Sea Watching!

I spent most of the day sheltering from the rain and driving drizzle at the fishing boats. Visibility was poor as was the light in general, it was very interesting and  successful watch, more than enough to keep me happy though I am easily pleased. Even the lure of seeing Roger Daltrey couldn't drag me away.

 Kittiwake

 2 distant Manx Shearwaters

07.30-12.30 from The Point and the fishing boats:

Great-crested Grebe: 5 around
Fulmar: 2W
Manx Shearwater: 10W
Gannet: 186W
Cormorant: 26 around
Ringed Plover: 1W
Turnstone: 4 on beach
Whimbrel: 2W
Great Skua: 1W
Arctic Skua: 12W
Black-headed Gull: c300 around
Common Gull: 7W
Mediterranean Gull: 1 juvenile around
Herring Gull: c200 around
Yellow-legged Gull: 3 around
Lesser Black Backed Gull: 11 around
Great Black Backed Gull: c100 around
Kittiwake: 104W
Sandwich Tern: 159W
Common Tern: 389W
Arctic Tern: 2W  juveniles
Black Tern: 13W
Swift: 21S
Grey Seal: 1
Harbour Porpoise: 6+

 Black Tern catching Whitebait

 Common Tern

 Arctic Skua

14.30-16.45 from the fishing boats with MH & joined by PT

Common Scoter: 7W
Fulmar: 2W
Manx Shearwater: 8W
Gannet: 59W
Arctic Skua: 2E
Kittiwake: 8W
Sandwich Tern: 37W
Common Tern: 90W

Kittiwakes

From the sea watch hide this morning a few Gannets and Sandwich terns feeding off shore, 100s of Herring and Black-headed Gulls feeding in the scum with 4 Common Terns, highlights were 2 Fulmars and a Grey Heron in off.

In the bushes a few Willow Warblers and Common Whitethroats.

 Garganey from Firth

On the reserve the highlights were 2 Garganey from Firth Hide, 2 superb summer plumaged Knot, 2 Little Ringed Plover, a Black-tailed Godwit, 6+ Dunlin from Makepiece with another 3 from Dennis's. The great White Egret is still at Dengemarsh per RW.

Late morning at the ARC 100+ Lapwing and all the usual wildfowl on the ever increasing islands, so I hope the expected rain over the next couple of days doesn't reverse that. Late afternoon there in the drizzle c50 Sand Martins over the lake. 

 Turnstones at the fishing boats

This afternoons sea watch from the fishing boats was quiet, but enlivened by 10s of 1,000s of Whitebait being forced ashore presumably by Mackerel. The shoreline was positively jumping with stranded Whitebait which caused a feeding frenzy with 100s of Gulls.

15.00-16.15 with MH,RW and AJG.

Common Scoter: 2E
Gannet: c30 o/s
Cormorant: 7 around
Turnstone: 3 on beach
Kittiwake: 1W
Mediterranean Gull: 1 juvenile o/s
Common Tern: 8+ o/s
Sandwich Tern: c25 o/s
Guillemot: 1W
Sand Martin: 2S
Harbour Porpoise 6+

 Juvenile Mediterranean Gull at the fishing boats

 Whitebait feeding frenzy

 Whitebait

2 more Jersey Tigers in the Plodland MV this morning

After emptying the the MV, 2 Jersey Tigers and a Fen Wainscot the highlights I  went to the sea watch hide, apart from a c25 Gannets feeding and 2 juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls over The Patch there was very little of note. A couple of suicidal fisherman sharing a single life jacket, launched a small rubber inflatable, I last saw them drifting east past the buoy. 

 Willow Warbler by the Lighthouse

A look around the Gorse and  lighthouse found a single Willow Warbler and 3 Common Whitethroats. At the observatory a few waders had flown over early morning but only a Chiffchaff found the nets.

Red Underwing

 At Hanson hide of note 2 Red Underwings on the outside of the hide and 5 Copper Underwings inside. From the hide 2 Redshanks, c100 Lapwing, 100s of Gadwall, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Shoveler and Coot, with smaller numbers of the other common wildfowl.

 Copper Underwing

Redshank from Firth Hide

Early evening on Burrowes of note 12 Dunlin, 7 Common Sandpipers, 2 Little Ringed Plovers, a Ringed Plover, 2 Redshank, a Spotted Redshank, 2 Whimbrel flew through and 2 Garganey among the 100s of common eclipse wildfowl.

 Feeding frenzy of c500 Herring Gulls, c200 Black-headed Gulls, with smaller numbers of Gannets, Common and Sandwich Terns, 6 Black Terns, 2+Yellow-legged Gulls and c10 Harbour Porpoises all feasting on presumed  Whitebait shoals moving along the colour change.

14.00-17.05 from the fishing boats joined by MH, AJG, OL & DW.
Common Scoter: 1E    7W
Fulmar: 1W
Manx Shearwater: 1W
Gannet: c100 o/s
Cormorant: 17 around
Arctic Skua: 1W
Mediterranean Gull: 1 Juvenile around
Yellow-legged Gull: 2+ Juveniles around
Herring Gulls: 500+ at Whitebait feeding frenzy
Kittiwake: 27W
Black Tern: 6 o/s
Common Tern: 108W
Sandwich Tern: 28W
Grey Seal: 3
Harbour Porpoise: 10+

 Juvenile Yellow-legged Gull

 Juvenile Common Tern

 Grey Seals

A very impressive Dutch Clipper

A wander around The bushes on The Point this morning found just a single Willow Warbler at Lloyds, a party of 12 Meadow Pipits behind the sea watch hide, 6 Common Whitethoats and disappointingly very little else. At the Observatory a juvenile Green Woodpecker found its way into a net.

 Juvenile Green Woodpecker

 The highlight of a walk along the beach to the Lifeboat Station was 2 Fulmars flying over the beach.
At the ARC all the usual eclipse wildfowl and 10 Little Egrets with 10 more at Dengemarsh per MH.

Juvenile Yellow-legged Gull at the fishing boats

13.45-16.00 at the fishing boats joined by MH, AJG, BH and AH.
Common Scoter: 2E
Gannet: c100 feeding and sitting on the sea along colour change
Cormorant: 11 around
Sanderling: 2 on beach
Mediterranean Gull: 1 feeding along colour change
Yellow-legged Gull: 1 juvenile on beach
Common Tern: c20 feeding
Sandwich Tern: c20 feeding
Swift: 38S in a single party
Grey Seal: 1
Harbour Porpose: 10+

After emptying a surprisingly full MV I made my way to the sea watch hide 08.35-09.35:

Common Scoter: 5E

Gannet: 37E   76W

Cormorant: 16 around

Black-headed Gull: c250 o/s

Common Gull: 5 o/s

Herring Gull: c400 o/s

Lesser Black Backed Gull: 9 o/s

Great Black Backed Gull: c50 o/s

Sandwich Tern: 2E

Harbour Porpoise: 4+

A late morning stop at the ARC found c400 Sand Martins and c15 Swifts over the lake, still 100s of eclipse Pochard and Gadwall, 2 Marsh Harriers and 3 Little Egrets, I was about to wander up to the Water Tower but the rain started and I came home for lunch.

 Juvenile Mediterranean Gull near the fishing boats

 As the rain stopped mid afternoon I went to the fishing boats for a very successful sea watch:
14.45-17.00 from the fishing boats
Common Scoter: 6W all drakes
Balearic Shearwater: 3E @16.25
Fulmar: 2W
Gannet: c50 o/s
Cormorant: 12 around
Turnstone: 2 around
Sanderling: 1W
Oystercatcher: 2W
Arctic Skua: 1W
Mediterranean Gull: 2 juveniles around
Yellow-legged Gull: 2 juveniles around
Black Tern: 4W
Common Tern: 42W
Sandwich Tern: 16W
Guillemot: 1E
Swift: 13S
Grey Seal: 1
Harbour Porpoise: 6+

 Turnstones

 A probably doomed Gannet with a plastic bag!

 Another Jersey Tiger in the MV also this one on the nearby Budleia

 A very tatty Sussex Emerald made into my MV

A very smart Large Emerald in the MV this morning

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