02/09/2024

The sea continues to disappoint, but fortunately we had some cracking birds around then peninsular

Undoubtedly the outstanding highlight of the weekend were these 2 adult female Honey Buzzards that cruised up the Long Pits over to the ARC and lost over the airfield

This second bird was only a minute behind the first

 
The superb juvenile White Winged Tern performed excellently in yesterday evening gorgeous light

About to grab an insect

This juvenile Spotted Redshank dis a superb flyby for us in the wonderful light last night

Common Sandpipers

6 Common Sandpipers roosting on the raft

Several 100s of Oystercatchers come into roost on Burrowes

This Pied Flycatcher in a private garden on the estate was undoubtedly todays highlight 

c60 Yellow Wagtails on the Scotney Sward today

30/08/2024

Black-tailed Godwit from Hanson

An early visit to Hanson this morning mainly to see the reed clearance in front the hide that took place yesterday, it has certainly made a big difference to the viewing to the left of the hide. Surprisingly there were still quite a few birds around despite the disturbance, at least 4 Garganey, a Black-tailed Godwit, a Common sandpiper and a couple of Little Ringed Plovers as well as the Ibis and the Egrets.

Garganey from Hanson

4 Greenshank and a Dunlin from Dennis's dropped in briefly while I was looking for the WWBT

White Winged Black-Tern

A message from JY this morning that he thought he had seen a White Winged Black-Tern briefly on Burrowes, but also to view before he could confirm it. Several of us locals had a look around the lakes for it but drew a blank. Late this afternoon I went to Burrowes in hope rather than expectation, after a few minutes in Dennis's Hide I relocated the Tern and as far as I know it was still present when the reserve closed, hopefully it will still be present tomorrow.

As the Tern turned it seemed to blend in with lake

WWBT with a Sand Martin 

 

29/08/2024

 The sea has yet to start to really produce the goods, though there has been a few Sooty, Balearic and Manx Shearwaters seen, but not a great deal else apart from Sandwich terns and Gannets. Hopefully in the next few days passage will start to take off both on the sea and land.

            

At the ARC the Glossy Ibis, Garganey, Black and Arctic Terns and Cattle Egrets have been the main attraction, waders have been few and far between, possibly because of the sheer numbers of Greylags, Gadwall and Mallard littering the islands, there are still large numbers of Sand Martins moving through the peninsula with a trickle of Swallows.

Garganey

Cattle Egrets at The ARC

Arctic Tern at the ARC

Black Tern at the ARC

Little Stint at the ARC

Hobby, at Denge Marsh

One of two Juvenile Hobbys in the Denge Marsh nest 

Spoonbill at Denge Marsh yesterday afternoon

Spotted Flycatcher at the ARC today

23/08/2024

 Withe the stormy weather the sea watching has improved with reasonable numbers of Manx and Balearic Shearwaters but all very distant and most of which we have had to label as sp. Skuas however were notable by there absence, just a handful of Arctic Skuas, also the Terns have been in very low numbers, waders have been notably absent.

The best I could manage of a Manx Shearwater and this was the closest one

Todays colour ringed Osprey over The New Diggings

The Glossy Ibis has been present since the weekend. also a Black Tern present for a couple of days

Great White Egret at the Axell Viewpoint, which is somewhat of a misnomer at the moment

Some of the 7+ Garganey present

At visit to very windy Sandpit this evening saw 22 Green Sandpipers, 5 Common Sandpipers, 2 Wood Sandpipers, but no sign of the Pectoral or Curlew Sandpiper, 1 Little Stint, 1 Knot. 19 Avocet, 4 Dunlin, 3 Ruff, Ringed and Little Ringed Plovers.

Pectoral Sandpiper

An assortment of waders seen in the Scotney Sand pit in the last couple of days. If you are visiting the site the section of track from Jurys Gap Road to the sand pit is not a public right of way, at the moment the land owner is allowing us to use it to access the bridleway that runs to the west and south of the pit, please do not climb over the gate if it is shut, walk a few yards to the west and there is an obvious gabby a couple of concrete blocks, please remember it is still a working pit and excavators may start again at any time.

Pectoral Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, Ruff, Common Snipe & Little Ringed Plover.

Pectoral Sandpiper, Knot & Ringed Plover

Little Stints & Ringed Plover

Green & Wood Sandpipers

Curlew Sandpiper & Common Snipe

Common Sandpiper

Avocets

 

Glossy Ibis

The sea watching continues to be very poor as do the numbers of passerines in the bushes, apart from Willow Warblers and a few Reed and Sedge Warblers, Common and Lesser Whitethroats little else is tone found. There has been the odd Pied and Flycatcher and a handful of Whinchats.

A Glossy Ibis was new at the ARC this afternoon and a juvenile Black Tern was present.

Juvenile Black Tern