17/10/2024

Little Gull at the fishing boats this morning

07.15-08.30 from the Boats with RW.

Brent Goose: 3W

Wigeon: 3W

Common Scoter: 2W    5E

Great-crested Grebe:    4 present

Common Tern: 1W

Sandwich Tern: 19W

Little Gull: 1W

Kittiwake: 4W

Black-headed Gull: Present n/c     

Common Gull: Present n/c

Herring Gull: present n/c

Great Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Lesser Black-backed Gull: present n/c  

Arctic Skua: 2W  

Razorbill: 9W

Guillemot: 1W      

Auk: 52W

Red-throated Diver: 1W

Gannet: 225W 

Cormorant: 209W

Merlin: 1W  juv/fem

Harbour Porpoise: 2

Grey Seal: 1

We cut our sea watch short today thinking that the land would be more productive, we were wrong, a handful of Thrushes around the The Desert and TA, along with a few Siskin, Swallow and Skylarks over were about as good as it got until 4 Ring Ouzels put in a brief appearance. From Dennis's a smart 1w Caspian Gull on Burrowes and a few Cattle Egrets on Boulderwall Fields, late afternoon Mike Buckland found a Yellow-browed Warbler at Christmas Dell.

Very poor image of one of 4 Ring Ouzels that flew around the observatory today

A female Gem from the trap this morning

A male Gem from the trap this morning

My first Sallow of the year

16/10/2024

A Juvenile Great Skua passing the fishing boats, now very much a notable bird since the Bird Flu!

Great To see Polish Ringed Black-headed Gull TJVV back for its 5th winter at Dungeness

07.40-09.0 & 13.00-14.30 with RW, OL TW, JY, DW

Brent Goose: 103W     6E

Shoveler: 3W

Common Scoter: 6W    8E

Great-crested Grebe: 1E     3 present

Marsh Harrier: 1 in off the sea

Common Tern: 9 E/ present

Sandwich Tern: 46W

Little Gull: 2E

Kittiwake: 5W       2 present

Black-headed Gull: present n/c

Mediterranean Gull: 101W      12E       

Common Gull: present n/c

Herring Gull: present n/c

Great Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Lesser Black-backed Gull: present n/c  

Great Skua: 1W

Arctic Skua: 5W          3E 

Auk: 42W     16E

Red-throated Diver: 1E    

Gannet: 211W   33E

Swallow: 82 out to sea

Harbour Porpoise: 4

Grey Seal: 1

Common Scoter passing the fishing boats this afternoon

Glossy Ibis on Boulderwall Fields by Cooks Pool

A visit to Hanson saw plenty of common wildfowl but nothing notable the fast diminishing islands, though a Black-necked grebe was seen there late afternoon. As I type a thunder storm is crashing around outside with torrential rain, so I think this is the end of ARC islands, Burrowes islands won't be far behind them.

On Burrowes this afternoon 3 Yellow-legged Gulls and 2+ Caspian Gulls of note but no sign of the Black Tern. There are still double figure numbers of Common Snipe at Christmas Dell but the hay fields are avian free despite plenty of water. A few Bearded Tits are being seen daily from the ramp at Denge Marsh.

One of 7 Gems in the trap this morning

 

15/10/2024

Some of this mornings Brent Geese very distant, like this flock over the back of the container vessel which is a minimum of 6 miles out in the shipping lanes.

Other flocks were much closer

 07.30-10.30 from the Hide

Brent Goose: 3043W

Shelduck: 81W

Shoveler: 14W

Wigeon: 103

Pintail: 28W

Teal: 11W

Common Scoter: 91W    28E

Red-breasred Merganser: 1W

Great-crested Grebe: 1W     4 present

Oystercatcher: 3W

Dunlin: 1W

Arctic Tern: 1 present

Common tern: 1 present

Sandwich Tern: 27W

Black-headed Gull: 183W

Mediterranean Gull: 156W       

Common Gull: 18W

Herring Gull: present n/c

Great Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Lesser Black-backed Gull: present n/c  

Arctic Skua: 2W     2E

Razorbill: 82W

Guillemot: 9W      

Auk: 11W

Red-throated Diver: 1E

Sooty Shearwater: 1E  

Gannet: 92W   40E

Harbour Porpoise: 3

Dolphin sp: 3+W

Grey Seal: 2

Juvenile Arctic Tern

Gannet trailing what I hope is only sea weed which will fall off as it rots

Siberian Chiffchaff

100+ birds were ringed at the observatory today including the above Siberian Chiffchaff, a late Willow Warbler, several Firecrests and Redwing. At leat 3 Black Redstarts were around the Polish Memorial.

There were still good numbers of Chiffchaffs around at least 1 Wheatear and a trickle of Swallows and House Martins.

A late Willow Warbler

Firecrest

Redwing

Avocets on Burrowes, 2 of which were colour ringed

13/10/2024

A cold fairly windy start to the day at The Point, vis mig was virtually non existent, a flock of c50 Stock Doves over, as well as a few each of Meadow Pipits, Goldfinches and Song Thrushes, the highlight was a Barn Owl which flushed from the trapping area near the entrance to net site 13 and promptly disappeared deeper into the Sallows. Barn Owls are just about annual on The Point, presumably young birds trying to find a territory.

Late morning when the wind had dropped right out, I cycled out to Scotney paying a visit to my local Little Owl on the way. Large numbers of Greylag, Canada and Egyptian Geese were encountered all around Scotney but no winter Geese. Tufted Duck, Pochard, Wigeon and Curlew numbers seem to be growing as do the numbers of Little Grebes but I could find none of its the scarcer relatives, several 100s of Gold Plover were wheeling around over the fields at the back, 4 Tree Sparrows and a Grey Wagtail of note flew over.

At the back of Scotney a Lurcher belonging to the traveller community had caught a Hare and been abandoned, 3 members of the community had runaway taking 2 other Lurchers with them once the farmers and authorities were around. As there are Sheep in the nearby fields the Lurcher may die from lead poisoning.

The local Little Owl was enjoying the late morning sun today

An abandoned Lurcher with the corpse of a Brown Hare

By the fishing boats this afternoonGBBG J99AM with its conspicuous wide grin caused by the fishing hook, appears too be thriving, there was very little moving on the sea in the very still conditions . 

Adult Caspian Gull on Burrowes this afternoon

A Dutch ringed 1w Caspian Gull on Burrowes yesterday

A 1w Caspian Gull on Burrowes this afternoon, also there a Black-necked Grebe and Black tern of note.
 

11/10/2024

Because of the still conditions this morning I did not sea watch today. Instead I wandered straight out into The Desert, though not for long when I got the message that Tom had caught a Yellow-browed Warbler.

I ended up staying around the observatory until lunch time, during that time a Short-eared Owl flew North, a Yellowhammer flew South(a very scarce bird on the Peninsula now), lots of Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps were ringed, also Firecrest, Goldcrest and a Common Redstart.

Yellow-browed Warbler was one of over 100 birds ringed this morning

Common Redstart

Starling in The Moat with a ring (not a DBO ring)

Firecrest in a private garden

One of many Chiffchaffs around today

 

One of 3 Caspian Gulls on Burrowes this afternoon

Black Tern on Burrowes

Black-necked Grebe on Burrowes

This family party of Whooper Swans arrived late afternoon on the ARC, hopefully they will hang around for the rest of the Autumn and Winter. I'd like to think the adults are the same pair that have wintered here for the few winters, only this year they have successfully raised 2 young on there breeding grounds and brought them with them.

09/10/2024

This mornings sea watch was rather slow, so it was a blessing when Owen found a Yellow-browed Warbler in the trapping area. We made our way there quite leisurely knowing that finding a single bird in the trapping area is looking for a needle in a haystack. We spent some time looking and listening for it to no avail, eventually David called me to say it was by net site 13 not to far from where we were, a couple of minutes later we joined him and the bird soon called but deep in the Sallows, it called a few more times and we managed the briefest of glimpses, all very unsatisfying, hopefully another more showy bird will turn up. While in the TA a few Siskins and a couple of Bramblings flew over of note.

07.30-09.30 from the boats with RW, 

Common Scoter: 26W    2E

Great-crested Grebe: 2 present

Common Tern: 4W 

Sandwich Tern: 79W

Black-headed Gull: 56W

Mediterranean Gull: 14W       

Common Gull: 23W

Herring Gull: present n/c

Great Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Lesser Black-backed Gull: present n/c  

Arctic Skua: 3W

Guillemot: 3W      

Razorbill: 61W

Auk: 29W

Red-throated Diver: 1 present 

Balearic Shearwater: 3W  

Gannet: 431W   

Cormorant: 142W/present

Sparrowhawk: 2 in off

Merlin: 1 in off with prey

Swallow: 426 out

Wheatear: 2 behind the boats

Pied Wagtail: 16W

Meadow Pipit: 10W

Goldfinch: 40W

Harbour Porpoise: 3

Grey Seal: 2

Whinchat by the Polish Memorial this afternoon

Yellow Wagtail by the Polish Memorial this afternoon

Yellow Wagtail with the Whinchat by the Polish Memorial this afternoon

One of 4 Wheatears by the Polish Memorial this afternoon

One of 2 Firecrests by the lighthouse this afternoon

A very poor image of a skulking Common Whitethroat by the lighthouse this afternoon only included as it is I believe the latest individual I have seen on the mainland.

08/10/2024

 

Sooty Shearwater passing the boats this morning

07.15-11.00 & 14.00-15.30 from the boats with RW, OL, JY & Dave W Smith, GP.

Great-crested Grebe: 2 present

Curlew: 1W

Little Tern: 2W

Common Tern: 30W 

Sandwich Tern: 246W

Kittiwake: 2W

Black-headed Gull: 32W

Mediterranean Gull: 18W       

Common Gull: 35W

Arctic Skua: 10W      3E

Razorbill: 109W

Auk: 63W

Red-throated Diver: 2 present 

Sooty Shearwater: 1W 

Balearic Shearwater: 9W  

Shearwater sp: 2W

Gannet: 663W   

Cormorant: 82W/present

Kestrel: 1 SW out to sea

Merlin: 1 SW out to sea

Swallow: 5,915 out

House Martin: 1,023

Grey Wagtail: 1W

Meadow Pipit: 81W

Linnet: 63W

Goldfinch: 81W

Harbour Porpoise: 2

Grey Seal: 2

A rather distant Balearic Shearwater passing the boats this morning

A bruiser of an Arctic Skua at the fishing boats this afternoon

Common Snipe from Christmas Dell hide

9 New Islands have been created in front of Denge Marsh hide, although today there only Lapwings and a few Gulls on them, they do look promising.

On the ARC from Hanson 2 Black-tailed Godwits were the highlight per GJ

The Sycamore in the lighthouse garden has been chopped down for some as yet unknown reason.😢

A much anticipated moth was my first Radford's Flame Shoulder yesterday😀