Sunday 10/11/2019

07.00-08.30 from the sea watch hide: SO, RW and AJG who kindly collated the numbers:
Brent Goose: 5W
Common Scoter: 10W
Red-throated Diver: 8E
Black-throated Diver: 1E
Gannet: 629E
Great Skua: 3E
Kittiwake: 109E
Sandwich Tern: 86E (unusually high number for this time of year)
Guillemot: 1W
Razorbill: 2E
Auk sp: 15W
Starling :95 in
A brief look in the bushes saw reasonable numbers of Blackbirds and Robins, a single Chiffchaff and few Blue and Great Tits, the highlight being a Firecrest at the old lighthouse.
Another sea watch this afternoon produced a highlight of a single Great Northern Diver.
13.15-14.45 from the fishing boats with AJG, LH, PH, RW, SO
Red-throated Diver: 2W    1 o/s
Great Northern Diver: 1W
Great-crested Grebe: 3 o/s
Gannet: 42E     6W
Cormorant: present n/c
Dunlin: 1W
Sanderling: 3W
Kittiwake: c80 o/s
Mediterranean Gull: 2 o/s
Guillemot: 1W       3 o/s
Razorbill: 3 o/s 
As Dungeness has been so quiet avian wise recently I have been spending time at Copt Point reading Mediterranean Gull rings, yesterday in the company of Renaud Flammant from Belgium we read 64 rings. Most were French, Belgian and German for which we have already had the details sent back.
When I look at these details it usually amazes me how few times colour ring birds are reported or sighted, I guess most birders only seem to give Gulls a cursory glance at best. The map below shows the known life history of a Mediterranean Gull colour ringed at Pitsea as an adult bird in June 2013 then next seen in December 2017 at Icklesham, then another 2 year gap to last week at Copt Point. 

The Known Life history of yellow ringed  Mediterranean Gull 2E33

 Last Friday Dungeness was again very poor avian wise, that I was tempted away by Owen Leyshon on rare twitch to St Margaret's to see the Great Grey Shrike that performed admirably for us, I was very glad I was tempted thank you Owen.