14/09/2025

I  only managed to get out for a short time Saturday morning as the rest of the day was taken up with domestic stuff, but I did manage to see this superb Pomarine Skua with David Walker.

Sub adult Pomarine Skua from the fishing boats yesterday morning

 Today first thing another visit to Jurys Gap where the Amaerican Golden plover was showing quite well though rather distantly for images.

Red-backed Shrike East side of the Long Pits

One of two Common Redstarts seen East of the Long Pits

On the east side of the Long Pits lots of migrant Warblers comprising of mainly Chiffchaffs, Common Whitethroats, Blackcaps with small numbers of Lesser Whitethroats and Willow Warblers, also good numbers of Yellow Wagtails and Meadow Pipits, at least 2 Redstarts, 3 Whinchats and 4 Wheatears along with a few Skylarks and unseen Woodlark, the long staying Red-backed Shrike and my first Jay on the peninsula this year, I also missed an Osprey,

Red-backed Shrike on the reserve

Male Common Redstart on the reserve

On the reserve the pther long staying Red-backed Shrike was still present, also 2 Common Redstarts, Pied and Spotted Flycatchers, 2 Whinchats, more Yellow Wagtails, at least 2 Hobbys also a mobile flock of at least 18 Glossy Ibis.

Glossy Ibis

14 Glossy Ibis in this image

One of the Ibis bears a colour ring

This afternoons sea watching totals that I know of

This Manx Shearwater gave us a close flyby this afternoon

 

12/09/2025

This mornings sea watch was a fairly short one due to the lack of birds and looking into the bright sunshine.

After breakfast I went to Scotney and strolled along the cycle path scanning the sward which was littered with Greylag, Canada and Egyptian Geese, among them 26 Wigeon, 9 Curlew, 10 Ruff, c200 Lapwing 30+ Yellow Wagtails and 20+ Pied Wagtails.

Moving onto to Jurys Gap where there were 36 Golden Plover and the American Golden Plover.

Another sea watch this afternoon rewarded me with a Intermediate juvenile Long-tailed Skua and plenty of Arctic Skuas as well as Sandwich and Common Terns also a steady trickle of Swallows leaving our shores.

Other news Red-backed Shrikes were again seen on the walkers trail on the reserve and East of the Long Pits, where a couple of Redstarts and Whinchats were also seen.

 

4 of 10 Ruff on the Scotney Sward today

Yellow Wagtails on the Scotney Sward

American Golden Plover at Jurys Gap again today

Juvenile intermediate Long-tailed Skua passing the fishing boats this afternoon

Juvenile Arctic Skua passing the fishing boats this afternoon

Juvenile Little Tern feeding off the fishing boats this afternoon

11/09/2025

As I drove past the ARC car park early morning 2 Glossy Ibis flew over the road appearing to drop into Boulderwall, when I got to the beach this mornings sea watch carried on in the same vein as the last few days, lots of Gannets, Common and Sandwich Terns, 10+ Arctic Skuas and a few Balearic Shearwaters. A Marsh Harrier and a Merlin in off the sea were notable with another Merlin in off this afternoon.

A mid morning breakfast was interrupted by a call from JY about a Pectoral Sandpiper in front of Hanson, a few minutes later I was watching it in a deluge.

A check of the Jurys Gap field found 28 Golden Plover, 2 Ruff and 10 Yellow Wagtails but no Dotterel or AGP.

Another sea watch this afternoon was the same as this morning.

The Red-backed Shrike was reported on the reserve today, JD re-found the the one by the Long Pits this afternoon. A late afternoon look on the reserve saw 2 of the 10 Glossy Ibis's at Boulderwall, while on Burrowes 2 Ruff and 4 Common Sandpipers were the pick of a poor bunch.

Pectoral Sandpiper at the ARC in front of Hanson during one of todays deluges

                            Pectoral Sandpiper at the ARC in front of Hanson in a sunny spell

                                Pectoral Sandpiper crouching as a Hobby flew through

Great White Egret in front of Hanson

 

10/08/2025

Sunrise at the fishing boats this morning

A full list of the days excellent sea watching below.

This Dotterel dropped into the field whilst I was scanning for the American Golden Plover

1 of 5 Curlew Sandpipers that were in the field with Golden Plovers at Jurys Gap this morning
 

The only image I took of the juvenile Red-backed Shrike  this morning

Juvenile Red-backed Shrike showing its crossed bill yesterday

Even with a damaged eye and a crossed bill the juvenile Red-backed Shrike was a prolific hunter, not just of caterpillars, I saw it catch at least 3 Great Green Bush Crickets as well as Dragonflys and grubs.

                                         Juvenile Red-backed Shrike showing its damaged eye

                           Roosting juvenile Red-backed Shrike coughing up a pellet

Roosting juvenile Red-backed Shrike 

The 61 White Storks that went out to sea at The Point yesterday

Ringed Plovers and a Dunlin past the fishing boats this afternoon

Sanderling past the fishing boats this afternoon

08/09/2025

Early this morning I had the American Golden Plover at Jury's Gap all to myself, though it was still quite distant.

While I was the AGP a flock of 15 Glossy Ibis flew over heading for Scotney/Lydd. These represented the first record for Dungeness greater area this year, a short while later they were seen to fly ever Dungeness then out to sea. What seems like a different party of 8 turned up at Boulderwall Farm. Also at Jury's Gap a party of 40 Yellow Wagtails, also a Green Sandpiper and 2 Greenshank over.

Glossy Ibis overhead

I had a hospital appointment that took up most of my day, but I did get back just in time to see the Grahams juvenile Montagu's Harrier.

Juvenile Montagu's over Boulderwall fields this afternoon. Image courtesy of Graham Parry the finder 
 

07/09/2025

The American Golden Plover still at Jury's Gap today

American Golden Plover with European Golden Plovers

Spotted Flycatchers at the Long Pits

Today was day of many 1,000s of Hirundines moving through The Peninsula and out to sea, it is always a brilliant spectacle watching them sweep across the shingle then out to sea, towards the continent then Africa. The land was generally quiet though there was a Pied Flycatcher and a Redstart in The Moat, a scattering of Wheatears and Whinchats, in The Desert and East of Long Pits, the bushes held Blackcaps, Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs. The reserve is still very quiet though I'm sure in next few days it will pick up.

A rubbish pic of a Swift only because fit is probably the last on I'll see this year

A couple of 1,000s of Sand Martins over the peninsula today

One of the 1,000s of Swallows leaving the peninsula today

Wheatears in The Desert

A Whinchat in The Desert today

A Hummingbird Hawk-moth in my garden today