2 juvenile Marsh Harriers.

This afternoon I walked up to The Pines, surprisingly the bushes were devoid of birds. Overehead scores of Sand Martins were on the move and a Peregrine flew over flushing the birds on the islands. The Swallows in the Screen Hide have hatched there second brood and are busy feeding them.

From Hanson a Greenshank was new in, the Ruff was still there as were 2 Garganey, 4 Common Snipe and c150 Lapwing.

Late afternoon from Firth Hide 2 Wood Sandpipers, 2 Ruff, a Common Snipe and a juvenile Mediterranean Gull. From Makepiece 3 juvenile Mediterranean Gulls, juvenile Black Tern, Black-necked Grebe, a Black-tailed Godwit, a Dunlin, 2 Common Sandpipers and 2 Marsh Harriers. The Peninsular has been basking in hot glorious sunshine all day, while all around black threatening clouds have been dousing the surrounding area with heavy down pours.

 juvenile Mediterranean Gull from Firth hide

 Iron Prominent in the trap this morning

Pebble Hook-tip in the trap this morning

A few Migrants.

I spent most of this morning plodding around the ARC and the reserve. During that time I counted 42 Willow Warblers, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 14 Common Whitethroats, 8 Sedge Warblers, 7 Reed Warblers, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 2 Bearded Tits, 1 Cuckoo, 1 Hobby, 6 Marsh Harriers, a minimum of 14 Little Egrets, 1 Great White Egret, 3 Ruff, 3 Wood Sandpipers, 4 Common Sandpipers, 6 common Snipe, a Redshank, 3 Garganey and all the usual dabblers and diving duck. I'm sure if my hearing was not as poor as it is I would have recorded much more. I did not go to the sea today as the lifeboat had an open day and I'm sure the access road would be grid locked. I also walked the Galloways Gorse Bridleway which looks as though it should attract a few migrants, but only saw a couple of Willow Warblers.   

 1 of 42 Willow Warblers seen today

 Ruff from Firth

This evening I went back to Firth hide where the light is excellent for photography, but the birds are still a little bit distant.(Always something for me to moan about)

 Common Snipe from Firth

 Wood Sandpipers from Firth

 2 more Jersey Tigers in the Plodland trap today along with 27 other macro species, including a Canary Shouldered Thorn, that are relatively common but stunning moths.

Canary Shouldered Thorn

Little of Note!

Around the ARC this morning just 4 Willow Warblers,with a few each of Common Whitethroat and Sedge Warbler and a Blackcap. From the hides 3 Garganey, a Ruff, a Redshank, 3 Marsh Harriers, a Hobby and the usual eclipse duck.

Half an hour at The Point with AJG saw nothing of note. He had walked around the Long Pits and trapping area hearing lots of birds but as is usually the case here seeing little. As the car park by the power station was packed with anglers cars I resisted the urge to go down to The patch.

The rest of the day was taken up with the moth trap and domestic stuff.  

 Copper Underwing

 Reed Dagger?

 Rosy Rustic

Straw Underwing

More Tigers!

 A wander from the observatory to The Patch with BH found 100s of birds there this morning, but disappointingly the vast majority were Black-headed and Herring Gulls. A Juvenile Mediterranean Gull was of note and a very juvenile Common Gull suggested a locally bred bird. A few Gannets were offshore. At West beach a male and female Black Redstart and at the observatory a handful of Willow warblers trapped and ringed. 48 Willow Warblers and a Spotted Flycatcher were counted around the Long Pits per AJG.

From Firth hide 2 Wood Sandpipers still, also the juvenile Black Tern. A Black-necked grebe from Makepiece. At Dengemarsh the Great White Egret and c40 Sand martins through.

This afternoon from Hanson 3 Garganey, a Ruff, a Redshank and 2 Snipe of note. The Great Crested Grebe has at last hatched at least 2 young, after seemingly sitting for several weeks causing me to think that the eggs were infertile. 

 Great White Egret Dengemarsh

A surprise in the Plodland moth trap early this morning, 3 Jersey Tigers which are fairly scarce down here.

 3 Jersey Tigers

 Dusky Thorn trapped today

A maximum count of 28 Small Tortoiseshells on the Plodland Budleia this afternoon

Pas de Calais and Dungeness!

On Wednesday we had a trip to the Pas de Calais going there with absolutely no expectations. With a light NW wind blowing we went straight to Cap Gris Nez but tourists outnumbered the birds. We moved onto Tardinghen to check out the pools and reed bed for future visits spring and autumn.

Blanc Nez was also very busy with tourists though several Common Buzzards were observed there. 

Next stop was Guines Forest, which due to time of day and year was fairly quiet, but 2 Honey Buzzards gave us great views as did many butterflys. 

From the forest we drove the short distance to the boardwalk, Where Kingfisher, Great White Egret, juvenile Icterine Warbler, Spotted flycatchers and 6 Marsh Harriers were the highlights.

Our last stop was Oye Plage where at least 8 each of Common and Green Sandpipers, several Avocets, Little Egrets and a flock of 20 Spoonbills. On the beach Little Terns were feeding young, we also found at least 4 Kentish Plovers with at least 2 fluff balls, which was a great finish to a great day out recording 95 species  for the day.

Honey Buzzards Guines Forest

20 Spoonbills Oye Plagae

Clouded Yellow Guines Boardwalk

Silver-washed Fritillary Guines

First thing this morning I walked up to the pines, recording 2 Lesser Whitethroats, 3 Willow Warblers, 10+ Common Whitethroats, 4 Sedge Warblers 2 Marsh Harriers, c100 Sand Martins. From the Screen 2 Garganey, 3 Common Snipe, a Ruff and c150 Lapwing of note.

The Patch was disappointing with only c50 Common Terns among the usual commoner Gulls, also a Grey Seal there.

I joined The Joker (he had just found the newly arrived Great White Egret from the ramp) for a drive down to Dengemarsh Gully and Galloways. The Gully was very disappointing with just a handful of Linnets seen. Galloways was no better with just a Wheatear and Linnets. 

This afternoon a walk along The Midrips which looks excellent for waders was also disappointing, seeing 1 Common Sandpiper, 14 Redshank, 12 Dunlin and 19 Avocet. It seems that 2 pairs of Avocet successfully bred there, along the green wall there many Small Tortoiseshells. 

At Pigwell which looks good not a single wader not even a Lapwing!

Late afternoon on the reserve 2 Wood Sandpipers, 2 Little Ringed Plovers, a Garganey, a Black-necked Grebe and a Black tern were noted.

This evening at the ARC the only change was the addition of 9 Black-tailed Godwits, 2 Common Sandpipers and a Green Sandpiper flew over.

 Garganey from Firth

 Little Ringed Plover from Firth

 Wood Sandpipers from Firth

Black Terns!

First thing this morning from the screen hide, still 2 Garganey and 4 Common Snipe of note, along with several 100s of Sand Martins and a few Swifts over the lake. At the pines just a couple of Sedge Warblers and a Great Spotted Woodpecker. From Hanson still large numbers of common wildfowl and Reed Warbler still singing. At the south end a Wood Sandpiper and a Common Sandpiper,

At The Patch a moulting adult Black Tern, c100 Common Terns with the 100s of Black-headed Gulls. Behind the hide a Willow Warbler, a Sedge Warbler and a Black Redstart.

On Burrowes Pit a juvenile Black Tern, 3 Common Sandpipers, 2 Dunlin, 2+ Marsh Harriers, a Peregrine and a Sandwich Tern through.  

Juvenile Black Tern at Burrowes

Wood Sandpipers

First thing this morning I walked up to the pines hoping to see my first returning Willow Warblers, alas my hopes were in vain. From the Screen Hide 2 Wood sandpipers among the dozens of Lapwings were of note as was a Water Rail and the several 100s of Sand Martins hawking low over the wind less lake. A look in the light house garden was as fruitless as the pines.

I walked down to the The Patch noting a Hummingbird Hawkmoth on the perimeter wall, arriving at The Patch there were 100s of Gulls on the beach in front the hide, so I carefully made my way into the hide, got myself settled and opened the hatch. I had just started to scan the Gulls when a family of birders turned up and promptly flushed all the gulls, I left with hump!

By now the wind was increasing so I visited Hanson where 3 juvenile Marsh Harriers were doing there best flush everything, though I did manage to locate 3 Garganey among the 200+ Coot, 150+Gadwall, c30 Shoveler, 100+ Pochard, 20+ Tufted Duck and 2 Wigeon.

A Common Sandpiper could be seen from Dennis's and another from Makepiece.

On my way to the beach this afternoon there was a Wood Sandpiper, a Common Sandpiper and a Dunlin at the south end of the ARC. Then an hour at the fishing boats with The Joker, saw only a handful of Gannets and Terns and 1 Kittiwake, 4 Oystercatchers and 8 Dunlin flew into the bay.

Driving back a juvenile Cuckoo flew from the north end of the Long Pits towards Kerton Road.

Late afternoon from the Screen Hide the 3 Garganey still present, also 3 Black-tailed Godwits and a Ringed Plover.

Again no bird images so below a images of stuff from the moth trap over the weekend. 

 Sallow Kitten

 Phycita roborella

 Oak Eggar

This beast is I am reliably informed a Dytiscus dimidiatus

Frisbee!

I didn't get any birding done today as yesterday we bought a new lap top for Sally to replace her Toshiba that died. By the end of yesterday evening I was all for using the new one as a Frisbee. The reason Windows 8! A nightmare! I called GH who very kindly spent the best part of the day at the observatory sorting it out for me. A huge thankyou Gill. Although I have to say I am still totally underwhelmed by Windows 8, by how slow it is even compared to my old steam powered Vista lap top.  

Below are images of some of the moths from the Plodland trap.

 Chinese Character

 Magpie

 Marbled Green

Agonopterix alstromeriana?