Gulls!

 Belgian ringed Mediterranean Gull 3739

Very little in the way of migrants this morning around the point, so I spent most my time around The Patch. Up to 5 Black Terns and 7 Mediterranean Gulls (all 1st cal yrs) were feeding around The Patch, 3+ Arctic Skuas were chasing the Terns, 11 Teal flew east then back west. On the beach I managed to read 2 colour rings both Mediterranean Gulls, 1 a Belgian the other a Czech Republic bird. 15+ Harbour Porpoises were offshore.

Czech ringed Mediterranean Gull ZHT2

These 2 provided some light entertainment at The Patch, note there fleece life vests!

Early afternoon the 3 Cattle Egrets were still in the Boulderwall Fields. From Hanson hide 4 Great White Egrets, 147 Golden Plover, 1 Ringed Plover, 1 Common Snipe, 2 Garganey and a Black-necked Grebe.

 1st cal yr Caspian Gull

At the fishing boats this afternoon:

Wigeon: 1 on sea

Common Scoter: 5E

Gannet: c40 around

Arctic Skua: 1 around

Mediterranean Gull: 16E all 1st cal yr birds

Yellow-legged Gull: 1 around

Caspian Gull: 1 around

Kittiwake: 5E

Sandwich tern: c100 around

Common Tern: c20 around

Grey Seal: 1

Harbour Porpoise: 8+

 Hooked bill Herring Gull by the fishing boats

Great Black Backed Gull JZ435 by the fishing boats

I didn't spend much time in the field today as the peninsular appeared to be taken over by visitors enjoying the beautiful weather. I did spend several hours sky watching from home, the Gulls in the field opposite were very helpful in alerting me to the presence of a raptor, with there help I managed to spot a mega high Honey Buzzard drifting SW, also 16 Common Buzzards, 4+Marsh Harriers, 2+ Hobby's, 3 Kestrels and a Sparrowhawk, also a steady stream of Hirundines going south.

 1,000s of mainly Black-headed Gulls following the tractor in the fields opposite my house

 Blizzard of Gulls every time a raptor came over

 1 of 16 Common Buzzards seen from the garden

 Kestrel tucking into a Great Green Bush Cricket by the entrance track this evening

An evening visit to to Burrowes saw a juv/1w Caspian Gull, 3 Black Terns, 18 Redshank, 4 Dunlin, 4 Knot, a Little Ringed Plover 

16 of 18 Redshank present this evening

 Short-eared Owl by the entrance track this evening

 Cattle Egrets on the old Cormorant Island

Marsh Mallow Moth 2nd record for the Plodland trap

Centre Barred Sallow new for the trap

Cattle Egrets at Boulderwall taken yesterday

First thing this morning at Boulderwall at least 6 Cattle Egrets were still present, as yesterday they were always distant.

While walking around The Desert with SG seeing very little, news of a Terek Sandpiper being seen  by BW flying around the reserve but now lost in the Dengemarsh area came through. As the reserve and ARC were going to be searched others I decided to check The Midrips for the Terek. Yellow Wagtails were calling all around and a stream of Swallows were coasting eastwards. On the pools 34 Teal, 12 Shelduck, 15 Mallard and a Shoveler were feeding with 7 Greenshanks, 3 Spotted Redshanks, a poor video of 2 of Spotted Redshanks can be seen HERE also 2 Common Redshanks, 3 Dunlin, a Grey Plover, 15 Oystercatchers, a Whimbrel and 6 Curlew. 2 Common Buzzards and 2 Marsh Harriers flew through but no sign of the Terek Sandpiper. 

 Many thanks to Dave Bunney for inviting me into his private garden to see this very confiding Pied Flycatcher this afternoon, also a Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and Reed Warbler.

Chiffchaff

Late afternoon I met AJG at the fishing boats where he had seen 2 Black Terns, a few Sandwich Terns, a Great Skua and Swallows leaving our shores. We decided to have a look around the back of Scotney for the Terek Sandpiper but only saw more Yellow Wagtails, a Little Owl and a couple each of Common Buzzard and Marsh Harrier but not a single wader.

When I got home a kettle of 14 Common Buzzards was overhead, MH and SG had seen 37 nearby over Dengemarsh this afternoon.

Cetti's Warbler trapped at the obs yesterday 

 A beautiful Orache caught by Barry Banson last night

Common Darter

Juvenile Osprey!

Aythya sp/Hybrid at Pett pools yesterday (image by C Turley)

As the weather this morning ruled out any wanderings around The Point, I went to Pett Pools with CT who had seen an interesting Aythya duck there yesterday. On arrival we could not find the bird on the close roadside pit where he first saw it, eventually through the rain we found it at the back of the neighbouring lake viewed from the gate. In the time time we were there it was constantly diving but stayed at the back of the lake the whole time giving poor views in in poor light in poor weather, leaving us none the wiser but assuming some sort of hybrid.

 As I was clearing out the MV this afternoon DB called me saying an Osprey was over Hookers Pit, a quick scan over the fields in front of the house and the bird came into view, thanks Dave for the call. A 3 minute drive to Springfield Bridge  and the bird was now perched on a telegraph pole. A short while later it started fishing appearing to catch and devour 2 small fish, eventually after flying around the peninsular a couple of times it caught another fish which was to large for this young bird to handle. 2 Hobby's were also present and few Yellow Wagtails.

Juvenile Osprey

Hovering

The strike

Struggling with the over size fish

Osprey about to drop its catch

Migrant Hawker Springfield Bridge

Pied Flycatchers

A late afternoon visit to the trapping area found 6 Pied Flycatchers though probably more were present, 2 Common Redstarts, 4 Whinchats, several each of Willow and Reed Warbler, Common and Lesser Whitethroat and Wheatear.

Early morning walk around the trapping area, Desert and Long Pits with AJG was a disappointment avian wise as very few migrants were found, just small numbers each of Wheatears, Common and Lesser Whitethroats, Blackcaps, Willow Warblers and Whinchats, 3 Cetti's Warblers were noted along with 5 Green Woodpeckers and a Great Spotted Woodpecker, with a trickle of Sand Martins overhead.

Clouded Yellow

A visit to The Patch found a Danish ringed Lesser Black Backed Gull but little else. A Clouded Yellow and Painted Lady on the Valerian by the perimeter wall.  

 Painted Lady

 Danish ringed Lesser Black Backed Gull V:3F7

Sexton Beetle covered in Mites

In the Plodland MV this morning another Convolvulus Hawkmoth, the first Red Underwing to make it into the trap and not so nice a Sexton Beetle covered in Mites.

Convolvulus Hawkmoth

Red Underwing

Wasp Spider

An afternoon walk around the back of Scotney was very pleasant but once again quiet bird wise, a Black-necked Grebe on the western lake, dozens of Yellow Wagtails and several Common Buzzards around the fields were the Avian highlights, but the real highlight was a super Wasp Spider.

 Great White Egret

On the reserve this evening the American Black Tern was still present with c10 Black Terns, 6 Great white Egrets, a Green Sandpiper, 2 Common Sandpipers, 3 Little Ringed Plovers and a Hobby of note.

6 out of 7!

 Red-backed Shrike

Most of my time today was spent sea watching but I did leave the sea long enough to admire the Red-backed Shrike that found it's way into the Heligoland Trap at the observatory.

On the sea once again 100s of Sandwich and Common Terns, Gannets and Kittiwakes also 50+ Black Terns through today, 4+ Arctic Skuas were offshore, a party of 12 Bar-tailed Godwits, a Little Tern a few Fulmars and Arctic Terns, the highlight being 2 Balearic Shearwaters moving through. 

This evening on the reserve 100s of Terns were present including the American Black Tern but no sign of the Roseate Tern that was present earlier today, I really should have made the effort to see it earlier but the thought of crowded hides kept me away, my loss, so I only managed to see 6 of the 7 species of Tern recorded at Dungeness today.

Red-backed Shrike

Balearic Shearwaters

 Bar-tailed Godwits

 Black Tern

Arctic Tern