04/01/2022

As there was a cool NW breeze blowing this morning, also  much activity with excavators at the fishing boats I gave the morning sea watch a miss and went to The Patch. Although there were many Gulls present I could not find anything unusual until I was thinking of packing up, then a 2w Iceland Gull flew in and landed on the beach in front the hide. I took a handful of images before trying to contact the locals. DW was only a few minutes away but before he could arrive all the Gulls spooked, despite us scanning intensively we  were unable to relocate the bird , but we did find 3 1w Caspian Gulls. There were a few Red-throated Divers, Gannets, Auks, and Kittiwakes off shore but small numbers. On the walk back to the car we saw a party of 19 Meadow Pipits, a nice male Black Redstart, Pied Wagtails and Chaffinches.

At Cockles Bridge 3 Cattle Egrets but no sign of yesterdays Bewick Swans. There were 26 Bewick Swans and 3 Whooper Swans opposite the entrance to the model aircraft field on Walland late afternoon per CT.

41 White-fronted Geese were reported at Dengemarsh.

2w Iceland Gull at The Patch

1w Caspian Gull at The Patch

1w Caspian Gull at The Patch

1w Caspian Gull (Probably) at The Patch

Cattle Egrets at Cockles Bridge today

 

03/01/2022

Many thanks to AJG, RW, CP, DW for collating the numbers:

08.15-10.30

Brent Goose: 2E

White-fronted Goose: 3E

Shoveler: 1W

Common Scoter: 1E     4W

Velvet Scoter: 3W

Red-throated Diver: 30W

Great-crested Grebe: 2 on

Fulmar: 19W      2E

Gannet: 145W

Cormorant: present n/c

Shag: 1W

Turnstone: 7 around

Kittiwake: 234W     

Black-headed Gull: present n/c

Mediterranean Gull: 1W

Common Gull: present n/c

Great Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Herring Gull: present n/c

Great Skua: 2W    1E

Guillemot: 484W   

Razorbill:47W    

Auk sp: 56W  74E

Grey Seal: 1

Common Seal: 1

Harbour Porpoise: 1

Gannet feeding off the fishing boats

Shag passing the fishing boats, a scarce bird at Dungeness

 Guillemot

Razorbill

2 Bewick Swans viewed from Cockles Bridge

2 Bewick Swans appeared with Mute Swans in the fields between Cockles Bridge and the Airport,

. The Pink-footed Goose reappeared at Scotney on the sward, also several Ruff there among the Golden Plover and lapwings but little else notable. On a very dreary afternoon a 1w Caspian Gull was at Burrowes on islands in front of Firth. 24 more Bewick Swans were on Walland per PB.

Pink-footed Goose on the Scotney sward

 

Happy New Year

 08.20-10.00 from the hide with OL, CT & CP

Brent Goose: 23E

Common Scoter: 6W        1E

Red-throated Diver: 324W      9E

Great-crested Grebe: 2 around

Fulmar: 5W

Gannet: 172W

Cormorant: present n/c

Kittiwake: 560W     

Black-headed Gull: present n/c

Common Gull: present n/c

Great Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Herring Gull: present n/c

Guillemot: 148W   

Razorbill: 73W    

Auk sp: 428W  

As Dungeness was inundated with visitors yesterday, I was very laid back and kept out of the way.

Todays miserable weather kept visitor numbers down, but also kept the birds down. I did manage to see all the Egrets and the 2 Ibis, along with Caspian Gull, Jack Snipe and a few other bits and pieces, roll on Tuesday when some sort of normality will return to the peninsular.

Jack Snipe from yesterday

Cattle Egrets moving to the ARC this morning

Near adult Caspian Gull from Dennis's Hide this afternoon

Another Jack Snipe this afternoon

My 5 mile perimeter where I'm sure 99% of my birding will take place this year, though I have promised myself I will make a few trips to Orlestone Forest.

2021

Happy New Year to all, hope everyone has a better year mentally and physically

Many thanks to all the locals for phone calls and WhatsApps

Some of the amazing birds I managed to see at Dungeness in 2021

Dusky Warbler 02/01/2021

2nd Calendar year Iceland Gull 17/01/2021

2nd Calendar year Thayer's or Kumlien's Gull depending on your point of view 19/02/2021

2nd Calendar year Glaucous Gull a beast of a bird 13/03/21

Part of a flock of 28 Eider past on 22/04/2021 my largest flock at Dungeness

1 of the ever present Glossy Ibis 22/04/2021

Pied Flycatcher, Long Pits, 22/02/2021

Red-rumped Swallow, Dengemash 26/04/2021 

Wood Warbler, Scotney Copse 27/04/2021

Without doubt the years highlight, 30,000+ Terns past point, Common, Arctic, Sandwich, Roseate and Little an amazing day.

Purple Heron, Long Pits 12/05/2021

Some of the amazing 417 Manx Shearwaters that flew West on 24/05/2021

1 of at least 3 Rose-coloured Starling around the peninsular this year, this one on 05/06/2021

An unprecedented 3 Collared Pratincoles arrived at Dungeness on 6/7/06/2021

Marsh Warbler in a private garden on the evening of the 12/06/2021

A personal favourite this juvenile Bearded Tit 01/08/2021

The superb Sooty Shearwater that  came to bread thrown from the beach and even fought the Gulls for it, a never to be forgotten sight on 08/08/2021

Harbour Porpoises are quite common at Dungeness but seldom give such good views 29/08/2021

Some of the Manx Shearwaters on 01/10/2021 gave superb views from the fishing boats

The superb juvenile Long-tailed Skua at the fishing boats on 02/10/2021

Pectoral Sandpiper on 06/20/2021

Confirmation that there 2 Glossy ibis here on 12/10/2021

Bittern on the top of a Sallow at the Long pits 13/10/2021

Pallas's Warbler trapped on 02/11/2021

Red-breasted Flycatcher trapped on 20/11/2021

29/12/2021

Wind S 4-6 constant drizzle with periods of heavier rain.

08.00-10.30 from the sea watch hide joined by RW

Eider: 4W

Red-throated Diver: 543W      10E        2 on

Great-crested Grebe: 2W  2E    1 on

Fulmar: 5W    3E

Gannet: 102W     33E

Cormorant: c2,000W into Rye bay

Turnstone: 1W

Kittiwake: 166W    

Black-headed Gull: present n/c

Mediterranean Gull: 2E

Common Gull: present n/c

Great Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Herring Gull: present n/c

Guillemot: 307W   42E

Razorbill: 117W      15E

Auk sp: 980W    107E

Grey Seal: 1

Harbour Porpoise: 1

The weather made birding difficult today, though I did force myself to go and see the plastic Pochard on Lade North Pit, getting a well deserved soaking for my trouble. On Burrowes this afternoon a single 1w Caspian Gull that flew off in the time it took me get my camera from the car, also a very distant juvenile Little Gull spotted by Richard. There were still 6 Cattle Egrets with the Little Egrets in the Horse Paddocks.

Red-crested Pochard on Lade North Pit today, the first record on the peninsular this year

J11CC Norwegian ringed Great Black-backed Gull seen regularly this winter around Dungeness

A distant juvenile Little Gull feeding on Burrowes this afternoon

28/12/2021

 With the odd domestic chore to do today I was very lazy by having a long lay in this morning, then the rain arrived. It was easy afternoon before I worked up the enthusiasm to go for a wander. The water level on Burrowes is still rising so now more of the islands are submerged, those that aren't are covered in the Black Plague, Cormorants! from Dennis's hide 4 Goldeneye were the highlight, I certainly wasn't going to walk up to Firth or Makepiece in the wind and drizzle, just so I could get a soaking because the hides have deemed unsafe. Elsewhere a Jack snipe on private land, also the 6 Cattle Egrets are still feeding around the Horse Paddocks with some Little Egrets, I didn't see any of the wild Geese today, but I did not really look that hard, they may well be at the back of Dengemarsh. Superb camouflage of the Jack Snipe

27/12/2021

A thoroughly miserable last few days, with more or less constant rain and drizzle

08.00-10.30 from the hide this morning, SE 4-5 with Rain and chilly.

Brent Goose: 1E

Teal: 54W

Common Scoter: 7W   1E

Red-throated Diver: 560W      65E

Great-crested Grebe: 8W  3E    4 on

Fulmar: 2W    2E

Gannet: 342E      64W

Cormorant: c2,500E into Lade Bay

Oystercatcher: 7E

Sanderling: 2E

Kittiwake: 136W       44E

Black-headed Gull: present n/c

Mediterranean Gull: 5E

Common Gull: present n/c

Great Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Herring Gull: present n/c

Great Skua: 2E

Guillemot: 669E     203W

Razorbill: 227E     102W

Auk sp: 1,480E     539W

Grey Seal: 1

The 6 Cattle Egrets are still feeding in the Horse Paddocks along with a few Little Egrets, Late this morning some Greylag and Canada geese flew in to feed in the fields in front my house, bringing with them up to 27 Russian White-fronted Geese and 3 Brent Geese that I don't often see there. Late afternoon from Dennis's Hide the 2 Glossy Ibis flew in and eventually settled in front of the Firth thing, 4+ Goldeneye were on Burrowes with a few Pintail but little else apart from the hordes of Cormorants. 

5 Red-breasted Mergansers at Scotney viewed from the double bend yesterday, I don't remember seeing a Merganser there before, certainly not 5.