29/10/2026

An early morning wander around The Point was as expected in the flat calm conditions fairly unproductive. Apart from Pigeons, Starlings and Chaffinches there was very little overhead migration and not a great deal in the way of grounded migrants, highlight for me was 3 Dartford Warblers and a Brown Hare, a Siberian Chichaff was found in the mist nets unfortunately my knees were playing up so I didn't stride across The Desert to see it.

A visit to the ARC in the company of John Young where the 3 Whooper Swans were still present, an elusive Garganey, 2 Bitterns and the usual wildfowl, also some Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps, Goldcrests and a Firecrest in the Sallows. After we left the Glossy Ibis reappeared.

Whooper Swans

Bittern

 

Garganey (left)  Teal (right)

Pintail

Firecrest

This afternoon I cycled to the Jurys Gap Sandpit where I spent 2 hours just sitting on the edge of the lake just enjoying the company of 35+ Little Gulls absolutely magical, also apart from a distant tractor driver I didn't see another person. 

Little Gulls at the Jurys Gap Sandpit

Golden Plovers, Lapwing and Dunlin on a Scotney island

27/10/2026

An excellent day spent mostly at the fishing boats seeing 100s of Little Gulls, a reasonably close Leach's Petrel, a Grey Phalarope, 5+ Arctic Skuas, and 2 Caspian Gulls and more.

Leach's Petrel passing the fishing boats this morning

Leach's Petrel passing the fishing boats this morning

Leach's Petrel passing the fishing boats this morning

Leach's Petrel passing the fishing boats this morning

Leach's Petrel passing the fishing boats this morning

 

Grey Phalarope feeding off the fishing boats this afternoon

Grey Phalarope with a Little Gull feeding off the fishing boats this afternoon

Grey Phalarope feeding off the fishing boats this afternoon

Grey Phalarope feeding off the fishing boats this afternoon

Grey Phalarope feeding off the fishing boats this afternoon

Grey Phalarope feeding off the fishing boats this afternoon

26/10/2026

 I opted for the comfort of the sea watch hide this morning due to the rain and wind, to be later joined by James. The radios were very handy for keeping in touch with the more hardy watchers at the fishing boats, our thanks to Steve and Jacob for giving us advance warning of birds on there way to our position. I didn't see all the birds and missed the Grey Phalarope, but we saw birds they didn't as well, I also missed the Puffin and Leach's Petrel because I popped home for lunch.😡 

Sooty Shearwater approaching the Dungeness Bouy

Another Sooty Shearwater approaching the Dungeness Bouy

And another Sooty Shearwater approaching the Dungeness Bouy

A 1w Common Gull harassing an adult Little Gull

A 1w Little Gull

Juvenile Gannets

There was still at least 110 Little Gulls on Burrowes today, the image above was taken yesterday

24/10/2026

Great Northern Diver off the fishing boats this morning, shame about the appalling morning light there.

I wasn't expecting to be at the fishing boats long this morning due to weather conditions and the appalling early morning light. Although there was not much sea passage going on there was some visible migration of Finches, Pipits and a few Larks notably 3 Wood Lark thanks to Steve Gales timely radio message. Off shore a Great Northern Diver was feeding close in which is quite unusual here, also at least 4 Red-throated Divers were feeding among the many Cormorants and a single Great-crested Grebe, 66 Gannets moved west with 8 Kittiwakes and a Little Gull, a few Auks were tooing and froing along way out. while 8 Turnstone were gleaning the shoreline, 2 Swallows departed out to sea.

Great Northern Diver

Great Northern Diver

Great Northern Diver

Red-throated Diver

As I arrived at Hanson hide this afternoon the apocalyptic rain started, so i decided to count the Shoveler, I got to 532 though there must have been many more I could not see, a Bittern gave a brief flight view and the colour ringed Wigeon was still present. On Burrowes 2 Godeneye and a Greenshank were the highlights.

 

23/10/2026

 An excellent mornings sea watching thanks to storm Austen watching from the relative shelter of the fishing boats, once the eye passed through the wind came from a Northerly vector curtailing the fun as passage appeared to move far out to sea. Some of the Leach's Petrels were close in, as were a Sooty and the Manx Shearwater, also the juvenile Pomarine Skua which was beating up Kittiwakes. Normally I would have tried to photograph them but I deliberately left my camera in the car, because of the rain and sea spray and also the danger of of rogue waves, one of which took Steve Gale by surprise leaving him with cuts, very wet and a slight loss of dignity.

Near adult Yellow-legged Gull

Back at the fishing boats for an hour this afternoon at low tide. On the beach a Yellow-legged Gull and a debatable Caspian Gull, while at sea apart from many Cormorants and a few Gannets abolutely nothing else.

1w Caspian Gull, though it doesn't seem to be pure to me

20/10/2026

Some of the 380 Little Gulls that passed the fishing boats this afternoon

As soon as the weather improved the passage ended as they appeared to move further out to sea,

 
Owen, Richard and myself were in the sea watch hide when Jacob called on the radio 5 Bean Geese heading for the new lighthouse, by the time we tumbled out of the hide they were heading out to sea, which is my excuse for such a poor image of them.

There 4 Black Redstarts along the perimeter wall this morning

There was smattering of Redwings and Ring Ouzels around this morning, though I only saw a single Ring Ouzel departing rapidly West. At least 4 Woodcock were seen alas not by me.

My first Goldcrest of the autumn

There was no sign of yesterdays of Yellow-browed Warbler, which I failed miserably to photograph.

Lot of Chiffchaffs around