29/04/2022

Some of the 1,000s of Bar-tailed Godwits that have been passing the sea watch hide

I have been a little lax at posting this week, as I have been out in the field to dusk most days. Large numbers of Waders, Terns, Skuas, Gannets, Divers, Auks and Duck have been passing the sea watch hide this week, giving the watchers a superb spectacle.(I'm afraid my images do not do justice to that spectacle). 

Highlights as always this time of year are the Skuas, in particular the Pomarine Skuas with good numbers of Great and Arctic. A Red-necked Grebe was a first of the year, a Great Northern and several Black-throated Divers along with many Red-throated Divers have been seen. The large number of Bar-tailed Godwits have been a wonderful spectacle, especially the brick red summer plumaged adults.

Other highlights this week have been several Ring Ouzels, a Wood Warbler in the trapping area today found by Jacob and my first Swift of the year today.

Spring passerine migrants still appear to be in very low numbers, though a few more Swallows arrived today. Reports from the reserve are that there is very little new there, occasion Bittern sightings, Bearded Tits, Marsh Harriers, a couple of cold, hungry looking Hobbys, even Reed and Sedge Warblers seem to be very low numbers. Hopefully warmer weather next week will improve things.

100s of Whimbrel past this week

Bar-tailed Godwits

Party of 3 distant Pomarine Skuas

Party of 5 distant Pomarine Skuas

Party of 3 Arctic Skuas passing the bouy

Pod of 6 White-beaked Dolphins, though distant for the camera, they gave great scope views during the 30 minutes they took to pass. often leaping clear of the sea

Arctic Skuas

Typical Dungeness view of a Great Northern Diver

1,000s of Common, Arctic and Sandwich Terns have been passing, also small numbers of Little and Black Terns.

Black Tern

Resident Great-crested Grebes 

 

25/04/2022

This mornings sea watch was a slow affair with most of the birds passing a great distance, 2 Pomarine Skuas were seen along with 12 Arctic Skuas, 3 Velvet Scoters, small numbers each of Common Scoter, Bar-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel, Terns and Gannets. However I hear that a decent passage of Terns is under way this evening.

Marsh Harrier at Dengemarsh

At Galloways and Dengemarsh Gully 2 Wheatears and 6 Swallows were the best I could find. At Dengemarsh my first Hobby of the year, Marsh Harriers,  a brief flyby Bittern, a Glossy Ibis, a few Redshank and Lapwings, calling Bearded Tits and c20 Corn Buntings of note.

Female Ring Ouzel briefly opposite Cooks Pool

Along the entrance track to the reserve a Ring Ouzel showed briefly, a few each of Sedge, Reed Warbler and Cetti's Warbler singing otherwise very quiet. From Dennis's 2 Greenshanks and 3 Ringed Plovers, good to see the water level on Burrowes finally starting to drop.

Greenshanks on Burrowes

Oystercatcher on ARC bench

 

24/04/2022

The 2nd Black Kite this spring we've seen while sea watching

 05.30-11.30 with JS, JC, DW PT et al

Shelduck: 2E

Teal: 25E

Common Scoter: 31E. 9W 

Red-breasted Merganser: 1E

Red-throated Diver: 6E 

Great-crested Grebe: 5 on

Fulmar: 5E 

Manx Shearwater: 1W

Gannet: 59E     22W

Cormorant: present n/c

Grey Heron: 2 in

Black Kite: 1 SE. Presumed same came back in 30minutes later well west of the hide

Oystercatcher: 23E

Grey Plover: 4E 

Bar-tailed Godwit: 634E

Whimbrel: 92E

Curlew: 1E

Wood Sandpiper: 1E (first one I've seen on a sea watch)

Kittiwake: 28E

Little Gull: 23E

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

Sandwich Tern: 125E

Common Tern: 101E

Arctic Tern: 23E 

Great Skua: 1E

Arctic Skua: 9E 

Guillemot: 16E

Auk sp: 14E 2W

Sand Martin: 3 in

Swallow: 6 in

Yellow Wagtail: 3 in

Black Redstart: 1 present

Jackdaw: 5 in

Carrion Crow: 1 in

Harbour Porpoise: 20+

Grey Seal: 1

Grey Herons coming in off the sea early morning

A superb days sea watching at Dungeness

Bar-tailed Godwits, Whimbrel, Grey Plover and a Knot

05.40-11.15 & 12.40-20.00 with JS, DW, RW, VW, JY, SO et al. Special thanks to Jacob for keeping the log.

Brent Goose: 3E

Shoveler: 12E

Teal: 2E

Pintail: 4E

Velvet Scoter: 1E

Common Scoter: 67E

Red-breasted Merganser: 1E

Red-throated Diver: 5E 

Great-crested Grebe: 6 on

Fulmar: 8E 

Gannet: 256E 

Cormorant: present n/c

Oystercatcher: 30E

Avocet: 6E

Grey Plover: 8E

Ringed Plover: 1E

Whimbrel: 72E

Bar-tailed Godwit: 2507E

Knot: 6E

Sanderling: 32E

Dunlin: 21E

Kittiwake: 21E

Little Gull: 77E

Black-headed Gull: present n/c

Mediterranean Gull: 1E 

Common Gull: present n/c

Great Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Herring Gull: present n/c

Lesser Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Little Tern: 7E

Sandwich Tern: 611E

Common Tern: 750E 

Black Tern: 1E

Great Skua: 7E

Arctic Skua: 224E

Guillemot: 8E

Razorbill: 1E

Auk sp:164E

Sand Martin: 2 in

Swallow: 20 in

Alba Wagtail: 2 in

Harbour Porpoise: 30+

Grey Seal: 1

Bar-tailed Godwits

Bar-tailed Godwits photobombing a Harbour Porpoise

 

                                                                         Whimbrel

Arctic Skua (dark phase)

Avocets

Great Skua with random white feathers

Oystercatchers

Arctic Skua (light phase)

Little Gulls, Arctic and Common Terns

21/04/2022

Bar-tailed Godwits in the morning glare

Bar-tailed Godwits in better light this afternoon

 The only news from the reserve was that at least 1 Glossy Ibis was still present.

Little Egret at Cooks Pool

Mediterranean Gulls over the Long Pits this week

Grass Snake at top of the Long Pits this week

19/04/2022

One of the several Greenfinches that are visiting my garden at the moment

As expected with a cool NW breeze this mornings sea watch was very slow:

 06.00-08.00
Brent Goose: 11E
Common Scoter: 42E
Red-throated Diver: 3E 1W
Great-crested Grebe: 2 on
Gannet:67E 
Cormorant: present n/c
Oystercatcher: 3E
Whimbrel: 4E
Black-headed Gull: present n/c
Mediterranean Gull:1E 
Common Gull: present n/c
Great Black-backed Gull: present n/c
Herring Gull: present n/c
Sandwich Tern: 41E
Common Tern: 25E (single flock)
Auk sp:1E
Black Redstart: 1 present
Harbour Porpoise: 30+
Grey Seal: 1

A couple of hours around the Long Pits found a Pied Flycatcher that was immediately flushed accidentally by dog walkers, it was seen again briefly by PT but not again. Lesser and Common Whitethroats, Blackcaps, Willow Warblers and Chiffchaff were all seen and heard, along with the now seemingly abundant Cetti's Warblers.

An early afternoon walk down Galloways was disappointing apart from a Stonechat apparently feeding young.

The first Greylag family at Springfield Bridge this afternoon

The lone Glossy Ibis on the hayfields has been showing ridiculously well, giving wonderful photographic opportunities, especially in the afternoons when the light is excellent, the other 4 paired up Ibis tend to stay on Boulderwall Fields or in the private fishing lakes.

On hayfield 3, 2 summer plumage Spotted Redshanks, 2 Little Ringed Plovers, 2 Ringed Plovers, Whimbrel, 2 Oystercatchers and at least 4 pairs of Lapwings nesting. From the surrounding Reed beds a Bittern booming and several Bearded Tits.

Little Ringed plover

17/04/2022

Superb Black Kite over the sea watch hide this morning

 05.45.00-13.00 & 14.00-16.30  with JS, WS, CP, SO, SM, NB, JB, DB, RW et al

Brent Goose: 287E

Shelduck: 1E

Garganey: 3E

Shoveler: 59E

Teal: 17E

Pintail: 6E

Velvet Scoter: 28E (single flock)

Common Scoter: 636E

Red-breasted Merganser: 12E

Red-throated Diver: 16E 1W

Black-throated Diver: 6E

Great-crested Grebe: 3 on

Fulmar: 29E 

Gannet: 333E 

Cormorant: present n/c

Black Kite: 1E

Oystercatcher: 12E

Whimbrel: 118E

Bar-tailed Godwit: 3E

Sanderling: 6E

Kittiwake: 71E

Little Gull: 11E

Black-headed Gull: present n/c

Mediterranean Gull:17E 

Common Gull: present n/c

Great Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Herring Gull: present n/c

Lesser Black-backed Gull: 5E

Little Tern: 5E

Sandwich Tern: 611E

Common Tern: 21E 

Arctic Tern: 1E

Guillemot: 473E

Auk sp:140E

Harbour Porpoise: 30+

Grey Seal: 1

Flock of Whimbrel passing

Brent Geese

                                                                                Shoveler

Whimbrel overhead

Black-throated Diver

Wood Sandpiper on Hay field 3 late afternoon

This mornings Black Kite

Hot reception from the Herring Gulls

16/04/2022

Some of the 1,000+ Gannets that passed Dungeness today

Todays combined sea watches with JS, WS, RW, VW, DW,PT et al

Brent Goose: 21E

Shoveler: 36E

Teal: 2E

Pintail: 2E

Wigeon: 2E

Goldeneye: 2E

Common Scoter: 615E

Red-breasted Merganser: 3E

Red-throated Diver: 4E 

Great-crested Grebe: 3 on

Fulmar: 4W

Gannet: 1,228E 

Cormorant: present n/c

Oystercatcher: 14E

Whimbrel: 3E

Bar-tailed Godwit: 17E

Kittiwake: 105E

Little Gull: 2E

Black-headed Gull: present n/c

Mediterranean Gull: 4E 

Common Gull: present n/c

Great Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Herring Gull: present n/c

Sandwich Tern: 263E

Common Tern: 9E 

Arctic Tern: 50E

Great Skua: 3E

Arctic Skua: 3E 

Guillemot: 42E

Auk sp: 6E

Swallow: 1 in

Linnet: 47 in

Goldfinch: 2 in

Harbour Porpoise: 54

Red-breasted Mergansers from yesterday

Common Redstart thanks to Jacob and DBO

At the Egret roost last evening, 5 Glossy Ibis, 3 Cattle Egrets and 7 Little Egrets came in but no Great White Egrets, though there was at least 1 on Cooks Pool today.

The first Lesser Whitethroats of the year appeared today, also my first Small Copper of the year.

At Scotney still at least 3 Little Gulls present among the Black-headed and Mediterranean Gulls, also a few more Yellow Wagtails.

Common Whitethroat at the Long Pits

Small Copper basking in todays sunshine