Kamikaze Brent Geese coming over the beach straight at us at the fishing boats this morning

This male Merlin came in off the sea while we were sea watching at the fishing boats this morning

The results of this mornings sea watch courtesy of Trektellen

This Great White Egret flew past the fishing boats and then out to sea this morning

1 of a party of 5 Fieldfares in The Desert

1 of several Redwings in the trapping area

Chiffchaff lighthouse garden

My 3rd Short-toed Treecreeper this year at Dungeness found by Stephen Message

The superb Red-flanked Bluetail found by Sam Perfect this afternoon

Moulting adult Red-throated Diver at the fishing boats this morning

This Grey Wagtail came in off the sea and immediately started feeding on the many small flies around

Todays weather meant sea watching was likely to be the most productive. The results of 2 sea watches below and thanks to AJG, SP, JD, LH, PH, DW

07.00-10.45 & 14.00-16.00

Dark-bellied Brent Goose: 1253W     30E

Wigeon: 5W

Teal: 1W

Pochard: 1W drake

Velvet Scoter: 2E

Common Scoter: 27W  9E

Red-throated Diver: 5W     1E     2 o/s

Little Egret: 1E

Gannet: 52W    37 o/s

Cormorant: present n/c

Merlin: 1 hunting o/s

Dunlin: 3E

Grey Phalarope: 1W  (later seen to fly back into Lade Bay) 

Kittiwake:11W

Black-headed Gull: present n/c

Mediterranean Gull: 3W      2E

Common Gull: present n/c

Herring Gull: present n/c

Great Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Lesser Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Sandwich Tern: 30 o/s

Common Tern: 3 O/s

Great Skua: 3W    3E

Arctic Skua: 3W   3o/s

Guillemot: 4W     2E

Razorbill: 84W

Auk sp: 157W   19E

Starling: 2 in

Grey Wagtail: 1 in

Pied Wagtail: 6 in

Meadow Pipit: 4 in

Wheatear: 1 on beach

Grey Seal: 2+

Harbour Porpoise: 6+

At Boulderwall 4 Cattle Egrets, 2 Great White Egrets, 2 Little Egrets and the 2 Glossy Ibis, along with Marsh harriers and the usual wildfowl. A check of Burrowes, the ARC, the airport fields, Scotney sward and Dengemarsh found no Golden Plovers, I guess they are all out on Walland and the American Golden Plover with them.

Reports from the bushes found them to be very quiet with just a few Chiffchaffs. I have hopes for tomorrow, but then I have hopes for tomorrow every day. 

A distant Bonxie

Super agility

Hunting in pairs

Tables turned

12/10/2020

Sunrise from Plodland

AJG, Early morning at the fishing boats 

Above is the results of 2 sea watches I was involved in, my thanks to AJG, JY and OM for extra records.

1 of 6 Black Redstarts behind The Patch hide this morning

A disappointing wander around The Point, Desert and bushes, a few Chiffchaffs were seen and heard, along some Siskins, Redpolls, Goldfinches, Chaffinches, Meadow Pipits, Swallows and House Martins. There were only a few grounded migrants.

Record of this afternoons American Golden Plover

Record of this afternoons American Golden Plover

Brent Geese passing the fishing boats this afternoon

 

11/10/2020

The superbly confiding juvenile Red-backed Shrike discovered by Steve Gale (North Downs and Beyond) 

Got its eye on the prize

The prize

All gone!

A tasty Wasp

AJG has continued sea watching each morning despite the very poor returns for his time

06.00-08.00 from the fishing boats with RW:

Common Scoter: 7E

Gannet: 72W    46 feeding off shore

Cormorant: present n/c

Ringed Plover: 1W  

Sandwich Tern: 51W

Common Tern: 1W

Razorbill: 7W

Auk Sp: 18W

Peregrine: 1 in

Swallow: 8S  

1 of 2 Lapland Buntings present at Littlestone Golf course this afternoon

Dartford Warbler in The Desert this morning

One of the 30+ Chiffchaffs at least around Dungeness this morning

Only my second Mistle Thrush of the year at Dungeness today

One of many Song Thrushes around the peninsular late morning

1,000+ Redwings over the peninsular late morning

Wheatear gleaming in the early morning sunshine at the station

A long walk around the Long Pits, Desert and Bushes saw 100s of Swallows and House Martins on the move, Good numbers of Redpolls, Siskins and Goldfinches over along with smaller numbers of Chaffinches, Skylarks, Reed Buntings and a couple of Brambling. There was still plenty of Chiffchaffs around with a few Blackcaps, but still no eastern sprite for me. I came across 8 Wheatears and at least 20 Stonechats, the 5 Song Thrushes that flushed from a bush were the only ones I saw and a Great Spotted Woodpecker was heard. 

1 of a party of 11 Chiffchaffs in a Bracken Patch in The Desert this morning

A young Wheatear in The Desert

The Short-eared Owl that was flushed by dog walkers from The Desert this morning

1 of the 2 Glossy Ibis at Boulderwall this afternoon, also 3 Cattle Egrets there.

Sandwich Tern at the fishing boats this afternoon

14.30-16.00 from the fishing boats with AJG who collated the numbers:

Dark-bellied Brent Goose: 3W

Great-crested Grebe: 6 o/s

Gannet: 161W

Cormorant: present n/c

Dunlin: 5W

Turnstone: 3 on beach

Kittiwake: 10W

Black-headed Gull: 28W

Mediterranean Gull: 4W All adults

Common Gull: 5W

Herring Gull: present n/c

Great Black-backed Gull: present: n/c

Lesser Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Sandwich Tern: 18W

Common Tern: 2W

Arctic Skua: 1W

Razorbill: 11W

Auk sp: 3W

Kestrel: 1S

Swallow: 232S

Wheatear: 2 on beach

Adult Mediterranean Gull past the fishing boats

2 Common Terns past this afternoon

Late this afternoon I found these 2 Pink-footed Geese at the double bends Scotney. Before I could get a close look at them a peloton of noisy cyclists came along and flushed all the geese.

 

08/10/2020

A Sanderling that landed on the beach with some Turnstones this afternoon.

Most of my day was spent sea watching at the fishing boats. Only Sam and myself were present when the Leach's Petrel came by quite close, frustratingly I'd left my camera in the car this morning due to the inclement weather, but hopefully Sam got some images. The Pale-bellied Brent Goose was also close and I'm sure Sam got some nice images of that. The afternoon watch was notable for the 23 Arctic Skuas that moved through ahead of a rain front.

3 Sea watches today 06.50-08.20 & 09.00-11.00 & 14.00-16.30 with at various times AJG, SP, JY, SG, MH, DW.

Dark-bellied Brent Goose: 3W

Pale-bellied Brent Goose: 1W 

Teal: 1W

Common Scoter: 6W  7E

Leach's Petrel: 1W

Great-crested Grebe: 11W.    15o/s

Gannet: 936W

Curlew: 1W

Turnstone: 7 o/s

Sanderling: 1W

Dunlin: 7W

Kittiwake: 2W

Mediterranean Gull: 1W

Yellow-legged Gull: 1o/s

Sandwich Tern: 274W

Common Tern: 14W

Great Skua: 1W

Arctic Skua: 26W     4 o/s

Guillemot: 2W

Razorbill: 13W

Auk sp: 27W

Swallow: 371S

House Martin: 26S

Pied wagtail: 6W

Linnet: 75W

Goldfinch: 12W

Grey Seal: 1 

Harbour Porpoise: 3+

Common Tern past the fishing boats this afternoon

This week there have been at least 6 Yellow-browed Warblers on the peninsular of which I saw none,

the same with Short-eared Owls and I also missed a Stone Curlew.😢 There have been very few Thrushes so far this Autumn, I have only seen 2 Redwing and c30 Song Thrushes, though a couple of Ring Ouzels have been seen. JY has seen Lapland Buntings on a couple of occasions at the back of Lydd airport but has been unable to pin them down.

Sam and Lottie watched the Egret roost at the ARC this evening where 11 Great White Egrets, 6 Cattle Egrets, 12 Little Egrets and the 2 Glossy Ibis's came in to roost. Good numbers of Siskins, Redpolls, Goldfinches, Linnets, Swallows and House Martins have been moving through this week along with a couple of Swifts and a Woodlark.

Hummingbird Hawkmoth in the garden lunchtime