With gales blowing most of my birding this weekend was done from the shelter of the fishing boats.
Numbers over the weekend were:
Teal: 4W
Common Scoter: 16W    3E
Fulmar: 15W
Blue Fulmar: 1W
Balearic Shearwater: 23W     8E
Gannet: c150
Osprey: 1S
Dunlin: 25W
Turnstone: 2 around
Black-tailed Godwit: 8W
Great Skua: 1W
Arctic Skua: 4-6 around
Kittiwake: 6W
Black Tern: c15W
Little Tern: 6+W
Commic Tern: 200+W
Sandwich Tern: 200+W
Swift: 14S
Sand Martin: 26S
For full details see http://www.dungenessbirdobs.org.uk/
Passerines were virtually non existent in the gales, while the islands on the reserve held a few each of Ruff, Common Sandpipers, Little Ringed Plovers, Ringed Plovers, Redshank, Dunlin, a Little Stint also at leat 4 Great white Egrets around the reserve.  

Yesterdays Stone Curlew

 1 of 3 Hummingbird Hawkmoths on the power station wall

 Little-ringed Plover from Firth

In 3 visits to the ARC today, saw of note 4 Little Ringed Plovers, 2 Dunlin, 15 Golden Plover, a Great white Egret and c500 Sand Martins. 

 Colour ringed/flagged Spotted Redshank

2 Visits to Burrowes and Dengemarsh saw of note 11 Grenshanks, 8 Redshanks, a Spotted Redshank, 3 Little Ringed Plovers, 15 Ringed Plovers, 6 Dunlin, 3 Common Sandpipers, 7 Common Snipe, a Ruff, 4 Great White Egrets, 3 Garganey, a Mediterranean Gull, c40 Yellow Wagtails and several 100s of Hirundines.

 ANNJ, juvenile Mediterranean Gull

13.30-16.00 from the fishing boats joined by MH,PT & DC.
Common Scoter: 11W
Fulmar: 1W
Gannet: 52W    6E
Grey Plover: 1W
Dunlin: 10W
Arctic Skua: 4 around
Kittiwake: 1W
Little Tern: 4W
Black Tern: 106W
Sandwich Tern: 84W    17E
Common Tern: 210W    13E
Harbour Porpoise: 6+
Grey Seal: 1

3 Garganey at Firth this evening

First thing this morning at the ARC from Hanson hide of note 4 Little Ringed Plovers, 3 Golden Plover and a Dunlin among c100 Lapwing and many feral geese. A Hobby was chasing the 100s of Sand Martins over the pit. On Burrowes of note 5 Common Sandpipers, a Ruff, a Knot, 2 Dunlin, and a Ruff.

An hours sky watching from Plodland produced 2 Common Buzzards, a Hobby, a Kestrel, a Peregrine and a Sparrowhawk, also 3 Yellow Wagtails over.

 Great Black Backed Gull

This afternoons sea watch from the fishing boats joined by AJG 14.00-15.55:

Common Scoter: 9E

Gannet: 1E

Cormorant: 3 around

Oystercatcher: 1E

Arctic Skua: 4+      1 LP + 3 DP together

Caspian Gull: 1 juvenile

Sandwich Tern: 47 into Lade Bay most carrying fish

Common Tern: 18 o/s

Sand Martin: 192 N

Harbour Porpoise: 10+

Harbour Porpoises

Enjoying The Sun!

As I drove to the observatory 2 Wheatears flew across the road in front of me by the lighthouse, giving me hope of more migrants. That hope was  short lived. After doing some domestic stuff I went to the reserve and twitched a Ruff!!! unbelievably it is the first I have seen on the peninsular this year, however there was little else to be seen with it.

 Juvenile Herring Gull attached to a what looks like a balloon

While sea watching from the shelter of the fishing boats and basking in the gloriously warm sunshine made for a very pleasant afternoon. A probably doomed Herring Gull flew trailing what looked like a child's balloon, that appeared to either swallowed or entangled around its bill.  appeared.There was was very little moving offshore just a handful of Gannets and Sandwich Terns, a single Fulmar flew east and 70 Sand Martins flew south, 14+ Harbour Porpoises and Grey Seal were also seen. As it was slow going I threw a couple of slices of bread onto the beach, seconds later the juvenile Caspian Gull appeared showing brilliantly, also at least 1 juvenile Yellow-legged Gull appeared.

 Juv.Caspian Gull

 Juv.Caspian Gull

 Last nights moth haul was abysmal, below are a couple of unusual micro's caught recently.

 Horse-chestnut Leaf Miner a common micro but rare on the peninsular

Metalampra italica another very scarce micro on the peninsular made its way  into the Plodland MV

Juvenile Caspian Gull!

 The Gull Boys (Mick Southcott and Richard Smith) attracted this superb juvenile Caspian Gull onto the beach late this afternoon, with there mixture of fish offal, popcorn and bread. There will without doubt be much better images on the their blogs http://birdingthedayaway.blogspot.co.uk/ &  http://mybirdwatchingdaysout.blogspot.co.uk/

 This morning around the peninsular small numbers of Willow Warblers and Common Whitethroats, a Whinchat in the trapping area and 3 more at Galloways per PB, though I could only find one later on. The ARC is getting better with 3 Little Ringed Plovers, a Black-tailed Godwit and a Greenshank among the Lapwings, also 3 Ruff seen by KP.
A very unseasonal sighting from the fishing boats of a Little Auk by AJG & RW, which drifted out to sea before I could get there.

 The Plodland MV was very busy this morning with 46 species of macros, including an n amazing 7 Jersey Tigers, 6 of which behaved the other was off before I could photograph it, also of note a Gem.

Gem

Wheatear!

 Early morning on the reserve a tame Wheatear in the car park greeted me as I arrived. On the islands a couple of Common Sandpipers and 3 Dunlin, the 2 Garganey were still in front of Firth. By Scott hide I noticed 2 Great white Egrets which quickly moved to Christmas Dell. MH later confirmed that there was another at Dengemarsh so presumably the new birds had only just arrived. As I drove out a Hobby dashed over the track.
A visit to the observatory where I learn't that the trapping area was very quiet, so after having breakfast I decided  to visit The Midrips which is open all weekend. On arrival the water levels looked good but barely a bird in sight. I can only assume that the pools are so polluted by 100+ years of the army shooting on it that little can survive. I can't recall seeing a Heron, Little Egret or even a Cormorant on the pools so presumably there are no fish or mollusc's.
Walking to the end of the concrete sea wall i did mange to see 4 Avocets and a Curlew on the beach, a flyover Hobby and Peregrine, 2 Yellow Wagtails, 2 Wheatears, a Willow warbler on the see wall and a Clouded Yellow.
An hours sea watch this afternoons from the fishing boats was a very slow affair:
13.45-14.45:
Fulmar: 1W
Gannet: 4 around
Cormorant: 7 around
Turnstone: 1 around
Yellow-legged Gull: 1 juvenile around
Sandwich Tern: 12 around
Common Tern: 3 around
Sand Martin: 97S
Harbour Porpoise: 4+

 Flame Carpet new for the trap

Chocholate-tip new for the year

 1w Mediterranean Gull at The Patch (RK65)

Early morning at The Patch found 2 juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls, a French colour ringed Mediterranean Gull and 12 Common Terns among the many Black-headed and Herring Gulls.

Between the Lighthouse and the Observatory just a single Willow warbler and single Common Whitethroat.

 House Sparrow with Migrant Hawker in the observatory garden

The southern end of the ARC held 2 Little Egrets and Common Sandpiper While in 2 visits to Burrowes of note 3 Sanderling, 4 Little-ringed Plovers, 4 Common Sandpipers, 4 Dunlin and 2 Garganey.

Little-ringed Plovers from Firth hide

An early afternoon sea watch from The point was very poor, just a handful each of Gannet, Sandwich and Common Tern.

2 visits today to the ARC Screen and Hanson found of note 3 Black-tailed Godwits, a Dunlin, 4 Golden Plover, a Hobby and a Peregrine. 

I joined AJG in walk to The Patch where the highlights were a Fulmar E, 3 Yellow-legged Gulls (2 juveniles and a near adult) and a juvenile Mediterranean Gull among 100s each of Black-headed and Herring Gulls. 6 Common Terns continues the paucity of Terns.

At the observatory a steady trickle of Willow Warblers were being caught and processed. The lighthouse garden held 4 Willow Warblers with 2 more in the station gorse.

I joined MH on the reserve where we saw 2 Little Stints, 3 Little Ringed Plovers, 5 Common Sandpipers also 4 Golden Plover over the car park. MH saw a Bittern at Dengemarsh later. Pulses of Sand Martins seemed to be heading north most of the day. 

A look around the north end of the Long Pits found 22 Willow Warblers, 4 Blackcaps and 12 Common Whitethroats.

At the ARC 6+ Willow Warblers by the Screen Hide where 3 Black-tailed Godwits and 9 Golden Plover could be seen among the many Lapwings.

An hour at the fishing boats 13.30-14.30:

Gannet: 6 o/s

Cormorant: 5 o/s

Whimbrel: 1 over

Kittiwake: 5W

Sandwich Tern: 36W

Common Tern: 6W

Harbour Porpoise: 2+

Grey Seal: 1

Garganey from Firth Hide

At Scotney no change just 100s of feral Geese.

Late afternoon on Burrowes 2 Garganey still, 2 Knot, 4 Redshank, 3 Little Ringed Plovers, 2 Ringed Plovers, a Golden Plover, 11 Dunlin, a Little Stint and 6 Common Sandpipers.

Still Quiet!

Very quiet around the peninsula today, a few Willow Warblers, Yellow Wagtails and Sand Martins the only obvious migrants. Scotney was also very quiet except for the hordes of feral geese and  6 Common Sandpipers. 

 Juvenile Yellow-legged Gull

90 minutes this afternoon at the fishing boats was very pleasant out of the wind and basking in the warm sunshine, avian wise was a different matter, also the first day in a long while I haven't recorded Harbour Porpoises and Grey Seal. 

Common Scoter: 1W

Gannet: 1W    2E

Cormorant: 3 around

Turnstone: 5 around

Dunlin: 2E

Yellow-legged Gull 1+ around

Sandwich Tern: 6 feeding o/s

Common Tern: 10W       4 feeding o/s

Late afternoon on the reserve a Wood Sandpiper, a Little Stint, 3 Little Ringed Plovers, a Ringed Plover, 7 Common Sandpipers and 2 Garganey on Burrowes. Several Little Egrets and Marsh Harriers were  also in evidence.

 Jersey Tiger 6th of the year

 Leopard 1st of the year

Plutella xylostella still seem to be coming to the MV

Melodious Warbler!

  First thing this morning a look around the bushes at The Point found just a single Willow warbler of any note, so when news of a Cattle Egret seen by RW on the hay fields came through I made my way there straight away, minutes later I was on site but I was to late. I was not surprised when I realised just how dry the hay fields are, apparently the pump would not start and has not yet been fixed.
The Great White Egret is still on Dengemarsh, Marsh harriers were conspicuous today as  were Bearded Tits.
This afternoon Dave Bunney discovered a Melodious Warbler in his garden which he very kindly allowed visitors to see.