21/09/2020

AJG did an early morning sea watch in the fog, with predictably poor results:

07.20-08.20 from the fishing boats:

Brent Goose: 9E  8W

Wigeon: 15W

Common Scoter: 20W

Gannet: 53 up

Cormorant: 3E

Sandwich Tern: 26E

Swallow: 1 out

Chiffchaff Lighthouse Garden

As the fog lifted I walked most of The Point, The Desert and Long Pits area. Chiffchaffs were numerous, as were Blackcap, I only saw 4 Lesser Whitethroats and 2 Common Whitethroats, Siskins were going over virtually non stop, I kept looking up but failed to see any of the flocks just the odd low flying singleton, there were at least 10 Wheatears around, along with the usual couple of Black Redstarts, at least 20 Stonechats, 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, a few Swallows, Reed Buntings and Skylarks over but no eastern sprites. 

1 of c20 Stonechats seen in the area today

1 of 4 Lesser Whitethroats seen today

A very showy Wheatear in The Desert today

1 of 6 Common Buzzards over the garden while I was having lunch

Lydd fields held much the same as The Point but much smaller numbers, with the addition of 50+ Golden Plover and 2 Great White Egrets.

I joined AJG at the fishing boats this afternoon for an basking in the warm autumn sunshine:

14.00-15.00

Brent Goose: 74W     7E

Common Scoter: 2E

Red-throated Diver: 1E

Great-crested Grebe: 1 o/s

Gannet: 10E

Cormorant: 6E

Turnstone: 6W

Arctic Skua: 1E

Sandwich Tern: 16E   32W

Guillemot: 1E

Swallow: 1 out

Harbour Porpoise: 4+

House Sparrows enjoying the late afternoon sun at Springfield Bridge

Great White Egret in the centre of Dengemarsh with a sleeping Ruff

1 of 6 Clouded Yellows seen this afternoon in the Sunflower Field at Denge Marsh 

The Glossy Ibis still gorging on Medical Leeches at the ARC early evening

Along with the Ibis this evening 2 Black-necked Grebes, 2 Garganey and the usual Herons, most the waders were flushed by a persistent Sparrowhawk.

A nice Golden Twin Spot in the MV today 

A tatty Red Underwing in the trap this morning

 

19/09/2020

06.15-09.00 withAJG, SM & RW

Brent Goose: 4E

Teal: 1W

Wigeon: 4E

Shoveler: 1E

Common Scoter: 13E 

Great-crested Grebe: 1E  1 o/s

Sooty Shearwater: 1E

Gannet: 17W    22E

Cormorant: 6W      14E

Peregrine:  1E juvenile

Golden Plover: 2E

Dunlin: 17E

Knot: 2E

Arctic Skua: 4E

Mediterranean Gull: 1W  1E

G.B.B.G: 27E

Sandwich Tern:  204E    47W

Auk sp: 1E.   1W 

Swallow:131 out

Meadow pipit: 27 out

Siskin: 11N

Goldfinch: 3N

Linnet: 2N     40 around

Grey Seal: 1 Bull

Lydd Fields were virtually bird-less in the strong NE wind, just a couple of Reed Buntings and the usual Corvids, Pigeons and Gulls.

I couldn't find any Cattle Egrets in a quick scan of Dengemarsh from Springfield Bridge, 3 Great White Egrets were some compensation.

Glossy Ibis at the ARC this afternoon

 13.50-15.45 from the fishing boats with AJG & RW:

Pintail: 2E

Great-crested Grebe: 2 o/s

Gannet: 31E

Cormorant: 5E

Knot: 4E

Bar-tailed Godwit: 1E

Curlew: 1E

Great Skua: 2E 

Arctic Skua: 2E

Med Gull: 3E all 1st cal year 

Sandwich Tern: 605E into Lade Bay

Common Tern: 3E

Guillemot: 1E

Auk sp: 1W    1E

Swallow: 31 out

Late afternoon at the ARC the Glossy Ibis was still present, but only saw a single Black-necked Grebe, apart from 3 Dunlin and 2 Common Snipe waders were non existent there, a very poor show for mid September, the usual wildfowl were present but I could find no Garganey, though they were probably sheltering in the reeds at Hanson.  

18/09/2020

This mornings sea watch courtesy of AJG 06.15 - 07.15 

Brent Goose: 3W

Teal: 1W

Common Scoter: 14W

Gannet 1 up

Cormorant: present n/c

Arctic Skua: 1 o/s

Sandwich Tern:  46W

Common Tern: 2W

Such a poor sea watch It's hard to believe that it is mid September! 

The Desert and trapping area was no better with just a couple of Wheatears and a few Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps, a single Song Thrush was probably the highlight. 

Juvenile Common Tern fishing by the causeway today

There was still at least 3 Cattle Egrets at Boulderwall but no sign of the other 20+ from yesterday

A wander around Lydd fields produced another Wheatear, 3 Yellow Wagtails, 32 Golden Plover, a Marsh harrier, a Common Buzzard and a Great White Egret of note.

Great Black-backed Gull with a nice Bass

13.15-15.00 from the fishing boats joined by L & P H & AJG, not much improvement on this mornings sea watch.

Common Scoter: 2W 1E

Great-crested Grebe: 1 o/s

Gannet: 19W    29E

Cormorant: 6 o/s

Dunlin: 1E

Arctic Skua: 2 o/s

Mediterranean Gull: 1W adult

Sandwich tern: 12W    95E

Common Tern: 1E

Guillemot: 2 o/s

Swallow: 4 out

Grey Seal: 1 Bull

Harbour Porpoise: 4+

Sandwich Terns heading into Lade Bay

Common Scoter

A very poor image of 4 of the 4 Black-necked Grebes on the ARC today viewed from the causeway

Also at the ARC were 2 Avocets, 2 Knot and 4 Dunlin of any note. Today was the first day that I have not seen the Glossy Ibis there, also there no Lapwings or Golden Plover there and I was unable to locate any Garganey, but with the NE wing blowing across the lake it was difficult to keep the scope still.

I was reliably informed that Burrowes was a windswept avian free zone, also not surprisingly that Makepiece hide was hopeless, as with the wind blasting through the open doors and hatches it was impossible to keep binoculars steady let alone a telescope, a re-think needed perhaps!  

A Marsh Mallow Moth after I returned it to its larval food plant (Marsh Mallow)

 

14/09/2020

Submarine making its way down channel was probably the highlight of the sea watch

I joined AJG and CP for a very disappointing sea watch at the fishing boats this morning.

06.10-08.10

Common Scoter: 10E     4W

Great-crested Grebe: 2 o/s

Gannet: 37 o/s

Cormorant: 9o/s

Greenshank: 1 heard calling

Turnstone: 9 on beach

Knot: 1W

Dunlin: 4E

Arctic Skua: 3 o/s

Yellow-legged Gull: 1 on beach briefly

Black Tern: 1W

Little Tern: 1 juvenile o/s 

Sandwich Tern: 173W

Common Tern: 4W

Auk sp: 2E

Swallow: 43 out

House Martin: 24 out

Harbour Porpoise: 6+

Grey Seal: 2

Juvenile Little Tern at the fishing boats this morning

1st cal yr Yellow-legged Gull briefly on the beach

Wheatear

A slog around the Desert and Long Pits found a few Wheatears, Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps along with the usual Stonechats but little else was seen.

Stonechats in The Desert

Chiffchaff

Glossy Ibis with 3 Great White Egrets and a Little Egret

The Glossy Ibis was still on the ARC this morning along withe flocks of Knot, Golden Plover and Lapwing, 3+ Great White Egrets, 3 Black-necked Grebes and a Hobby of note. At least 3 Cattle egrets still in the hay fields per MH.

A long wander out to Scotney from home this afternoon saw 42 Yellow Wagtails with the cattle on the sward, 8 Tree Sparrows, a few Corn Buntings and 100s of feral geese.

Life history of Great Black-backed Gull 99L seen on the reserve on 08/09/2020

Sunday 13/09/2020

06.00-09.00 from the fishing boats with CP and AJG who kindly kept the log:

Common Scoter: 2W  3E

Great-crested Grebe: 2 around

Gannet: 188W

Cormorant: 28W

Ringed Plover: 1W

Turnstone: 7W

Sanderling: 21W

Knot: 10W

Dunlin: 30 W

Sandwich Tern: 688W

Little Tern: 1W

Common Tern: 28W

Arctic Skua: 8W  3 around

Guillemot: 2W   1E

Auk SP: 3W

Swallow: 13 out

Harbour Porpoise: 12

Grey Seal: 2

White Stork from the Southern England reintroduction scheme as it flew over The Point this morning

A slog around The Point, Desert and Long Pits saw the usual 2 Black Redstarts at the Polish Memorial, a few each of Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps, Common and Lesser Whitethroats,  c20 Stonechats and 3 Wheatears of note. SP trapped a Willow Warbler among the Chiffchaffs which could well be the last I see this year.

I had just met JD at the Long Pits when he spotted a White Stork which circled then flew west. An hour later I was at home having brunch in the garden when presumably the same bird appeared low in front then over my house. It was low enough for me to get images that allowed me to get a partial reading of the Darvic ring, which confirmed that it was one of the Southern England release scheme birds.

A short while later it flew in front and over my house in Lydd

On the ARC the Glossy Ibis was still present along with 2 Black-necked Grebes and the usual waders, Herons and wild fowl. There were at least 4 Cattle Egrets still around the hay fields today but little else of note.

Marsh Mallow Moth the undoubted highlight of last nights catch

 

10-11/09/2020

Yesterday and today AJG has continued to do the early morning sea watch and an afternoon sea watch from the fishing boats, they can only be described politely as disappointing.

 Great Spotted Woodpecker at The Point

1 of at least 3 Black Redstarts usually around the Polish memorial

Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs have started arriving on the peninsular in numbers, overhead Siskins and Meadow Pipit numbers are increasing, while Willow Warblers, Common Whitethroats and Lesser Whitethroat numbers are falling. I flushed a Short-eared Owl from The Desert yesterday, though the highlight was a party of 19 Common Buzzards over the observatory that gradually drifted off in land. Today there were still a few Wheatears and a Whinchat around, also still lots of Stonechats all around the peninsular, there were still good numbers of Yellow Wagtails around, especially where there are cattle.

Around the hay fields at least 6 Cattle Egrets, a nice Wood Sandpiper and 2 Green Sandpipers and plenty of Yellow Wagtails. Great White Egret numbers seem to have increased so if we get a still evening I'll check the roost. At least Hobby's are still around Denge Marsh chasing the many Hirundines.
On the ARC the Glossy Ibis still in residence, as is the Little Gull, up to 4 Black-necked Grebes and 6 Garganey are present, along with a Little Stint, several Bar-tailed Godwits and Ruff, 200+ each of Golden Plover and Lapwing, a few Dunlin and Common Snipe, Great White Egrets and the usual wildfowl.

Short-eared Owl in The Desert

Sparrowhawk in The Desert

2 of a party of 19 Common Buzzards over the observatory yesterday

Wheatear

Brown Hare flushed today from the Broome behind Jarmans

Wood Sandpiper on hay field 1

Some of the 6 Cattle Egrets at hay field 3

Some of the 6 Cattle Egrets at hay field 3

1 of 10+ Clouded Yellows I've seen around the peninsular

Makepiece Hide

I checked out Makepiece hide this afternoon and was surprised to find it empty considering the number of people walking around the reserve. You are required to wear a face mask while in the hide which is not a problem, there is a hand sanitiser when you go in and the benches are socially distanced. Without the back seats using a scope is problematic though can be done but not very comfortably. I found it difficult to concentrate, as I could hear people walking by and kept thinking I should leave to give them a chance to come in, but no one attempted to come in. However after 15 minutes in there given that this afternoon was warm with just a light breeze I was frozen, which explains why the hide was empty. As both doors are open and the hatches in front of the benches have been removed, thus creating a gale force through draught, I am certainly not looking forward to going in there on any windy day, also I imagine it will be very wet in there if it rains, so probably unusable most days in the winter and late autumn. You won't have to worry about Covid 19 killing you in the hide the frost bite will get you first. 

09/09/2020

Sea watch this morning by AJG showed some improvement on recent days.

06:15-08:15 from the fishing boats:

Common Scoter: 2E

Fulmar: 2W

Balearic Shearwater: 1W

Gannet: 181W

Cormorant: present n/c

Dunlin: 4E

Arctic Skua: 4W

Sandwich Tern: 328W

Common Tern: 106W

Short-eared Owl top of the Long Pits this morning

Most the morning was spent around the Long Pits, Desert and trapping area where of note there were c50 each of Common Whitethroat, Blackcap and Chiffchaffs,  c10 Willow Warblers, c20 Lesser Whitethroats, 10+ Wheatear, c20 Yellow Wagtails, 2 Whinchat, 2 Spotted Flycatchers, 3 Black Redstarts, a single Common Redstart, 2 Great-spotted Woodpeckers, a Cuckoo, c15 Siskin, 3 Sparrowhawks, a Marsh Harrier and a Short-eared Owl. Also a steady trickle of Hirundines over.

Burrowes early morning was very disappointing with just a single Common Sandpiper of any note.

The ARC today continues to host the Glossy Ibis, 3 Black-necked Grebes, Great White Egrets, 3 Ruff and 4 Dunlin among the Golden Plover and Lapwing, also c50 Knot pushed off Lade Sands by the tide. At least 1 Cattle Egret remains around the hay fields. A sea watch from the boats this afternoon was very poor with the highlights being 2+ Grey Seals, 3+ Harbour Porpoises and an Arctic Skua as I left.  

Whinchat top of the Long Pits this morning

Red Fox top of the Long Pits this morning

Chiffchaff

Willow Warblers

2 Great-spotted Woodpeckers

One of two Spotted Flycatchers

Common Redstart

Black Redstart

Cattle Egret in  hay field 1

The Glossy Ibis still present today, has now been present for a month