PLODDINGBIRDER

Friday 24 July 2020

23/24/07/2020

The Black-winged Stilt still doing its thing in front of Hanson hide

Once again there was very little on the sea early this morning, c40 Gannets were feeding a mile off shore presumably on a Mackerel shoal, also there a few each of Common Terns and Sandwich Terns, along with some Kittiwakes that all appeared to be catching White Bait, they joined by up to 10 Harbour Porpoises and a Grey Seal. In shore a single Great-crested Grebe and a few Cormorants. The Gull roost is getting nearer to Dengemarsh every day as hordes of anglers with there families descend on Dungeness in the hope of catching Mackerel or Bass.

The trapping area was very quiet with the highlight being 2 fly over Crossbills, a few Willow Warblers in the Sallows with Common and Lesser Whitethroats and a couple of singing Blackcaps.

This evening at the ARC the Stilt still present along with a Garganey and a Black Tern of note.

Yesterday afternoon I walked around the newly opened trails, to be honest without access to the hides you can't view Burrowes(which is the main attraction avian wise this time of year) without climbing the banks which is not permissible. Undoubtedly human nature and curiosity will get the better of some people who will in frustration climb the banks. Burrowes can still be viewed from the causeway between it and the New Diggings, but views are very distant and weather dependant. I can't in all honesty advise anyone to travel any distance to visit the reserve to see birds, better to go to Rye Harbour or Oare Marshes.

This Marsh Harrier came over the garden while I was going through my moth trap this morning

Plumed Fan-foot is now an everyday occurrence in the Plodland trap

The Pine Tree Lappet that Barry Banson caught at Littlestone last night

Hungarian Ringed Mediterranean Gull H1Y5

Yesterday morning after getting up at silly o.clock to try and photograph comet Neowise and failing miserably, I headed back to Copt Point where I met Renaud Flamant. Between us we read 84 Mediterranean Gull rings from a flock of c600 birds. Looking at Gulls legs is not too everyones taste but I find it interesting. The majority of the rings were Belgian and French, but we also had German, Czech, Polish, British, Italian, Hungarian and Norwegian.

British Ringed Mediterranean Gull 2L89

Hungarian Ringed Mediterranean Gull H9A5

Juvenile Mediterranean Gull 35KH ringed in Antwerp

Another Antwerp bird 3326

Juvenile Sandwich Tern resting with some of the Mediterranean Gulls

If your patient the Gulls allow close approach

Rock Pipit

Tuesday 21 July 2020

Monday 21/07/2020

French Green Ringed RAA1

This morning I was chauffeured to Copt Point by AJG, where we spent a couple of hours in perfect weather conditions in the company of c350 Mediterranean Gulls. We managed to read 25 Rings mainly Belgian and French, but also 2 German and a British ring.

Antwerp ringed Juvenile 39JJ

Antwerp ringed E561

Every Mediterranean Gull plumage on show at Copt Point

Frustrating couldn't quite read the ring

A Really Smart Bird

Antwerp ringed 3KN9 in the background

Juvenile Rock Pipit

Walking back to the car we came across a family of Rock Pipits, a bird I rarely see at Dungeness.

Adult Rock Pipit

Whilst i saw sorting through the moth trap at lunchtime OL called to say Sam had found a Wood Warbler in the Sallows in The Moat, not a bird you can guarantee to see at Dungeness every year. Eventually I did get several good views of it in the top of the Sallows but no chance of a snap of it.

Black Redstart at Galloways very early morning, Little Owl was also there today.

Lesser whitethroats and Dunnock at the ARC

Heavily cropped Black-winged stilt from tonight

The Stilt was still present on the ARC this evening as was the Black Tern and Little Gull all socially distancing in front of Hanson Hide. Also there a Garganey, 10 Dunlin, a Common Sandpiper an LRP and 8 Wigeon, Autumns coming.

Great White Egret at the ARC tonight

Fast growing Fox Cubs at the ARC tonight

Always a pleasure to find one of these Cynaeda dentalis in the trap even though there relatively common here.

Saturday 18 July 2020

Saturday 18/07/2020

07.15-0845 from by the sea watch hide, many thanks to AJG for his endurance:

Common Scoter: 7E

Gannet: 11 o/s

Whimbrel: 1W

Kittiwake:6W

Mediterranean Gull: 1W

Sandwich tern 7 down

Common Tern 9 down

Swallow: 3W

Sand Martin: 1W

At the same time I was wandering around Galloways, where there were plenty of juvenile Common Whitethroats and Stonechats and a few Sedge Warblers, the only grounded migrant was a single Willow Warbler, there were plenty of Sand Martins moving west. A walk along the front of Scotney this afternoon saw 3 Tree Sparrows of note.

Very heavily cropped image of the Black-winged Stilt and Black Tern taken this evening from the causeway. Also Garganey and LRP tonight. Unless you live close by it is not worth burning fuel to take your life in your hands with the traffic on the causeway, to get such poor views of the birds. It would be a much better return for your money to go to Oare Marshes where you can actually see the birds well and in comfort.

Bisigna procerella a new micro for my trap

Metalampra italica the second occurrence of this micro in my trap

Yet another Sussex Emerald. an impressive 8 in my trap this year

Wednesday 15 July 2020

Wednesday 15/07/2020

Barn Owl over Boulderwall early morning

Sea watch from The Point by AJG & RW
07.15-08.15
Common Scoter: 1E
Manx Shearwater: 1W
Gannet 22 o/s
Cormorant: 6 at The Patch
Oystercatcher: 2E
Curlew: 2W
Mediterranean Gull: 3W
Sandwich Tern: 5W
Common Tern: 8W
At The Patch 2 Little Egrets came in off, 5 Mediterranean Gulls were in the Gull roost, also a Kittiwake and a colour ringed Herring Gull R8VT, but I couldn't find any Yellow-legged Gulls.

Little Egrets coming in off the sea early morning

Great White Egret at the ARC

The Black-winged Stilt is still present at the ARC. Unfortunately it spends most of its time in front of Hanson hide to which there is no access. It can be seen distantly from the causeway, but be careful of the traffic, sometimes when a raptor comes through it can be seen in flight from just past the screen hide.

Juvenile Long-tailed Tit that was with a flock of Tits and wWarblers moving through the Sallows on the causeway between the New Diggings and Burrowes. 2 Common Sandpipers and a black-tailed Godwit were on Burrowes, along with the usual Common Terns, Gulls and wildfowl.

Herring Gull at the fishing boats this afternoon

An hour at the fishing boats this afternoon with RW & PT 15'30-16.30

Gannet: 13 o/s

Cormorant: 2 o/s

Kittiwake: 13W

Sandwich Tern: 8 o/s

Common Tern: 10+o/s

Swift: 4S

Harbour Porpoise: 2

Grey Seal: 2

Just as well that the moths have been relatively interesting, because the birds have been very poor.

A5UX Herring Gull a regular bird at the fishing boats this afternoon

Maple Prominent, very scarce on the peninsular, only my second one.

Brown form of Agapetha zoegana my first, of this form

Dotted Fan-foot, less than annual in my trap

Brown Line Bright Eye, less than annual in my trap but relatively common on the shingle

2 more Sussex Emeralds in the trap this morning, a good year for them.

Monday 13 July 2020

Monday 13/07/2020

Meadow Pipit at The Point this morning

A wander down to The Patch this morning was a waste of time due to the number of fishermen there, then a walk around The Point saw the resident Meadow Pipits and Sonechats as well as a Peregrine and several Swifts going South.

1 of 20 Tree Sparrows around Scotney today

A very pleasant walk out to the wind turbines saw the usual Corn Buntings, Yellow Wagtails, Linnets and Common Buzzards, also at least 20 Tree Sparrows and 2 Ravens. 4+ pairs of Avocets are attempting to nest on the islands, but they are surrounded by Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls.