09/10/2026

Due to the poor weather most of my day was taken up with sea watching

A few images taken from the fishing boats

Juvenile Arctic Skuas at the fishing boats this afternoon

Gannet off the fishing boats this afternoon

Red-throated Diver at the fishing boats

Juvenile Kittiwake

 

08/10/2026

One of several Song Thrushes I encountered wandering around The desert this morning

A very distinctive Common Buzzard over The Desert this morning

A chilly wander around The Desert this morning in a stiff cold NW wind. In the sun traps out of the wind a few Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps. Song Thrushes and the odd Redwing were enjoying Rose Hips, Hawthorn and Sloes, but were as usual very jumpy, 3+ Sparrowhawks probably didn't help though most birds were keeping well down due to the wind.

A rather striking Common Buzzard being harassed by a Crow in The Desert

Common Buzzard being harassed by a Crow in The Desert

 

I couldn't cycle past the local Little Owl without a quick snap

Redshank at Scotney main pit

Turnstone at the western end of Scotney main pit

Ruff at Scotney. The adult male has very distinctive white patches in the wings

Red Kite over Bretts late morning

5 of 13 Cattle Egrets present by the chicken sheds late morning

Kestrel at The fishing boats this afternoon

At the fishing boats this afternoon the highlight was probably the Butterflys coming in off the sea, mainly Red Admirals and Small White, with a couple of Small Tortoiseshell and even a Clouded Yellow.

5-6/10/2026

The lovely Yellow-browed Warbler trapped and processed by the DBO ringing team who kindly showed the bird to me and David G. yesterday

 

Black Tern feeding off the fishing boats yesterday

With flat a calm conditions the sea watching has been grim, so poor that I even spent the afternoon in my garden tidying things up for the winter.

Bothe Little Owls were out this morning and still there 2 hours later.

A small flock of Ruff disturbed from the ploughed fields at the back of Scotney farm.

Once the fog lifted this morning I cycled all around the Scotney Complex. Highlights of a couple of hours out there were 11 Ruff, 3 Green Sandpipers, 11 Dunlin, 4 Ringed Plover, a Greenshank, 6 Redshank, 400+ Golden Plover, 300+ Lapwing, 250 Linnets, 30+ Skylarks, 20+ Tree Sparrows, a Merlin, 3 Marsh Harriers, several Common Buzzards and several Clouded Yellows, downside was large numbers of feral Greylag, Canada and Egyptian Geese.

Ruff over the ploughed fields at the back of Scotney farm

A Common Buzzard with a raucous Rook for company over my garden this afternoon

The 3rd Dialectica scalariella to turn in my trap a nationally scarce leaf miner, specialising on Vipers Bugloss. 

A colourful example of a Vestal from my trap

3-4/10/2026

Single Ruff on the small island at the ARC from the causeway

The exceptionally mild settled weather has seemed to have put bird migration on hold at Dungeness so far this October, apart from the odd day sea watching has been very hard work for little reward, likewise the bushes except for Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps and Reed Buntings, Thrushes have been as good as non existant and only small numbers of Hirundines over. The American Gold en Plover continues to be reported at Jurys Gap, though I have not managed to see it in my last 9 visits.😞

Wheatear at Scotney

The usual Little Owl enjoying the warm October sunshine

Radford's Flame Shoulder in the MV trap this morning

 

01/10/2026

A wander around The Desert early morning saw many Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Reed Buntings in the bushes, also in there a few Robins, Stonechats and Wheatears, while overhead House Martins, Swallows and a few Sand Martins. The only report from the sea was a couple of Shearwaters, presumably left overs from yesterdays bounty which can be seen Here

Another cycle ride to the sandpit saw 2 Ruff and 2 Turnstones  on the Scotney main lake among the hordes of feral Geese, Wigeon numbers are starting to build there. At the sandpit c300 Golden Plover strung out across the field, alas I couldn't find the American Golden Plover though it was reported as present late afternoon.

Heavily cropped image of Pectoral Sandpiper opposite Dennis's Hide this afternoon

Heavily cropped image of Pectoral Sandpiper over Burrowes

 

28/09/2026

The morning sea watch was as expected very quiet, just a few Arctic Skuas messing around chasing Terns, nothing else was moving.

The local Little Owl late morning

Another visit to Jurys Gap where I could only find c40 Golden Plovers and 4 Ruff, alas I couldn't find the American Golden Plover. Most the bushes to and from the sandpit held Chiffchaffs darting out to grab insects.

Grey Seal hauled out where I normally sit at the fishing boats, it looked so comfortable I moved my position so as not to disturb it. When I did sea watch there was absolutely nothing moving.
 

The beach flies did't seem to bother it

From Hanson late afternoon the Garganey was still present as was the adult Little Gull, also 27 Pintail and 36 Wigeon, among the Gadwall, Shoveler, Mallard,Teal Pochard and Tufties.

The Pectoral Sandpiper was still on Burrowes from Dennis's Hide.

26-27/09/2026

Yellow-browed Warbler in the lighthouse garden early afternoon

The best part of today was spent sea watching, not a classic by any means but enough to keep me entertained. Highlights were the first returning flocks of Brent Geese and several flocks of Wigeon, Teal and Pintail along with 4 Balearic Shearwaters, 20+ Arctic Skuas several 100s of Gannets
 

Guillemot diving moments before a wipe out

The Jurys Gap American Golden Plover(centre) with Golden Plover in the ploughed field yesterday and still present today.

Dartford Warbler feeding on the sea defence rocks at The Midrips

There was plenty of water in the 2 main pools at The Midrips but not a single wader. The pools are probably very polluted from the many years as a firing range.

Wheatear at The Midrips

Curlew on the Scotney sward

24/09/2026

A very poor image of a flock of 38 Balearic Shearwaters that flew east past the hide this morning, I think it's largest flock I have seen at Dungeness. There was also between 30 & 40 Arctic Skuas harassing the large numbers of Sandwich and Common Terns feeding off shore, also 3 Black Terns and a Little Gull.

Little Gull in front the sea watch hide this morning

The Pectoral Sandpiper was again on Burrowes Pit today,. The Glossy Ibis was seen at Boulderwall but appeared to fly off NW. Apart from a Dartford Warbler, Whinchat and Wheatears there was little else reported.

Nearby the American Golden Plover was again in the ploughed field at Jury's Gap.

The local Little Owl busy watching for Beetles while ignoring me.

The gogeous Beautiful Marbled moth that was on my trap this morning