Grass Snake!

Young Grass Snake

This mornings wander around the trapping area and Long Pits with AJG & JTM again found no new migrants apart from a few Swifts and Swallows. The highlight was without doubt a lovely baby Grass Snake.

Most of the rest of the day was taken up with mundane domestic stuff, but I did manage to get down to the fishing boats for a couple of hours this afternoon.

The Gulls were having a bit of a feeding frenzy on very small fry at the fishing boats

 1st summer Mediterranean Gull

14.00-16.00 at the fishing boats with AJG
Great-crested Grebe: 13 around
Fulmar: 1W
Gannet:12E  44W
Cormorant: 7 around
Arctic Skua: 1E L/P
Kittiwake: 1E
Mediterranean Gull: 3 around
Sandwich tern: 23W
Common Tern: 12 around
Auk sp: 2E.  1W
Swallow: 7 in
Harbour Porpoise: 3+
Common Seal: 1

2nd summer Mediterranean Gull

Barred Red (green form prasinaria)

The highlights of an otherwise poor catch in the moth trap were a Barred Red and a Treble Lines

 Once again a wander around The point and trapping area produced no new migrants. The resident Garden Warblers, Blackcaps, Lesser and Common Whitethroats, Chiffchaffs and Cetti's Warblers are all still singing around the area.
At Lydd Camp the Little Owl was showing well, also 2 common Buzzards and a Hobby there.

Little Owl at Lydd Camp

 1 of 5 Cuckoo's at the ARC

A walk up the Pines at the ARC saw 5 Cuckoo's, 3 chasing around the Tower Pits while at the same time 2 more were over Hanson hide, at least 6 Hobby's could be seen fro the track, most were very high flying over the reserve, also a few high flying Swifts and House Martins, 4+Common Buzzards and 4 Marsh Harriers could also be seen soaring over the reserve and airport. A drake Garganey was skulking by the reeds on the ARC. A Water Rail was squealing from the Tower pits where Reed and Sedge Warblers were singing and Reed Buntings were carrying food.

An afternoon sea watch 13.50-15.00 from the boats with AJG & RW was under whelming!
Great-crested Grebe: 6 on
Fulmar: 2E
Gannet: 3E  1W
Cormorant: 6 around
Kittiwake: 1W
Mediterranean Gull: 1E.  5W  all 1st summer
Sandwich Tern: 21W
Common Tern: 13E
Guillemot: 2 on
Auk sp: 1E
Swift: 1 in

Grey Seal: 1 

Hobby over my garden 

The Littlestone Serin continues to show and sing to most of its admirers. 

One of the resident Meadow Pipits on the Power Station perimeter wall early morning 

An uninspiring sea watch this morning, though we have had a lot worse!
07.00-08.00 with AJG & SO
Common Scoter: 32E
Great-crested Grebe: 10 on
Fulmar: 1E   1W
Manx Shearwater: 1E
Gannet: 8E   10W
Cormorant: 8 around
Oystercatcher: 4E
Sanderling: 1E
Arctic Skua: 1E
Kittiwake: 3E    5W
Mediterranean Gull: 6E
Sandwich Tern: c25 around
Common Tern: c20 around
Auk sp: 7 on
Swallow: 5 in
Harbour Porpoise: 5+
After the sea watch we covered the bushed around The Point, The Desert and the trapping area and found no new migrants.
An hour at the fishing boats this afternoon produced just a Fulmar and a few each of Gannet, Sandwich and Common Terns.
The Serin at Littlestone continues to sing and show to whoever goes to see it but very little else of note on the peninsular.
The moth trap was a little better last night with another Chocholate Tip, 2 Eyed Hawk Moths and 20+ Xylostella.

Scarce Chocholate-tip

Eyed Hawk Moth

Plutella xylostella

Littlestone Serin!

Again very quiet around The Point this morning with very few new migrants, just a single Spotted Flycatcher, a Yellow Wagtail and 4 Swallows over. A Black Redstart and 6 Shelduck were around the power station grounds. In the Broome and Gorse the Stonechats seem to have had a very successful season so far, as there seems to be lots of young around, also lots of Meadow Pipits carrying food items for young. In the trapping area the Garden Warblers and Blackcaps are still singing.

 A mid morning visit to Littlestone to see if the Serin was still there was very successful, as I pulled up I could hear it singing and a quick scan soon revealed it. Amazingly for the best part of an hour I had it all to myself, the only other people there were a couple of locals walking there dogs, who were very interested in the bird and very pleased to be shown it. 

 

13.00-15.00 with AJG from the fishing boats:

Great-crested Grebe: 4 around

Gannet: 5W

Cormorant: 10 around

Great Skua: 1E

Arctic Skua: 1E

Mediterranean Gull: 5W

Sandwich Tern: 17W

Swallow: 1 in

Harbour Porpoise: 3+ 

Grey Seal: 1

The first juvenile Goldfinch of the year appeared in my garden late this afternoon

This evenings visit to Burrowes was disappointing seeing just 3 Dunlin, 6 Ringed Plover and the Common Terns of note.

Brown Argus at The Point this morning

My first Chocholate-tip of the year in the moth trap this morning, though in general the trap has been disappointing.

 I disturbed this Brown Hare early this morning along the estate road

 A very quiet morning around The point with virtually no new migrants apart from a handful of Swallows and a Mistle Thrush, though at least 2 Marsh Harriers flew out to sea towards France. At least 2 Peregrines were around the power station and a male Black Redstart was singing from high on the building. AJG did a very early morning sea watch but only saw the the summering flock of several hundred Common Scoter tooing and froing.

This Mistle Thrush was the only grounded migrant of note this morning around The Point

 House Martins at Littlestone

Late morning early afternoon I went along to Littlestone for another look at the Serin which was not showing or singing in the short time I was there. On the way I noticed some House Martins gathering mud from a puddle so decided to spend a little time watching and photographing them instead.

A Bee-eater flew over South View per DB, the same or another was reported over the ARC. 

A visit to the ARC this evening saw just a Cuckoo and 3 Marsh Harriers of note. On Burrowes a single Common Sandpiper, 15 Sanderling,  5 Dunlin and 6 Ringed Plover, also good numbers of Common Terns, so hopefully they will settle down to breed.

The Last Few days!

 Stunning male Brambling was a nice early morning surprise a few days ago

Spotted Flycatcher 1 of several that have arrived in the last few days

With lots going on domestically the last couple of weeks I haven't been able to update the blog daily but hope to get back to normal from now on. Above and below are images of the highlights of the last few days. The Littlestone Serin is still singing and showing well, a Bee-eater was seen at lade, at least 2 Garganey are frequenting the ARC, also a single immature Great White Egret remains around the reserve. Bitterns and Bearded Tits seem to be showing themselves much more readily. 

 Whiskered Tern

On the 20th Burrowes Pit hosted a Whiskered Tern which was joined by a Roseate Tern in the afternoon. On the Islands a bit of a wader fest with Curlew, Whimbrel, Bar-tailed Godwits, Knot, Grey Plover, Sanderling, Dunlin, Ringed Plovers, Little Ringed Plover and Oystercatchers.

 Roseate Tern

Roseate Tern with the Whiskered Tern giving a fly by

Firecrest trapped at the observatory

 Todays superb male Red-backed Shrike in The Moat, a second bird was found at the ARC late afternoon by JH.

I saw the Bittern 6 times today as it flew from Boulderwall to the Tower Pits and back

 Great Tit nesting in a traffic cone in the VC car park, there's also a pair of Blue Tits feeding young in a Life Ring in the pumping station at the Long Pits.

Black Terns & Poms!

Most of a flock of 45 Black Terns  passing the bouy

Another cold morning with a strong NE wind, is it really the middle of May?
05.20-10.00 with AJG, OL, JTM, SM, JH & Peter
Shelduck; 2E   2 in off over the power station.
Common Scoter: 16E   163W
Black-throated Diver: 3E
Great-crested Grebe: 4 around
Fulmar: 1E
Gannet: 161E     36W
Cormorant: c50 around
Peregrine: 1 around
Oystercatcher: 8E
Grey Plover: 1E
Sanderling: 59E
Knot: 8E
Turnstone: 1E
Dunlin: 3E
Pomarine Skua: 17E
Arctic Skua: 4E
Kittiwake: 3E
Little Tern: 1E
Black Tern: 60E     1 at The Patch
Sandwich Tern: 147E
Common Tern: 322E
Arctic Tern: 136E
Common/Arctic Tern: 601E
Auk sp: 8E.    2W
Swallow: 10 in
Swift: 1 in
Harbour Porpoise: 8+
Grey Seal: 1
Common Seal: 1

3 of the 17 Pomarine Skuas including a dark phase bird, all a bit distant.

The Littlestone Serin is still present and singing the pines at J/of Madeira Road/St Andrews Road.

A Spoonbill flew over Boulderwall Fields at 12.30 per JH.