The Weekend!

As the cold NE wind persisted all weekend passerines were virtually non existent, Saturdays highlight was a Puffin that flew east past the hide with a Guillemot

At Scotney a flock of 18 Tree Sparrows, 8 Yellow Wagtails, a Green Sandpiper and 15 Avocets 1 with an injured wing were the highlights.

The Common Crane and at least 2 Cattle Egrets are still present but the Serin seems to have been just a brief visitor.

 Injured Avocet at Scotney on Saturday

06.15-09.30 & 13.50-15.50 with AJG,RW, JH, SO, L & PH,
Shelduck: 6E
Mallard: 2E
Gadwall: 3E
Shoveler: 22E
Teal: 24E
Pintail: 2E
Common Scoter: 195E   3W  (1 assumed leucitic individual)
Red-breasted Merganser: 4E
Red-throated Diver: 5E
Great-crested Grebe: 6 around
Fulmar: 2E
Manx Shearwater: 1E
Gannet: 106E
Cormorant: present n/c
Oystercatcher: 12E
Curlew: 8E
Whimbrel: 21E
Bar-tailed Godwit: 16E
Arctic Skua: 3E
Little Gull: 16E
Kittiwake: 14E
Little Tern: 3E
Sandwich Tern: 238E
Common Tern: 60E
Guillemot: 27E
Razorbill: 1E
Auk sp: 168E
Harbour Porpoise: 15+
Grey Seal: 1

Wheatear on the Blackthorn in The Moat this morning

Glossy Ibis and a Serin!

Fresh in landing on the bund next to the sea watch hide this morning

Yet another very slow cold morning watch in a bitter NE wind.
07.00-09.00 from the sea watch hide:
Shoveler: 3W
Common Scoter: 9E     24W
Red-breasted Merganser: 1E
Red-throated Diver: 2E
Great-crested Grebe: 1 on
Fulmar: 1W
Gannet: 96E   17W
Cormorant: present n/c
Oystercatcher: 6E
Little Gull: 12E
Mediterranean gull: 6E
Common Gull: 92E
Sandwich Tern: 35E.   9W
Common Tern: 8E   4 at The patch
Auk sp: 4E   2W
Swallow: 4 in
Wheatear: 1 in
Chiffchaff: 1in
A wander around The Desert and The Point found just 5 Chiffchaff, 2 Wheatears, 2 Black Redstarts, 2 Blackcaps and a Common Buzzard of note.

A WhatsApp message by Chris Gibbard saying a Glossy Ibis had been photographed in Camber, gave me a reason to leave a very quiet Dungeness. I checked the most likely pools and fields at Camber and North Point finding just a few Mediterranean Gulls and feral Geese in the sheep fields, I started to make my back and spotted a pool I hadn't checked, as I pulled into the gateway I immediately saw the Glossy Ibis, so got out the car and took a few record images before being shouted at by a farmer for blocking his entrance, I quickly moved off and found a more suitable and safer parking spot then walked back along the cycle path to view the bird, it was completely unconcerned by me and the cyclists and walkers showing very well.

I went back to the fishing boats with JTM but we didn't stay long as absolutely nothing  was passing by on the sea. A drive along the entrance track found 2 Cattle Egrets and a Little Egret by Tanners Pool, from Dennis's hide c50 Sand Martins over the lake. Next I drove to Springfield Bridge where a Garganey was showing distantly in the ditch, a Bittern was booming from the reeds and a Great white Egret was sheltering from the wind. I had just stopped by the manure heap at Dengemarsh to look at the Common Crane again when OL called to say Dave Bunney had seen a Serin with Linnets by his house. A few minutes later I was on site with OL, DB and joined by DW, JTM and DG, after a few minutes searching we pinned the Serin down getting excellent views, hopefully it will still be present tomorrow. 

Female Serin with Linnets

Serin showing its Lemon rump

Angry Wheatear for SG

Brown Hare early morning along the beach

The cold NE wind seems set for the near future keeping sea watch numbers low and migrants around the bushes virtually non existent.
08.15-09.30 &13.20-15.30 with AJG & JTM
Brent Goose: 4E
Shelduck: 5W
Mallard: 2E
Teal: 2E
Common Scoter: 21E   69W
Red-breasted Merganser: 4E
Red-throated Diver: 9E   1 on
Great-crested Grebe: 9 around
Fulmar: 2E   1W
Gannet: 212E  14W
Cormorant: present n/c
Marsh Harrier: 1 in
Oystercatcher: 4E   3W
Grey Plover: 25E
Curlew: 1E
Whimbrel: 1E
Bar-tailed Godwit: 1E
Mediterranean Gull: 14E
Common Gull: 207E
Kittiwake: 2E
Sandwich Tern: 109E  24W
Common Tern: 39E    c30 at The Patch
Commic Tern: 38E
Guillemot: 5E    9W
Auk sp:13E    8W
Swallow: 1 in
Harbour Porpoise: minimum of 10

 A Wheatear sheltering from the NE wind

2 Wheatears around the NE corner of The Desert were the best I could find, though I didn't stay long due to the number of dogs and dog walkers there. At the top of the Long Pits a couple of Willow Warblers and Blackcaps the pick of a very poor haul. 

1 of 2 Chiffchaffs in the lighthouse garden

The Common Crane was still at Dengemarsh viewable from the road by the manure heap. On Burrowes a trickle of Hirundines through, a Black-necked Grebe and 3 Little Gulls were the highlights.

Black Tern!

First Black Tern of the year with a Common Tern

A thoroughly miserable cold day with constant rain and fog in light NE wind.
08.15-11.15, 12.00-13.30, 15.00-16.30 with AJG,OL,JTM & DW.
Brent Goose: 258E
Shelduck: 9E
Shoveler: 2W
Teal: 12E
Pintail: 2E
Common Scoter: 316E    17W
Red-breasted Merganser: 18E
Red-throated Diver: 3E
Great-crested Grebe: 15 on 1E
Fulmar: 3W
Gannet: 533E     45W
Cormorant: Present n/c
Oystercatcher: 4E
Grey Plover: 1E
Ringed Plover: 1W   1E
Curlew: 2E
Whimbrel: 14E
Dunlin: 12E
Arctic Skua: 1E
Mediterranean Gull: 10E
Common Gull: 54E
Kittiwake: 2E   1W
Little Tern: 1E
Black Tern: 1E
Sandwich Tern: 135E    9W
Common Tern: 491E
Arctic Tern: 2E
Guillemot: 1E   4w
Auk sp: 1 on
Ring Ouzel: 1 in NEARLY! Taken by a Great Black-backed Gull!
Harbour Porpoise:20+
The Common Crane was still at Dengemarsh today and 2 Cattle Egrets were in the Horse Paddock first thing this morning. On Burrowes the Red-necked Grebe was still present, a Garganey and Red-breasted Merganser were new, a steady trickle of Swallows moved north.

Thrush Clean Sweep and White Stork!

As I drove to The point this morning the 3 Cattle Egrets were in there favoured Horse Paddock with a Little Egret. At the southern end of the ARC a Great White Egret was stalking its prey.

Ring Ouzels

I joined AJG and BB in the sea watch hide this morning where we could barely see the bouy in the dense fog, in an hours watching just 2 Mediterranean Gulls were noted.

A look in the lighthouse garden saw 3 Redwing, a couple of Chiffchaffs, a Blackcap and a Firecrest. Walking around The Moat we disturbed at least 10 Song Thrushes, we made our way out to the trapping area and Desert seeing more Song Thrushes, Redwings and Reed Buntings, then came across a flock of at least 36 Fieldfare and 2 Ring Ouzels, later in the morning I came across a single Mistle Thrush which made the clean sweep of all the Thrushes, probably the first time I have done this at Dungeness. A 2nd calendar year Marsh Harrier flew down to the lighthouse, circled it then flew back inland, 6+ Swallows flew north, I managed to see 3 Common Redstarts today, 2 Wheatears and a Hare.

Mistle Thrush

 A distant Common Redstart, one of 3 seen today

I was enjoying a cup of tea with Dave Bunney at his house with Owen, when the local Gulls went ballistic, the three of us dashed outside to see a White Stork loom out of the fog and drift towards the power station then back again, it spent 30 minutes circling The Point in the fog, before disappearing towards Littlestone, fortunately on one of its circuits it flew just a few feet over our heads.

15.30-16.15 with JTM at the fishing boats, visibility was severely limited by the fog:

Teal: 4E

Red-throated Diver: 1E

Great-crested Grebe: 9 on

Gannet: 19E   5W

Cormorant: c30 around

Curlew: 1E

Arctic Skua: 2E

Sandwich Tern: 6E.  4W

A late afternoon visit to Dennis's Hide saw this smart Yellow-legged Gull roosting with Great Black-backed Gulls, pity it was so far away as this image does not do it justice. 

 Also late afternoon the Common Crane was at Dengemarsh viewed from the road below the entrance to Herons Park.

 My first Herald of the year

1 of 2 Twin-spotted Quakers in the MV today

Wheatears and Arctic Skuas!

Wheatear in the Desert

As I drove past the horse paddock this morning the 3 Cattle Egrets were there. Driving along the estate road 6 Canada Geese flew over and out to sea, the first I can recall seeing at The Point.
A stiff NE breeze with fog limiting visibility to the bouy and the fog horns constantly sounding.
06.00-08.00 with AJG who did the counting:
Gannet: 97E
Mediterranean Gull:3 out
Sandwich Tern: 49E
Common Tern: 8E
Harbour Porpoise: 10+
A very meagre return for 2 hours in the cold.

 1 of 6 Wheatears seen this morning

A wander around around The Moat, Lloyds, West Beach, the Lighthouse and the Desert confirmed my suspicions that there were very few migrants around, I encountered 5 Chiffchaffs, 2 Black Redstarts, 7 Wheatears 4 of which are probably resident, 7 Stonechats, 1 Swallow flew north, a few each of Meadow Pipit and Skylark and the resident Peregrines. The nicest thing though was 3 Brown Hares chasing each other over the shingle and through the Broome.

Several pairs of Stonechats were encountered

Arctic Skua at the fishing boats this afternoon

A slightly more productive sea watch this afternoon in worse visibility than this morning.

14.15-16.30 from the fishing boats with AJG & JTM,

Brent Goose: 2E

Common Scoter: 79E

Red-throated Diver: 2E

Great-crested Grebe: 10 on

Fulmar: 1W

Gannet: 181E   17W

Cormorant: 31 on

Arctic Skua: 4E

Common Gull: 23E

Kittiwake: 8E

Sandwich Tern: 33E     16W

Wheatear: 2 in

Harbour Porpoise: 20+

Arctic Skua at the fishing boats this afternoon

In attack mode!

After yesterdays marathon sea watch I was feeling lazy this morning and had a lay in, fortunately AJG get up and kindly sent me his sea watch numbers.
06.00-07.45 from the sea watch hide:
Brent Goose: 4E
Teal: 5E
Shoveler:3E
Wigeon: 6E
Common Scoter: 109E
Velvet Scoter: 1E
Red-throated Diver: 6E
Fulmar: 2E
Gannet: 81E
Peregrine: 1 hunting offshore
Whimbrel: 1 in
Little Gull: 1E
Kittiwake:1E
Sandwich Tern: 223E
Common Tern 13E
Auk sp: 1E

Stonechat still unringed

I had a wander from the observatory to the lighthouse, along to the lifeboat station and back through The Desert. 2 Peregrines and a Raven were seen around the power station and singing male Black Redstart on the perimeter fence. At Lloyds and West Beach just the usual Linnets, Dunnocks, Pied Wagtails and House Sparrows. In the lighthouse garden 2 Chiffchaffs were the highlight. Along the beach 2 Stonechats one ringed, 4 Wheatears only one ringed, which was surprising as Jacques has been targeting Wheatears and Stonechats very successfully, also several Meadow Pipits and Singing Skylarks. Coming back through The Desert was very quiet except for the number of dogs running around all over flushing just about everything, though I did come across a very confiding female Wheatear there. 

 Pair of Wheatears with no rings

Another Wheatear with no ring

Meadow Pipit on the beach

 Yet another Wheatear in the Desert unringed

1 of at least 6 Yellow Wagtails at Scotney

A breezy walk out to Scotney Farm saw 6+ Yellow Wagtails in their usual field, nearby 7+ Tree Sparrows and 2 Corn Buntings. The water level on the back lakes are very high with very little wader habitat, what islands that are visible seem to be occupied by Herring Gulls, Greylag Geese and Egyptian Geese.

Late afternoon on the reserve the Red-necked Grebe and Little Gull were still on Burrowes, but kept to the far side of the lake out of camera range, the 3 Cattle Egrets were in the Horse paddock, while from my driveway I could just about make out the Common Crane.