Weekend!

Pied Flycatcher in a private garden 2 birds present

 Pied Flycatchers have been the star attractions this weekend, apart from the Honey Buzzards for those lucky enough to have had them right overhead, I managed a distant bird in the heat haze. I'm not sure what the holiday weekend count of Pied Flycatchers was but I'm sure it must have been at least 40, with a few Spotted Flycatchers, Whinchats, Wheatears and as far as I know not a single Common Redstart, where are they? Willow Warblers, Whitethroats, Lesser Whitethroats and Blackcaps still form the majority of birds trapped and ringed. Most the waders seem to have cleared out along with the Black Terns, but the little Gulls and Garganey seem to be hanging on.

 Sea watching has been dire even with light South Easterlies, the warm settled weather may be pleasant but it does very little for the birding.

 As it has been so hot for I have spent a lot of time sky watching seeing a distant Honey buzzard, 20+ Common Buzzards, several each of Marsh Harrier, Hobby, Sparrowhawk, a single Peregrine and a few stratospheric Swifts.

1 of at least 3 Pied Flycatcher at the Sanctuary

 Iphone image of Pied Flycatcher 

Common Buzzard over my garden

1st cycle Mediterranean Gull at Firth this evening

At Burrowes this evening c300 Oystercatchers roosting, 4 Redshanks, 2 Ruff, a 1st cycle Mediterranean Gull and little else. Now that the Terns have fledged and left it was eerily quiet. 

Redshanks at Firth this evening  including a colour ringed juvenile

Water Rail at Hanson this evening

Hanson was very quiet this evening just 2 Greenshanks, 3 Ruff, 3 Garganey and Common Sandpiper among the usual wildfowl. A Water Rail showed well albeit briefly in the failing light.

Bittern!

05.55-06.55 from the sea watch hide per AJG:
Common Scoter: 2W
Fulmar: 1W
Balearic Shearwater: 1W
Manx Shearwater: 1W
Gannet: 55W
Sandwich Tern: 272W
Common Tern: 34W
Again very quiet avian wise around The Point this morning, a few Common and Lesser Whitethroats, Stonechats and Willow Warblers.

Reed Warbler at Galloways

At Galloways a Pied Flycatcher, a Whinchat, Common Whitethroats, Reed Warbler, Stonechats and the usual fare.

 Bittern from Hanson Hide

 

 At the ARC a Bittern put on a superb if brief showing from Hanson hide. Also there 3 Little Gulls, 2 Greenshanks, 2 Redshanks, 3 Ruff, a Wood Sandpiper, a Common Sandpiper, 2 Dunlin, a Black-tailed Godwit, a Golden Plover, a single Common Snipe, Water Rail, Great White Egret, Little Egret, a Peregrine, 2 Marsh Harriers and 7+ Garganey among all the usual wildfowl.

 Very poor images of a distant leucistic Harbour Porpoise at the fishing boats this afternoon

 13.00-16.00 From the fishing boats with AJG, JTM & JH:
Common Scoter: 2E
Great-crested Grebe: 1W
Gannet: 24W
Cormorant: 9 around
Whimbrel: 2W
Arctic Skua: 1W
Sandwich Tern: 142W
Common Tern: 4W
Black Tern: 9W
Swallow: 4 out
Sand Martin: 36 out
Grey Seal: 2
Harbour Porpoise: 10+ including a Leucistic individual

 Whinchat at the Observatory

Around The Point this morning although there wasn't many birds there were some nice birds, 2 Whinchats, Spotted Flycatcher, Pied Flycatcher, Wheatear, Black Redstarts, Common and Lesser Whitethroats, Reed Warblers etc. 

Wheatear at the Observatory

 Wasp Spiders around the Observatory

Galloways was quiet with another Pied Flycatcher and a few each of Common Whitethroat and Stonechat but little else.

 Pied Flycatcher at Galloways

On the ARC from Hanson 4 Greenshank, 2 Wood Sandpipers, 2 Common Sandpipers, 3 Redshank, 3 Ruff, 2 Dunlin, 12 Garganey, a Great White Egret among the usual Gulls and wildfowl. 

Pointing out the Red Underwing on Hanson Hide

13.00-15.00 from the fishing boats per AJG
Common Scoter: 12W
Coot: 1 drifted east on the tide close inshore (would have been a Dungeness sea watch tick for me)
Arctic Skua: 3W
Sandwich Tern: 144W
Common Tern: 59W
Swallow: 6 out
Sand Martin: 54 out

Pied Flycatcher in a private garden this afternoon, many thanks to Dave Bunney for allowing access

Willow Warbler after a bath

 Hummingbird Hawkmoth

This evening on Burrowes I was unable to find the Black Tern or anything else of note, I did note 3 Norwegian and 1 French ringed Great Black-backed Gull.

Scorched Carpet the best in the trap this morning

First thing around The Point fair numbers of Willow Warblers and Common Whitethroats, much smaller numbers of Reed & Sedge Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat and Blackcap and very little else.

2 Spotted Redshanks were new into the ARC this morning

3 visits to the ARC saw much the same as the last week or so with the addition of 2 Spotted Redshanks. At least 2 Wood Sandpipers, 2 Greenshank, 2 Black-tailed Godwits and several Garganey still present, also the 2 Little Gulls are still appearing erratically.

13.20-15.30 from the fishing boats with JTM,LH,PH & AJG who kindly collated the numbers:
Common Scoter: 5W
Gannet: 7W
Cormorant: present n/c
Scoter 5 down
Arctic Skua: 1W
Kittiwake: 2W
Sandwich Tern: 141W
Common Tern: 25 down
Sand Martin 122 down
Swallow 51 down

1 of 2 Pied Flycatchers at Galloways this afternoon

Late afternoon at Galloways was reasonably productive with 2 Pied flycatchers, a Whinchat, several Stonechats, 2 Ravens, many Common Whitethroats, Willow Warblers and Linnets, along with the odd Sedge and Reed Warbler.

This evening on Burrowes a moulting adult Black Tern, 3 Great White Egrets, 2 Dunlin and 2 Common Sandpipers of note, also many Swallows hawking high over the reserve. 

1 of 3 Peregrines around the pylons this morning

Still very quiet around The Point avian wise, this morning there were 7 Wheatears around The Moat with a few Meadow Pipits, in the trapping area a few each of Willow Warbler, Common and Lesser Whitethroat, Blackcap, Reed Warbler and Stonechats. From the garden 6+ Common Buzzards and a couple of Marsh Harriers, all of which behaved like local birds, some Sand Martins were moving as well as a couple of Swifts.

Turnstones at the fishing boats

12.45-15.45 from the fishing boats with JTM and AJG who collated the numbers:

Common Scoter: 9W

Gannet: 34W
Cormorant: 7 around
Turnstone: 3 around
Arctic Skua: 1W   2 around
Mediterranean Gull:16W all 1st cal yr
Kittiwake: 3W
Sandwich Tern: 340W
Common Tern: 24W
Sand Martin: 57 out
Grey Seal: 2
Harbour Porpoise: 2

7 of the 10 Garganey from Hanson this evening

At the ARC this evening 10 Garganey, 2 Wood Sandpipers, 2 Greenshank, 2 Ruff, 3 Dunlin and a Black-tailed Godwit of note among the usual Lapwings and wildfowl.

On Burrowes this evening 2 Black Terns among the Common Terns and 4 Common Sandpipers on the islands.

Juvenile Caspian Gull!

07.45-09.30 from the sea watch hide joined by OL:

Fulmar: 1E
Gannet: 477W   21E
Cormorant: 17 around
Avocet: 3E
Arctic Skua: 1 around  DP
Kittiwake: 6W
Sandwich Tern: 164W
Common Tern: 63W
Sand Martin: 82 out
Harbour Porpoise: 2+
At the ARC from Hanson late morning 3 Wood sandpipers, 2 Common Sandpipers, 3 Little Ringed Plovers, Redshank, Dunlin, several Garganey and the usual wildfowl.

The 3 Avocets going back west past the fishing boats this afternoon

Huge number of Gulls at the fishing boats this afternoon gorging on washed up shellfish

Juvenile Caspian Gull

13.00-15.30 from the fishing boats:
Common Scoter: 3E   5W
Great-crested Grebe: 1 around
Gannet: 144W
Cormorant: 7 around
Turnstone: 3 around
Avocet: 3W
Arctic Skua: 2W    1 around
Kittiwake: 1W    1 around
Yellow-legged Gull: 8+ around juveniles
Caspian Gull: 1 juvenile
Sandwich Tern: 268W
Common Tern: 199W
Black Tern: 6W
Common Swift: 31 out
Sand Martin: 2 out

Herring Gull with shellfish

A very worn Small Mottled Willow the highlight of this mornings catch 

Yellow-legged Gulls!

 Swifts over the New Diggings early this morning

07.30-08.30 from the sea watch hide:
Gannet: 30W   11E
Cormorant: 19 around
Arctic Skua: 1 W  DP
Kittiwake: 1 around
Sandwich tern: 64W.    C20 feeding offshore
Common tern: 14W     c15 feeding off shore
Harbour Porpoise: 2+
Hummingbird Hawkmoth: 2 resting on perimeter wall

1 of 2 Hummingbird Hawkmoths warming up on the power station perimeter wall

A minimum of 4 juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls at the fishing boats this afternoon

I spent a couple of hours at the fishing boats this afternoon with JTM, where a single Arctic Skua was harassing the very few Terns that were present, fortunately there were a few Gulls present which kept us occupied. This evening at the ARC from Hanson 3 Wood Sandpipers, 4 Ruff, Common Sandpipers, Little ringed Plovers etc. Very little change in the last couple of weeks.

 Juvenile Yellow-legged Gull

  Juvenile Yellow-legged Gull

  Juvenile Yellow-legged Gull

  Juvenile Yellow-legged Gull

  Juvenile Yellow-legged Gull

 Fulmar past the fishing boats

 Juvenile/1w Mediterranean Gull at the fishing boats

 Herring Gull feeding on the huge amounts of shellfish and small fry washed up in the gales

 Great Black-backed Gull JK889 at the fishing boats this afternoon I first recorded it a week ago.

Herring Gull MX3T at the fishing boats this afternoon. I last recorded it on 09/02/2019

Red Underwing a common moth but rarely find them in the trap