Getting Better!

First thing this morning I visited the RSPB reserve. From Dennis's hide the light was awful, looking into the low sun a Turnstone and Common Sandpiper could be made out on the islands but little else. Approaching Makepiece Hide a Stoat ran across the path in front of me, I stood still as it trotted through the Sea Buckthorn and Bramble towards me. As it appeared from the Bramble I took a couple of images, the sound of the shutter made it curious and it slowly approached me through the undergrowth appearing just a few feet away, I took some more images before a couple of Magpie's took umbrage and started mobbing the Stoat chasing it over the bank. Reviewing the images a Tick can clearly be seen on the Stoat.

 Stoat

 Tick on the Stoat

 Migrant Hawker

From Makepiece hide a Black-tailed Godwit was on the newly exposed islands but little else of note.

At Dengemarsh a Migrant Hawker was posing by the path, a Great White Egret and 3 Little Egrets were on the lake, also the neck collared Mute Swan (6UA0).

Around the trails plenty of Reed, Sedge and Cetti's Warblers, along with many Reed Buntings and Linnets. 

 Great White Egret

 Mute Swan

 Grey Seal in the scum at The Patch

A late morning visit to The Patch saw just a single juvenile Yellow-legged Gull of note also the Grey Seal feeding in the scum.

 Sanderling

A sea watch from the fishing boats with MH was marginally better than of late:

14.45-16.00

Gannet: 7W   2E

Cormorant: 13 around
Redshank: 1W
Sanderling: 3W
Great Skua: 1E
Common Tern: 5W
Sandwich Tern: 17 o/s
Harbour Porpoise: 8+
Grey Seal: 2
Late afternoon at the ARC from Hanson c500 Sand Martins feeding over the lake and some newly appeared islands which hopefully will start to attract waders and terns.
Below some of the moths from this mornings catch in the Plodland MV.

 Jersey Tiger

 Sitochroa palealis

Small Ranunculus

Gulls!

From Hanson hide 4 Redshanks on a newly appeared island, many Coot, Gadwall and Pochard, along with a few Tufted duck, Teal and Shoveler. On the islands from the VC this morning 3 Common Sandpipers, 2 Dunlin, a Turnstone, a Barnacle Goose, and 2 Egyptian Geese among the Canada Geese. Over the lake a steady trickle of Sand Martins.

Late afternoon I joined Mick and Richard on the beach, where a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull among the Herring and Great Black Backed Gulls had been attracted by the fish offal and popcorn. Offshore just a handful of Sandwich Terns, a single Oystercatcher flew west and a single Gannet flew east. Just before I arrived a mixed flock of c30 Dunlin and Sanderling alighted on the beach before moving west. 

Juvenile Yellow-legged Gull

 A split second before wipe out!

 Taking on a Great Black-backed Gull

 Herring Gull TU3.T on the beach at Dungeness this afternoon. It's hind claw is trapped inside the colour ring making walking very difficult and probably painful. The left leg is slightly emaciated, maybe this caused the hind claw to get trapped or the trapped claw is the reason for the emaciation I have no idea. I photographed the same gull in December 2012, it was fine then. I have seen several North Thames coloured ringed gulls now, where the colour ring has slipped down over the foot impeding the bird in walking.

TU3.T Dungeness December 2012

Still Quiet!

Four-spotted Footman in the Plodland MV this morning

Another good night in the Plodland MV. After I had sorted through them and taken some to the Observatory for ID confirmation I joined AJG at The Patch where we saw 4 Yellow-legged Gulls (3 juveniles and a 3rd year bird) among 100s of Herring Gulls and Black-headed Gulls but not a single Tern or Gannet was seen.

 Juvenile Yellow-legged Gull

Another very slow watch this afternoon 14.15-15.30 from the fishing boats:

Fulmar: 1W
Gannet: 4E    5W
Cormorant: 11 around
Mediterranean Gull: 1E   1W
Black-headed Gull: 6W
Sandwich Tern: 6W
Sand Martin: 14S
Harbour Porpoise: 5+

Great Black-backed Gull with a Dab.

Late afternoon at the ARC c200 Sand Martins feeding high over the railway line, on the lake 2 Redshank on newly exposed island. c300 Pochard and c100 Gadwall along with many Coot and Mute Swans loafing around. As long as it doesn't rain several islands will be exposed in front of Hanson in a matter of days. Only problem is the vegetation in front the hide is so dense and high most of the islands will be obscured, the vegetation cant be cut back yet as there are Reed Warblers nesting there. 

A stroll around the reserve with AJG this morning was very quiet and very hot, a single Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Common Sandpipers and a Little ringed Plover all on Burrowes were the highlights. 

1 of 3 juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls past the fishing boats this afternoon

14.45-16.00 from the fishing boats with MH
Common Scoter:  8E  2W
Gannet: 4W
Oystercatcher: 4E
Cormorant: 9 around
Mediterranean Gull: 5 o/s
Yellow-legged Gull: 3 juveniles around
Sandwich Tern: 14 around
Swift: 2N
Grey Seal: 1
Harbour Porpoise: 8+

Enjoying the sunshine!

 2 adult Harbour Porpoises with a calf off the fishing boats yesterday

 1 of 2 juvenile Redshank from Makepiece

Early this morning at The Patch lots of Gulls including 2 juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls, though not a single Tern. There were no Gulls on the beach as our far eastern friends were fishing there for non existent Mackerel. 

 Common Tern

On the reserve islands are beginning to show, I'm sure a few more days of this glorious weather will be enough to get some islands on the ARC as well as Burrowes. The only waders I saw were a couple of Redshanks, a Whimbrel and a Curlew, apparently 5 Black-tailed Godwits flew in after I left. I spent a bit of time watching the Common Terns fishing in the mill pond like New Excavations, although they only caught tiddlers it seems they are catching enough to raise young on the Tern rafts on Dengemarsh. As I walked towards Christmas Dell a Brown Hawker was posing and a Little Egret flew over. At Dengemarsh I met MH and we wandered around the hay fields where c20 Yellow Wagtails were feeding, a Raven and a Hobby flew over and a couple of Water Rails were squealing. From Dengemarsh hide 3 Marsh Harriers and 2 Bearded Tits were the highlights.

This afternoon at The ARC the only notable things were the Swallows nesting in the screen hide and the Gulls an Lapwings actually standing in the water where the islands should be.

I met MH again at the fishing boats this afternoon where in 45 minutes just a single Gannet flew west, 2 Cormorants were fishing a single Great Black Backed Gull sat on the beach and several Herring Gulls loafed, got to be the worst sea watch I have had at Dungeness! But hey sitting basking in the glorious sunshine sure beats the hell out of working. Retirement rocks!! 

 Common Tern

 Common Tern

 Common Tern

 Common Tern

 Brown Hawker

Little Egret

The last few nights the moth trap has been very busy, a lot of my time has been spent going through the 100s of moths, nothing very unusual so far. A few of them below.

 Dingy Footman

 Coleophora trifoli

 Lozotaeniodes formosana

 Batia lambdella

Bordered Beauty

Mainly Moths!

Cynaeda dentalis a stunning micro!

Last night was the best night of the year so far for moths in the Plodland MV. It took me the best part of the morning to go through them all, then take those I couldn't ID to the observatory for DW to enlighten me.

A wander around the reserve this afternoon was typically quiet for the time of day and year, A few islands on Burrowes attracted a Little Stint, 3 Dunlin, 3 Redshank including a partial albino juvenile, 3 Ringed Plovers and a Turnstone. Elsewhere on the reserve a Hobby 3 Marsh Harriers, 5+ Little Egrets and few singing warblers.

This evening at Scotney, 7 Common Sandpipers, 23 Curlews, 2 Whimbrel, 2 Little Owls, a distant Barn Owl, a few pulses of Sand martins heading west, a few each of Yellow Wagtails and Corn Buntings and 3 Marsh Harriers.

Barn Owls!

One of this evenings Barn Owls at Scotney

 Commom Terns at Dengemarsh

After being tied up with domestic stuff for the best part of a month it was good to get out today and return to some semblance of normality.

First thing this morning I walked from Springfield Bridge around the hay fields to Dengemarsh and Hookers. Among the Cows on Dengemarsh Flood, 30+ Yellow Wagtails mostly juveniles were busy feeding along with a few Meadow Pipits, Pied Wagtails and Reed Buntings. A family of Bearded Tits were in the adjacent ditch. No sign of the Glossy Ibis or Cattle Egret but 4+ Little Egrets in hay field 3 with regular pulses of Sand Martins heading into the NW wind. On Dengemarsh the Common terns were busy feeding chicks, while over the reed bed 2 Marsh Harriers were hunting. From the viewing ramp another party of Bearded Tits, lots of Reed Warblers and Reed Buntings, also a couple of Cetti's Warblers could be heard chacking as could a couple of squealing Water Rails.

Goldfinches taking advantage of fresh water at Plodland

 2nd year Great Black Backed Gull with an anglers discard.

Another uneventful sea awtch this afternoon 15.00-16.15 from the fishing boats,
Common Scoter: 12W
Gannet: 17E       8W
Cormorant: 7 around
Oystercatcher: 11W
Dunlin: 1E
Black-headed Gull: 23W
Common Gull: 4W
Herring Gull: N/C
Great Black Backed Gull: N/C
Sandwich Tern: 7W
Common Tern: 3W
Late afternoon at the ARC some islands are almost appearing so hopefully no rain in the near future. The Swalllows have started laying in the Screen Hide hopefully they will be successful again.

 This evening I decided to cycle to Scotney and around the tracks at the back of the lakes. Yellow Wagtails were every where, also a few Corn Buntings, 2 Common Sandpipers, a Greenshank, a Curlew and a Whimbrel. 2 Barn Owls gave superb views and a Little Owl was in the usual spot. The island in the western back lake was bird less, I would like to think that all the Avocets, Oystercatchers and Black-headed Gulls have fledged there young, but in reality I believe the Badgers have swum out and taken them all as they did last year.

 Stunning views of the Barn Owls

 Corn Bunting

 Little Owl

Whimbrel coming in to roost at last light

Ibis again!

This morning I had a walk around the hay fields, over Dengemarsh at least 150 Sand Martins and 30 Swifts were feeding over the lake,  as I reached Springfield Bridge the Glossy Ibis flew across Dengemarsh and settled in hay field 3. A couple of minutes later as I arrived at the entrance to the field the Ibis was busy feeding with a Little Egret in the open water near the gate. I took a few images but as the light was  awful I moved on to Dengemarsh hide where at least 10 Tern chicks were seen on the raft. Walking back to the car the Ibis was still in hay field 3 though the weather was closing in as the drizzle started.

 Glossy Ibis. In one end out the other!

 Feeding well despite its injured leg.

 Glossy Ibis and friend

 Common Terns at Dengemarsh

As the drizzle cleared I joined MH at the fishing boats for a sea watch. Both of sitting in our chairs in the middle of July in fleeces, hats and gloves.
15.00-16.00:
Great-crested Grebe: 1 o/s
Gannet: 49W   3E
Cormorant: 11 around
Kittiwake: 1W
Black-headed Gull: 16W
Sandwich Tern: 14W       4 o/s
Swift: 52S
Skylark: 1 singing behind beach
Harbour Porpoise: 3+
Hummingbird Hawkmoth: 1 in

Below a few images of Moths from last nights catch at Plodland.

 Pine Hawkmoth

Catoptria pinella

Ethmia bipunctella