10/06/2022

The Ring-necked Duck, taken from Hanson Hide in this mornings drizzle

Female Marsh Harrier trying to join me in the hide

There were 14 Black-tailed Godwits on the Hay fields along with the Glossy Ibis, I didn't see any Cattle egrets or Great White Egrets today though they may have been hunkered down out of the wind. Apart from the resident avifauna it was a very quit day, with a few more like it in the coming weeks.

Nemophora degeerella by the ARC car park this morning

There were at least 8 Hobby's over the reserve when the sun came out this afternoon

Todays oddity were these 2 Greater White-fronted Geese which appeared over Dengemarsh and flew to The Point where they were seen to fly out to sea a couple of minutes later.

Emperor Dragonfly at Dengemarsh

The new Scott Lookout Shelter where one Scott Hide stood

The volunteers have indeed made an excellent job of constructing the new Lookout shelters, I'm sure their  arty design could easily grace one of Chelsea flower show gardens, where things are made for sipping tea on perfect summer afternoons, but not practical every day use. At Dungeness these "Lookouts" provide little or no shelter from the wind and rain. Yesterday evening I was at the Axel shelter when it started raining, I got rather wet as the rain dripped off the roof and blew in, also the rain was blown through the slats of the back of the shelter soaking the bench. In a gentle breeze from the west, I'm sure some it would provide some shelter especially with all the bushes around it, if the wind is any other vector forget it, to be fair there never was any shelter at the end of the Willow Trail, so I guess it is an improvement but a rather expensive and time consuming use of the volunteers undoubted skills.

I cannot see the Scott Lookout shelter being of any obvious use, as even in a Westerly wind like today the wind howled through, seemingly being concentrated through the slats, I can only imagine at the moment what it will be like there in a North, East or Southerly wind. I will now try to never mention them here again unless of course something changes for the better.

The Axel Lookout shelter at the end of the Willow Trail

08/06/2022

A cold, windy miserable morning at the sea watch hide where in 45 minutes I saw just 12 Gannets fly West and 2 East, along with a handful of Gulls.

At the ARC again no sign of the Ring-necked Duck among the many Pochard and Tufted Duck, 4 Black-tailed Godwit were feeding and Kingfisher flashed past carrying a fish.

I walked in from Springfield Bridge this afternoon, at the hayfields Pied Wagtails were feeding newly fledged young, also 2 Yellow Wagtails there, a Hobby was sheltering from the wind and showers, a Glossy Ibis sparkled in the brief sunny spells, 2 Avocet were in hay field 2 which is rapidly drying out, as are all the others. As expected there was nothing of note on a very windswept Burrowes and very few visitors.

Back at the bridge as another shower swept through I surprised a Fox with Vole.

Fledgling Pied Wagtail

Hobby sheltering from wind and showers

Spangly Glossy Ibis

Fox with a Vole

Southern Marsh Orchids by the track to the ARC

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