Dungeness Swallowtail

When I arrived at the fishing boats at 07.20 AJG was already there looking bored. He'd had an early flush of 300 Common Terns but not much else. In the next hour the highlights were Shearwater sp. so far out that ID was impossible and a Marsh Harrier coasting eastwards.

A visit to the ARC the highlights were 2 Garganey, 2 Green Sandpipers, a Common Sandpiper, a Little Ringed Plover, a Black-tailed Godwit and a Hobby. Along the track to Hanson 4+ Willow Warblers in the bushes. 

Swallowtail by Dennis's Hide (Photograph courtesy of Steve Broyd the finder)

 A wander around the reserve found a few more Willow Warblers along with Cetti's, Reed and Sedge Warblers and Whitethroats. Along the tracks numerous butterflys, Painted Ladies, Red Admirals, Peacocks, a couple of Clouded Yellows, Brown Argus and many more. The Great white Egret was on show at Dengemarsh and still Common Tern chicks being fed on the rafts. As we made our way along the return trail we got news of Swallowtail Butterfly at Dennis's hide found by Steve Broyd. On arrival the butterfly had disappeared, after about an hour looking around the area seeing a Little Gull and 2 Black-necked Grebes on Burrowes, also 2 Peregrines high over the lakes, a group of us were standing by the visitor centre when the Swallowtail flew across the car park and disappeared over the bank by the centre, as far as I know not to be seen again. Many thanks to Steve Broyd for letting me use his image of the butterfly.  

At the ARC this evening the 2 Garganey on show from the Screen Hide along with 3 Green Sandpipers, a Common Sandpiper and a Black-necked Grebe.  

Black Terns

 07.35-12.10 from the fishing boats:
Balearic Shearwater 2W
Fulmar:  5W
Gannet: 182W
G C Grebe: 5W + 6 on sea
Common Scoter: 363W
Tufted Duck: 1W
Teal: 8W
Curlew: 1W
Whimbrel: 2 W
Sanderling: 15W
Ringed Plover: 2W
Turnstone: 4 on beach
Little Gull: 2 around
Kittiwake: 4W
Mediterranean Gull: 6 around
Y.L.Gull: 1 juv.W
Bonxie: 3W
Black Tern: 89W
Common Tern: 642W
Sandwich Tern: 55W
Swift: 34 out
Swallow: 2 out
Sand Martin: 256 out

Another watch from 14.45-17.00 was very slow:
Gannet: 64W
Common Scoter: 163W
Kittiwake: 4 W
Mediterranean Gull: 2W
Y.L.Gull 1 adult on the boats
Bonxie: 1W
Sand Martin: 157 out

2 visits to the ARC at lunch time and again this evening found of note, 1 Greenshank, 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Green Sandpipers, 2 Common Sandpipers, 6 Little Ringed Plovers, 1 Ringed Plover, 2 Redshank and the Black necked Grebe. As shower came in this evening c150 Sand martins appeared over the lake.

Nodding birder

At The Patch this morning 2 Juvenile Mediterranean Gulls and an adult Yellow Legged Gull on the beach among the Black Headed, Herring and Black Backed Gulls.

c90 minutes at the fishing boats this morning was slow with highlights of the usual Little Gull patrolling the shore line 6 Sanderling and 4 Turnstone. Off shore small numbers of Common and Sandwich Terns a few Gannets, c150 Common Scoter flew east and 4+ Harbour Porpoises.

At the ARC from the Screen the highlight was 3 Green Sandpipers. By the pines 2-3 Willow Warblers and little else.   

Mediterranean Gull from the fishing boats

 This afternoon another 2 and half hours at the fishing boats was so good I fell asleep on the fishing nets! I did see 2 adult Mediterranean Gulls fly west as did an adult and juvenile Little Tern, 40+ Common Scoter flew east and the usual Common and Sandwich Terns feeding off shore.

Common Sandpiper from Makepiece Hide

 As I was driving across The Causeway late this afternoon I received a message from SB about a Spoonbill on Burrowes from Makepiece. A few minutes later I was watching the Spoonbill in normal pose asleep! While I was in Makepiece a Common Sandpiper flew in and the 2 Egyptian Geese could be seen.

Spoonbill from Firth Hide

 While watching the Spoonbill from Firth a hide a Peregrine flew in and spooked all the gulls and waking the Spoonbill.

Peregrine from Firth Hide

A Clear Out

From the fishing boats this morning plenty of Terns with at minimum of 2 Black Terns, 6 Little Terns, 2 Arctic Terns joined by many Common Terns and Sandwich Terns, also 2 Little Gulls and singles Arctic Skua and Juv. Mediterranean Gull, 2 Golden plover, 5 Whimbrel and a Sanderling. Highlight though was the c500 Swifts moving south.

At the south end of the ARC a Peregrine was sitting on the mud this morning and this evening it was in the lake bathing.

2 more visits to the fishing boats today saw no real change in the Terns off shore.

An evening visit to Hanson was disappointing after recent days with just 2 Little Ringed Plovers, a single Black-tailed Godwit, even the Lapwings had virtually all cleared out.
Birds of the day(had I been at home) would have been a flock of 11 Goosanders that flew over my house per PT.

Nothing new

Much quieter at The Patch this morning with no more than 15 Common Terns present and the usual 1st summer Little Gull trying to hide among the Black-headed Gulls.
09.00 I arrived at the observatory at the same as Patrick came back from doing the net rounds empty handed again! Apparently 7 nets had been out since 05.00 and not a single bird trapped!
I then headed to the fishing boats finding Mr Chidwick, Mr Ashton, Mr Hatch and Mr Smith already there looking slightly bored. After a few minutes of staring at virtually blank sea I could see why, though we did have a Black Tern and a Little Gull and c40 Common Scoter. Another short visit this afternoon found  little change in the birds or observers, but 5 Sanderling and 8 Turnstone moved west along the shoreline.
After a lovely swim late afternoon at Jurys Gap I was going to walk along The Midrips, as I started I saw CT and BH heading back, they suggested I should not bother so I went to the ARC where 5 Wood Sandpipers, 3 Green Sandpipers, 4 LRPs, 2 Yellow Wagtails and a Black-necked Grebe could be seen.       

Autumn Migration begins!

At The Patch this morning c200 Common Terns, c20 Sandwich Terns, 2 Little Terns, 1 Black Tern, 1 Juvenile Mediterranean Gull and 2 Kittiwakes among the 100s of Black-headed and Herring Gulls. Behind the hide the first 3 Willow Warblers of the Autumn for me.

Willow Warbler behind The Patch hide

 In 2 visits to The ARC 5 Wood Sandpipers, 6 Little Ringed Plovers, a Common Sandpiper, a Black-tailed Godwit, 4 Little Egrets and a Garganey were the highlights.

Little Egret from the Screen Hide

In 3 sea watches today I managed 1 Balearic Shearwater, 1 Manx Shearwater, 3+ Arctic Terns, 3+ Black Terns, 3 Arctic Skuas, c200 Gannets, 6 Kittiwakes, 1 Mediterranean Gull, the usual Little Gull put in several appearances, c150 Common Scoter flew west, c30 east and 3 Dunlin east.

What a difference an hour makes!

A thoroughly miserable day started from near the fishing boats from the comfort of my car. c50 Gannets moved West, small numbers of Common and Sandwich Terns were fishing along the colour change also a single adult Black Tern and the usual 1st summer Little Gull, 4 Common Scoter flew west and 3 east, my first Sooty Shearwater of the year flew west and 2 Turnstone were on the beach. A Grey Seal and 3+ Harbour Porpoises were off shore.

               The First summer Little Gull photographed yesterday from the fishing boats.

In 3 visits to the ARC Hanson Hide a maximum of 4 Wood Sandpipers, 6 Little Ringed Plovers, a Ringed Plover, 2 Common Sandpipers, 12 Dunlin, a Black Tailed Godwit, a Black necked Grebe, a Sparrowhawk, 2 Marsh Harriers and c200 Sand Martins and House Martins over the lake.
At Burrowes another Wood Sandpiper a Common Sandpiper and a few Swifts, the Great White Egret was still on Dengemarsh.
A short early afternoon sea watch produced nothing of note. Another hour between 18.00-19.00 saw just the first summer Little Gull and a Black tern of note. Though an hour earlier 30+ Black Terns, 2 Roseate Terns and 3 Manx Shearwaters were seen by PT.
  

More Sandpipers

The lighthouse garden and surrounding bushes this morning were still a migrant free zone. I met AJG on his way back from The Patch where an adult Black Tern was the only notable bird.

At the ARC from Hanson 3 Wood Sandpipers, 3 Common Sandpipers, a Black-tailed Godwit, 4 Little Ringed Plovers, 2 Marsh Harriers  and a  summer plumaged Black Necked Grebe were of note. In The Screen hide the Swallows are ready to leave and another pair are building another nest.  A visit this evening found 5 Wood Sandpipers. 

1st summer Little Gull

An hour at the fishing boats early afternoon produced nice views of a 1st summer Little Gull but little else.

Storms and Wood Sandpipers

Lightning over an illuminated Dungeness power station

 At 01.00 this morning I was woken by the sound of distant thunder, laying in bed I saw half a dozen lightning flashes out at sea and thought I would like to experiment photographing lightning. As it was not raining I got up and crossed the road so that the street light was behind me as I looked towards the power station, the storm promptly abated, half an hour later and no lightning flashes I went back to bed. At about 02.00 another storm moved through the channel, so up I got again set the camera up. Reviewing the shots I took I was very pleased with my first ever efforts at photographing lightning.

Lightning over the fishing boats

 Approx. 08.00 at the ARC from Hanson Hide, 3 Wood Sandpipers, 4 Common Sandpipers, a Ruff, A Little Stint, 4 Little Ringed Plovers a Redshank and a few Oystercatchers were of note. Another Wood Sandpiper was at the South End of the ARC from the causeway.

Common Sandpiper from Makepiece

 On Burrowes 6 more Common Sandpipers, the 2 Egyptian Geese still, 2 Marsh Harriers, 4 Little Egrets and Sparrowhawk were the best of the bunch.

Late afternoon at The Midrips another 5 Common Sandpipers, 2 Wood Sandpipers, 7 Redshank, 2 Whimbrel, 17 Avocet, 9 Dunlin, 4 Ringed Plovers and 2 Wheatears. Once again the sea was beautifully warm and refreshing. 

Sandpipers

First thing at the The Patch the usual 3 Little Gulls, 3 Mediterranean Gulls, c100 Common Terns and a few Sandwich Terns and Gannets off shore. 5 Harbour Porpoises were also seen thanks to the flat calm sea. Behind the hide a juv/female Black Redstart. In the scrub by the car park a Common Whitethroat posed. Still no migrant passerines in the bushes.

 Next stop Burrowes Pit where 4 Common Sandpipers and Green Sandpiper could be seen also the 2 Egyptian Geese still present.

Appears to have a Tick in front of its eye.

 At Dengemarsh the Great White Egret still, a Bittern flew over the reed bed, a Bearded Tit sat on the fence, 3+ Marsh Harriers could be seen and the Common Terns as noisy as ever on the rafts.

The electric fence has its uses!

 At the ARC 3 Wood Sandpipers, 4 Common Sandpipers, 4 Little Ringed Plovers, c100 Lapwing could be seen. Also c100 Sand martins flew through. In the Screen Hide the young Swallows look just about ready to fledge.

            By the Water Tower the Spitfire and Hurricane put on their now daily display.

This afternoon at Jurys Gap I met Tony and Brenda who had just seen a Curlew Sandpiper with some Dunlin on The Midrips on the second pools. When I arrived it was still there along with 2 Whimbrel, 23 Avocet and 2 Marsh Harriers, but no sign of the Wood Sandpiper and 8 Common Sandpipers seen in the morning by OL.  As it was high tide I had a lovely swim in the beautifully warm sea, I was surrounded by White Bait driven inshore by a Mackerel Shoal and had superb views of the Sandwich Terns diving after the them just a few feet from me. The Terns took absolutely no notice of me wallowing amongst them.
Stopping at Scotney on the way home there was still 6 Egyptian Geese present and a single Whimbrel.