Laughing Gull at Dungeness!

First thing this morning I pulled into an empty car park by the power station quite pleased that I would have the beach to myself. I wandered down to The Patch in the hoping that the Hastings Laughing Gull had relocated to Dungeness. Arriving at The Patch there were c50 Common Terns and c150 Herring Gulls plus at least 3 Mediterranean Gulls over the boil, on the beach another c250 Herring Gulls but no sign of the Laughing Gull. I settled down to trying to get some North Thames ring numbers but all the gulls were to far away to read the rings. I scanned the sea towards Fairlight through the scope suddenly picking up a lone Gull c 600 yds away, knowing instantly it was the Laughing Gull. I quickly took some video at 260X for a record image, then had to walk back along the beach to the sea watch hide before I could get a phone signal (the service is appalling at Dungeness). Arriving back at The Patch, a 5 minute panic whilst I relocated the Gull. Most of the morning it stayed distant. I went home for lunch then got a call to say that it was eating cheesy snacks at peoples feet. I quickly arrived and the bird was really close but the light was shocking (I'm never satisfied)  A short video of the Laughing Gull can be seen by clicking on the the following link  https://youtu.be/AahX4zFPfXU

 Just about to be flushed by security

A poor record of it's brief visit to Dungeness RSPB reserve. A first for the reserve I believe.

Laughing Gull!!

After a thoroughly cold, miserable and unrewarding birding wise around Dungeness today, news of of a spanking summer plumaged Laughing Gull nearby at Hastings found by Dave Rowlands was to good to miss. David Walker kindly picked me up en route. Half an hour later we were watching the the superb Laughing Gull on the beach behind the Basketball Court. Next to the court today's fish catch was being gutted  and the Laughing Gull was in attendance grabbing scraps with Herring Gulls and Great Black Backed Gulls. Minutes after we arrived a group of young men arrived to use the court, 5 Herring Gulls trapped inside the enclosed court started panicking as these grown men cowered and screamed in fear of the Gulls. One of the Herring Gulls got itself entangled with the netting, David Walker quickly freed it and let it go on the beach, while I and another birder shepherded the remaining Gulls out. In the short time we were distracted from the Laughing Gull it disappeared, as far as I am aware it didn't reappear this evening. I think an early morning look at The Patch is in order tomorrow!!

Superb summer plumaged Laughing Gull

Souss Valley, Oued Massa & Oued Souss

On our way to the Ooarzazate a roadside stop produced excellent views of Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Crested Larks, Serins, Southern Grey and Woodchat Shrikes, Rufous Bushchats and more.

Moroccan Pied Wagtail (Subpersonata)

An overnight stop at Ouarzazate allowed some time at the barrage at Mansour Eddahbi where we saw Moroccan Wagatail, Collared Pratincoles, Black-winged Stilts, Greenshank, Little-ringed and Kentish Plovers, Stone Curlews, Gull-billed and Black Terns, Flamingos, Spoonbills, Purple Herons, Marbled Duck, Ruddy Shelduck, Shelduck, Bonelli's and Melodious Warblers, Hoopoe's and much more.

Collared Pratincoles

Hoopoe

Melodious Warbler fly catching from a pinnacle atop the hotel 

House Bunting on another Pinnacle

Juvenile Black Wheatear

Next day we headed for the Oued Massa south of Agadir for 2 nights. In the evenings and mornings we sea watched from our hotel balcony seeing several Cory's Shearwaters, Balearic Shearwaters, Gannets, Sandwich Terns, Yellow-legged Gulls and 29 Bald Ibis's. In the National Park a Barbary Falcon sat on a pylon, Little Owls and Crested Larks seemed abundant and good numbers of Bald Ibis's were seen.  In the valley the fields were teeming with birds. Cirl Buntings, House Buntings. Nightingales, Rufous Bushchats, Sardinian, Melodious, Fan-tailed, western Olivacious Warblers, Blackcaps, Serins, many Turtle Doves and Laughing Doves, Moussier's Redstart, Stonechats, Crested Larks, Common, Pallid and Little Swift, Brown-throated Martin, Red-rumped and Barn Swallows and best of all superb views of Black-crowned Tchagra.

Barbary Falcon

Bald Ibis

Moussier's Redstart

Fan-tailed Warbler

Sardinian Warbler

Black-crowned Tchagra

Stone Curlew

Rufous Bushchat

Cirl Bunting

House Bunting

Our last stop was at Oued Souss where we had superb views of Black-winged Stilts, Flamingos, Grey Plover, Ruff, Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin, Sanderling, European Bee-eaters, Sardinian Warblers, Gull-billed Terns and more. The end of brilliant trip with Chris and Mark. Brahim and Hamid were excellent hosts, giving us a superb Moroccan birding experience. If you are thinking of going to Morocco on a birding trip we thoroughly recommend them. Brahim can be contacted at http://www.gayuin.com/  I am sure you will not be disappointed. 

Black-winged Stilts

Maroccan Cormorant 

Greater Flamingos

Gull-billed makes the weekend!

Saturday morning walk along the beach found a pair of Wheatears collecting food, a couple of Meadow Pipits a Skylark and several handsome Linnets. 

Wheatear collecting food on the beach

At the ARC a Fox was on the look out for an easy meal, the highlight though was 11+ Hobby's over the Tower Pits, most feeding at height, those that did come down low were always into the light thus evading the camera. There are still plenty of Warblers singing in the reeds and sallow, mainly Common Whitethroats, Reed and Sedge Warblers with a smattering of Cetti's Warblers, Lesser Whitethroats, Blackcaps and a Garden Warbler. A Bittern is still booming occasionally in the Tower Pits but remains unseen.

Dengemarsh was feast of Hobby's with at least another 11 there, a pair of Yellow Wagtails were in Hay field 3. If all the birds have as much breeding success as the Greylag Geese then it will be a good year, but I have my doubts. 

A late afternoon sea watch was just that! 30 minutes staring at a blank sea.

 Looking for a meal at the ARC

 Gull-billed Tern taken from Makepiece in the the failing light and heavy rain

An hour Sunday morning from the sea watch hide was predictably slow with a single Great Skua being the highlight, though it seems I let a Pomarine Skua fly past right under my nose!

In the cold NW wind I only had a cursory look around the ARC seeing the sam as Saturday. Parking at Springfield Bridge I scanned Dengemarsh from the bridge, realising within seconds I was woefully under dressed for the biting NW wind so quickly retreated to the car and home for a late breakfast.

As I had to go to West Sussex Sunday afternoon, I was not best pleased to get a call from MH as I was driving around the Brighton by pass, telling me Mike Puxley had found a Gull-billed Tern on Burrowes! It's amazing how many times I think there is absolutely nothing around, leave the peninsula. Fortunately the Tern was still present when I got back in the evening, an excellent bird and find by Mike Puxley, also a very nice Dungeness tick for me. 

Gull-billed Tern taken from Makepiece in the the failing light and heavy rain

Little Owl, Lydd Camp

First thing this morning I checked Burrowes to see if the Gull-billed Tern had returned without success. As it flew off north last night I also checked Dengemarsh, Brett's Marina and Scotney to no avail, but I did finally catch up with the Lydd Camp Little Owl.

A 30 minute sea watch produced a few a trickle of Gannets though most were probably in French territorial waters, the highlight was a raft of 46 Great-crested Grebes presumably non breeders.

Still plenty of Hobby's at the ARC, with one very bedraggled individual sitting in The Pines. With more rain this afternoon I was watching up to 5 Hobby's from the garden, also a superb male Marsh Harrier, 2 Common Buzzards a pair of Yellow Wagtail also a bedraggled juvenile Robin.

1st year Hobby at The Pines, ARC 

Bedraggled juvenile Robin

08.00-09.00 from the sea watch :

Common Scoter: 3W

Great Northern Diver: 1E

Fulmar: 1E

Gannet: 126E       24W

Oystercatcher: 2E

Common Tern: n/c

Sandwich Tern: n/c

Guillemot: 2E

Swallow: 6 in

A look around the bushes at the point found no migrants. After a cup of tea and a chat at the observatory I drove down to Dennis's hide seeing at least 3 Hobby's by the entrance track, from the hide a pair of Wigeon, 3 Teal, 2 Gadwall and a Shoveler on a small island that has already been taken by a pair of Herring Gulls just like the Tern raft, they should be re-named Gull rafts as on Dengemarsh they have now all been taken over  by Common Gulls. With the lack of islands there probably wont be any nesting Terns this year and with the Marsh Harriers snaffling the Lapwing chicks.....

On a brighter note at least the Hobby's are putting on a show for the visitors and there seems to be plenty of Reed, Sedge and Cetti's Warblers, Common Whitethroats, Lesser Whitethroats, Reed Buntings and with a little persistence you can usually find Bearded Tits and hear a Bittern.
The track between the ARC car park and the pines produced 3 more Hobby's, several Swifts another booming Bittern and the same warblers as the other side.
Another sea watch this afternoon from the fishing boats was very poor, but it gave me and MH a chance to put the world right.

14.40-16.10 with MH
Great-crested Grebe: 30 o/s  inc. Raft of 23
Fulmar: 1W
Gannet: 18E      21W
Sandwich Tern: c 15 feeding o/s
Swallow: 9 in
Harbour Porpoise: 3+

Spring Poms last Hurrah?

The 7 Pomarine Skuas past Dungeness today may well be the last of the spring, they were joined by 6 Arctic Skuas, 3 Great Skuas, 2 Great Northern Divers, a Black-throated Diver, Red-throated Diver, a Velvet Scoter, 100+ Common Scoter, several 100s of Common Terns, a few each of Sandwich and Little Terns. For full details see http://www.dungenessbirdobs.org.uk/
Over the lakes during the rain many Swifts and small numbers of Swallow, House Martins and Sand Martins. On a very small island on Burrowes 5 Sanderling, 3 Ringed Plovers and a Turnstone.
Late afternoon after the rain at Dengemarsh, 6+ Hobby's, 2 Marsh Harriers, 20+ Common Terns and a Cuckoo of note.