12/03/2022

Flocks of Brent Geese were passing the hide at regular intervals all morning

Another busy morning staring at the sea:

 06.00-12.00 from the hide with JS, SO, RW, OL, LH, PH, JY.

Brent Goose: 2359E (28 Flocks)   1W 
Shelduck: 4E
Velvet Scoter: 3E
Common Scoter: 52E     
Red-breasted Merganser: 2E
Red-throated Diver: 152E     6W
Great-crested Grebe: 14E    94 on 
Fulmar: 4E    1W
Gannet: 37E
Cormorant: present n/c
Oystercatcher: 44E    
Kittiwake: 164E   
Black-headed Gull: 583E
Mediterranean Gull: 104E
Common Gull: 218E
Great Black-backed Gull: 41E
Lesser Black-backed Gull: 3E
Herring Gull: present n/c
Sandwich Tern: 1E
Harbour Porpoise: 7

Lovely to see flocks of Black-headed Gulls purposefully powering East

Nice to see but probably just a local movement of Oystercatchers

Velvet Scoters passing East 

An abandoned migrant RIB drifting past the Bouy this morning

A black-necked Grebe was found on Dengemarsh from the hide this morning by RW, it was still present late afternoon per JY. At least 5 Cattle Egrets at Cockles Bridge still. As I drove along the causeway  the 2 Glossy Ibis flew from Cooks Pool over the road towards the private fishing lakes, there were 3 Great White egrets on the ARC. Elsewhere there were a few Chiffchaffs and a Firecrest around The Point.

A visit to Scotney sand pit this afternoon paid off when this Wheatear popped up, my first of the year, also a White Wagtail, Green Sandpiper, 8 Avocet, 4 Dunlin, 4 Redshanks and a Black Swan.

11/03/2022

Some of the 2,000+ Gannets that were streaming past today

Another excellent sea watching day with Jacob Spinks, David Walker and Owen Leyshon:

06.00-10.00 & 13.20-15.00

Dark-bellied Brent Goose: 808E

Shelduck: 2E

Teal: 67E

Shoveler: 22E

Wigeon: 23E

Pintail: 30E

Mallard: 2E

Gadwall: 2E

Tufted Duck: 6E

Common Scoter: 127E

Red-breasted Merganser: 6E

Red-throated Diver: 174E     

Fulmar: 10E   1W 

Great-crested Grebe: 5E   

Fulmar: 19E    3W

Gannet: 2,004E    

Cormorant: Present n/c

Oystercatcher: 48E

Black-tailed Godwit: 34E

Curlew: 4E

Kittiwake:  780E

Black-headed Gull: 234E

Little Gull: 2E

Mediterranean Gull: 27E

Common Gull: 62E

Great Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Herring Gull: present n/c 

Sandwich Tern: 4E

Guillemot: 261E 

Razorbill: 9E 

Auk sp: 1,162E    

Harbour Porpoise: 1

Many thanks to Jacob for keeping the log.

Shoveler and Teal

Gadwall and Teal

Wigeon

After a flock of 12 floating past the fishing boats a couple of days ago, this party of 5 Tufted Duck were another surprise.

More Mallard today

34 Black-tailed Godwits, the largest flock I've seen on a sea watch here, pity they were a little distant.

1w Caspian Gull at the fishing boats this afternoon

Now 6 Cattle Egrets at Cockles Bridge

Little Egret at Cockles Bridge

10/03/2022

3 Mallard with 2 Common Scoter passing this morning not an everyday occurrence here

A busy start to the sea watch which quickly petered out :

06.00-10.00 from the hide with JS, CP, PT, OL

Brent Goose: 431E (14 flocks)

Mallard: 3E

Teal: 12E

Pintail: 11E  (2+4+5)

Common Scoter: 132E       3W

Red-throated Diver: 141E    1 on

Great-crested Grebe: 5E    17 on 

Fulmar: 2E  

Gannet: 31E

Cormorant: present n/c

Oystercatcher: 29E     4W

Kittiwake: 299E   

Black-headed Gull: 67E

Mediterranean Gull: 2E

Common Gull: 26E

Great Black-backed Gull: 28E

Herring Gull: present n/c

Sandwich Tern: 3E

Guillemot: 66E

Auk sp: 557E

Skylark: 1E

Harbour Porpoise: 2

Considering several 100s of Oystercatchers can be seen the other side of The Point in Lade Bay,  only  small numbers actually pass the sea watching hide.

Ringed Plover and Dunlin on Dengemarsh Flood

On the hayfields today there were 6 Dunlin, 4 Ringed Plovers, a Great White Egret and booming Bittern by the pump.

At Cockles Bridge there was a Little Egret with 5 Cattle Egrets. Also another near summer plumaged Cattle Egret in the Horse Paddock. Apart from a Black Redstart at the fishing boats (JS) little else was seen on the peninsula today. 

09/03/2022

Eider passing the Bouy this afternoon

It's that time of year again so most of today was spent sea watching. Many thanks to the new Dungeness Observatory assistant warden Jacob Spinks for keeping the log. Also present RP, RW, CP, 

06.15-11.00 & 13.00-16.30 from the sea watch hide: 

Dark-bellied Brent Goose: 2192E

Pale-bellied Brent Goose: 1E

Shelduck: 1E

Teal: 29E

Shoveler: 39E

Wigeon: 17E

Pintail: 4E

Teal: 40E

Eider: 10E

Velvet Scoter: 4E

Common Scoter: 312E

Red-breasted Merganser: 6E

Red-throated Diver: 290E     5W  

Black-throated Diver: 1E  

Fulmar: 10E   1W 

Great-crested Grebe: 5E   

Fulmar: 18E    2W

Gannet: 47E    

Cormorant: Present n/c

Oystercatcher: 30E

Curlew: 5E

Dunlin: 3E

Kittiwake:  2,819E

Black-headed Gull: 104E

Little Gull: 4W

Mediterranean Gull: 43E

Common Gull: 89E

Great Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Herring Gull: present n/c 

Sandwich Tern: 17E

Guillemot: 47E 

Razorbill: 16E 

Auk sp: 1,424E   

Peregrine: 1E

Skylark: 1E      

Harbour Porpoise: 1

Pale-bellied Brent Goose (top left)

Some of the 2,000+ Brent Geese past today

More Eider passing the hide

Eider with Shoveler

Rather distant Velvet Scoters

Black-tailed Godwit at Cooks Pool lunchtime

Black-tailed Godwits at Cooks Pool lunchtime

Whilst driving back home for lunch, the 2 Glossy Ibis flew over the ARC towards the fishing lakes. At Cockles Bridge  the Cattle Egrets were still insitu. There appears to have been very little passerine arrivals today.

07/03/2022

A bitterly cold sea watch, even in the hide the Easterly wind made in uncomfortable. There were plenty Gannets moving slowly East as was most things, the only surprise was a drake Eider that flew West my first of the year.

 07.00-09.00 from the hide with Jacob Spinks

Pintail: 2E 

Common Scoter:1E        5W

Eider: 1W drake

Red-throated Diver: 23E    2W     

Great-crested Grebe:  103E     34 on 

Fulmar: 17E   

Gannet: 508E       

Cormorant: Present n/c

Oystercatcher: 1E

Curlew: 2E

Kittiwake:  71E    

Black-headed Gull: present n/c

Common Gull: present n/c

Mediterranean Gull: 1E 

Great Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Herring Gull: present n/c 

Guillemot: 112E

Auk sp: 23E         

Harbour Porpoise: 4

The Smew doing its best not be seen under the far bank of the ARC + a Great White Egret

2 of the 3 Black-tailed Godwits at Cooks Pool today

Burrowes was some what windswept, most the duck sheltering under the far bank, from Dennis's I was unable to find anything notable among them, I certainly wasn't going to try any of the viewpoints in todays wind, such a shame as I'm sure lots of birds remain unseen due to the lack of hides.

Another short sea watch early afternoon from the shelter of the fishing boats saw very little.

The 4 Cattle Egrets are still doing their thing at Cockles Bridge

Yellowhammer at a feeding station on Walland

Great Tit at the feeding station

The resident female Blackbird in my garden

Brambling at the Visitor Centre feeding station at the weekend

04/03/2022

 It didn't bode well as I made my way to the sea watch hide early this morning with the fog blaring. Ever the optimist I stared into the fog, after an hour of seeing very little I conceded defeat and had a wander around the lighthouse area.

At West Beach 6 Redwing appeared out of the Gorse, then flew off high NE, the next patch of Gorse a Chiffchaff appeared and flew off high towards the trapping area, then a Song Thrush appeared  followed by a couple of Blackbirds all flew off high NE.

One of six Redwing at West Beach

Song Thrush with a singing Dunnock at West beach

Firecrest, Lighthouse Garden

Firecrest, Lighthouse Garden

The Lighthouse garden hosted at least 2 Firecrests, with Stonechat and Black redstart nearby.

One eyed Fox at the old Lighthouse

By the time I'd got my domestic stuff done the rain had set in so I drove down to Dennis's Hide and was pleasantly surprised to find a few Gulls on the islands to look at. I was pleased locate 2 1w Caspian Gulls, also 14 Lesser Black-backed Gulls(passage migrants or return breeders). There were at least 8 Goldeneye present also 3 Black-tailed Godwits.

1w Caspian Gull on Burrowes Pit

                                                   1w Caspian Gull on Burrowes Pit

Robin with nesting material late afternoon by the screen hide ARC

Late afternoon in the drizzle at the ARC an Avocet on the old Cormorant island and a Robin nest building were the only notable sightings. At the other of the ARC the 4 Cattle Egrets dropped into the roost very early, while opposite the gate entrance the red head Smew could be seen on the New Diggings.

 

03/03/2022

Quite a busy morning sea want today with 1,800+ Brent Geese past, a few Dabblers and the usual Auks Divers Gannets and Kittiwakes. I packed up early as DW had located a grounded Woodlark which is a scarce bird on the peninsula, I only managed 3 flight views of it and had to leave for some domestic stuff. I came back to the sea watch for 2hrs at midday, which was very pleasant sitting in the warm sunshine but very few birds moving and appalling visibility. The Cattle Egrets are still inset, also a Bittern has been heard booming from near the pump on the hayfield path for the last couple of days per CT & RW,  also Bearded Tits there.

Yesterday CT found the first Black-necked Grebe of the year on the peninsula and with todays Woodlark brings the patch year total to 132.

While looking at the Grebe we heard news of the Green-winged Teal at the excellent Rye Harbour NR, Colin offered to take me and Richard and very soon we there, getting excellent views of the bird on Flat Beach, nearby at the harbour mouth the 1w Iceland Gull was being particularly showy flying just above our heads, it was just a shame that the weather was so gloomy making photography rather challenging.

Black-necked Grebe on the far side of Burrowes from Dennis's yesterday

Green-winged Teal, Rye Harbour yesterday

                              Green-winged Teal being bullied by the Eurasian Teal

1W Iceland Gull Rye Harbour yesterday

1w Iceland Gull dropping DNA