29/09/2023

This Little Stint has now been present for week

The last few days have been rather poor avian wise considering the time of year, apart from large numbers of Hirundines moving South passerines and waders have been few and far between, even the sea has been quiet the few days and don't think it will improve this weekend looking at the weather forecast. The Glossy Ibis and Cattle Egrets and Great Egrets continue to show reasonably well, lets hope something else turns up this weekend.

Curlew Sandpiper from the Firth Fence

Great White Egret from Dennis's

26/09/2023

Juvenile Long-tailed Skua that flew West past the fishing boats today

Along with LTS there were 12 Sooty Shearwaters, a Balearic Shearwater, 13 Arctic Skuas, 2 Black Terns, 1,00s of Hirundines and Meadow Pipits etc

At the ARC the usual wildfowl and Herons , a handful of Snipe, c100 Lapwing but little else. Sadly the reserve was no better.

Sooty Shearwater from today passing the fishing boats

Juvenile/1w Caspian Gull at the fishing boats this morning

Juvenile/1w Yellow-legged Gull at the fishing boats this morning

 

 

25/09/2023

The undoubted highlight for me at the weekend was this Leach's Storm Petrel that came slowly past the fishing boats on Sunday afternoon. In the morning sea watching produced Good numbers of Sooty, Balearic and Manx Shearwaters as well as Great and Arctic Skuas. There were also many 1,000s of Hirundines moving South West out to sea.

Manx Shearwater

Manx Shearwater checking out some flotsam

Todays highlight from Hanson was this Little Stint

Sea Watching this morning produced singles of Sooty and Manx Shearwater, 13 Arctic Skuas, 250 Gannets a few Terns and Scoter, not a bad haul for a couple of hours. 

The 3 Glossy Ibis with the 6 Cattle Egrets until Daisy blocked my view.

23/09/2023

 Black Tern on Burrowes

Yesterday The Desert and TA were full of Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs, with streams of Meadow Pipits and good numbers of Siskins overhead, also at least 10 Wheatears. Today most of the Warblers had filtered away leaving a handful of Common and Lesser Whitethroats, though there was 1,000s of House Martins and Swallows were over the peninsula early morning. With northerly winds the sea was very quiet. At the ARC most of the waders have departed but 3 Glossy Ibis were nice, 6 each of Cattle Egrets and Great White Egrets could be found on the reserve , but it was generally quiet.

The Gulls have started use Burrowes for roosting with a Caspian gull and Yellow-legged Gull along with several colour ringed birds.

Ruff in front of the Firth Fence

                                                                                              

Painted Lay in The Desert today

Wheatear at The Polish Memorial

Glossy Ibis from Hanson

1st winter Caspian Gull from Dennis's Hide this afternoon

Yellow-legged Gull from Dennis's Hide this afternoon

21/09/2023

A brief sea watch this morning and again this afternoon were definitely after the Lord Mayors Show.

A wander in The Desert had c1,000 Meadow Pipits moving South West also several 100s of Siskin. In the bushes Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps seemed to have arrived in numbers, a Common Whitethroats and a Willow Warbler were seen. At least 7 Wheatears and 6 Black Redstarts were around The Point.

Most of the Waders appear to have left the ARC, though Glossy Ibis and Egrets are still around.

Spotted Flycatcher and Chiffchaff at the ARC car park today

One of 4 Wheatears at the fishing boats today

Juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull at the fishing boats today

Ruff and a Knot with Black-headed Gulls infant of the Firth Fence

What I can only describe as atmospheric images below of yesterdays superb sea watch 

Balearic Shearwaters

Balearic Shearwaters

Balearic Shearwater

Sooty Shearwaters 

19/09/2023

Record images of Balearic Shearwaters passing the fishing boats today

Today's long but rewarding sea watch:

07.45-17.00 RW,OL,DW,PT,MC,CP et al

Common Scoter: 3E   4W 

Great-crested Grebe: 1 present  

Kittiwake: 4W   

Mediterranean Gull: 1W

Sandwich Tern: 726W

Common Tern: 23W      

Arctic Skua: 8W   c6 present  

Guillemot: 8W

Razorbill: 4W

Auk sp: 62W

Balearic Shearwater: 211W

Sooty Shearwater: 9W

Gannet: 562W   28E     

Cormorant: Present n/c

Swallow: 41 out

House Martin: 17 out

Harbour Porpoise: 3+

Grey Seal: 1

Common Seal: 1

Balearic Shearwater

Common Terns

Arctic Skua

 

17/09/2023

Juvenile Arctic Skua at the fishing boats

Sea watching has begun to improve at the fishing boats, 2 Great Skuas today my first of the autumn, c20 Arctic Skuas, c150 each of Sandwich Tern and Gannet, a few each of Balearic Shearwater, Common Tern, Little gull. Guillemot, Razorbill Common Scoter etc. The weather this coming week looks conducive to sea watching though I am usually wrong.

Garganey

At the ARC Curlew and Common Sandpipers, Little Stints, Common Snipe. Golden Plovers along with the regular Garganey, Glossy Ibis's, Egrets and the common wildfowl. Sadly Burrowes is largely very poor, though late afternoon Gulls have been roosting on the islands to the left of Dennis's hide, today 2 Caspian gulls were present. Hobbys can still be seen at Dengemarsh. Around the peninsula Warblers and Chats can be found but in very low numbers.

Glossy Ibis

Kestrel

Convolvulus Hawkmoth

 

14/09/2023

The Dungeness Lifeboat powering past the fishing boats this morning

10.30-12.30 from the fishing boats:

Common Scoter: 1W

Ringed Plover: 7W

Turnstone: 1W

Sandwich Tern: 49W

Common Tern: 1W

Guillemot: 1 on

Razorbill: 1 on

Balearic Shearwater: 1W

Gannet: 12W    4E

Cormorant: 13 on

Swallow: 4W

Harbour Porpoise: 8

Grey Seal: 2

As you can see from the above list the sea watching has not really improved, at least the weather was glorious.

 
I spent the afternoon walking from Dengemarsh to Burrowes. 2 juvenile Hobbys were honing their hunting skills catching Dragonflys very successfully at Springfield Bridge, they were the highlight of my walk around the reserve, 2 Raven flew high over and 2 Juvenile Marsh Harriers quartered the reed beds. Hayfield 3 and 1 are bone dry, Hayfield 2 has had water pumped into it so why not pump 1& 3, both of which when wet seem to be more attractive to birds than 2. Burrowes held a few Little Egrets and a Great White Egret but little else of any note, there were a few Chiffchaffs in the bushes around the reserve and 3 lingering Common Whitethroats. In my walk around the reserve I only encountered 2 couples wandering around the reserve and they were out for a walk, it seems birders realise the heart has been torn out of the reserve so no longer visit. 

A gorgeous pristine Clifton Nonpareil that was attracted to my moth trap this week