28/11/2022

A Pallas's Warbler in the garden of Southview yesterday afternoon,  looking gorgeous despite the gloomy conditions and constant rain. Many thanks to Dave and Sheila Bunney for letting us look in there garden.

Yesterdays sea watch was one of the best I have ever experienced at Dungeness. The night before the weather forecast looked perfect for a good sea watch, though plenty of rain was forecast of which there duly was, quite often torrential. I was joined at the boats by BW, AL & RW shortly after they arrived BW spotted a Leach's Petrel, followed by AL spotting a Puffin among the steady flow of Razorbills, Gannets, Kittiwakes and Little Gulls. Late morning at the reserve the Green Winged Teal was showing albeit distantly. At lunchtime the Pallas's Warbler turned up, while watching that the news came through that an adult Sabine's Gull was lingering at the fishing boats, a couple of minutes later I was watching it when the Long-tailed Skua appeared along the beach. The light was quickly fading but as I drove across the causeway I could just about make out through the rain the Great Northern Diver on the New Diggings.

Fantastic views of an intermediate phase juvenile Long-tailed Skua that made a brief but very memorable visit to the fishing boats this afternoon.

Long-tailed skua feeding just off the beach

A superb adult Sabine's Gull at the fishing boats yesterday

Little Gulls at the fishing boats yesterday

1w Caspian Gull on the beach yesterday

Alas no sign of the Pallas's Warbler today nor the Sabine's or Long-tailed Skua. The Great Northern Diver was still present as was the Green Winged Teal. On Scotney a minimum of 33 Little Gulls could be viewed from the double bends, still no wild grey geese there.

Great Northern Diver on the New Diggings today

26/11/2021

The Glossy Ibis have taken to feeding in the pony field.

Today the Ibis were joined by 13 Cattle Egrets

Sea watching has been rather poor for the last few days apart from a trickle of Little Gulls, Kittiwakes, Gannets and Auks, so when a message from Stephen Message came through late this afternoon, saying he had seen a Green Winged Teal from Dennis's Hide but had lost it, I and Richard were quite happy to leave the fishing boats to look for the Teal. Fortunately on arrival at the the hide Stephen was able to put us straight onto the Teal in the fading light, an excellent find by Stephen.

I have spent much time wandering around Scotney lately looking for wild grey geese so far to no avail, I will keep looking. Up to 5 Little Gulls have been on the main lake with 3 more on the back lakes where I have seen c2,000 Golden Plover, Barn and Little Owl, Ravens, Marsh Harriers, Common Buzzards, Merlins and handful of Tree Sparrows.

Drake Green Winged Teal found by Stephen Message late this afternoon from Dennis's Hide

23/11/2022

Some of this mornings Little Gulls

When the rain cleared I made way to the fishing boats hoping for a busy sea watch, unfortunately it was not to be.

10.30-12.00

Brent Goose: 1W

Common Scoter: 4W

Red-throated Diver: 3W

Great-crested Grebe: 15W       3 present

Gannet:

Cormorant: present n/c

Turnstone: 7 present

Kittiwake: 54W

Little Gull: 46W

Black-headed Gull: present n/c

Mediterranean Gull: 3W

Common Gull:present n/c

Herring Gull: present n/c

Lesser Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Great Black-backed Gull:present n/c

Guillemot:2W

Razorbill: 3W

Auk sp: 57W

Grey Seal: 1

Common Scoter disappearing behind the spray of the breakers

At Scotney this afternoon 5 Little Gulls on the main lake. Once again I was unable to find any wild Grey Geese among the 100s of feral geese on the sward, a Bar-tailed Godwit there was unusual.

Peacocks are now a regular sight in Dennes Lane

21/11/2022

Little Auks passing the fishing boats this morning

1 of 2 Great White Egrets that went south out to sea. 

With a strong southerly wind veering South Easterly with rain forecast for today, the weather conditions looked just about perfect for a memorable sea watch and so it proved to be.

07.15-12.30 from the fishing boats with JS, OL, DW, PT. Many thanks to Jacob for collating the numbers.

Brent Goose: 1E

Shelduck: 2W

Teal: 33W

Tufted Duck: 4W

Eider: 3W    2 present

Velvet Scoter: 1W   3E

Common Scoter: 15W

Red-breasted Merganser: 6W

Red-throated Diver: 33W

Black-throated Diver: 1

Great Northern Diver: 2W

Fulmar: 7W

Little Egret: 1 present in the puddles

Great White Egret: 2 out to sea

Gannet: 508W

Cormorant: many present

Oystercatcher: 6E

Golden Plover: 2W

Grey Plover: 4W

Turnstone: 9 present

Knot: 10W

Sanderling: 1W

Dunlin: 32W

Kittiwake: 1,077W

Sabines Gull: 1 juvenile present

Little Gull: 175W

Black-headed Gull: present n/c

Mediterranean Gull: 2W

Common Gull: present n/c

Herring Gull: present n/c

Great Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Sandwich Tern: 1W

Great Skua: 4W

Pomarine Skua: 2W

Arctic Skua: 2W

Little Auk: 4W  1E

Guillemot: 217W

Razorbill: 1,323W

Auk sp: 217W

Puffin: 5W

Merlin: 1 present

Starling: 470 in off the sea

1 of the Eiders feeding at the fishing boats

Presumably the same Sabine's Gull was seen several times this morning 

1 of the juvenile Pomarine Skuas

Great Northern Diver

Black-throated Diver with a Red-throated Diver

Black-throated Diver

175 Little Gulls past this morning

1,077 Kittiwakes past this morning

508 Gannets past this morning

I doubt it was a very pleasant experience on this sailing ship the way it was being tossed around by the sea as it came past The Point

19/11/2022

The best I could manage of the Brambling in the rain

As it was a light NW wind and a dreary old day today, I decided on walk down Dengemarsh Gully and the open shingle around the back of the transformer station, in my search for a rare Wheatear which as as I expected ended in failure. A singles of Dartford Warbler, Song Thrush, Water Rail, Black Redstart, a few Skylarks and a couple of Ravens were about the all I saw in 3 hours there.

I checked the Lydd Fields for the Whooper Swans and failed to find them, but I did find a flock of c150 Chaffinches that contained a single smart male Brambling, which was very difficult to photograph in the rain and disappearing in the furrows.

I have checked Scotney  on number of occasions hoping to find some wild Grey geese without success.

As the ARC fills up with the rain it seems to be losing its attractiveness to Gulls, almost other birds, though at least one of the Kingfishers remains as does the 2 Glossy Ibis. I have only checked Burrowes  from Dennis's Hide just lately, so there maybe something lurking at the other end I have not seen, nor anyone else in the poor weather, with no dry or sheltered viewing facilities.

Juvenile Marsh harrier at Scotney yesterday

Only 3 Barnacle Geese at Scotney, where are the rest of the feral flock?

 Single dark bellied Brent at Scotney among the feral geese

Kingfisher from Hanson

15/11/2022

One of the many Little Gulls past the fishing boats today

An excellent days sea watching in atrocious conditions, full credit and praise must go to Jacob who stuck it out the whole day doing all the recording. I wimped out when the heavy rain arrived this morning, returning early afternoon, fortunately I did just about manage to see all the highlights, the Long-tailed Skua was literally passing as I arrived in the morning, also managing one of the Puffins and several Sooty Shearwaters.

A flock of Dunlin past the fishing boats this afternoon

My last view of the Sabine's Gull

The 2 Whooper Swans spent yesterday sleeping and preening on the ARC after there long flight

The 2 Glossy Ibis are usually to found at the ARC or Boulderwall

12/11/2022

Boathouse Gem apparently only the 4th ever British record

When I saw this moth in the trap this morning it seemed to be familiar but I was unable to name to it, I checked my moth books but was unable to find it. It was only when I took it down to Dungeness Bird Observatory and showed it to David Walker that I realised it might be something special, David was quickly able to inform me as to its identity and how rare the moth was, so many thanks to David.

Today juvenile Sabines Gull at the fishing boats

Black-headed Gull chasing a 1w Arctic Tern at the fishing boats