Monday 21/07/2020

French Green Ringed RAA1

This morning I was chauffeured to Copt Point by AJG, where we spent a couple of hours in perfect weather conditions in the company of c350 Mediterranean Gulls. We managed to read 25 Rings mainly Belgian and French, but also 2 German and a British ring. 

Antwerp ringed Juvenile 39JJ

Antwerp ringed E561

 Every Mediterranean Gull plumage on show at Copt Point

Frustrating couldn't quite read the ring 

A Really Smart Bird

Antwerp ringed 3KN9 in the background

Juvenile Rock Pipit

Walking back to the car we came across a family of Rock Pipits, a bird I rarely see at Dungeness.

Adult Rock Pipit

Whilst i saw sorting through the moth trap at lunchtime OL called to say Sam had found a Wood Warbler in the Sallows in The Moat, not a bird you can guarantee to see at Dungeness every year. Eventually I did get several good views of it in the top of the Sallows but no chance of a snap of it. 

Black Redstart at Galloways very early morning, Little Owl was also there today.

Lesser whitethroats and Dunnock at the ARC

Heavily cropped Black-winged stilt from tonight

The Stilt was still present on the ARC this evening as was the Black Tern and Little Gull all socially distancing in front of Hanson Hide. Also there a Garganey, 10 Dunlin, a Common Sandpiper an LRP and 8 Wigeon, Autumns coming.

Great White Egret at the ARC tonight

Fast growing Fox Cubs at the ARC tonight

Always a pleasure to find one of these Cynaeda dentalis in the trap even though there relatively common here.

Saturday 18/07/2020

07.15-0845 from by the sea watch hide, many thanks to AJG for his endurance:

Common Scoter: 7E

Gannet: 11 o/s

Whimbrel: 1W

Kittiwake:6W

Mediterranean  Gull: 1W

Sandwich tern 7 down

Common Tern 9 down

Swallow: 3W

Sand Martin: 1W

At the same time I was wandering around Galloways, where there were plenty of juvenile Common Whitethroats and Stonechats and a few Sedge Warblers, the only grounded migrant was a single Willow Warbler, there were plenty of Sand Martins moving west. A walk along the front of Scotney this afternoon saw 3 Tree Sparrows of note.

Very heavily cropped image of the Black-winged Stilt and Black Tern taken this evening from the causeway. Also Garganey and LRP tonight. Unless you live close by it is not worth burning fuel to take your life in your hands with the traffic on the causeway, to get such poor views of the birds. It would be a much better return for your money to go to Oare Marshes where you can actually see the birds well and in comfort. 

Bisigna procerella a new micro for my trap

Metalampra italica the second occurrence of this micro in my trap

Yet another Sussex Emerald. an impressive 8 in my trap this year

Wednesday 15/07/2020

 Barn Owl over Boulderwall early morning

Sea watch from The Point by AJG & RW
07.15-08.15
Common Scoter: 1E
Manx Shearwater: 1W
Gannet 22 o/s
Cormorant: 6 at The Patch
Oystercatcher: 2E
Curlew: 2W
Mediterranean Gull: 3W
Sandwich Tern: 5W
Common Tern: 8W
At The Patch 2 Little Egrets came in off, 5 Mediterranean Gulls were in the Gull roost, also a Kittiwake and a colour ringed Herring Gull R8VT, but I couldn't find any Yellow-legged Gulls.

 Little Egrets coming in off the sea early morning

 Great White Egret at the ARC

The Black-winged Stilt is still present at the ARC. Unfortunately it spends most of its time in front of Hanson hide to which there is no access. It can be seen distantly from the causeway, but be careful of the traffic, sometimes when a raptor comes through it can be seen in flight from just past the screen hide.

 Juvenile Long-tailed Tit that was with a flock of Tits and wWarblers moving through the Sallows on the causeway between the New Diggings and Burrowes. 2 Common Sandpipers and a black-tailed Godwit were on Burrowes, along with the usual Common Terns, Gulls and wildfowl. 

 Herring Gull at the fishing boats this afternoon

An hour at the fishing boats this afternoon with RW & PT 15'30-16.30

Gannet: 13 o/s

Cormorant: 2 o/s

Kittiwake: 13W

Sandwich Tern: 8 o/s

Common Tern: 10+o/s

Swift: 4S

Harbour Porpoise: 2

Grey Seal: 2

Just as well that the moths have been relatively interesting, because the birds have been very poor.

 A5UX Herring Gull a regular bird at the fishing boats this afternoon

 Maple Prominent, very scarce on the peninsular, only my second one.

 Brown form of Agapetha zoegana my first, of this form

 Dotted Fan-foot, less than annual in my trap

 Brown Line Bright Eye, less than annual in my trap but relatively common on the shingle 

 2 more Sussex Emeralds in the trap this morning, a good year for them.

Monday 13/07/2020

 Meadow Pipit at The Point this morning

A wander down to The Patch this morning was a waste of time due to the number of fishermen there, then a walk around The Point saw the resident Meadow Pipits and Sonechats as well as a Peregrine and several Swifts going South.

 1 of 20 Tree Sparrows around Scotney today

A very pleasant walk out to the wind turbines saw the usual Corn Buntings, Yellow Wagtails, Linnets and Common Buzzards, also at least 20 Tree Sparrows and 2 Ravens. 4+ pairs of Avocets are attempting to nest on the islands, but they are surrounded by Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

 Lots of Corn Buntings at Scotney today

 Avocet at Scotney today, at least 4 pairs there

 Sandwich Terns at the Fishing boats late afternoon

17.30-18.30 from the fishing Boats:

Gannet: c20 o/s

Cormorant: 6 o/s

Kittiwake: 2W

Mediterranean Gull: 2W

Sandwich Tern: 3W

Common Tern: 12 o/s

Sand Martin: 22S

Grey Seal: 1

Harbour Porpoise: 1

 Daily pic of distant Black-winged Stilt at the ARC this evening

 Young swallow still hanging around the nest this evening

First Garganey of the Autumn

 My 3rd Sussex Emerald of the year

 Magpie Moth not an annual visitor to my trap

Sunday 12/07/2020

Dunlin at The Midrips

As it was nice virtually windless day I decided to go to The Midrips this morning, as I pulled up at Jury's Gap CT had had the same idea and was getting out of his car. After the usual scramble over the concrete wall and rocks we walked out to the end of the concrete track. On the pools the Black-headed Gulls appear to be having an excellent breeding season for this site as do the Avocets, Ringed Plovers were alarming and running around the shingle, so no doubt they had youngsters around that we were unable to spot. 19 Dunlin presumed returning birds were feeding, 2 Little Ringed Plovers were present and several Mediterranean Gulls were seen as well as several juvenile Wheatears. There several Skylarks singing and a couple of youngsters were seen  on the Green Wall.

1 of the Avocets at The Midrips

Peacock Butterfly's on the verge outside my house

Swallows repairing or building a new nest in the screen hide this evening

A youngster from the first brood still hanging around

A young Chiffchaff near the water tower

My daily Black-winged Stilt image

Anania perlucidalis a micro moth for my trap today