21/11/2023

 08.00-09.15 from the fishing boats with RW

Brent Goose: 10W      1E

Velvet Scoter: 4W

Common Scoter: 9W   

Red-breasted Merganser: 1W

Great-crested Grebe: 18 on

Oystercatcher: 4E

Turnstone: 24 present

Grey Phalarope: 1W

Kittiwake: 72W

Little Gull: 1W     1 present

Mediterranean Gull: 13E

Guillemot: 9W 

Razorbill: 94W    

Auk sp: 320W

Red-throated diver: 18E     2W      7 on

Gannet: 62W

Cormorant: Present

Merlin: 1E

Pied Wagtail: 3 present

Starling: 440 in

Grey Seal: 2

The hide at The Patch is looking a little precarious, hopefully this week the diggers will replace the beach in front of it. Just a slight boil today but loads of Gulls there, but could only find a single adult Yellow-legged Gull and a beast of an Argentatus Herring Gull of any note, however 3 Swallow were hawking in front the power station.

Today the Goosander was still on the ARC, the 10 Bewick Swans were still on Walland also 2 Whooper swans there.

One of the 3 Swallows around the power station this morning 

The 4 Amigos in the Rhea field

Great Northern Diver on Burrowes

Female Goldeneye

Burrowes this afternoon

20/11/2023

One of a number of Goldcrests around the ARC this morning once the early rain had moved through.

Great Northern Diver on Burrowes, the Slavonian Grebe was still present today but as usual kept its distance.

Black-throated Diver on Burrowes

First Goosander of the year at Dungeness on the ARC

Bittern at the ARC

The first 10 returning Bewick Swans on Walland (3 juveniles), were distant from opposite the entrance to the model airfield.

At the fishing boats this afternoon another Sabine's Gull made a couple of distant passes, this bird is th 5th Sabine's I have seen at Dungeness this autumn. Also a single Red-breasted Merganser past a few each of Red-throated Divers and Mediterranean Gulls and a Little Gull but generally quite quiet.

 

18/11/2023

A Dutch ringed 1st cal year Caspian Gull stopped briefly on the shore this morning

Sandwich tern at The Fishing Boats this afternoon

Common Scoter passing the boats this morning

Part of a Ryokusei navigational bouy from across the Atlanticcovered in Goose Barnacles, also 2 dead Columbus Crabs from the Sargasso Sea.

Black-throated Diver on Burrowes this afternoon

One of two Great Northern Divers on Burrowes this afternoon, The Slavonian Grebe was still present and a Merlin flew through.

17/11/2023

The juvenile Great Northern Diver on Burrowes, photographed from Dennis's Hide in yesterdays appalling weather, it is still present today today along with the Slavonian Grebe and up to 6 Goldeneye.

Cattle Egrets and 4 Glossy Ibis early this morning in the Horse Paddocks, also 11 Little Egretsat the other end of the paddock. 

This mornings wander around The Desert and Trapping Area was fairly quiet, several Goldcrests showed nicely, 5 Chiffchaffs, a handful each of Siskin and Redpoll flew over, also a single Brambling, best of all was 5 Song Thrushes in the Pear Tree.

A party of 14 Brent Geese spent a short time grazing the field in front of my house before the inevitable dog walker appeared.

One of several Common Darters seen today around the Willow Trail. The trail is only just navigable with Wellingtons. In the trail a couple of Chiffchaffs were in the Tit and Crest flock, Water Rail were squealing, at least 2 Swallows flew over.

A Short-eared Owl at Dusk

 

15/11/2023

The Slavonian Grebe was somewhat distant on Burrowes today

The only island left at Makepiece taken over by the Cormorants

A wander right around the reserve was a little disappointing. Burrowes held the usual wildfowl including a Pintail and a single Goldeneye, the hayfields are basically just lakes at the moment, several Bearded Tits, Water Rails and Cetti's Warblers were heard but remained unseen, a Chiffchaff showed briefly at Dengemarsh, 2 Common Snipe flushed from the side of the path, 8 Dunlin flew around Burrowes but finding no where to land carried on the their journey West. 3 Brent Geese were among the feral geese on Boulderwall Fields.

A Great White Egret at Dengemarsh

On my wander around the reserve I saw several Common Darrters enjoying the warm autumn sun.

For the last hour of light I sat in the screen hide at the ARC. A Great White Egret was hunting in the reeds there, a couple of Bearded Tits called unseen and a couple of Water Rails were squealing at one another also unseen, overhead 4 Marsh Harriers made their way to roost, at last light the 4 Glossy Ibis went to roost and 55 Brent Geese flew South over the ARC.

Marsh Harriers tussling before going to roost

The 4 Glossy Ibis flying down the ARC to roost at dusk

14/11/2023

As the weather has been so atrocious lately most of my time has been spent staring out to sea watching and counting storm blown sea birds, from the relative shelter of the fishing boats and of course the sea watch hide. At the ARC all the islands are now submerged and the Willow Trail is only passable wearing wellingtons, the boardwalk is still and should remain dry, though the track to Hanson is understandably a little muddy, the entrance to the ARC carpark is flooded but passable with care.

Burrowes has become just a large lake with the few islands remaining that are usually commandeered by the Cormorants, the new islands at Makepiece are still above water, but as I expected very little appears to use them, what does is immediately flushed as soon as anybody walks by. Firth Lookout is absolutely useless in this weather. Our Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has just appointed Esther McVey minister for common sense and to put an end to wokery, perhaps she should start at the RSPB and tell them people want to sit in dry wind proof hides to birdwatch, not stand behind a slatted fence in gale force wind which drives the rain through soaking visitors and their optics. 

There still seems to be 30+ Cattle Egrets around along with the 4 Glossy Ibis, I was unable to find the Whooper Swans today but hopefully they are still around, also hopefully soon to be joined by Bewick swans. There was no sign of yesterdays Slavonian Grebe looking from Dennis's but it could easily be up at Firth or Makepiece, I certainly wasn't going to walk up there and stand exposed in todays weather.

Adult Sabine's Gull, 2 of these beauties have been entertaining us.

Sabine's Gull feeding on the abundance of storm washed shellfish

They are absolutely super stunning birds

Juvenile Arctic Skua

We have been treated to some close fly pasts by a few Skuas recently

Great Skua

Juvenile Arctic Skua

100s of Little Gulls have passed The Point in the last few days 

Some Little Gulls like this juvenile lingered to feed 

This juvenile Arctic Tern has been lingering off The Point for over a week now

Juvenile Arctic Tern having a rest on the beach

One of several Velvet Scoters that passed The Point

A 1w Caspian Gull was feeding along the tide line