29/04/2024

Black-throated Diver passing today

05.45-11.00 & 14.40-16.45 with SO, JY, RW, CP, PE et al hide. Wind SW 3-4 Temp 10°

Brent Goose: 17E

Shelduck: 2E   1W

Common Scoter: 289E   34W

Great-crested Grebe: 2E   4 present 

Oystercatcher: 22E

Whimbrel: 33E

Sanderling: 25E

Dunlin: 1E

Kittiwake: 73E    20W

Black-headed Gull: 5E

Mediterranean Gull: 2E

Common Gull: 6E

Great Black-backed Gull: Present N/C

Herring Gull: present n/c

Sandwich Tern: 190E     70W

Little Tern: 3E

Common/Arctic Tern: 945E

Arctic Tern:85E

Great Skua: 3E

Arctic Skua: 22E

Pomarine Skua: 1E @06.30

Guillemot: 1E     2 present

Auk Sp: 75E    

Red-throated Diver: 18E 

Black-throated Diver: 2E 

Fulmar: 9E     7W (Probably more birds involved they up and down near and far)

Gannet: 130E   114W

Cormorant: present n/c 

Swallow: 4 in off

Yellow wagtail: 1 in off

Harbour Porpoise: 8 

Grey Seal: 2  

Kittiwake: 22E.   19W

Apart from a Whinchat and some Wheatears very little new was found on the peninsula today.

Whimbrels over The Desert today

Female Wheatear in The Desert today, pity the Whinchat didn't pose as well.

Linnet in The Desert today

Brown Hares chasing one another

28/04/2024

Pale morph Pomarine Skua this morning

 Once again the main interest came from the sea, there were 2 Ring Ouzels found in The Desert, a Redstart at Dengemarsh and few waders on the reserve and at Scotney.

05.50-10.00 & 13.30-16.00 with AL,JY, RW, CP, TW, TH  from the hide. Wind SSW 5-6 Temp 10°

Pintail: 2E

Common Scoter: 34E   4W

Red-breasted Merganser: 1E

Great-crested Grebe: 6 present 

Oystercatcher: 17E

Whimbrel: 3E      1W

Bar-tailed Godwit: 2E    1W

Knot: 7E

Kittiwake: 38E

Little Gull: 3E

Mediterranean Gull: 2E

Great Black-backed Gull: 18E   14W 

Herring Gull: present n/c

Sandwich Tern: 177E     16W

Little Tern: 8W

Common Tern: 162E     36W

Arctic Tern: 35E

Great Skua: 6E

Arctic Skua: 11E

Pomarine Skua: 3E (1 @ 07.13, 2 @ 08.13)

Guillemot: 5E 

Auk Sp: 51E    

Red-throated Diver: 4E 

Fulmar: 102E   4W

Manx Shearwater: 2W

Gannet: 378E   180W

Cormorant: present n/c 

Kestrel: 1SW out to sea

Swallow: 2E   

3rd Calendar year Gannet

A distant Great Skua

Pale morph and a Dark morph Pomarine Skua

  

27/04/2024

 

Pomarine Skua passing the bouy late afternoon

Yesterday and especially today conditions were at long last right for some good sea watching, today was superb. 

Wind variable SE-NE  Temp 7° rising to 11° Rain from mid afternoon

05.30-17.00 with JY, RW,DS,OL,DW,TW, AL et al from the sea watch hide

Mute Swan: 2W

Brent Goose: 397E (19 parties)

Canada Goose: 1 out to sea

Shelduck: 6E

Pintail: 2E

Velvet Scoter: 1E 

Common Scoter: 768E   39W

Red-breasted Merganser: 4E

Great-crested Grebe: 3E     8W  2 present 

Oystercatcher: 41E

Avocet: 2E

Ringed Plover: 3E

Grey Plover: 3E

Knot: 12E

Sanderling: 11E

Dunlin: 9E

Turnstone: 2E

Curlew: 1E

Whimbrel: 77E

Bar-tailed Godwit: 260E 

Kittiwake: 28E

Black-headed Gull: 5E

Little Gull: 45E

Common Gull: 1E

Great Black-backed Gull:  present  

Herring Gull: present n/c

Lesser Black-backed Gull: 3 present

Sandwich Tern: 389E   

Little Tern: 154E 

Common Tern: 16,210E

Arctic Tern: 3,104E

Black Tern: 48E

Great Skua: 2E

Arctic Skua: 51E

Pomarine Skua: 7E

Guillemot: 4E 

Razorbill: 2E

Auk Sp: 59E  7W  

Red-throated Diver: 12E 

Black-throated Diver: 1E

Fulmar: 5E      7W  

Manx Shearwater: 3E    1W 

Gannet: 747E   68W

Cormorant: present 

Swift: 1W

Swallow: 9 in off  

Carrion crow: 1 in off

Yellow Wagtail: 1 in off 

Black Redstart: 1 present 

Harbour Porpoise: 10

Grey Seal: 1 

There were a few other bits around today, a Pied Flycatcher was trapped in the Moat, a male Whinchat was frequenting the Moat area, a couple of Garden Warblers, a Firecrest and good numbers of Willow Warblers.

Arctic Skua Passing the Bouy

Drake Eiders passing the Bouy yesterday

Temminck's Stint in the Scotney sand pit yesterday

25/04/2024

Velvet Scoters passing this morning

With the continuing cold, damp weather sea watching is all I did today, those that did venture onto the reserve and trapping area found it hard going for very little reward.

06.00-10.00 & 11.30-15.00 with RW, CP, TW, DW   from the sea watch hide. SW 2-4 Temp 4° rising to 7°

Brent Goose: 270E (19 parties)     5W

Greylag Goose: 6W        4 in off

Velvet Scoter: 7E ( single flock)

Common Scoter: 346E   7W

Great-crested Grebe: 3E  2W   4 present 

Curlew: 1E

Whimbrel: 7E

Bar-tailed Godwit: 169E (4 parties)

Kittiwake: 29E

Black-headed Gull: 5E

Common Gull: 4E

Great Black-backed Gull: 57E    16W

Herring Gull: present n/c

Sandwich Tern: 93E     59W

Little Tern: 32E (4 parties)

Common Tern: 12E

Arctic Tern: 11E

Comic Tern: 141E 

Great Skua: 1E

Arctic Skua: 1E

Guillemot: 2E 

Auk Sp: 34E    

Red-throated Diver: 24E 

Black-throated Diver: 3E

Fulmar: 8E   2W

Gannet: 265E   157W

Cormorant: 18W    5E  

Hobby: 1 in off the sea

Swallow: 3 in off  

Grey Seal: 1  

One of the 19 parties of Brent Geese that passed The Point today

   

23/04/2024

A wisp of Bar-tailed Godwits high over the tanker way out in the channel 

06.30-09.00 & 12.45-15.30 with RW, JY, TW, OL  from the sea watch hide.  Wind NW 2-3 Temp 4° rising to 7° 

Common Scoter: 45E   

Red-breasted Merganser: 2W

Great-crested Grebe: 1W    2 present 

Cattle Egret: 1 in off 

Oystercatcher: 10E

Curlew: 2E

Bar-tailed Godwit: 933E

Kittiwake: 9E

Mediterranean Gull: 1E

Common Gull: 2E

Great Black-backed Gull: 12E     26W

Herring Gull: present n/c

Sandwich Tern: 69E 

Common Tern: 24E

Comic Tern: 120E 

Arctic Skua: 2E

Guillemot: 1E 

Auk Sp: 17E    

Red-throated Diver: 16E 

Fulmar: 2E     2W

Gannet: 115E   228W

Cormorant: 33W  10E  

Swallow: 24 in off    

Harbour Porpoise: 6

Black Redstart again behind the hide today

A tired Cattle Egret getting a hot reception from the local Herring Gulls for the last few hundred metres of its journey across the channel. 

A very quiet day passerine wise around the peninsula with little or no new arrivals today.

Grey Plover on Hayfield 2 today

Plenty of Sedge warblers singing around Denge Marsh today

The friendly Pied Wagtail met me again at Springfield Bridge today

22/04/2024

Bar-tailed Godwits and a Whimbrel passing this afternoon

A better sea watch today, though the Skuas were only seen on the afternoon watch.

06.10-08.30 & 14.45-16.30 with RW, from the sea watch hide. Wind NE 3-4 Temp 2° rising to 7° 

Common Scoter: 15E   

Great-crested Grebe: 1W    2 present 

Oystercatcher: 3E

Whimbrel: 2E

Curlew: 2E

Bar-tailed Godwit: 66E

Kittiwake: 21E

Common Gull: 1E

Great Black-backed Gull: 12E

Herring Gull: present n/c

Sandwich Tern: 137E 

Little Tern: 6E  First of the year at Dungeness.

Common Tern: 23E

Comic Tern: 4E  

Great Skua: 2E

Arctic Skua: 2E

Auk Sp: 7E    

Red-throated Diver: 5E  4W

Fulmar: 2E     1W

Gannet: 64E   95W

Cormorant: 30W 10E  

Swallow: 20 in off    

Harbour Porpoise: 4

Black-tailed Godwits and 1 of the six Avocets on hayfield 2 today, also 6 Grey Plover and 2 Redshank.

A Little Ringed Plover on the island from Makepiece late morning is the first I've seen on the reserve this year, while myself and Richard were watching it a Red Kite came past, by the time we realised all we could do was watch its rear end disappearing over the VC. We also saw several each of Bar-tailed Godwits, Whimbrel and Snipe around the reserve, sadly it seems the Great Northern Diver has finally departed, it has not been seen for 2 days despite us checking the New Diggings as well today. 

21/04/2024

Red-throated Diver in front the hide this morning

Another very cold and windy day on the peninsula with showers this afternoon. Migration off shore was still very poor and probably poorer on the land. There were a few more Hirundines including a few Swifts each time a shower raced South, in the fields a few Whimbrel and the odd Bar-tailed Godwit, with a smattering of Yellow and White Wagtails but nothing to get excited about. 

06.00-08.30 & 11.30-13.00 with RW, SO, JY  from the sea watch hide.  Wind N 5-6Temp 2° rising to 5° 

Greylag Goose: 4W

Shelduck: 4E

Common Scoter: 97E    9W 

Red-breasted Merganser: 1E 

Great-crested Grebe: 1E  1W  5 present 

Oystercatcher: 6E

Whimbrel: 1E

Curlew: 2E

Bar-tailed Godwit: 54E

Kittiwake: 11E

Black-headed Gull: 3W

Mediterranean Gull: 2W

Great Black-backed Gull: 5W

Herring Gull: present n/c

Sandwich Tern: 104E    4W

Comic Tern: 40E  

Guillemot: 1E   

Auk Sp: 11E    

Red-throated Diver: 4E

Fulmar: 2E

Gannet: 7E   157W

Cormorant: 44W   21E  

Swallow: 1 in off    

Carrion Crow: 4 in off

Harbour Porpoise: 2

Whimbrel by the entrance track to the VC

20/04/2024

The XIN YAO HUA making its way to Port Louis, Mauritius, arriving 24/05/2024. The picture doesn't do this incredibly huge ship justice. It gives you some idea how poor the sea watch was again today, that I was looking at the ships.

06.30-08.30 & 13.30-15.00 with RW, OL  from the sea watch hide.  Wind N 5-6Temp 5° 

Shelduck: 2E

Common Scoter: 67E  

Great-crested Grebe: 2W    4 present 

Curlew: 1W

Whimbrel: 6E

Bar-tailed Godwit: 111E

Kittiwake: 1E

Black-headed Gull: 15W

Great Black-backed Gull: 26W

Herring Gull: present n/c

Sandwich Tern: 49E   4W

Common Tern:  50E  11W

Guillemot: 4E     1W

Auk Sp: 5E    

Red-throated Diver: 8E

Gannet: 54E   64W

Cormorant: 41W   7E      

Carrion Crow: 12 in off

Harbour Porpoise: 2

One of 3 Great White Egrets feeding in front the Axell Viewpoint late morning

Unsurprisingly in todays stiff Northerly wind a wander around the ARC was fairly unproductive, small numbers of the common warblers were heard rather than seen, over the lake several Swallows, Sand Martins and 2 House Martins, as there are still no islands at the ARC there was zero wader interest. Burrowes is also still without islands so no waders and no Terns, just a few Hirundines. 

18/04/2024

Probably the highlight of the sea watch was watching this machine come along the beach

With a very cold North wind blowing I wasn't expecting much, I was not disappointed!

06.20-07.50 with RW  from the sea watch hide,  Wind N 3-4 Temp 4° Felt like -4

Shelduck: 2W
Common Scoter: 1E
Red-breasted Merganser: 1E
Great-crested Grebe: 5 present
Curlew: 1E 
Common Gull: 4E
Great Black-backed Gull: 6W
Herring Gull: present n/c
Sandwich Tern: 33E   2W
Common Tern:  5E  
Guillemot: 1E
Auk Sp: 11E    
Red-throated Diver: 3E
Fulmar: 1E
Gannet: 16E   65W
Cormorant: 14W         
Carrion Crow: 5 in off

Ring Ouzel in northern part of The Desert today

At Least 10 Wheatears were in the Desert with the Ring Ouzel

Looks like one of my garden Greenfinches has got Scaly Leg fungus.

The friendly Pied Wagtail at Denge Marsh again this afternoon, taken with my phone.

The Pied Wagtail lands on my car before i come to a stop

17/04/2024

Greenshank on the only un-submerged bit of island on the ARC. If only there were more islands.

The theme continues😡

06.20-08.20 with RW  from the sea watch hide.  Wind NW 3-4 Temp 4° 

Egyptian Goose: 3W

Shelduck: 2W

Great-crested Grebe: 1E   2W   6 present

Whimbrel: 4E (they came across then East)

Kittiwake: 1W

Black-headed Gull: 1W  

Common Gull: 57E

Great Black-backed Gull: 16W

Herring Gull: present n/c

Lesser Black-backed Gull: 2E

Sandwich Tern: 16E   5W

Common Tern:  26E  

Guillemot: 1W

Auk Sp: 5E    

Red-throated Diver: 4E

Gannet: 41E   78W

Cormorant: 67W          17E

Carrion Crow: 4 in off

Harbour Porpoise: 2

Grey Seal: 1

Wheatear: 1 behind the hide

2 of 3 Great White Egrets at the ARC, there 2 more on Denge Marsh

Another difficult day in the field, this weather is making finding migrants very difficult, a walk around the Long Pits found a very few Willow Warblers and 2 Wheatears that were probably new arrivals,  Common and Lesser Whitethroats, Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs and Reed Warblers were all easily be found around the pits but little else of note.

On the reserve Swallows and Sand Martins in most areas in small numbers, but still no Cuckoo or much else new in, The Great Northern diver and the Little gull are still to found on Burrowes. RW Found a Ring Ouzel in the Desert this afternoon of note.

Black-tailed Godwit Hayfield 2

1 of 2 Avocets on Hayfield 2

Greenshank, presumably the ARC bird relocating to Hayfield 2

Sedge Warbler Denge Marsh

Grey Heron on my shed roof late afternoon, hope the neighbours have covered there fish pond.

16/04/2024

This drake Garganey was the definite highlight of this afternoons plod 

Considering that it is is the middle of April todays sea watch was absolutely woeful!

06.20-08.30 with RW, JY, from the sea watch hide.  Wind NW 5-6 Temp 7° 

Common Scoter: 1E   

Great-crested Grebe: 2E   4 present

Oystercatcher: 15E

Kittiwake: 1W

Black-headed Gull: 2W

Mediterranean Gull: 5W   

Common Gull: 4W

Great Black-backed Gull: 3E     6W

Herring Gull: present n/c

Sandwich Tern: 14E   3W

Common Tern:  1E  2W 

Auk Sp: 2E    

Diver sp: 1W

Fulmar: 1W

Gannet: 34E   29W

Cormorant: 31 present

Wood Pigeon: 1 in off

Carrion Crow: 1 in off

Harbour Porpoise: 2

One of the Lydd Little Owls sheltering from the cold NW wind this morning

First summer Little Gull flycatching over Burrowes

An afternoon plod from Springfield Bridge to Firth this afternoon was born out of desperation rather than hope, with the cold NW wind still blowing and showers rattling through i did wonder why i was doing it. From the bridge a Great White Egret and a few each of Swallow and Sand Martin, surprisingly hay field 3 was devoid of birds despite it looking in superb condition, as I neared hay fields 1 and 2 a Bittern boomed and a pair of Bearded Tits flew over the path, hay field 2, a lone Black-tailed Godwit was feeding with 2 Avocet and 10 Redshank. At the back of Dengemarsh Hide the usual cacophony from the Sedge Warblers and Cetti's warblers now joined by Common and Lesser Whitethroats, also high above several mewing Mediterranean Gulls. From behind Christmas Dell  I was scanning the Teal and Gadwall when a large white supercillium came into view which could only belong to a lovely drake Garganey. Reaching Firth the Great Northern Diver was still anchored in the middle of the lake, the first summer Little Gull was still present and a few more each of Swallows and Sand Martins whizzed through

15/04/2024

 

Yellow Wagtail at Springfield Bridge this afternoon

Another mediocre sea watch with just 2 Manx Shearwaters providing any quality.

06.20-09.00 with RW, JY, from the sea watch hide. Wind WSW 6-8 Temp 9° 

Brent Goose: 2E

Common Scoter: 12E   

Great-crested Grebe: 4E   1W

Oystercatcher: 51E

Kittiwake: 2W

Black-headed Gull: 2W

Mediterranean Gull: 30E   

Common Gull: 2E

Great Black-backed Gull: 14E     5W

Lesser black-backed Gull: 4E

Herring Gull: present n/c

Sandwich Tern: 89E   

Common Tern: 15E

Guillemot: 6E     23W    

Auk Sp: 2E    3W

Red-throated Diver: 3E   1 present

Fulmar: 2E   4W

Manx Shearwater: 2W

Gannet: 17E   104W

Cormorant: 8 present

Swallow: 1 in off

Harbour Porpoise: 1

Despite the cold NW gale it was fairly sheltered in the Willow Trail where a Great White egret leapt out of the reeds in front of me, also in the reeds a Reed Warbler was chuntering away, nearby a couple of Sedge Warblers and Reed Buntings. 2 Swallows were defying the gale and hawking over the willows, but most things sensibly kept in cover.

Great White Egret at the ARC

Yesterdays Purple Heron that flew down the Long Pits to the power station then out to sea