1w  Glaucous Gull at The Patch

Another bitterly cold morning found me at The Patch again looking at Gulls. The regular 1w Glaucous Gull was hunkered down on the beach though it did eventually give a fly by, a few colour rings were noted from amongst the roosting Gulls but no sign of any other white wingers. Offshore a couple of Gannets and Kittiwakes, 3 Oystercatchers flew up.

 Skylark at the fishing boats

At the fishing boats this afternoon still nothing moving offshore. A pair of Skylarks feeding around the tracks, in the roost a very nice adult Yellow-legged Gull and a couple of Norwegian ringed Great Black-backed Gulls.

 Adult Yellow-legged Gull in the beach roost

 JC349 Great-Black-backed Gull in the beach roost

JK556 Great-Black-backed Gull in the beach roost

Mid afternoon on the reserve the 1w Glaucous Gull came into roost but no sign of yesterdays 2w Iceland Gull while I was there.

More Gulling!

I joined Ray O'Reilly who Kindly did all the driving on a successful trip to Weymouth on Friday to see the gorgeous adult Ross's Gull at Ferrybridge. It flew in soon after our arrival, then spent c30 minutes on the mud before flying off over Chesil Beach. We moved to Lodmoor hoping it would repeat Thursdays pattern by turning up there, but after 5 hours out in the freezing wing and no show by the Ross's Gull we headed home.

 Ross's Gull

Ross's Gull

Ross's Gull

Ross's Gull

Photo bombing Fox at The Patch

The long stayer at The Patch

The Gulls at The Patch and on the reserve are still the main attraction, though there is still a couple of Smew around, a Slavonian Grebe, a Black-throated Diver, a couple of Goosander, a couple of Great White Egrets and the usual wild fowl, as well as the Boulderwall Tree Sparrows and the flocks of Golden plover and Lapwing in the fields.

2 new arrivals today in the form of a 2w Iceland Gull and a 3rd Glaucous Gull in a week.

Herring Gull taking up the challenge

2 x 1w Glaucous & and 2w Iceland Gull

 Note the pink billed Great Black-backed Gull between the 2 x 1w Glaucous Gulls

2w Iceland Gull

Dull Day at Dunge!

1w Glaucous Gull

A very damp morning at Dungeness but I still wandered down to The Patch where the long staying 1w Glaucous Gull was feeding inside the power station, it often disappears behind the portacabins for long periods. The Gull roost was disappointing considering that it was low tide, as I was expecting there to many Gulls there but there was only a couple of hundred present. Apart from large numbers of Great-crested Grebes and Cormorants off shore very little could be seen off shore though the visibility was very poor.

1w Glaucous Gull at the power station

Brent Geese

Mid morning at the fishing boats a party of 35 Brent Geese flew up channel close in shore and a Norwegian ringed Great black-backed Gull was there.

Norwegian Great Black-backed Gull JC782

Great White Egret in the constant drizzle

Late morning at a very quiet reserve saw the usual Tree Sparrows at Boulderwall, a Great White Egret in the fields along with c500 Golden Plovers. With work being done on Burrowes there was very little to be seen there.

Another visit to the reserve after lunch saw the the new Glaucous Gull put in a brief appearance on one the islands on Burrowes before it flew off towards the beach. 

 1w Glaucous Gull at the fishing boats

This afternoon at the fishing boats the new Glaucous Gull put in appearance that was short lived due to a dog walker. Offshore the usual hordes of Cormorants, another 8 Brent Geese flew up channel, small numbers of Gannets, Guillemots, Razorbills and Kittiwakes feeding along with a couple of Mediterranean Gulls and a Red-throated Diver.

  1w Glaucous Gull at the fishing boats

  1w Glaucous Gull at the fishing boats

Some of the c400 Cormorants at the fishing boats

 Ross's Gull, Vlissingen.

On Friday I joined DW & GH on trip to Vlissingen to see the Ross's Gull. It was a successful trip in the fact we saw the Gull on number of occasions through the day, unfortunately the bird refused to perform for the camera.

 Mistle Thrush by the new lighthouse yesterday

A sunny weekend at Dungeness brought out all the tourists and fishermen wandering along the beach flushing the Gulls, causing me to sulk and wish for bad weather. Yesterdays highlight was a newly arrived Mistle Thrush around the new lighthouse, the Glaucous Gull was feeding in the power station as it was this morning. As I was out on Walland this afternoon I missed seeing the 2 Glaucous Gulls that came to Mick & Richards offerings, though I'm not to disappointed as it seems the second bird was the same bird I bumped into at Ramsgate Harbour.

On Walland plenty of Tree Sparrows to be seen as well as Fieldfare and Redwing, while waiting for the Harriers to come to roost 2 Barn Owls were seen along with Peregrine, Merlin, Sparrowhawk and 2 Common Buzzards. A least 16 Marsh Harriers flew over the reed bed I was watching but none roosted.

4 yrs ago today!

Very quiet at Dungeness again today with no sign of any migration. 4 yrs ago today the Penduline Tit below was posing in front of Hanson Hide.

 Penduline Tit from Hanson 15th February 2014 

A day at The Patch!

With the continuing gales the only real option was to spend most of the day in 2 visits either side of high tide at The Patch.

There were plenty of Gulls to look and a few colour rings to note.

Offshore a few each of the usual suspects.

 3w Caspian Gull 

 1w Glaucous Gull

JK586 1w Great Black-backed Gull 

 Ad Yellow-legged Gull

 1w Great Black-backed Gull 

 1w Great Black-backed Gull 

 1w Great Black-backed Gull 

 1w Great Black-backed Gull 

 1w Great Black-backed Gull 

 1w Great Black-backed Gull 

 1w Great Black-backed Gull 

Not sure about this one hunkering down in the teeth of a force 8 gale, first thoughts were adult Caspian Gull but doesn't seem quite right.

07.30-09.00 from the fishing boats with MH & CP:

Brent Goose: 6 up
Shelduck: 1 down
Common Scoter: 3 down.  2 up
Red-throated diver: 5 down.  4 up
Fulmar: 8 down
Gannet: 576 down
Cormorant: c1,500 down
Oystercatcher: 2 up
Turnstone: 1 down
Black-headed Gull: c2,500 down
Mediterranean Gull: 1 down
Common Gull: c100 down
Kittiwake: 1,341 down
Guillemot: 580 down
Razorbill: 305 down
Auk sp c500 down

At a very windswept Scotney no sign of any grey geese, the usual feral Barnacles were feeding on the sward but nothing else of note.
By the time I reached the reserve the rain had started, 500+ Golden Plover among 14 Curlew the Lapwing on Boulderwall Fields, also Great White and Little Egret there. A drake Smew could be seen from the visitor centre and a couple of Goldeneye, by lunchtime the weather had deteriorated so much I gave up for the day. 

Hawfinch!

1w Glaucous Gull

As I had an appointment in NE Kent this morning, I took the opportunity after to make my first ever visit to Ramsgate Harbour to try and see the long staying 1w Iceland Gull and the 2 Snow Buntings. When I arrived I didn't have a clue as to where I was going so I took pot luck and wandered out along what I now know is the East Pier. About halfway along I spotted a white winger sitting on a pontoon a long way off on the other side of the harbour. Being lazy I wasn't carrying my scope so assumed at first it was the Iceland Gull, though it did seem very chunky, as I got a little nearer I realised it was 1w Glaucous Gull. As I reached the end of the pier it took off and flew past me out to sea. I was going to walk round to the West Pier but when I got back to the car it was surrounded by smartly dressed veterans bearing flags, colours and some with Bugles who were about to have a parade if some idiot wasn't blocking there progress with his car, I quickly got in my car and left somewhat embarrassed.

 1w Glaucous Gull

 1w Glaucous Gull

 Hawfinch

 As it was bright sunny day I decided to come home via Godmersham Church to try and finally see some of this winters invasion of Hawfinches. On arrival there was quite a crowd gathered there and a female Hawfinch could just about be seen deep in the thick cover of a Yew tree. Quite quickly most observers drifted away and the birds became a little more cooperative, though mostly in deep shade.