29/09/2020

Arctic Skua at The Point this morning

A short sea watch at The Point this morning was predictably disappointing with a flat calm sea. An Arctic Skua cruised along the shoreline beating up the c25 Sandwich Terns that were feeding close in shore and 2 Merlins and a Sparrowhawk were terrorising the Meadow Pipits and Siskins as they coasted. Around the bushes many Chiffchaffs, small numbers of Blackcaps, a couple of Lesser Whitethroats, 4 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, a few Redpolls and more Siskins over, several Skylarks over, a hunting Male Marsh Harrier, lots of Stonechats and couple of Song Thrushes.

1 of the 2 Merlins that have been hunting The Point for last few days

A poor record of the American Golden Plover picked out by Stephen Message

A visit to the ARC this afternoon paid dividends when I met Stephen Message. We were looking at the waders when he spotted what he thought was an American Golden Plover, due to the long viewing distances and the fact the bird was spent most of its time head on to us,  it took a little while for all the relevant ID criteria to be seen to confirm his identification. Also there 4 Great White Egrets, 3 Ruff, a Little Stint, a Curlew Sandpiper and 9 Dunlin all among the Lapwing and Golden Plovers. Late afternoon there 2 Glossy Ibis at Boulderwall which flew over the road to the ARC.

Now 2 Glossy Ibis at Dungeness

 

27/09/2020

The 7 Cattle Egrets with the Glossy Ibis that is just to the right of the right hand Cattle Egret Image taken on my phone.

As the NNW wind with drizzle was still howling across the peninsular this morning, I decided to walk to the reserve via Galloways. The bushes by Lydd camp and Brett's marina held several calling Chiffchaffs, but the wind kept everything else down. Along the sheltered fence line at the entrance to Herron Park 2 Wheatears and 4 Stonechats and a Raven over were the highlights. Dengemarsh held the usual Egrets, Marsh Harriers and wildfowl, while in the fields numerous Meadow Pipits and 2 Yellow Wagtails still. 4 more Stonechats were seen  as I made my way to Boulderwall. At Boulderwall I was surprised to see 7 Cattle Egrets and the Glossy Ibis lined up on the bank together, also cursing my decision not to carry my camera because of its weight and the drizzle. On the ARC 2 Black-necked Grebes among the usual wildfowl. Walking around the reserve saw very little the highlight being a juvenile Little Gull and 2 Common Terns.

The Lydd Camp Little Owl sun bathing in its favourite cubby hole, while keeping an eye on a Magpie

House Martin about to take an insect at Lydd Camp yesterday

Kingfisher at Dengemarsh yesterday

Swallow at Dengemarsh yesterday

House Martins at Dengemarsh yesterday

House Martin at Dengemarsh yesterday with something attached to it

Sand Martin at Dengemarsh yesterday

Swallows at Dengemarsh yesterday

14.15-15.45 from the fishing boats with AJG who kindly collated the numbers in near gale force NNW 

Brent Goose: 141E     27W

Common Scoter: 3W

Gannet: 11W

Oystercatcher: 1E

Great Skua: 4W

Arctic Skua:  9W  3E

Sandwich Tern: c25 feeding o/s

Auk sp: 1W

25/09/2020

AJG braved the very cold North Westerly gale and did an early morning sea watch from the fishing boats:

06.30-07.30

Gannet: 22E

Cormorant: 252W

Sandwich Tern: 131W

Cormorant 252 down

Arctic Skua: 3E (all dark phase)

All I can do is admire his tenacity!

I don't know why but I thought it would be a good idea to walk from home dow to Denge Marsh Gully. The bushes by the water sports centre and go cart track entrance held lots of Chiffchaffs, Reed Buntings, Chaffinches, Greenfinches and Goldfinches, in the fields Linnets, 2 Yellow Wagtails, Pied Wagtails and Meadow Pipits, Swallows were playing chicken with the cars as they hawked low along the road, while overhead House Martins and few Sand Martins were hawking and unseen Siskins went over. When I got to the kids Carp pond (the locals will know where i mean) there was a first for me there in the form of a Great White Egret strutting around quite unconcerned by my presence, if only I'd bothered to carry my camera but with the threat of rain I'd left it at home. When I got to Springfield Bridge the 2 Cattle Egrets were still present, a Ruff was roosting on an island and 100s of Hirundines were hawking over Denge Marsh, a Marsh Harrier was doing battle with the wind over the reed beds. In the Sunflower field a flock of c50 linnets with c10 Reed Buntings were flitting around, at least 4 Stonechats were also there.

As I walked along the Gully a Merlin whizzed through, 2 Ravens croaked overhead and several Chiffchaffs were flitting around the Gorse. I carried on to the beach, where on arrival the heavens opened, the rain only stopped when i was 50 yds from home!😂 needless to say I was a little damp when I got home. Although I had the full Jack Wolfskin waterproof clothing on, the rain always manages to find a way in usually via the hood, even with the storm flaps velcro'ed  down my pockets managed to fill up with water.😞 But it was still a very enjoyable walk.

Glossy Ibis at the ARC early afternoon

Apart from the usual wildfowl, Hirundines, Egrets and Ibis there was very little to see on a windswept ARC and even less on Burrowes.

A short sea watch mid-afternoon from the comfort of my car at the turning circle saw just a handful each of Sandwich Terns, Gannets and Cormorants. A Wheatear was picking insects off the road as I fed the gulls bread. A young GBB Gull struggled over the beach towards me with an obviously broken wing, it must have been hungry as the GBBGs don't normally come to close unlike the greedy Herring Gulls. I made sure it had its fill of bread, which is probably not good for it, I doubt it will survive the night with number of Foxes around.   

This young Great Black-backed Gull has a broken wing

Wheatear at the turning circle this afternoon

A Merlin turns itself into a guided missile over the sea at Galloways late afternoon

 Late afternoon at Galloways with the now gale force wind, there was unsurprisingly no sign of any Owls, another or the same Merlin was chasing a Meadow Pipit. 

24/09/2020

Light phase Arctic Skua over a stormy sea at Dungeness today

06.30-09.45 + 11.10-12.10 from the fishing boats with AJG & JY,

Common Scoter: 3W

Great-crested Grebe: 7 o/s

Gannet: 657W    9E

Cormorant: 67 o/s

Arctic Skua: 2 o/s

Black-headed Gull: present n/c

Common Gull: present n/c

Herring Gull: present n/c

Lesser Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Greater Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Sandwich Tern: 1,107W     102E

Swallow: 53 out

Harbour Porpoise: 3+

Grey Seal: 1

A dark phase Arctic Skua claims its prize

Black-necked Grebe on the ARC viewed from the causeway

The Glossy Ibis feeding in its favourite pool

A very windswept ARC today the highlights being 2 Curlew Sandpipers, the Glossy Ibis, a single Black-necked Grebe, 4 Common Snipe , 4 Great White Egrets, many Swallows and Sand Martins hawking over the lake and the usual wildfowl and waders. 

Sand Martins over Denge Marsh Flood

Great White and Little Egret with a Mute Swan at Denge Marsh

Cattle Egrets at Denge Marsh

You can now drive from Boulderwall past Denge Marsh Hide and round the hay fields to Springfield Bridge and have a picnic, at the same time as photographing the birds, but you must have a blue disabled sticker in your car. 😐

The WW11 Dakota leaving Lydd airport this afternoon

 

22/09/2020

AJG managed an hour at the fishing boats this morning before giving up.

06:30-07:30 

Brent Goose: 4W

Gannet:  6 o/s

Cormorant: 17E

Sparrowhawk: 2E

Ringed Plover: 2W

Dunlin: 8W

Turnstone: 8W

Sandwich Tern 140 down, then 53 back up

Swallow: 4 out

Siskins: several heard not seen

Reed Bunting 2 up

Chiffchaff

Lots of Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps in the bushes around the peninsular this morning, also a decent number of House Martins and Swallows, unseen Siskins seemed to be going over non stop also a few Reed Buntings. The highlight was a party of 12 Crossbills that flew around the observatory that I missed when I was in The Desert. I saw 3 Wheatears, 3 Black Redstarts including a superb male by the lifeboat station and still lots of Stonechats around, but nothing to get too excited about. A Short-eared Owl was hunting behind the sound mirrors per DS.

House Martin about to catch an insect

1st year male Siskin trapped and ringed at the observatory

1st year male Greenfinch in my garden

14.00-15.00 from the fishing boats with AJG,

Great-crested Grebe: 1 o/s

Gannet: 21: o/s

Cormorant: 5 o/s

Sandwich Tern: 89W

Arctic Skua: 1 o/s DP

Swallow: 217 out

House Martin: 1 out

Harbour porpoise: 5+

Surely now the weather is changing the sea will start producing birds!

Silhouette of the Glossy Ibis late afternoon

 The ARC late afternoon was very quiet, though the Glossy Ibis is still present, 6 Common Snipe, a Black-tailed Godwit and a single Black-necked Grebe along with the usual wildfowl and Herons.

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