The Last Few Days!

Dungeness has been very quiet over the last few days, though a fair selection of waders have been making mostly short appearances, these included Spotted Redshank, Common Redshank, Greenshank,  Wood, Green and Common Sandpiper, Knot, Black-tailed and Bar-tailed Godwit, Dunlin, Ruff, Little Ringed and Ringed Plover. A mobile Great White Egret and Garganey among the usual wildfowl, while overhead Yellow Wagtails Swifts, House and Sand Martins, have been trickling through and even a couple of Grey Wagtails.

The sea has been very quiet probably due to the fact that the power station is shut down and there is no Patch to speak of.

 1of 2 summer plumaged Knot at Firth Hide Tuesday evening

 Little Ringed Plovers have been showing well from Firth Hide lately

This Wood Pigeon was attracted by the trickle of running water from the solar pump in the Crow Trap this morning.

My first Boxworm Moth of the year on the 9th July

 The first of the Common Terns to fledge

 2 Sandwich terns dropped in for a few minutes

 Great-crested Grebe on its nest on Burrowes this evening

 A sleepy Garganey at Firth this evening

A flock of 18 Black-tailed Godwits that flew in over Burrowes this evening from the South East just before dusk then headed North towards the ARC.

Thresher Shark!

 Meadow Pipit

On the walk down to The Patch there were 3 broods of Meadow Pipits and at least 1 brood each of Wheatear, Black Redstart and Pied Wagtail. The parents of these broods seemingly being able to find copious amounts of food by the path. At The Patch there was just 1 1st summer Mediterranean Gull present among c40 Black-headed and Herring Gulls.

 Meadow Pipit 

 Wheatear

 Peregrine with unidentified prey 

2 Peregrines were around the pylons calling frequently and no doubt terrorising the local Pigeons

Little Gulls on the ARC

3 visits to the reserve and ARC today saw of note 2 Little Gulls, a Great White Egret, 2 Ruff, a Spotted Redshank, 6 Redshank, a Bar-tailed Godwit, a Green Sandpiper, 8 Ringed Plover, 2 Little Ringed Plover and 6 Dunlin.

An afternoon sea watch with AJG was very pleasant in the warm sunshine but made very special by a Thresher Shark that fully breached c1mile offshore, even at that range I could clearly see its huge tail whipping in the air as it breached. This is now the third time I have seen this spectacle off Dungeness in the last 5 years.

13.45-16.00 from the fishing boats with AJG:
Common Scoter: 4E
Gannet: 58E   3W
Cormorant: 2 around
Kittiwake: 2E
Mediterranean Gull: 34E
Sandwich Tern: 13E   7W
Common Tern: 62E   4W
Auk sp: 3E
Sand Martin: 2 out
Swallow: 7 out
Grey Seal: 1
Harbour Porpoise: 1
Thresher Shark: 1

Temminck's Stint!

 Temminck's Stint 

While I was at the observatory this morning, I received a call from Graham Parry saying that there was a very small wader in front of Firth Hide, that was dwarfed by the Dunlin that were present. A few minutes later myself AJG, SO, JTM and DW arrived to see a splendid adult Temminck's Stint giving superb views. Many thanks from all of us to Graham for the call. Also present of note were 3 Redshank, 6 Dunlin, a Little Ringed Plover, an adult Mediterranean Gull that dropped in and c50 Swifts.

 Temminck's Stint dwarfed by 2 Dunlin

 Little Ringed Plover

Adult Mediterranean Gull

1 of 4 Wood Sandpipers that dropped into the ARC today

Early afternoon JH put out a message that there was 4 Wood Sandpipers on the ARC. After having lunch I went to Hanson Hide where all 4 Wood Sandpipers were still present. One of them was colour ringed and due to the diligence of JTM he ascertained that it was probably from a Spanish colour ringing project. 2 Ruff were present along with at least 2 Little Ringed Plovers, also pulses of Sand martins were going through.

2 more Common Tern chicks this evening that aren't going to make due to the poor design of the Tern rafts. I have seen at least 7 fall off the rafts, so I'm sure the numbers lost must greater. The Temminck's Stint was still present this evening though distant and elusive. Nearby the Serin is still singing in its chosen conifers at Littlestone.

 A Bordered Straw in the trap this morning

My first Jersey Tiger of the year

 Yesterday evening a Spotted Redshank which is quite scarce at Dungeness was at Firth Hide, also 5 Black-tailed Godwits and a juvenile Little Ringed Plover there.

2 of the 3 summering Wigeon yesterday evening from Firth Hide

 Sussex Emeralds from last nights catch. I normally only catch 1 a year

 A typically tatty Sussex Emerald that turn up in my trap

 Sussex Emerald after release at The Long Pits

 Some of the 22 Elephant Hawkmoths that were in the trap this morning, there was also several sets of wings around the trap where the Great Tits got there before me. 

Another Delicate this morning, which means they probably breed nearby.

 A migrant juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker trapped in The Moat this morning by Jacques, also several Swifts over appearing to be moving south.

 Raven

A walk out the back of Scotney with AJG saw the usual Yellow Wagtails, Corn and Reed Bunting, Tree Sparrows, 2 Ravens, 2 Marsh Harriers and a trickle of Sand Martins of note.

Little Ringed Plovers

This evening from Firth 3 Little Ringed Plovers (adult and 2 juveniles), 9 Dunlin and 5 Ringed Plover of note, also c60 Sand martins flew south.

Spoonbill!

With a NE wind blowing overnight and the temperature dropping, it was not surprising that the moth trap was disappointing this morning. After going through the meagre catch I made my way to the sea watch hide where I joined AJG for an hour.
09.00-10.00
Common Scoter: 1E  1W
Gannet: 29E
Cormorant: 9 around
Little Egret: 1 in
Mediterranean Gull: 4 around
Sandwich Tern: 2E
Common Tern: c10 around
Grey Seal: 1
Harbour Porpoise: 2
Hummingbird Hawkmoth: 3

Spot the Little Egret which came in, flew around The Patch a couple of times before disappearing off over the power station.

 At the ARC a Spoonbill was on a small island in front of Hanson Hide, most of it's time was spent in usual Spoonbill pose asleep, but it did a have a fascination for a stick and would pick it up and move it around.

 2 Greenshank, a Ruff, 2 Redshank, several Oystercatchers with Chicks and a Little Gull were also viewable from Hanson as well as all the usual Marsh Harriers and wildfowl. A visit to the fishing boats this afternoon saw another 7 Mediterranean Gulls feeding off shore and a party of 8 Common Scoter.

On Burrowes this evening the highlight was 5 Black-tailed Godwits, the Spoonbill was still on the ARC. Nearby the Serin is still singing in the conifers at Littlestone.