Balearic Shearwater

I managed to get just over an hour sea watching late afternoon today from The Point:

16.50-18.00
Common Scoter: 1E
Great Crested Grebe: 2 o/s
Balearic Shearwater: 1W
Gannet: 31W   14E
Cormorant: 6 o/s
Arctic Skua: 1E  DP
Sandwich Tern: 12 feeding o/s
Common Tern: 67 feeding o/s
Guillemot: 3W
Auk sp: 6W
Swift: 43 in
Grey Seal: 1
Harbour Porpoise: 4+

I've not been able to get out birding much lately due to family illness. The Plodland MV has been fairly busy lately with 1,000's of Plutella Xylostella and a first for trap in the form of a Toadflax Brocade.

 Toadflax Brocade

 Spectacle

 Eyed Hawk Moth

 Barred Red

Ghost Moth from the Shoreham trap.

As I have been spending a lot of time in Shoreham, West Sussex, I have been running the MV there. Plenty of Plutella Xylostella there as well. 

Old Haunts

Due to domestic issues I have spent the last few days in West Sussex, which gave me the opportunity to re-visit some of the sites I used to go to when I was a Shoreham resident. Ambersham Common, Iping Common and  Lavington Common were all visited,  Dartford Warblers, Tree Pipits, Woodlarks, Crossbill, Siskin, Redpoll, Stonechats, Nightjars, Hobby's, Red Kite and countless Common Buzzards were seen with relative ease, surrounding woodland was fairly quiet but I did manage a single Marsh Tit.

A morning spent at The Burgh was superb with at least 5 Red Kites possibly up to 10 and numerous Common Buzzards, Corn Buntings, Yellowhammers, Common Whitethroats and numerous Chaffinches. I only saw 1 Grey Partridge but heard several more and I'm sure many more were unseen in the crop fields, also screaming parties of Swifts and many Swallows hawking over the fields, from a photographic point of view it was a pity that the skies were grey while I was there.    

 Nightjar. Almost dark very high ISO

 Red Kites at The Burgh

 Corn Bunting

Orange Tip

Back on the Peninsula.

After being away from the Peninsula for a couple of days it was good to get out this morning especially as it was such a glorious summer morning at last. Stopping off at Cockles Bridge I was surprised to see a Polecat/Ferret trotting down the lane towards me, on closer inspection the animal was injured below the neck perhaps by a harness or a snare, as soon as I moved towards it darted off into the under growth and lost. Also of note by the bridge 3 Yellow Wagtails, a Corn Bunting, 4 Stock Doves, Marsh Harrier and Little Egret.

 The injury to the neck clearly visible in this image.

 Spoonbill at Scotney

At Scotney an immature Spoonbill at the Kent end of the main lake with 5 Avocets. At the back of Scotney farm 5+ pairs of Avocets, on the island with the Black-headed Gulls, 2 Mediterranean Gulls also on the island. In the fields plenty of Yellow Wagtails, Corn Buntings and Skylarks but no Tree Sparrows. Over the fields several Marsh Harriers and Common Buzzards one in very heavy moult, also 1 of the Little Owls showing well by the barns.

 Little Owl, Scotney.

A bit of moult going on.

Lunchtime in the garden a procession of 14 Mediterranean Gulls over, 2 Oystercatchers and a Common Buzzard.

This afternoon on Burrowes 2 Pintail and 2 Wigeon still, 3 Ringed Plovers, a distant Peregrine but little else of note.

After a huge thunderstorm last night The Plodland MV was stuffed with more Plutella Xylostella and the first Barred Red of note. 

The Gang

A family of 5 Stoats playing on the approach road to Dungeness Observatory Saturday morning.

Looking for mischief

2 of c1,000 Plutella Xylostella in the Plodland MV this morning 

Pebble Hook Tip

Cream Spot Tigers

Hobby

A cold hungry 1st yr Hobby by the entrance track to the reserve.

Another cold miserable day on the peninsula. An hour at The Patch this morning plenty of birds but little of note. On the reserve Burrowes was covered by a myriad of Swifts as were all the other lakes, a Redshank and Ringed Plover were on the gradually appearing islands, also the pair of Wigeon still present. By the entrance track 2 miserable looking Hobby's no doubt looking forward to the expected warmer weather and plenty of food. At Scotney more Swifts and 100s of Greylag Geese, the weather doesn't seem to affected their breeding success.

Checking the Plodland MV late morning I stopped counting Diamond Backs when I reached 100 there was at least double that in the trap. 

As 2 Roseate Terns were seen at The Patch lunchtime, I went back there early afternoon but no sign of the Roseate's though 11 Mediterranean Gulls and that Gull were present, also  a Great Skua, 2 Fulmars and several Gannets off shore.

Laughing Gull again!

Yet another day of cold strong NNE winds howling across the peninsula. 

07.00-09.00 at The Patch:

Great-crested Grebe: 5 around

Fulmar: 3E

Gannet: 221W (many more must have passed unseen while scanning through the Gulls)

Kittiwake: 3W

Black-headed Gull: c150 around

Herring Gull: c400 around

Lesser black Backed Gull: present N/C

Great Black Backed Gull: present N/C

Little Tern: 1 around

Sandwich Tern: present N/C

Common Tern: c200 around

Guillemot: 3W

Razorbill: 1 on sea

Once again 100s of Swifts over the pits but little else of note seen.

This afternoon back at The Patch 13.30-16.45:

While scanning through the Gulls on the beach for the umteenth time a dark backed gull came into view. Knowing straight away it was a Laughing Gull I grabbed my camera and took some long range record images, then tried to get the news out which is easier said than done at Dungeness where you have more chance of a French signal than British. The Laughing Gull was around The Patch and on the beach for about 30 minutes before it was flushed by dog walkers when it flew off west towards Sussex. While waiting in vain for it to return 4+ Mediterranean Gulls were around the boil, 37 Swifts came in and THAT White Winged Gull appeared.

 Laughing Gull around The Patch this afternoon

 That White Winger again!

Fox flushing the gulls as well as the dog walkers!

That Gull Again!

Another cold day of strong northerly winds and drizzle.
This morning at The Patch:
Gannet: 258W  21E
Arctic Skua: 1 pale phase around
Mediterranean Gull: 3 over the boil
Kittiwake: 8Wmany present n/c
Herring Gull: many present n/c
Lesser Black Backed Gull: present in small numbers
Great Black Backed Gulls:
Iceland Gull:  2nd calender year probably
Little Tern: 3 over the boil
Black Tern: 2 over the boil
Common Tern: 800+ over the boil
Sandwich Tern: present offshore n/c
Auk sp: 7W
Swift: 11 in
A poor video of the gull can be seen on the following link https://youtu.be/l1xi6Crdmwg
In the video it appears to an Iceland Gull, yet yesterdays images seem to me to lean towards Glaucous. As a very wise sage by the name of Steve Gale says it's a Gull!

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Swift Arrival

1 of 2 Black Terns present this morning

08.00-10.00 at The Patch this morning
Great-crested Grebe: 17 around
Gannet: 8W   3E
Oystercatcher: 2E
Great Skua: 1E
Arctic Skua: 1 pale phase around
Kittiwake: 1 in roost
Mediterranean Gull: 4+ around
Black-headed Gull: many present
Herring Gull: many present
Lesser Black Backed Gull: present
Great Black Backed Gull: present
Glaucous Gull: 2nd calender year I believe?
Little Tern: 1
Black Tern: 2
Common Tern: c100 around
Sandwich Tern: present n/c
House Martin: 1 in
Swallow: 1 in
Swift: 163 in
Harbour Porpoise: 2
Grey Seal: 1

The peninsula played host to 1,000s of Swifts and many Hirundines this morning presumably escaping poor weather on the continent.

There has been some debate about the identity of the white winged gull found by Dominic Mitchell on Friday 27th, it is still present. My personal opinion is that it is a 2nd calender year Glaucous Gull. It is certainly an odd looking bird and not the normal brute of a bird associated with Glaucous Gulls.

The White Winged Gull!

Arctic Skua at the back of The Patch

Scarlet Rosefinch

While emptying my surprisingly full MV this morning news came through that David Walker had found a Scarlet Rosefinch while doing his net rounds. The bird was singing regularly all through the day, but was very elusive in the Cuckoo Spit laden Sallows as it appeared to feed on Froghoppers. 

 A couple of poor efforts of the Scarlet Rosefinch

Cuckoo flying past the Rosefinch observers.