Terns steal the show

Harbour Porpoise. They never seem show their heads 

 Apart from a 40 minute period early afternoon most of my day 06.50- 17.20 was spent sitting on the Dungeness beach enjoying the spectacle of 1000s of Commic Terns migrating. The totals below are not the final ones, they will certainly be higher. I would have stayed longer but I was just to cold despite the evening sunshine.
Red-throated Diver: 25+E
Fulmar: 8 around
Gannet: c500 E
Brent Goose: 26E
Common Scoter: 350+ E
Velvet Scoter: 11E
Bar-tailed Godwit: 500+E
Whimbrel: 15+E
Arctic Skua: 50+E
Great Skua: 10+E
Pomarine Skua: 6E
Little Tern: c50E
Black Tern: 7E
Commic Tern: 10,000+E a good proportion of which were being identified as Arctics
Sandwich Tern: c500E
Harbour Porpoise: c15 off shore
Common Seal: 1 off shore
I am sure we missed more Black Terns and some Roseate's. My excuse is the the birds were coming through so thick and fast it was impossible to check them all.

A very poor record of spring sea watchings most enigmatic bird

Sea watching

Hobby coming in by the sea watch hide 

 In 3 sea watches today 05.20-09.50, 11.45-16.20, 18.45-19.45 with AJG, DW, MB, ML,AL, PT, MH et al. the following totals:
Great Northern Diver: 1E
Black Throated Diver: 6E
Red Throated Diver: 32E
Diver sp: 6E
Fulmar: 9E
Gannet: c150E
Brent Geese: 25E
Common Scoter: 291E
Velvet Scoter: 9E
Eider: 2E
Red Breasted Merganser: 5E
Hobby: 1in
Bar Tailed Godwit: 160+ E
Whimbrel: 17E
Curlew: 1E
Knot: 5E
Sanderling: 3E
Great Skua: 11E
Arctic Skua: 27E
Pomarine Skua: 5E
Sandwich Tern: c250E
Common Tern: c2000E
Arctic Tern: 75E
Little Tern: 5E
Little Gull: 5E
Kittiwake: 32E
Guillemot: 4E
Auk sp: 34E
Swallow: 90 in
Sand Martin: 16 in
Swift: 1 in
Yellow Wagtail: 2 in
Serin: 1 west over the sea watch hide.

Fulmar over the sea watch hide

 In the desert at least 1 Ring Ouzel and a Common Redstart in the moat.
At the ARC car park a Nightingale singing as was a couple of Lesser Whitethroats and all the usual warblers with several Hobbys around.

Lesser Whitethroat by ARC car park

Things can only get better

07.10 May 1st 2013 and only 2 birders at the sea watch hide. By 07.45 I had enough Totals:
Fulmar 1E then W
Gannet: 20+ off shore
Greylag Geese: 2W
Auk sp: 1W
Commic Tern: c30 off shore
Sandwich Tern: c10 off shore
Carrion Crow: 4 in
Harbour Porpoise 3+ off shore

At the south end of the ARC 2 pairs of Herring Gulls, 2 Gadwall and 2 Teal.
MH picked me up and took me down to Dengemarsh Gully, the only birds were Linnets, 1 Peregrine and 1 Raven.
We then went to the screen hide at the ARC where a few warblers were singing as was a Cuckoo and a Marsh Harrier over
A visit to the viewing mound found the Bittern booming, 3 Marsh Harriers, Bearded Tits calling, along with several Lesser Whitethroats and the usual reed bed warblers.
From the visitor centre 2 little Egrets and a Greenshank.
An hours BOP watching from the garden saw the usual Marsh Harriers and a single Sparrowhawk.
The Long-tailed Duck was still present at Scotney per DB. Things can only get better.
   

Still waiting for it to happen!

Yesterdays seawatch was slow but today was even worse, only the 4+ Harbour Porpoises very close to shore were of any interest. 2 Black Redstarts on the power station wall and a Wheatear by the station. At the south end of the ARC nothing of note but on a second visit 4 Whimbrel had dropped in.

As I was having a coffee break at home 3 Jays flew over and out towards the ranges.

Parking at the entrance to Scotney Court I then walked to the western end of the pit and back seeing the Long-tailed Duck again roosting on the eastern spit and 2 Whimbrel on the turf, probably the most interesting sight was a burnt out Hot Hatch in the layby opposite the pit. 

 Another plod from Springfield Bridge round the Hayfields found the usual singing warblers, 2 drake Garganey, 5 more Whimbrel and a 2 Yellow Wagtails, also the Bittern booming periodically, The improved Tern rafts were put out on Dengemarsh today, Craig doing the hard work holding the outboard! note the state of the art anchor.

Whimbrel south end of the ARC

With little at Dungeness and SC tweeting a Black Kite near Appledore I made my way across the marsh to East Guldeforde to scan across the fields to Appledore and Rye, but could only find Common Buzzards. I was a few hundred yards from home when OL text a Red Kite over the trapping area, parking quickly I scanned the horizon towards the trapping area and the gantry but could see nothing in the heat haze apart from 4 Marsh Harriers round the tower, another scan picked up a raptor that appeared to be over the airport, once in the scope a very hazy Red Kite materialised a few more minutes scanning picked up a Peregrine and a Raven. PT found a summer plumaged Black-necked Grebe on Lade North Pit this morning.    

Maybe Tomorrow

April 29th prime sea watching time and only PT and Barney in the sea watch hide did not bode well for an exciting watch. As the following totals sorry tale tells. 07.15-09.00

Red-throated Diver: 1E
Black-throated Diver: 1E
Fulmar: 2 off shore
Gannet: c25 off shore
Brent Goose: 7E
Common Scoter: 68E   9W
Eider: 4E   (3 adult drakes)
Arctic Skua: 2E
Great Skua: 2E
Commic Tern: 45E    c30 off shore
Sandwich Tern: c15 off shore
As The joker would say a good day in Bedfordshire!!!!!

With few migrants seemingly about and nothing of note at the south end of the ARC I cut my losses to prepare the house for the arrival of plumbers and electricians.
2hrs BOP watching from the house balcony was disappointing with 1 Common Buzzard, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Kestrel and the resident Marsh Harriers,
The forecast for the next 2 days looks hopeful, ever the optimist.

Few Migrants

Early morning with King Squacco at Scotney where the Long Tailed Duck was in its favourite pose but little else to be seen. Next stop The Midrips where as soon as we got out the car a Merlin and a Marsh Harrier flew over, a pair of Garganey flew west along the shore but there were no Terns off shore. On the grassy areas 8+ Wheatears and a Yellow Wagtail, 2 Mediterranean Gulls flew west and on the pools a singles of Avocet and Greenshank, 2 Black Tailed Godwits, 2 Bar Tailed Godwits, 8 Dunlin, 4 Ringed Plover and 10+ Redshank. A drive down Galloways found 6+ Wheatears, a Stonechat and a few Meadow Pipits. Dengemarsh Gully was disappointing with just a Wheatear and a Peregrine. 

Long Tailed Blob

 An evening walk from Springfield Bridge to Hookers Pit and back found  of note 21 Whimbrel on Dengemarsh flood with another 11 on Hayfield 3, where there was c20 Dunlin and c12 Ringed Plover and a drake Garganey. Near Hookers a party of 8 Yellow Wagtails, the Bittern booming, the ever present Marsh Harriers and good numbers of Sedge and Reed Warblers singing despite the cold wind.
A Montagu's Harrier flew west through the ranges at c19.00hrs per OL.

In and out

An early morning walk from Springfield Bridge to Hookers and back found plenty of Sedge, Reed and Cetti's Warblers singing along with several Common Whitethroats in the cold north wind, at least 1 Bittern was booming and a couple of Marsh Harriers were quartering the reed beds. In the hayfields a Ruff a Greenshank and 2 Whimbrel, Redshanks and Ringed Plovers displaying. The first broods of Greylags are out and about being eyed by a stoat. At Hookers my first Cuckoo of the year, a Lesser Whitethroat singing from its usual bush.

While having breakfast after a bit of painting a call from SB alerting me to a Red-Rumped Swallow over Burrowes Pit, I managed to get there in time to see it high over Burrowes and New Diggings with a mixed flock of House Martins, Sand Martins , Swallows and Swifts. Despite waiting c1hr it did not return so no pics were obtained but Mike Buckland managed a few good shots HERE but 2 Ravens, a Great White Egret, a Peregrine and 3+ Whimbrel were seen.
Early afternoon while doing more decorating a text from Mike about a Long-tailed Duck at Scotney, when I arrived an assortment of locals were there looking at a pale blob asleep on the spit, until it lifted its head to reveal its identity. This was presumably the bird reported last Sunday and the first on the peninsular this year apart from a couple of flybys seen by DW. It was still present this evening along with a Wheatear, 20+ Yellow Wagtails, 5 Whimbrel and a Marsh Harrier.

A Wash Out

First thing this morning sea passage was nil in the drizzle! I gave up after 45 minutes with grand totals of 12 Common Terns, 1 Oystercatcher, 1 Swallow in and a few Gannnets off shore with a couple of Harbour Porpoises.

A Black Redstart on the power station wall and a Willow Warbler by the car park were the only birds of note on the way to the obs.

At the back of the obs was a Whinchat my first of the year, a wander around the southern part of trapping area and the desert in the increasingly heavy rain was virtually bird less. Back in the moat several Common Whitethroats and the Whinchat.

At the south end of the ARC a party of 21 Black-tailed Godwits, 3 Whimbrel and the Spotted Redshank. A Great White Egret was sheltering under the bank, also another on New Diggings and 4 Swifts through.  

A brief dry spell early afternoon allowed a wander around the Willow Trail and up to the tower with King Squacco before the rain set in again.  In that time a Lesser Whitethroat was singing by the car park as were Common Whitethroats, Sedge Warblers and Cetti's Warbler which were found all along the walk, also plenty of Reed Buntings and a 3 Whimbrel. At the tower we just missed a male Hen Harrier but saw 2 Marsh Harriers and a Hobby another first of the year for me.

Living on the Marsh

View out to the ARC/RSPB reserve and power station from the small balcony of my new abode! (pity about the cables) Looking forward to all the raptors!

 Finally my move to the marsh has happened and we are now settled in. BT excelled themselves by installing a new phone line and Internet connection far speedier than estimated, so I am now back in blogland.

 First thing at The Point this morning the fog was so dense I could not even see the sea! A wander from the Old Lighthouse to the observatory produced only a Black Redstart. While at the Obs PT HERE text to say he had a Ring-necked Duck (Conningsbrook Bird?) on Lade South Pit. A few minutes later we were watching the duck in the foggy gloom. Myself and King Squacco were about to leave when the fog started to lift allowing better views of the duck while a few parties of Swallow flew through.

 Stopping at the south end of the ARC the Spotted Redshank swam out from behind the sedge very briefly a Greenshank flew in and was flushed immediately by a Marsh Harrier.  2 adult Mediterranean Gulls flew in to wash and preen and a couple more Swallows went through. On New Diggings 2 immature Great White Egrets.
Popped home for breakfast and then a wander round Dengemarsh where a Wood Sandpiper had been seen to drop into Hayfield 3 which was covered in a low mist and heat haze, Greenshank, Redshank, Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Oystercatcher and Lapwing could be seen and a Raven and Peregrine flew over. After a spot of lunch and few chores I went back to the south end of the ARC, where 3 Whimbrel and the Spotted Redshank were showing well, until a pair of birders pulled up behind me and got out their car and flushed everything, not the first time this has happened. Please stay in your car if visit this site!

Next stop Dengemarsh and Springfield Bridge with SB and CT. CT could see a wader at the far end of the Dengemarsh flood that puzzled him because of the heavy heat haze. The 3 of us looked there and all I could see was a Redshank but with new directions CT got me onto my first Wood Sandpiper of the year. The 3 of us walked down the side of the flood and the Sandpiper took no notice of us allowing fairly close approach with super scope views. We carried onto Hayfield 3 and the Sandpiper flew over in display flight. On the Hayfield a Greenshank and a pair of Garganey and another Peregrine flew through.

Taken at 21.25 25th April 2013

Many thanks to DW for ringing this evening to let me know of this stunning partial eclipse.
One of the reasons for moving to this particular house is The Big Sky view.

Alpine Swift Again

In a strong SW wind this morning a reasonable sea watch but by 09.45 passage had finished. Of note 54 Great Skuas, 10+ Arctic Skuas, 35+ Mediterranean Gulls and a Little Gull. By the car park 6+ Wheatears.

 A few minutes after leaving the beach news came through that yesterdays Alpine Swift had been relocated at Lade by PT of Plovers Blog. A few minutes we were watching it over the caravan park with a Common Swift and a few hirundines. It showed well all day as it moved at great speed in the near gale force wind over the site. Also a Serin was seen in the caravan Park per PT.

This will be my last post for at least a week as I am moving house on to the marsh tomorrow and BT say it will take this long to install the internet.