08/05/2022

The regular male Black Redstart in the early morning sunshine

Flock of Whimbrel past the sea watch hide

Drake Eider past the sea watch hide in the early evening light

Sea watching today was hard work but eventually provided Great, Pomarine, and Arctic Skuas, along with Black, Arctic, Common and Sandwich Terns but Allin small numbers. Whimbrel numbers were good and the first pulse of brick red Knot came through today. Full details cab seen on Trektellen.

Ring-necked Duck on Burrowes Yesterday

                                                       Ring-necked Duck on Burrowes Yesterday

The Ring-necked Duck found yesterday by Andrew Lawson was still present on Burrowes today. The hay fields provided most interest on the reserve with 2 Wood Sandpipers,  4 Greenshank, Redshank, Ringed plovers, Bar-tailed Godwits, a Black-tailed Godwit, Lapwings with chicks and a fine drake Garganey. Elsewhere on the reserve Bitterns, Bearded Tits, Marsh Harriers, 6+ Hobbys,  Reed, Sedge and Cetti's Warblers. Hirundines though are still virtually non existent.

Great-crested Grebe on the ARC from Hanson

1 of 2 Wood Sandpipers on the hay fields today

1 of 4 Greenshanks on the hayfields today

Corn Bunting at Dengemarsh

The 2nd Portland Ribbon Wave to grace the Plodland trap

06/05/2022

Cuckoo at the ARC

The last 3 days sea watching has been quite frankly abysmal considering it is the first week of May. A good number of hours have been put in during the mornings, afternoons and evenings with very little return for the effort, as always though I convince myself that tomorrow will be better. 

There has been a lack of spring migrants on the peninsula, Hirundines of all makes have been few and far between as have other passerines. Only a few waders have been seen on the flooded hay fields, though 5 Lapwing chicks were found by CT, whether they survive the Corvids, Marsh Harriers and other predators remains to be seen, at least the weather looks as though it is on their side. Highlights have been 2 more Marine Skuas on the 4th, a distant Red Kite yesterday and Cuckoo today.

Sedge Warbler at the ARC

Gem the first quality moth of the year in the Plodland MV today

The new supposedly temporary screen where Makepiece Hide once stood. My mum always told me if you can't say anything nice don't say anything, I shall not say anything!

03/05/2022

Arctic Skua

A very tired Bar-tailed Godwit that landed on the beach infant of the sea watch hide

 05.30-09.00 & 14.00-17.00 with AH, JS, PT, RW, OL

Brent Goose: 38

Shelduck: 2E

Common Scoter: 55E 5W

Red-throated Diver: 3E 1W

Great-crested Grebe: 5 on

Fulmar: 2E     2W

Manx Shearwater: 1W

Gannet: 138E

Little Egret: 1W

Oystercatcher: 12E 2W

Grey Plover: 1E

Bar-tailed Godwit: 64E

Whimbrel: 3E

Turnstone: 4E

Sanderling: 2E

Kittiwake: 34E 3W

Little Gull: 11E

Mediterranean Gull: 12E

Sandwich Tern: 36E

Little Tern: 4E

Arctic Tern: 54E

Commic Tern: 511E

Black Tern: 2E

Pomarine Skua: 4E

Arctic Skua: 8E

Guillemot: 1E

Auk sp: 60E      13W

Merlin: 1 hunting off shore

Hobby: 1 in

Swallow: 20 in

Wheatear: 2 in

Grey Seal: 1

Harbour Porpoise: c25

A short visit to both Scotney and Galloways found very little in the way of new migrants. I had just got home for lunch when Jacob messaged another Black Kite over the power station, I spent a while scoping from the garden with no luck, so I drove down to the power station approach road, where with messages from the DBO I managed distant views of the bird over the transformer,, where it circled up up and lost to view. I just gat back for another try for lunch when Richard messaged that it was over Christmas Dell heading for Burrowes, so another drive to the bottom of the ARC where I could see the Gulls alarming but no Kite! I scanned the ARC and saw the Glossy Ibis fly across and in the background the Black kiter over the Water Tower heading for the airport where it was once again lost to view. There have now been at least 4 Black kites at Dungeness this spring, another remarkable string of records for this species.  

01/05/2022

Pomarine Skua

Another long but very rewarding day staring out to sea, loads of birds and good company. 

 05.30-17.00 JS,AH,CT,LW,RW,OL et el

Brent Goose: 86E

Shelduck: 3E

Shoveler: 2E

Teal: 2E

Gadwall: 2E

Eider: 12E

Velvet Scoter: 4E

Common Scoter: 2,245E      87W

Red-breasted Merganser: 1E

Red-throated Diver: 47E    3W

Black-throated Diver: 4E

Great Northern Diver: 4E

Great-crested Grebe: 3 on

Fulmar: 10E     6W 

Gannet: 186E 

Cormorant: present n/c

Grey Heron: 1 in

Kestrel: 1 in

Oystercatcher: 18E

Bar-tailed Godwit: 11E

Whimbrel: 43E

Sanderling: 12E

Kittiwake: 190E

Black-headed Gull: present n/c

Mediterranean Gull: 6E 

Common Gull: present n/c

Great Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Herring Gull: present n/c

Little Tern: 53E

Sandwich Tern: 89E

Commic Tern: 1,442E

Great Skua: 14E

Pomarine Skua: 20E

Arctic Skua: 20E

Skua sp: 3E 

Guillemot: 2E 

Auk sp: 58E

Kestrel: 1 in

Swallow: 59 in

Wheatear: 1 on top of hide

Carrion Crow: 1 in

Harbour Porpoise: 10+

Grey Seal: 1

2 Pomarine Skuas

3 Pomarine Skuas

Eider, shame the Poms weren't so obliging

30/04/2022

Whimbrel passing The point

005.50-10.30 +13.45-18.30 with JS, RW, CT, JY et al

Brent Goose: 24E

Shelduck: 6E

Velvet Scoter: 4E

Common Scoter: 430E   6W

Red-breasted Merganser: 5E

Red-throated Diver: 20E 

Black-throated Diver: 2E

Great-crested Grebe: 3 on

Fulmar: 1E    4W

Manx Shearwater: 1E 

Gannet: 216E 

Cormorant: present n/c

Gannet:  298E

Kestrel: 1 in

Oystercatcher: 10E

Bar-tailed Godwit: 84E

Whimbrel: 71E

Kittiwake: 192E

Little Gull: 2E

Black-headed Gull: present n/c

Mediterranean Gull: 9E   2W

Common Gull: present n/c

Great Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Herring Gull: present n/c

Little Tern: 12E

Sandwich Tern: 127E

Common Tern: 1,424E

Commic Tern: 765E

Great Skua: 15E

Pomarine Skua: 4E

Arctic Skua: 22E 

Guillemot: 4E 

Auk sp: 131E

Kestrel: 1 in

Swallow: 128 in

Carrion Crow: 1 in

Harbour Porpoise: 6+

Grey Seal: 2

A distant out of focus Pomarine Skua 💩

Bar-tailed Godwits

1 of at least 4 Hobbys at Dengemarsh

Greenshank and Redshank

Greenshank and Spotted Redshank

29/04/2022

Some of the 1,000s of Bar-tailed Godwits that have been passing the sea watch hide

I have been a little lax at posting this week, as I have been out in the field to dusk most days. Large numbers of Waders, Terns, Skuas, Gannets, Divers, Auks and Duck have been passing the sea watch hide this week, giving the watchers a superb spectacle.(I'm afraid my images do not do justice to that spectacle). 

Highlights as always this time of year are the Skuas, in particular the Pomarine Skuas with good numbers of Great and Arctic. A Red-necked Grebe was a first of the year, a Great Northern and several Black-throated Divers along with many Red-throated Divers have been seen. The large number of Bar-tailed Godwits have been a wonderful spectacle, especially the brick red summer plumaged adults.

Other highlights this week have been several Ring Ouzels, a Wood Warbler in the trapping area today found by Jacob and my first Swift of the year today.

Spring passerine migrants still appear to be in very low numbers, though a few more Swallows arrived today. Reports from the reserve are that there is very little new there, occasion Bittern sightings, Bearded Tits, Marsh Harriers, a couple of cold, hungry looking Hobbys, even Reed and Sedge Warblers seem to be very low numbers. Hopefully warmer weather next week will improve things.

100s of Whimbrel past this week

Bar-tailed Godwits

Party of 3 distant Pomarine Skuas

Party of 5 distant Pomarine Skuas

Party of 3 Arctic Skuas passing the bouy

Pod of 6 White-beaked Dolphins, though distant for the camera, they gave great scope views during the 30 minutes they took to pass. often leaping clear of the sea

Arctic Skuas

Typical Dungeness view of a Great Northern Diver

1,000s of Common, Arctic and Sandwich Terns have been passing, also small numbers of Little and Black Terns.

Black Tern

Resident Great-crested Grebes 

 

25/04/2022

This mornings sea watch was a slow affair with most of the birds passing a great distance, 2 Pomarine Skuas were seen along with 12 Arctic Skuas, 3 Velvet Scoters, small numbers each of Common Scoter, Bar-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel, Terns and Gannets. However I hear that a decent passage of Terns is under way this evening.

Marsh Harrier at Dengemarsh

At Galloways and Dengemarsh Gully 2 Wheatears and 6 Swallows were the best I could find. At Dengemarsh my first Hobby of the year, Marsh Harriers,  a brief flyby Bittern, a Glossy Ibis, a few Redshank and Lapwings, calling Bearded Tits and c20 Corn Buntings of note.

Female Ring Ouzel briefly opposite Cooks Pool

Along the entrance track to the reserve a Ring Ouzel showed briefly, a few each of Sedge, Reed Warbler and Cetti's Warbler singing otherwise very quiet. From Dennis's 2 Greenshanks and 3 Ringed Plovers, good to see the water level on Burrowes finally starting to drop.

Greenshanks on Burrowes

Oystercatcher on ARC bench

 

24/04/2022

The 2nd Black Kite this spring we've seen while sea watching

 05.30-11.30 with JS, JC, DW PT et al

Shelduck: 2E

Teal: 25E

Common Scoter: 31E. 9W 

Red-breasted Merganser: 1E

Red-throated Diver: 6E 

Great-crested Grebe: 5 on

Fulmar: 5E 

Manx Shearwater: 1W

Gannet: 59E     22W

Cormorant: present n/c

Grey Heron: 2 in

Black Kite: 1 SE. Presumed same came back in 30minutes later well west of the hide

Oystercatcher: 23E

Grey Plover: 4E 

Bar-tailed Godwit: 634E

Whimbrel: 92E

Curlew: 1E

Wood Sandpiper: 1E (first one I've seen on a sea watch)

Kittiwake: 28E

Little Gull: 23E

Black-headed Gull: present n/c

Mediterranean Gull: 2E 

Common Gull: present n/c

Great Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Herring Gull: present n/c

Sandwich Tern: 125E

Common Tern: 101E

Arctic Tern: 23E 

Great Skua: 1E

Arctic Skua: 9E 

Guillemot: 16E

Auk sp: 14E 2W

Sand Martin: 3 in

Swallow: 6 in

Yellow Wagtail: 3 in

Black Redstart: 1 present

Jackdaw: 5 in

Carrion Crow: 1 in

Harbour Porpoise: 20+

Grey Seal: 1

Grey Herons coming in off the sea early morning

A superb days sea watching at Dungeness

Bar-tailed Godwits, Whimbrel, Grey Plover and a Knot

05.40-11.15 & 12.40-20.00 with JS, DW, RW, VW, JY, SO et al. Special thanks to Jacob for keeping the log.

Brent Goose: 3E

Shoveler: 12E

Teal: 2E

Pintail: 4E

Velvet Scoter: 1E

Common Scoter: 67E

Red-breasted Merganser: 1E

Red-throated Diver: 5E 

Great-crested Grebe: 6 on

Fulmar: 8E 

Gannet: 256E 

Cormorant: present n/c

Oystercatcher: 30E

Avocet: 6E

Grey Plover: 8E

Ringed Plover: 1E

Whimbrel: 72E

Bar-tailed Godwit: 2507E

Knot: 6E

Sanderling: 32E

Dunlin: 21E

Kittiwake: 21E

Little Gull: 77E

Black-headed Gull: present n/c

Mediterranean Gull: 1E 

Common Gull: present n/c

Great Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Herring Gull: present n/c

Lesser Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Little Tern: 7E

Sandwich Tern: 611E

Common Tern: 750E 

Black Tern: 1E

Great Skua: 7E

Arctic Skua: 224E

Guillemot: 8E

Razorbill: 1E

Auk sp:164E

Sand Martin: 2 in

Swallow: 20 in

Alba Wagtail: 2 in

Harbour Porpoise: 30+

Grey Seal: 1

Bar-tailed Godwits

Bar-tailed Godwits photobombing a Harbour Porpoise

 

                                                                         Whimbrel

Arctic Skua (dark phase)

Avocets

Great Skua with random white feathers

Oystercatchers

Arctic Skua (light phase)

Little Gulls, Arctic and Common Terns