24/05/2026

Standout highlight of the weekend was the Greenish Warbler found by Jacob this morning which is a Dungeness ✅ for me and for most of the Dunge regulars.

An arrival of Honey Buzzards late morning involving 4-5 birds, also 2 Red kites and 2 White Storks. Early afternoon 2 Bee-eaters arrived and lingered long enough for all those turned to see.

Greenish Warbler in the trapping area

Greenish Warbler

 

One of the 2 Bee-eaters that spent an hour or so at Kerton Road this afternoon

The 2 Honey Buzzards that came over my house late this morning

One of at least 3 Redshank chicks on the Boulderwall Flood today, also probably 2 pairs of Little Ringed Plover, a Wood sandpiper and a drake Garganey there. Nearby a Bittern gave a flyby and several Hobbys.

White Stork from the garden yesterday

A Hobby at the ARC a couple of days ago

8 of a family of 10 Bearded Tits at the ramp yesterday

Great-crested Grebes on the Boulderwall flood yesterday

Bittern over the Boulderwall Flood yesterday

                                                      A well fed Peregrine at Scotney

A well fed Peregrine at Scotney

Many Yellow Wagtails at Scotney the other evening

21/05/2026 Calais

On Thursday myself, Chris, Jacob, Richard and Jonathan went on a day trip to the Calais area, it is always great to go there but it does make me realise how nature depleted we are in the UK. At one small marsh we saw several Marsh Warblers, a flock of 6 Cuckoo's, Turtle Doves, Honey Buzzards, Bluethroat, Short-toed Treecreepers, Spotted Flycatchers and lots more. At another site more Honey Buzzards, Melodious Warblers, along with lots of the common warblers and finches, it seems everywhere you stop there are birds and parking seems to be free. At Oye Plage Zitting Cisticolas were plentiful, also a couple of Icterine Warblers, Grasshopper Warblers, Stilts, Black-necked Grebes, Kentish Plovers, a Montagu's Harrier and lots more. We even made it back to the observatory in time to see the Red-breasted Flycatcher go to roost.

A singing White-spotted Bluethroat

At least 8 Honey Buzzards were noted on this trip

Singing Melodious Warbler

A Swallowtail Butterfly

Spotted Flycatcher

Marsh Harrier

Lots of Zitting Cisticolas on the coastal strip

A 2nd calendar year Montagu's Harrier was probably the biggest surprise of the day

Spoonbill

16-17/05/2026

A sea watch this morning produced 8 Manx Shearwaters and an Arctic Skua of note,

A fairly quiet weekend on the peninsula with little new to be seen, 4-5 brief Spotted Fycatchers were about as good as it got.

Great-crested Grebe feeding chicks on the Boulderwall Flood

Struggling to swallow the fish

Try again 

Success on its way down

 Spoonbill and Garganey on the ARCSpoonbill on the ARC

Spoonbill over Boulderwall

Drake Garganey at the ARC

These 2 Wigeon were a surprise on the ARC this morning, the first I have seen for several weeks.

15/05/2026

An early morning Bittern at the ARC

Garganey still at the ARC, another was on the Boulderwall flood this evening

 A Friday Birders Club away day to Rye Harbour LNR today, a long walk all the way round seeing plenty of birds and finishing back at the car park to feast on Owens home made Madeira Cake and Tea, an excellent day out with excellent company, we must do it more often.

Sadly the only Little Tern we saw at Rye Harbour LNR today

Good to see some Sandwich Terns Nesting

11 species of wader were seen including this Red Knot

This Spoonbill was a nice surprise 

White-fronted Goose at Castle Water

14/05/2026

Another very cold May sea watch this morning, the highlights were 23 Manx Shearwaters moving West along with 80+ Kittiwakes.

I've been hearing a Green Woodpecker from my garden daily and today I finally spotted it out in the field on one of the telegraph poles.
 

In between the showers several Hobbys were hunting over the ARC complex this afternoon, a drake Garganey was on the main lake from Hanson with a handful of Dunlin, a Redshank and 2+ Avocets. Plenty of Swifts were around especially during the showers along with Swallows. House and Sand Martins.