27/08/2021

Common Whitethroat in The Desert

Apparently there was nothing moving off shore this morning, per a disgruntled Brian. A sprinkle of migrants around the peninsular today included 3 Pied Flycatchers, a Spotted Flycatcher, a Redstart, a smattering of Yellow Wagtails, Whinchats, Wheatears, Willow Warblers, Reed Warblers, Lesser and Common Whitethroats. While I was watching a Pied Flycatcher at the lighthouse all the Gulls at the power station started alarming, my usual panic ensued trying to spot the cause of the commotion, eventually spotting an Osprey heading out to sea. I must remember to look around the Gulls rather than at them. News from the ARC was that the Glossy Ibis was still present today as was at least 2 Black-necked Grebes.

On Burrowes viewed from Dennis's Hide late afternoon 3 Black Terns, a Garganey, a Dunlin, a Common Snipe and c100 Lapwing. As a result of most of the the visible islands on Burrowes having had the vegetation removed yesterday, they are now looking much better for attracting waders. 

Whinchat in The Desert

Willow warbler in the lighthouse garden

Pied Flycatcher in the lighthouse garden

The 2 Pied Flycatchers at the top of the Long Pits were very camera shy, but one of them was very vocal calling virtually non stop.

Hobby still at its loft nest site this afternoon, still feeding at least 2 young.

As there wind has been from the North for so long I was very surprised to find not just 1 but Beautiful Marbled in the trap yesterday morning
 

25/08/2021

An early walk around the ranges opposite Brett's Marina found 2 Whinchats of note and not a lot else.

AJG sea watched from 06.00-07.00

Common Scoter:6W

Gannet: 81E

Sandwich Tern: 25W

Common Tern: 1W 

Great Skua: 1E

Common Buzzard over the garden this morning

As I had work being done in the house today I was unable to go far, I did manage a walk down Culver Lane where the stubble fields full of Yellow wagtails, Linnets and Meadow Pipits with a procession Swallow, Sand and House Martins going through. At the bottom of the lane I found the remains of a juvenile Marsh Harrier, no foul play suspected probably just not strong enough to make it on its own.

A Juvenile Marsh Harrier in the field opposite my house, cause of death unknown.

RW & JY did the trapping area, highlights were 4 Whinchats, a Pied Flycatcher and good numbers of Yellow Wagtails.

14.00-15.00 from the fishing boats with RW, JTM & PT

Gannet: 6E

Common Sandpiper: 1 landed briefly then carried on west

Kittiwake: 1W

Mediterranean Gull: 5E all juvenile/1w

Sandwich Tern: c15 around

Common Tern: 2 around

Arctic Skua: 4 offshore

Wheatear: 1 on beach

A check of the ARC from the causeway saw 2 Black Terns. The Glossy Ibis was still present per RW who also a leucitic Pintail there.

This evening at Dengemarsh a Hobby still feeding young.

A Coronet, the first my trap for 3 years

 

24/08/2021

07.40-08.20 from by the sea watch hide:

Teal: 4W

Common Scoter: 3W

Gannet: 42W    34E

Cormorant: 9 around

Mediterranean Gull: 32 juveniles at The Patch

Sandwich Tern: 15W    9E

Common Tern: 3E

Harbour Porpoise: 3+

Hummingbird Hawkmoth on the perimeter wall

A very uninspiring watch, with the wind set to stay NE for the next week at least, I can't see things improving.

Juvenile Yellow Wagtail, part of a flock of c60 in The Desert this morning

A wander around The Desert saw a flock of c60 Yellow Wagtails, c30 Meadow Pipits, 4 Whinchats, 4 Stonechats, 5 Wheatears, a single Whimbrel over, 12 Common Whitethroats, 2 Lesser Whitethroats, Green and Great-spotted Woodpecker and 2 Sparrowhawks  of note, there was also a trickle of Sand Martins and Swallows over. There is now a large flock of Starlings building so maybe that will attract one their cousins.  Also in the area a nice patch of Autumn Lady's-tresses.

One of 4 Whinchats in The Desert this morning

Autumn Lady's-tresses in the trapping area today

At the ARC I managed to see 3 of the 4 Black-necked Grebes seen by Jonny T, Great White Egret but couldn't find the Glossy Ibis.

Juvenile Yellow-legged Gull at the fishing boats this afternoon

14.00-14.30 at the fishing boats:

Gannet: 3E

Mediterranean Gull: 2E both juveniles

Little Gull: 1 juvenile feeding offshore

Yellow-legged Gull: 1 juvenile cam to bread

Sand Martin: 4 out

Wheatear: 1 around the boats

A new species for my trap, Celypha rufana a rare micro on the peninsular

 

23/08/2021

2 Pied Flycatchers at the top of the Long Pits this afternoon, one of which was calling constantly. There was another in a private garden along with a Common Redstart.

40+ Willow Warblers around this morning in my wander around the trapping area, also c60 Common Whitethroats, a couple of Lesser Whitethroats, a 2 Whinchats, 5 Wheatears, a trickle of Sand Martins and Swallows overhead, singles of Whimbrel and Ringed Plover, 3+ Sparrowhawks and a great spotted Woodpecker of note.

A visit to the sea first thing was predictably disappointing, a few each of Gannet and Sandwich tern milling around, 5 juvenile Mediterranean Gulls at The Patch was the highlight.

I did get to see male and female Southern migrant Hawkers and a female Lesser Emporer courtesy of DW at the observatory, also a Spotted Flycatcher in The Moat.

One of two Whinchats in the Desert this morning

Wheatear at Dengemarsh

Grey Heron Dengemarsh

Arctic Skuas at the fishing boats from the weekend

Dog's Tooth a rare visitor to my trap

Rosy Footman always a pleasure to find one of these in the trap

Another Gypsy Moth, a good year for them.

    

 

20/08/2021

Ready made Tern Islands being towed past Dungeness yesterday afternoon

Juvenile Yellow-legged Gull at The Patch this morning

I joined DW at The Patch this morning where there was 60+ Mediterranean Gulls feeding off shore, also a couple of Yellow-legged Gulls. A small number of Gannets were off shore with a few Sandwich terns and the Kittiwake and Common Tern, very quiet for this time of year.

This afternoons sea watch was even quieter apart from 620 Sand Martins that went out to sea. 

Juvenile Mediterranean Gull at The Patch this morning

3TJ6 a French colour ringed juvenile Mediterranean Gull at The Patch this morning

Glossy Ibis at The ARC today, also a Black-necked Grebe there with apparently 3 there this evening per GP. At Lade Sands the Little Stint present for its 4th day. The Long Pits and trapping area were very quiet. Galloway's was virtually an avian free zone.

Although White Spot is a quite common moth just a couple of Kilometres away on the shingle, this was my first and probably only one of the year in the trap this morning. 

My second Peach blossom of the year, a beautiful moth

 

18/08/2021

A few bits from the MV this morning

Only my second Cydia amplana this year

8 of these Jersey Tigers in and around the trap this morning

Roesel's bush-cricket was new in the trap for me this morning

I spent most of the day at Copt Point reading Mediterranean Gull rings and managed 87 today.

From the reports I received from local Dungeness birders today the peninsular was very quiet. Richard W did see of note a Balearic Shearwater heading West this morning. The juvenile Little stint was again on Lade beach.

17/08/2021

1 of c25 Willow Warblers seen this morning

With a NW 4 blowing this morning I gave the sea watch a miss, instead I spent a couple of hours wandering around The Desert and Trapping Area. A Greenshank over The Desert was probably the highlight, a Great Spotted Woodpecker looked like it was a new arrival as did 2 Collared Doves that appeared to come in off the sea as I was checking the lighthouse garden, c25 each of Willow Warbler and Common Whitethroat were seen and a couple of Lesser Whitethroats were heard. The only Chats were a new brood of Stonechats and 3 Wheatears.

At The Patch lots of Black-headed and Herring Gulls with singles of Kittiwake and Mediterranean Gull, there no Terns of any description there while I was there.

A look at the western end of Scotney found just 2 Common Sandpipers of any note. 

Osprey over Burrowes this afternoon viewed from the ARC

Mid afternoon at the ARC c200 Sand Martins and 12 Common Swift flew South during a light shower, an Osprey also flew South over Kerton Road and Burrowes where it hovered the once but appeared to move on quickly. On theARC there are now 2 Black-necked Grebes present among the many eclipse Duck, also 2 Great White Egrets there today.

2 poor images of Black-necked Grebes, but they do prove to myself that there is 2 birds on the ARC today

 

16/08/2021

06.00-08.00 from the sea watch hide, thanks to AJG for collating the numbers:

Fulmar: 4W

Gannet: 194W      8E 

Oystercatcher: 3W

Kittiwake: 23W

Sandwich Tern: 67W

Common Tern: 1W

Wheatear: 3 around sea wall

Hornet Hoverfly in the trapping area

A long wander around the Trapping Area and Long Pits looking for migrants was very disappointing, just a few Willow Warblers were seen, along with a few Common Whitethroats and Lesser whitethroats that were probably summer residents, 120+ Sand Martins flew NW with 10 House Martins and 2 Swallows.

Early afternoon on the ARC a moulting adult Black-necked Grebe and 2 Black-tailed Godwits of any note. 

This afternoons sea watch from the fishing boats was also very poor.

14.15-15.00

Gannet: 10W

Cormorant: 4W

Oystercatcher: 4W

Sandwich tern: 15W

Arctic Skua: 1W

Grey Seal : 1

Harbour Porpoise: 3+

                                                                    Arctic Skua
 

12/08/2021

While sea watching this morning, I watched a RIB full of refugees c6 miles off Dungeness making their perilous crossing of the English Channel being dwarfed by the 400,000 ton Pioneering Spirit as it steams down the channel just in front of them. To put the size in context the Ever Given ship that blocked the Suez Canal is only half the size of the Pioneering Spirit.

A very poor sea watch this morning 

08.30-09.30

Gannet: 86W    4E

Cormorant: 4W

Oystercatcher: 1E

Sandwich Tern: 6W

Common Tern: 12W

Grey Seal: 1

Harbour porpoise: 6+

Hummingbird Hawkmoth warming up on the perimeter wall

Pine Hawkmoth, Privet Hawkmoth, Poplar Hawkmoth and a Jersey Tiger all in the Plodland MV this morning

a minimum 186 Mediterranean Gulls with Black-headed Gulls were in the field opposite my house, frustratingly several were colour ringed, but I was unable to read any of them because of the stubble and furrows.

Mediterranean Gull over the garden lunchtime

Border force recovering a migrant RIB off the fishing boats this afternoon

Sand Martin going out to sea at the fishing boats this afternoon

A visit to the ARC this afternoon could find nothing of note, even scoping from the top of the bank I could find nothing notable. Several lapwing came in and settled on the Tern Raft but soon left.

Burrowes was much the same, very disappointing.