Summer Lull!

The local Barn Owl is still putting a great show

The summer lull has arrived at Dungeness but there are still things to see and hear and the odd goody turning up (see below). All 3 Egret species can easily be seen, Bitterns can be heard but seldom seen along with all the other reed bed specialists. Cuckoo's are still in evidence and Yellow Wagtails, Corn Buntings can both be seen and heard around Dengemarsh. The odd Chiffchaff, Blackcap and both Lesser and Common Whitethroat are still singing, though most are feeding young or on second broods. I've seen Marsh Harriers doing the odd food pass over 2 possible nest sites. Hobbys can still be seen but are getting more elusive as is usual when they settle down to breed. It looks like the Common Gull nests have all failed but it is difficult to be sure at long distance from the causeway, hopefully trails at least will open up soon if not the hides.

1 of at least 2 Great White Egrets present at Dungeness. This one on the ARC strutting around the small Black-headed Gull colony.

Curlew resting and feeding on the mat of New Zealand Pygmy Weed on the ARC

This Fox was showing no fear of me at the ARC 

1 of several Yellow Wagtail around Dengemarsh

1 of the 2 Cattle Egrets at Dengemarsh

A freshly fledged Long-tailed Tit at Dengemarsh

c40 Swifts over the lakes today

Loafing Sandwich Terns today, presumed failed breeders

The 2nd Whiskered Tern of the year at Dungeness discovered by Richard W on Wednesday 17/06/2020 but only stayed for the day.

Whiskered Tern

Whiskered Tern

Probably my most favourite micro moth Cynaeda dentalis a frequent visitor to my MV 

Six-belted Clearwing at The Point courtesy of Owen Leyshon and his pheremone lure

Magical!

Watching over Dengemarsh from viewing ramp on the fine still evenings this week, have epitomised the reason I moved here. Reed, Sedge and Cetti's Warblers singing all around, Bitterns booming, Bearded Tits and Reed Buntings flitting through the reeds, Water Rails, Moorhens and Coots squealing and squawking, Marsh Harriers floating over the reed beds, Common Terns fishing the open water, Great White and Little Egrets, along with Grey Herons Common Buzzards, Lapwings, Oystercatchers flying and calling over the fields, Hobbys hawking all around and Cuckoo's still calling, then as the sun sets millions or probably billions of insects rise out of the reed beds there wings buzzing absolutely magical! I tried to photograph the scene but none did it any justice, I wish I was more articulate and able to describe the magical scene but alas I'm not. 

The local Barn Owls have been particularly busy this week feeding rapidly growing young, at the moment there appears to be no shortage of rodents with which to feed them. 

The Weekend!

I received a call from Paul a local dog walker early Saturday morning, who told me he was sure he'd seen a Red-footed Falcon on the ranges at The Wicks while walking his dogs along the green wall. My heart sank a little as I thought about the assault course necessary to access the green wall. 

Climb over concrete wall then clamber across the rocks to access the green wall, then a near 2 mile walk to The Wicks all while carrying £1,000s of optical equipment. (Excellent image by O Leyshon)

1st summer male Red-footed Falcon at The Wicks late Saturday evening 13/06/2020, the identification is obvious in this image but in the extreme heat haze we were convinced it was an adult female.(Image courtesy of Graham Parry)

I made the effort Saturday morning and failed abysmally to locate the bird, deciding I'd come back in the evening when it was cooler and hopefully less heat haze over the shingle. Saturday evening I made the walk out there again with Colin and Graham and later joined by Owen. The viewing conditions were no better than in the morning but eventually I spotted a shape on a shingle mound around 500 mts out on the ranges. The telescope seemed to just magnify the heat haze, but we were able to ascertain that the shape was a bird with what looked like a buff coloured head and a dark  silvery back, we stared intently at it for what seemed an age hoping it would turn round or even better fly closer to us. We then made the mistake of all looking away together for a few seconds, in which time the bird had flown. We eventually relocated it even further away where it made short flights, always landing into the wind with its back to us. Eventually with light rapidly falling we left, as none of us wanted to tackle the assault course in the dark, but we were happy we had seen an adult female Red-footed Falcon. 

Sunday morning I went back to The Wicks with CT. GP & DS were already on site and had already seen the bird quite well but it had now flown along way out onto the ranges. Around midday SM found a 1st summer male Red-footed Falcon at Dengemarsh, I was back home but my phone was on silent so I was late getting the messages about the bird. I eventually arrived on site and after a while saw and got some poor images of the bird, cursing the fact that I'd sent my Canon 1DX MK11 off for a much needed service. When I met GP he showed me back of the camera images he'd taken that morning of The Midrips bird, which was very obviously a 1st summer male. Later he sent me images of bird at The Wicks as well and it became clear that it was the same bird at Dengemarsh. 

1st Summer male Red-footed Falcon at The Midrips early Sunday 14/06/2020
(Image courtesy of Graham Parry)

1st Summer male Red-footed Falcon at The Midrips early Sunday 14/06/2020

(Image courtesy of Graham Parry)

                                                  (Image courtesy of Graham Parry)

1st Summer male Red-footed Falcon at The Midrips early Sunday morning 14/06/2020. The damaged primary on the left wing is just about visible. The damage is more visible on 2 of the images below, these were taken at Dengemarsh Sunday afternoon 14/06/2020

Stephen Message located this Red-footed Falcon at Dengemarsh around midday14/06/2020, the same bird that was on The Wicks and Midrips.

There were plenty of Hobbys around Dengemarsh this weekend

10/06/2020

I was pleasantly surprised to see 2 Arctic Skuas moving East this morning

The middle of June and I had to wear 4 layers of clothing, cap and gloves to be comfortably warm for my first sea watch in a long time.

07.55-0840 from the sea watch hide:

Common Scoter: 9W

Great-crested Grebe: 1: around

Gannet: 9W     1E

Cormorant: present: n/c

Arctic Skua: 2E

Kittiwake: 3E

Mediterranean Gull: 2 around

Sandwich Tern: 24E (flock of 19)

Common Tern: 4E

Grey Seal: 1

1 of the Lydd Camp Little Owl this morning

This afternoon in the rain

I had another very long plod around Lydd and Dengemarsh area today, seeing very little change in the birds, just less song. A Bittern was still booming and the Common Terns are very vocal as they hunt over every stretch of water. There are still some Lapwing and Redshanks in the fields attacking Crows so presumably they still have young to protect. Of note 4 young Ravens were on the range field from Springfield bridge this afternoon.

7+ Hobbys around Dengemarsh today in the gloomy cold weather

These images came out well considering the appalling light and rain

I think this recognisable individual is the local breeder

Tuesday 09/06/2020

Rose Coloured Starling discovered by Mike Puxley on Lydd Ripe yesterday morning

I believe that there were 2 birds involved, above is the only flight image I managed albeit out of focus of yesterdays (08/06/2020) Rosy Starling on Lydd Ripe. Below is the bird discovered by David Walker on Saturday (06/06/2020) which is a much more intensely pink bird. Better images of Saturdays bird can be seen on the DBO web site HERE

A another around Dengemarsh area including the ARC today saw several broods of Common Whitethroats, as well as Swallows, Yellow Wagtails and Oystercatchers. The raft on the ARC seems to have good numbers of Common Terns nesting, in front of the Screen a few pairs of Black-headed Gulls are nesting again like last year, also there 98 Mute Swans.
From the viewpoint up to 13 Hobbys were hawking mega, also a male Red-footed Falcon up with them. They were so high that at times they disappeared into the cloud base, I watched them for about an hour hoping to get some images if they came lower, but as a testament the image below shows I failed miserably.

A very poor image, but lucky to get it, Mega high male Red-footed Falcon

Female Yellow Wagtail calling

Parent with a Damselfly

1 of 3 young being fed

Good numbers of young Common Whitethroats around today

Several Chiffchaffs still singing around Bretts Marina

Still several Cuckoos around and calling

Common Buzzard and Carrion Crow having a tussle

Barn Owl from last night

Little Owl at Lydd Camp