25/04/2025

Todays sea watching was dominated by the 3,500 Bar-tailed Godwits passing today, (a full list can be seen HERE ) also there was an arrival of Swallows. Nothing new was reported from the reserve, also very little in the way of new migrants on The Point apart from a few Wheatears. The pair of Red-crested Pochards continue to show well at the Kerton Road, Cemex Pit. 

Greenshanks on the hay fields last evening

Bar-tailed Godwits glowing in the setting sun last evening

Male Marsh harrier over Denge Marsh in the setting sun

The lone Barnacle Goose at Christmas Dell calling for a mate maybe?

Brown Hare on the reserve last evening

Brown Hare on the reserve last evening

23/04/2025

Pomarine Skuas passing this morning

An exceptionally good sea watch this morning despite the driving rain coming through the open slats of the sea watch hide. A full list of the of the numbers and species can been seen HERE

1 of the 15 Arctic Skuas that came past this morning 

Some of the 10 Black-throated Divers from this mornings sea watch

There was very little other news as everyone was sea watching, though at least 3 Black Terns made it onto Burrowes Pit, also the Red-crested Pochards were still on the Kerton Road Pit.

Black and Common Terns on Burrowes this afternoon

22/04/2025

 4 hours in total sea watching today for me was a some what fruitless experience. Tomorrows, morning rain coupled with SE winds promises good sea watching, but I have been deceived many times by the weather.

My first Hairy Dragonfly of the year along the track to Hanson Hide

At the ARC from Hanson this morning the islands are still improving but very few birds to be found there at the moment. Bearded Tits were very vocal around the hide, as were Water Rail and the usual Reed Bed warblers, along the track the my first Hairy Dragonfly of the year.

Cattle Egret at Brickwall Farm

At Brickwall Farm, Denge Marsh 2 Cattle Egrets and 2 Yellow Wagtails. A White Stork (probably a Knepp bird) toured the peninsular late morning , I managed to get distant views of it from Denge Marsh.

One of a minimum 7 sitting Lapwings on the hay fields

Despite the hay fields looking in excellent condition they are only attracting a small number of migrating waders. Today there was a singles of Bar-tailed Godwit, Greenshank, and 2 Whimbrel with the resident Redshank, Oystercatchers and Lapwings, I feel sure more will turn up over the next few of weeks.

Greenshank Hayfield 1

Bar-tailed Godwit Hayfield 1

This Corn Bunting has set up its territory again this year at Springfield Bridge

A Frosted Green moth 

The above moth was a major surprise in my trap today, it took me a while checking the Moth field guide to actually identify it as a Frosted Green which inhabit old broad leaved woodland with mature trees. Apparently it is the first record of one on the Dungeness peninsula not an area known for its woodland.

21/04/2025

An Arctic Skua passing the bouy this afternoon

 As I drove to the the towards the beach early this morning the peninsular was covered in dense fog, I decided to make a stop at the ARC  in case there was any new arrivals singing. There were plenty of Sedge, Reed and Cetti's Warblers singing with Blackcaps, Common and Lesser Whitethroats, also 2 Cuckoos my first of the year. From Hanson the islands are appearing quite rapidly but nothing was present when I looked this morning. I Carried on to the beach where I met Richard, due to the fog we decided to walk around the trapping area and Desert, on reflection not the wisest of choices, we saw 1 Wheatear and heard Wheatear and Willow Warbler and the resident Stonechats and not much else. As the fog thinned I spent an hour staring out to sea but saw little as visibility was still very restricted.

A pair of Red-crested Pochard  this afternoon

Back at the sea watch hide this afternoon for a couple of hours with better visibility there was a short spell where 10 Arctic Skuas, 2 Great Skuas and Pomarine Skua came through but little else. 

While I was still sea watching a message came through from Graham that he had found a drake and duck Red-crested Pochard on the Kerton Road, Cemex Pit, as they are barely annual here I resisted the temptation to pack up sea watching straight away and twitch them, though I did see them on way home early evening.

On the reserve the Long-tailed Duck was still present on Burrowes Pit per RW, Greenshank, Whimbrel, LRP and Ruff on the Hay Field per RW also the long staying Greater White-fronted Goose on Denge Marsh. Several Hobbys were also seen

20/04/2025

Some of the Bar-tailed Godwits that flew past the sea watch hide today

This Little Egret was a bit of a surprise this afternoon flying past the sea watch hide

A very cool miserable day with a strong NE wind meant most of my time was spent staring out to sea with Jacob. We logged 5 Manx Shearwaters, 3 Black-throated Divers, a Pomarine Skua, a Bonxie, 6 Arctic Skuas, nearly 600 Bar-tailed Godwits, 250 Arctic Terns, 25 Little Gulls etc so it was a good watch, though there were long periods in the middle of the day when very little was happening.

I did visit Hanson Hide and was pleased to see more islands becoming visible though the only waders present were a Ringed plover and Lapwing, the Willow Trail is now dry but is still blocked due to ongoing works, hopefully it will open fully very soon. A quick visit to Burrowes was disappointing though some Sand Martins were taking an interest in the Sand Martin wall by the visitor centre, there was no sign of the Long-tailed Duck but it could have moved to the New Diggings. With much lighter winds in the forecast for the coming week hopefully we can look forward to to some passerines around the peninsula and some waders on the lakes and hay fields.

A couple of the Yellow Wagtail images from Scotney I tried to post the other day

 

19/04/2025

Bar-tailed Godwits passing the Bouy

Whimbrel passing the sea watch hide today

In the last few days the peninsular has been bereft of newly arrived migrant birds, so I have spent most of time staring out to sea which has been reasonably productive. Several 1,000s of Bar-tailed Godwits having been moving East along with 100s of Whimbrel and smaller numbers of Grey Plover, also our first 2 Pomarine Skuas of the year, several Great Skuas and good numbers of Arctic Skuas. Common Scoter continue to feature and Common and Arctic Terns have started to pass, hopefully some Black Terns soon. Full sea watching numbers can be found on the Trektellen web site.

On th ereserve the Long-tailed Duck is still on Burrowes and there are plenty of Reed and Sedge Warblers and Common and Lesser Whitethroats, hopefully more summer migrants will arrive in the next few days. 

17/04/2025

It would appear that somehow Blogger has lost or deleted all of the post for the17th including all the images.😠

12-13/04/2025

A super weekends birding at Dungeness with the undoubted highlight of the weekend sea watches was the was a Surf Scoter that came past with c1600 Common Scoter on Saturday not long after a Serin flew over the hide, also all 3 Divers, Arctic and Great Skua, 4 species of Tern and much more. Many thanks to the watchers at Beachy Head for alerting us that the Scoter was on its way.

On the land Black-winged Stilt, Hoopoe, Red-rumped Swallow, Bittern, Bearded Tits and the first rush of spring migrants.

This Black Redstart is singing every morning behind the sea watch hide

 

Female Black Redstart behind the hide

The Black-winged Stilt that turned up on Hayfield 1 Saturday morning and ai still present this evening

Black-winged Stilt

Black-winged Stilt

Great Crested Grebes doing the weed dance at Denge Marsh yesterday

Great Crested Grebes doing the weed dance 

Great Crested Grebes doing the weed dance 

Great Crested Grebes doing the weed dance 

A Raven at Denge Marsh yesterday that had just finished bathing

Sedge Warbler at Dengemarsh yesterday, spring arrivals.

1 of at least 12 Yellow Wagtails at the Denge Marsh chicken sheds yesterday

Hoopoe in The Desert this morning

Record images of this afternoons Red-rumped Swallow at Denge Marsh