Sea Watching

From the sea watch hide 05.40-10.00 and 13.45-16.00 with AJG, BB, DW, PT. Thanks to AJG for collating the totals.

Red-throated Diver: 39E 

Black-throated Diver: 1E

Fulmar: 10E

Gannet: 93E 

Brent Geese: 674E including a partly leucistic bird

Common Scoter: 1420E

Velvet Scoter: 3E

Red-breasted Merganser: 9E 

Shoveler: 2E

Garganey: 2E

Oystercatcher: 2E

Curlew: 1E

Whimbrel: 1E

Great Skua: 5E

Arctic Skua: 11E 

Sandwich Tern: 473E

Common Tern: 103E

Little Tern: 3E

Kittiwake: 12E 

Little Gull: 62E

Mediterranean Gull: 1E 2 on sea

Auk sp: 1E 2E

Swallow: 1 in

a Mid morning visit to Scotney found the Long-tailed Duck still on the pit immediately east of the main pit, 4+ Avocet, 2 Little Gulls, 5 Curlews and 2 Egyptian Geese. On Hayfield 3 8 Black-tailed Godwits, 2 Bearded Tits, 10+ Sedge Warblers and a booming Bittern were the highlight of a wander around the reserve. 

The Hume's Leaf warbler is still present in the trapping area per OL.

A small sea passage!

An hour from the sea watch hide before a dental appointment this morning was relatively productive as I managed 2 new birds for the year with a flock of 7 Whimbrel and 9 Little Terns, but otherwise it was fairly quiet with a couple of Arctic Skuas, a few Scoter, Divers and Waders,  2 further watches late morning and late afternoon were just as quiet.

 At Scotney the Long-tailed Duck was still present on the east pit also a Little Ringed Plover on that pit. On the main pit 4+ Avocets and the 2 Egyptian Geese. Scotney Court Farm held 4 Yellow Wagtails, 4 Corn Buntings and a pair of Swallows.

A Slow Day

A very slow hour at the sea watch hide this morning with a Bonxie being the highlight, though I did just miss an Iceland/Glaucous Gull drift west just before I arrived.

A wander around the lighthouse area found 9 Willow Warblers, 2 Chiffchaffs and a Blackcap, also a couple more Willow Warblers in the moat.

A walk along the fishing boats failed to find the mystery gull, even though the fish man had been and thrown boxes of discarded fish on to the beach for gulls to feast on.

No sign of last nights Black Terns on the ARC this morning, just a Common Tern among the Black Headed Gulls, 2 Mediterranean Gulls over and 7 Little Egrets at the south end of note.

The turf at Scotney held only 5 Curlew, 2 Ringed Plover with 2 Avocets on the edge and 2 more at the Sussex end of note. The Long-tailed Duck was once again on the pit immediately east of the main pit.  

Another walk along the fishing boats this afternoon once again failed to locate the mystery gull, but a duck Eider flew by close inshore eastwards.
A look down Dengemarsh Gully was unrewarding, I would have done better to have spent the time in my sun chair in the garden watching Marsh Harriers. 

Black Terns!

3 early Black Terns hawking insects over the ARC this evening.

Bitterns and Beardies!

 Once the mist cleared the reserve this morning it resounded to the sound of numerous Sedge Warblers, Cetti's Warblers, Reed Buntings and Linnets blasting out there song, accompanied by several Bearded Tits and Chiffchaffs, a Common Whitethroat and a Blackcap. A flyover Green Sandpiper relocated briefly behind Christmas Dell and a pair of Marsh harriers did some food passes. A bittern was booming at Hookers and another at the ARC, 4 Swallows flew through, 4 Yellow Wagtails were in the fields by the path to Lydd, a Raven was back and forth taking food to its young and the Long-tailed Duck was on Burrowes.

 Sedge Warbler in song flight.

 At the Scotney complex this afternoon 4 Little Gulls on the main pit, 22 Ringed Plover, 18 Dunlin and 2 Curlew on the turf, round the farmyard 20 Yellow Wagtails, 2 stunning White Wagtails and 2 Corn Buntings. On the back pits 46 Avocets.

Redstarts, Ring Ouzels and a Gropper!

20 minutes at the sea watch hide was enough time to know that no sea passage was happening today although a few passerines were seen to come in. The highlight on the sea was 6 Gadwall drifting by, the Glaucous Gull was seen down by The Patch.

Around The Point a Black Redstart, 30+ Willow/Chiffs, 3+ Blackcaps, a male Redstart trapped in The Moat, 2 Ring Ouzels dropped into The Desert and a Grasshopper Warbler was reeling along the Pilot Path. The Hume's Leaf Warbler was seen again today along the Pilot Path. A Raven and 3+ Swallows flew over.

 Redstart held by DW.

 Ring Ouzels in The Desert.

 Early afternoon in Dengemarsh Gully highlights were a Wheatear and a female Redstart.

 Male Redstart Galloways.

Rubicola Stonechat Galloways.

Mid afternoon at Galloways, the highlights were 2 more Redstarts, 7 Stonechats including a Rubicola and 6+ Willow Warblers.

At Scotney 5 Little Gulls, 2 Little Ringed Plovers, 8 Ringed Plovers, 14 Dunlin and 6 Curlew, the Long-tailed Duck was in its usual spot on the lake immediately east of the main pit. 

A few migrants

As I arrived at the car park this morning BB was driving away, which told me everything I needed to know about the state of the sea passage. I met SO and we had wander around the bushes and trapping area seeing c20 Willow Warblers, c15 Chiffchaffs, 1 Swallow and 2 Blackcaps along with the resident Wheatears and Black Redstarts. 

Black Redstart at the power station

At Scotney the Long Tailed Duck still present, 6 Ringed Plover, 14 Avocet, 3 Yellow Wagtails, 2 Swallows, a Common Buzzard, 6 Corn Buntings and 6 Tree Sparrows.

A couple of hours this evening wandering around the deserted reserve was very pleasant, plenty of Sedge Warblers, Cetti's Warblers, Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers, Little Egrets, Shelducks, Shoveler, Tufted Ducks with a few Teal, 3+ Marsh Harriers, a Raven, a Peregrine, 2 more Swallows and best of all a Bittern booming regularly and not another person to be seen. 2 more Swallow on the wires opposite Plodland tonight.

At least the weather was good!

Sea watching from the point this morning was very poor with just a handful each of Red-throated Diver, Gannet, Brent Geese, Scoter and Sandwich Terns. A Serin was to high for me hear, though DW heard it at least twice.

A wander around the reserve with SB and BP saw a couple of Swallows through, a Raven over, a Wheatear and good numbers of Sedge Warblers.

At Scotney the Long-tailed Duck has reappeared on the pit immediately east of the main pit, by the farm 3 Yellow Wagtails, 2 Corn Buntings and c50 Linnets. On the back pit 16 Avocets and the 2 Egyptian Geese, 2 Marsh Harriers and a Common Buzzard over the fields.  

 Marsh Harriers from Christmas Dell this evening.

This evening a wander round Dengemarsh saw the Raven again taking food back to its nest while doing battle with a Peregrine but little else of note. 2 Marsh Harriers from Christmas Dell and a Water Rail squealing were the highlights there. 

Spoonbill!

Arriving at an empty car park by the power station did not bode well. Either BB and AJG had been and gone or decided not to bother, the latter being the case.

07.25-08.30 from the sea watch hide joined by PT:

Red-throated Diver: 1E

Fulmar: 4E 1W

Gannet: 58E

Brent Goose: 6E

Common Scoter: 3E

Mallard: 2E

Shoveller: 2E

Sandwich Tern: c10 o/s

Common Tern: 2E

Comic Tern: flock of 70 that spiralled up high and disappeared E

Mediterranean Gull: 2E

Harbour Porpoise: 2+ o/s

A Black Redstart was at West Beach. In the trapping area I heard and caught glimpses of the Hume's Leaf Warbler, which is now getting very hard to see with all the leaves and buds on the Sallows, also there 2 Chiffchaffs.

At Scotney 18 Avocets and the 2 Egyptian Geese on the back pits, a Common Buzzard over, 6 Yellow Wagtails and 4 Corn Buntings around the farm and a Swallow through, but no sign of the Long-tailed Duck,the Little Ringed Plover was still on the turf but elusive.

A late afternoon walk from Springfield Bridge around the reserve was more in hope than expectation. As passed the top end of Hay field 3 an adult Spoonbill flew towards me from Christmas Dell and looked as if it would settle in the hay field but attention by Crows persuaded it to turn and head in the general direction of the observatory. A few minutes later I saw it circling over the visitor centre, it then dropped onto the causeway between Christmas Dell and New Excavations. Little else of note was seen during the rest of my visit.  

Adult Spoonbill over Hay field 3

Spoonbill Christmas Dell from the hide

A trickle of migrants

As I drove onto the Dungeness Estate road first thing this morning a Swallow on the overhead wires. From the end of the concrete road in the persistent mizzle a disappointing sea watch, a few each of Sandwich Terns, Common Terns and Gannets feeding off shore, 3 Fulmars, 30+ Brent Geese past and couple of Harbour Porpoises.

In the Lighthouse Garden 1 each of Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff.

Stopping on the causeway to scan the New Diggings, the first bird I saw was a superb summer plumaged Black-necked Grebe, unfortunately apart from the Grebe little else of note there.    

 My pic of the Black-necked Grebe taken in the poor weather conditions does do it justice!

On the reserve with the mizzle still falling 3 Swallows from Makepiece, c10 Sedge Warblers around the trails, c9 Little Egrets around, the Slavonian Grebe still on Dengemarsh, from the viewing ramp 2 Bearded Tits, 2 Marsh Harriers and the Bittern booming the first time I have heard it this year.

On the boardwalk on the return trail several what look like tiny Common lizards.

Lunchtime from Plodland 2 Mediterranean Gulls over, 2 Marsh Harriers, a Common Buzzard and a Sparrowhawk.

This afternoon with weather brightening up up I went to Scotney where 2 Avocets were at the Sussex end of the main pit, 8 more Avocets were on the new back pits. On the turf 2 Egyptian Geese, 2 Grey Plover, 14 Dunlin, 16 Ringed Plover, 2 Redshank and a Little Ringed Plover.

 Egyptian Geese

 The LRP came a little closer briefly

 On the pit to the east of the main pit the Long-tailed Duck re-appeared today, further up the track 10+ Yellow Wagatils, 4 Corn Buntings and 2 Mediterranean Gulls over.

This evening as I walked from Springfield Bridge to Dengemarsh, hide a pair of Garganey flushed out of Dengemarsh Flood but settled back on Dengemarsh. From the hide with the wind strengthening the Slavonian Grebe still and 4 Swallows of note.