06/06/2022

Pair of Pochard from Hanson Hide

A nasty day on the peninsula, with a strong cool westerly wind and occasional drizzle making it feel like March. I made several visits to Hanson Hide but was unable to find the Ring-necked Duck, a few Swallows, House Martins and even a couple of Swifts were over the lake this morning. Pochard numbers are building, 4 Black-tailed Godwits were feeding on the islands that will soon be exposed along as no heavy rain falls, a Cuckoo was calling half heartedly. It wasn't till late afternoon that the sun broke through  and 2 Hobby's appeared along with a few Dragonflys, the undoubted highlight was watching a family of Long-tailed Tits for 15 minutes feasting on Aphids, sunning themselves and preening.

Long-tailed Tits feasting on Aphids

These images of the Firth Viewpoint were taken on warm sunny day, not many visitors using it!

I did go down to Burrowes and walk up to the Firth viewpoint, I am trying to reconcile myself to the viewpoint, but on a cold windy day like today it offered absolutely no protection from the elements, so after counting 19 Curlew and 2 Bar-tailed Godwits I went back to the comfort of Dennis's Hide. As seems to be the case most days there were very few cars in the car park, so few visitors, even this bank holiday weekend there were few cars in the car park. 

There are a few of these scattered around the reserve, 

Necter and Nectar! obviously no spellcheck😀

Might want to change this Tern image to something visitors will see, a Herring Gull perhaps!

I know this fence at Makepiece is temporary, the 2 empty frames held the plans for the replacement hide, the North East wind the other day blew them out, so you can imagine what it would have been like trying to use Firth Viewpoint, Impossible.  

05/06/2022

The Ring-necked Duck still present on the ARC today 

Black Redstart at West Beach this morning

Early morning visit to the ARC found the Ring-necked Duck still present but nothing else of note, though the islands are starting to appear so looks promising for the late Summer /Autumn migration. A wander around the trapping area found nothing notable apart from the number of dogs. At West Beach a Black Redstart on the fence but nothing in the bushes.

An afternoon wander around the reserve starting from Springfield Bridge found 8 Cattle Egrets all adults in the hayfields along with 4 Little Egrets, also a Glossy Ibis, Green Sandpiper, Avocet and Hobby. In the reed beds Bearded Tits were active but no Bitterns today, a very few Reed and Sedge Warblers were singing half heartedly. At Burrowes just 3 Grey Plover and a Common Tern were noted, apparently after I left 4 more Common Terns appeared along with 18 Sanderling, 5 Dunlin and 2 Redshank.

Some of the 8 Cattle egrets in the hay fields this afternoon

Glossy Ibis in the hayfields

Cattle Egrets over Dengemarsh

 

Sedge Warbler at Dengemarsh

Just a single Common Tern on the raft at Burrowes this afternoon

Grey Plovers on Burrowes

Avocet in the hayfields

04/06/2022

Common Whitethroat braving the NE gale to sing

A couple of visits to the ARC today failed to find the Ring-necked Duck among the the many wildfowl going into eclipse. A couple of Reed Warblers were singing there also a lone Sedge Warbler, but most birds were sheltering from the near gale force NE wind.

Around the reserve several Hobbys were hawking very high, a single Cattle Egret was in hay field 3 and 2 Great White Egrets were sheltering behind a reed bed on Dengemarsh. On Burrowes the only notable birds were 2 Grey Plovers. It's hard to believe it is June when you can walk around the reserve and not see a single Tern, also just a handful of visitors on bank holiday Saturday most without optics of any description. 

Hobby appeared overhead just too quick for me

Adult Mediterranean Gull in the roost by the visitor centre car park

 

03/06/2022

A gorgeous Icterine Warbler, the obvious highlight of the last few days trapped at the observatory by Jacob

Norfolk Hawker along the track to Hanson Hide

Barn Owl on the reserve

It is looking as though no Terns will nest at Dungeness for the first time in my memory. The Sandwich Terns declined and left a few years ago, in my opinion probably due to the fishing practices in Lade Bay and Rye Bay, where the bottom trawling decimated the Sand Eel population that the Terns relied on to feed young, though I am no scientist. The Common Terns I guess have got wise to the fact that the Herring Gulls and Lesser Black-backed Gulls have been allowed to predate all the young Terns in the last few years, hopefully they will find somewhere they can succeed in rearing young or at least somewhere with more sympathetic management. The Lapwings and Redshank chicks seem to be suffering again from predation, they seem to be around for a few days and then disappear, certainly before they could fly off. Personally I suspect the Marsh Harriers are the main culprits, although I have only witnessed a Harrier taking a Lapwing chick on one occasion, they are excellent hunters and amazingly agile.

Reed and Sedge Warbler numbers seem to me be lower than last year, but Reed Warblers are still arriving. On the bright side Bearded Tits seem to be doing very well, at least 2 young Bitterns have been seen together and there are probably 2 pairs of Kingfishers on the reserve.

The Ring-necked Duck can usually be found  from Hanson Hide, mostly sleeping on the island with the Pochards.  

There are plenty of Hobby's to be seen on the reserve

Honey Rabbit on the reserve

Grey Heron on the hay fields with a large Marsh Frog which it swallowed whole

Posing Linnet ARC

Ring-necked Duck at the ARC from Hanson Hide

Pochard coming into the ARC

 

28/05/2022

The end of May and it surprising the amount of birds still singing around Dengemarsh, Sedge, Reed and Cetti's Warblers, Common and Lesser Whitethroats all around, Blackcaps and even a Garden Warbler near the Pines at the ARC. Corn Buntings singing at Dengemarsh Flood, lots of squeaks and peeps from the Coots, Moorhens and other young wildfowl and even the high pitched calls of displaying Marsh Harriers that are stratospheric, the forlorn cries of Lapwings and Redshanks desperately trying to fend off predators of there young.

Garganey escaping the attentions of a bullying Coot

Ring-necked Duck inusual pose

Coming back in for another sleep

 

High flying Glossy Ibis over Boulderwall Fields

5 Cattle Egrets dropping into Dengemarsh Flood

Cattle Egrets

Corn Bunting

Common Whitethroat

Great White Egret

 New visitors to the the garden feeders

Trichophaga tapetzella (Tapestry Moth). This is the first record of this species in the Dungeness area since July 1957. It is apparently quite rare in the UK now having previously been quite common.

27/05/2022

Another trip away from Dungeness, this time in the company of Owen and Jacques to see the superb Eleanors's Falcon and a bonus female Red-footed Falcon at Worth Marshes. An excellent afternoon in excellent company and 2 brilliant birds. 

Eleonora's Falcon

Eleonora's Falcon

Eleonora's Falcon

Eleonora's Falcon

Eleonora's Falcon

Female Red-footed Falcon

Female Red-footed Falcon

Female Red-footed Falcon

Female Red-footed Falcon