Just 27 Miles from Dungeness!

I was joined by AJG, CP, LG, DW & GH at Cap Gris Nez for a brilliant sea watching spectacle today!

1 of the many skeins of Brent Geese that made today such a memorable spectacle

Many passed close inshore

All birds moved south unless otherwise stated:

Brent Goose: 20,883 
Shelduck: 54
Wigeon: 5
Teal: 4
Common Scoter: 1,274 
Eider: 1 N  +   1 Present
Red-throated Diver: 28
Black-throated Diver: 8
Great-crested Grebe: 1
Manx Shearwater: 1
Gannet: 1,287
Little Egret: 1
Peregrine: 1
Oystercatcher: 1
Curlew: 2
Turnstone: 1
Sanderling: 4
Dunlin: 36
Ruff: 1
Great Skua: 60 
Pomarine Skua: 12
Arctic Skua: 29
Long-tailed Skua: 1
Mediterranean Gull: c125 Present
Little Gull: 34
Sabines Gull: 5
Kittiwake: 247
Sandwich Tern: 211
Commic Tern: 44
Razorbill: 2
Guillemot: 1  + 1 Present
Auk sp: 693
Woodpigeon: 1 out
Grey Wagtail: 3 out
Rock Pipit: 1+ present
Grey Seal: 1
Harbour Porpoise: 1+

Black-throated Diver with St Margarets in the background I think?

1 of the local Mediterranean Gulls with a colour ring

 Merlin with small prey coming in off

07.15-09.45 from the fishing boats with MH & LG,

Common Scoter: 6 down
Red-throated Diver: 1 down
Great-crested Grebe: 8 around
Sooty Shearwater: 1 down
Gannet: 461 down
Merlin: 2 around
Kestrel: 1 out
Turnstone: 5 around
Curlew: 1 down
Great Skua: 1 down
Arctic Skua: 6 around
Sandwich Tern: 49 down
Razorbill: 1 down
Auk sp: 3 down  3 up
House Martin: 392 in
Swallow: 158 in
Alba Wagtail: 5 over
Goldfinch: 18 over
Linnet: 40 around
Grey Seal: 1
Harbour Porpoise: 2+

Great White Egret from Hanson

On the ARC from Hanson 2 Curlew Sandpipers, 14 Dunlin, a Ruff, 42 Black-tailed Godwits, 340 Golden Plover, 4 Great White Egrets, 4 Little Egrets, the Red-necked Grebeand all the usual wildfowl.

In the sheep field by the track to the VC 22 Ruff. 11 Great White Egrets on Burrowes per PB.

At Scotney 6 Ruff, 4 Dunlin and Little Stint on the Herring Gull island. On the sward 4 Ruff and 66 Golden Plover among the feral geese.

Kingfisher!

This mornings walk around The Desert, saw a Merlin, Sparrowhawk and Kestrel along with a few Redpolls and Siskins, c250 Goldfinches, 100 Linnets, 9 Skylarks, a few Meadow Pipits and a couple of Wheatears.

A meagre sea watch from the fishing boats this afternoon 14.15-15.15:

Great-crested Grebe: 8 around

Gannet: c40 feeding off shore

Merlin: 1 hunting over the sea

Arctic Skua: 5 around

Sandwich Tern: c30 feeding off shore

Grey Seal: 1

Harbour Porpoise: 4+

The Red-necked Grebe was showing well this afternoon

 Red-necked Grebe ARC

 Red-necked Grebe ARC

2 visits to the ARC today saw a Curlew Sandpiper, 28 Black-tailed Godwits, a Knot, 14 Dunlin, c80 Golden Plover, the Shoveler with nasal saddle still present among the usual wildfowl and Egrets, also a Common Buzzard and 2+ Marsh Harriers.

Male Kingfisher posing from Hanson this afternoon in the sun.

 Kingfisher from Hanson

 Kingfisher from Hanson

 Kingfisher from Hanson

Golden Plover from Hanson

Late afternoon on Burrowes 14 Great White Egrets sheltering by Makepiece from the strong wind but little else of note.

Wheatear by track to VC

Early evening at Scotney was very quiet apart from the usual feral geese.

Cap Gris Nez!

A very enjoyable day at Cap Gris Nez with AJG & MH, we caught the 05.50 train across and were on site at 07.10 staying till 14.00:
Brent Goose: 100+
Common Scoter: 300+
Red-throated Diver: 24 S
Black-throated Diver: 1 S
Great-crested Grebe: 2 S
Manx Shearwater: 27 S
Sooty Shearwater: 28 S
Gannet: 500+
Dunlin: 20+
Great Skua: 24  S
Pomarine Skua: 6 S
Arctic Skua: 36 S
Mediterranean Gull: 1,000+ around the area
Little Gull: 7 S
Kittiwake: 6 S
Sandwich Tern: 300+
Common Tern: 5
Commic Tern: 10
Black Tern: 1 S
Auk sp: 1,000+ S

A very quiet day avian wise, but still some nice birds around.

08.00-10.00 from the fishing boats

Brent Goose: 1 up

Common Scoter: 4 down

Eider: 2 down

Great-crested Grebe: 2 around

Gannet: 351 down

Grey Heron: 1 down

Merlin: 2 in

Ringed Plover: 1 down

Turnstone: 12 down

Curlew: 1 down

Arctic Skua: 17 down

Sandwich Tern:347 down 

Common Tern: 3 down

Razorbill: 1 down

Guillemot: 2 down

Auk sp: 2 down

Grey Seal: 1

Harbour Porpoise: 3+

 Shoveler with a nasal band on the ARC

In a couple of visits to the ARC today, 2 Black Terns, the Red-necked Grebe, a Kingfisher, 24 Black-tailed Godwits, 2 Little Stints, 3 Dunlin, 10 Ruff, a Snipe, 2 Marsh Harriers and the Shoveler with a nasal band that was fitted in Faro, Portugal, thanks to Pete Burness for the info.

On Burrowes 12 Great White Egrets.

Another hour and a half at the fishing boats this afternoon produced nothing of note.

With North Westerlies forecast for tomorrow I'm off on day trip to Cap Gris Nez in the hope of a good sea watch. Watch this space! 

Black Tern ARC

Sooty!

A generally damp windy miserable day made a small movement of Arctic Skuas with the bonus of a relatively close Sooty Shearwater.

 Sooty Shearwater

07.00-10.00 from the fishing boats with MH:
Shoveler: 1 down
Common Scoter: 53 down
Great-crested Grebe: 2 around
Sooty Shearwater: 1 down
Gannet: 216 down
Merlin: 1 hunting off shore
Turnstone: 1 on beach
Great Skua: 4 down
Arctic Skua: 26 down + 6 around
Kittiwake: 2 down
Arctic Tern: 1 down
Commic Tern: 18 down
Sandwich Tern: 155 down
Guillemot: 5 down
Sand Martin: 3 out
Swallow: 105 out
Harbour Porpoise: 5+  also a dead one floated past close inshore.

 Sandwich Terns

 Arctic Skua

Deceased Harbour Porpoise

14.00-15.30 from the fishing boats with MH, AJG & RW:
Eider: 1 around
Great-crested Grebe: 20 on sea
Gannet: 116 down
Merlin: 1 hunting off shore
Turnstone: 1 on beach
Arctic Skua: 6 around
Sandwich Tern: 147 down
Arctic Tern: 1 down
Commic Tern: 3 down
Guillemot: 2 down
House Martin: 5 out
Swallow: 72 out
Harbour Porpoise: 5
Grey Seal: 1

At the ARC from Hanson a Hobby, the Red-necked Grebe still present, also the Black Terns, the Arctic Tern and the usual waders, wildfowl and Egrets.

Kingfisher!

Early morning there were 1,000s of Hirundines gathering on the peninsular getting ready to depart to warmer climes. Alba, Grey and Yellow Wagtails all passed over along with at least 2 Tree Pipits, a few Meadow Pipits, Goldfinches, Siskins and Redpolls and few Wheatears were around the Broome.

 Wing Tagged Marsh Harrier

Late morning early afternoon around the back of Scotney, the Little Owl was on its usual perch, 6+ Yellow Wagtails were still around the farm with 10+ Pied Wagtails. Now that the Maize has been cut c500 Greylag Geese were grazing in the stubble with at least 18 Egyptian Geese and many Canada Geese. A wing tagged juvenile Marsh Harrier was hunting the ditches, this bird was apparently tagged in North Norfolk. In the rough field a flock of c100 Linnets, many Meadow Pipits and a few Skylarks. A couple of Common Buzzards were around the wind turbines and the Osprey was seen distantly going into the pines on the ranges. 

Little Owl, Scotney

 Yellow Wagtail, Scotney

A short sea watch mid afternoon saw the near resident 6+ Arctic Skuas with a few each of Sandwich Terns and Gannets, along with 7 Brent Geese and 7 Common Scoter past.

 Kingfisher from Hanson

On my way home I heard a Wood Sandpiper had been seen from Hanson which is quite late, a couple of minutes later I walked into the hide where a Kingfisher was on a perch that was purposely placed a couple of years ago by PB. In the many times I have been in the hide a Kingfisher has never performed for me though this autumn it has for several others who have taken great delight in showing me the images on there cameras. Hopefully it will perform me again in much better light conditions. The Red-necked Grebe and Black Tern were still present though the Wood Sandpiper was gone.

Wash Out!

Sparrowhawk coming out of the gloom this morning

A better watch this morning for visible migration, unfortunately I missed the Pomarine Skua by a couple of minutes.
07.00-09.45 from the fishing boats with CP,MH & AJG:

Brent Goose: 1 down
Wigeon: 7 down
Common Scoter: 8 down   4 up
Great-crested Grebe: 2 around
Red-throated Diver: 1 down
Gannet: 282 down
Grey Plover: 3 down
Turnstone: 1 on beach
Kestrel: 1 around (chasing Linnets)
Sparrowhawk: 1 around
Great Skua: 1 down
Pomarine Skua: 1 tailless adult down CP + MH
Arctic Skua:  usual 6 around
Sandwich Tern: 104 down
Arctic tern: 1 down
Commic Tern: 2 down
Guillemot: 2 down
Razorbill: 1 down
Sand Martin: 8 out
House Martin: 256 out
Swallow: 5,492 out
Alba Wagtail: 22 out
Meadow Pipit: 513 out
Linnet: 320 out
Goldfinch: 163 out
Siskin: 32 out
Harbour Porpoise 4+
Grey Seal: 1

By 10.00 hrs the weather had closed in for the day. A couple of visits to the ARC saw of note 2 Black Terns, an Arctic Tern, the Red-necked Grebe, a Curlew Sandpiper, a Little Stint, a Ruff , a Kingfisher and all the usual wildfowl.

A very wet hour 14.00-15.00 from the fishing boats:
Gannet: 213 down
Arctic Skua: usual 6 around
Mediterranean Gull: 1 down
Kittiwake: 2 down
Sandwich Tern: 95 down
Guillemot: 2 down

Hanson!

I joined AJG at the sea watch hide this morning for what was one of the poorest watches I have had at Dungeness, the highlight being a single Great Skua that passed up channel.

 Goldcrest in Observatory garden

A wander around the bushes was equally poor with very little noted considering the date and the weather, though I did record my first 3 Siskins of the Autumn.

 Black Redstart at West beach

Another sea watch this afternoon was again a non event with 3 Wheatears behind the boats being the best.

 6 of 8 Great White Egrets from Hanson

3 visits to Hanson today was definitely worth the effort seeing 8 Great White Egrets, the Osprey on 2 visits, the Red-necked Grebe, Arctic Tern, 2 Black Terns, 6 Little Stints, Curlew Sandpiper, 18 Knot, 40 Black-tailed Godwits, 45 Dunlin, c60 Golden Plover, 6 Ruff, 2 Common Snipe, 2 Marsh Harriers, a Sparrowhawk, a Common Buzzard all the usual wildfowl and 2 Spotted Flycatchers in the Willow Trail.

Elsewhere there were 2 Curlew Sandpipers on Burrowes and 19 Ruff as well as the Osprey per PB & BB.

 Osprey from Hanson

 Marsh Harrier from Hanson

 Knot, Dunlin and Black-tailed Godwits from Hanson

 Arctic Tern from Hanson

 Black Terns from Hanson

 Black Tern catching insect from Hanson

Black Tern from Hanson

A few migrants!

06.35-08.05 from the fishing boats with AJG who kindly collated the numbers: 

Brent Goose: 327 down

Shelduck: 1 up

Wigeon: 52 down, 46 in

Pintail: 16 down

Common Scoter: 3 down, 7 up

Gannet: 14 around

Ringed Plover: 2 up

Dunlin: 1 up

Arctic Skua: usual 6 around

Meadow Pipit: c150 out

Alba Wagtail: 11 out

Yellow Wagtail: 2 out

Swallow: 49 out

Reed Bunting: 3 over  heard only

Wheatear 1 of  a minimum 27 around The Desert area

I spent most of the rest of the day wandering around The Desert where for a change every bush seemed to have birds in. My totals as follows, 5 Firecrests, 3 Goldcrests, 5 Spotted Flycatchers, 3 Common Redstarts, 3 Black Redstarts, 12 Stonechats, 27 Wheatears, 2 Whinchats, 21 Skylarks, 17+ Reed Buntings  c150 Meadow Pipits, 200+ Hirundines, 127 Chiffchaffs, a Willow Warbler, 9 Blackcaps, a Garden Warbler, a Sedge Warbler, 3 Reed Warblers, 2 Grey Wagtails, 3 Yellow Wagtails, 35 Alba Wagtails, 3 Common Buzzards, 5 Kestrels and a Hobby.

Chiffchaff 1 of at least 127 around The Desert area

Reed Bunting in The Desert

1 of at least 5 Spotted Flycatchers around The Desert area

A very pale Common Buzzard over The Desert area

2 Curlew Sandpipers from Hanson

Late afternoon at the ARC from Hanson 2 Curlew Sandpipers, 3 Little Stints, 38 Black-tailed Godwits, 9 Dunlin, 50+ Golden Plover, 2 Black Terns, a Red-necked Grebe, an adult male Merlin and the usual wildfowl.