25/09/2020

AJG braved the very cold North Westerly gale and did an early morning sea watch from the fishing boats:

06.30-07.30

Gannet: 22E

Cormorant: 252W

Sandwich Tern: 131W

Cormorant 252 down

Arctic Skua: 3E (all dark phase)

All I can do is admire his tenacity!

I don't know why but I thought it would be a good idea to walk from home dow to Denge Marsh Gully. The bushes by the water sports centre and go cart track entrance held lots of Chiffchaffs, Reed Buntings, Chaffinches, Greenfinches and Goldfinches, in the fields Linnets, 2 Yellow Wagtails, Pied Wagtails and Meadow Pipits, Swallows were playing chicken with the cars as they hawked low along the road, while overhead House Martins and few Sand Martins were hawking and unseen Siskins went over. When I got to the kids Carp pond (the locals will know where i mean) there was a first for me there in the form of a Great White Egret strutting around quite unconcerned by my presence, if only I'd bothered to carry my camera but with the threat of rain I'd left it at home. When I got to Springfield Bridge the 2 Cattle Egrets were still present, a Ruff was roosting on an island and 100s of Hirundines were hawking over Denge Marsh, a Marsh Harrier was doing battle with the wind over the reed beds. In the Sunflower field a flock of c50 linnets with c10 Reed Buntings were flitting around, at least 4 Stonechats were also there.

As I walked along the Gully a Merlin whizzed through, 2 Ravens croaked overhead and several Chiffchaffs were flitting around the Gorse. I carried on to the beach, where on arrival the heavens opened, the rain only stopped when i was 50 yds from home!😂 needless to say I was a little damp when I got home. Although I had the full Jack Wolfskin waterproof clothing on, the rain always manages to find a way in usually via the hood, even with the storm flaps velcro'ed  down my pockets managed to fill up with water.😞 But it was still a very enjoyable walk.

Glossy Ibis at the ARC early afternoon

Apart from the usual wildfowl, Hirundines, Egrets and Ibis there was very little to see on a windswept ARC and even less on Burrowes.

A short sea watch mid-afternoon from the comfort of my car at the turning circle saw just a handful each of Sandwich Terns, Gannets and Cormorants. A Wheatear was picking insects off the road as I fed the gulls bread. A young GBB Gull struggled over the beach towards me with an obviously broken wing, it must have been hungry as the GBBGs don't normally come to close unlike the greedy Herring Gulls. I made sure it had its fill of bread, which is probably not good for it, I doubt it will survive the night with number of Foxes around.   

This young Great Black-backed Gull has a broken wing

Wheatear at the turning circle this afternoon

A Merlin turns itself into a guided missile over the sea at Galloways late afternoon

 Late afternoon at Galloways with the now gale force wind, there was unsurprisingly no sign of any Owls, another or the same Merlin was chasing a Meadow Pipit. 

24/09/2020

Light phase Arctic Skua over a stormy sea at Dungeness today

06.30-09.45 + 11.10-12.10 from the fishing boats with AJG & JY,

Common Scoter: 3W

Great-crested Grebe: 7 o/s

Gannet: 657W    9E

Cormorant: 67 o/s

Arctic Skua: 2 o/s

Black-headed Gull: present n/c

Common Gull: present n/c

Herring Gull: present n/c

Lesser Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Greater Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Sandwich Tern: 1,107W     102E

Swallow: 53 out

Harbour Porpoise: 3+

Grey Seal: 1

A dark phase Arctic Skua claims its prize

Black-necked Grebe on the ARC viewed from the causeway

The Glossy Ibis feeding in its favourite pool

A very windswept ARC today the highlights being 2 Curlew Sandpipers, the Glossy Ibis, a single Black-necked Grebe, 4 Common Snipe , 4 Great White Egrets, many Swallows and Sand Martins hawking over the lake and the usual wildfowl and waders. 

Sand Martins over Denge Marsh Flood

Great White and Little Egret with a Mute Swan at Denge Marsh

Cattle Egrets at Denge Marsh

You can now drive from Boulderwall past Denge Marsh Hide and round the hay fields to Springfield Bridge and have a picnic, at the same time as photographing the birds, but you must have a blue disabled sticker in your car. 😐

The WW11 Dakota leaving Lydd airport this afternoon

 

22/09/2020

AJG managed an hour at the fishing boats this morning before giving up.

06:30-07:30 

Brent Goose: 4W

Gannet:  6 o/s

Cormorant: 17E

Sparrowhawk: 2E

Ringed Plover: 2W

Dunlin: 8W

Turnstone: 8W

Sandwich Tern 140 down, then 53 back up

Swallow: 4 out

Siskins: several heard not seen

Reed Bunting 2 up

Chiffchaff

Lots of Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps in the bushes around the peninsular this morning, also a decent number of House Martins and Swallows, unseen Siskins seemed to be going over non stop also a few Reed Buntings. The highlight was a party of 12 Crossbills that flew around the observatory that I missed when I was in The Desert. I saw 3 Wheatears, 3 Black Redstarts including a superb male by the lifeboat station and still lots of Stonechats around, but nothing to get too excited about. A Short-eared Owl was hunting behind the sound mirrors per DS.

House Martin about to catch an insect

1st year male Siskin trapped and ringed at the observatory

1st year male Greenfinch in my garden

14.00-15.00 from the fishing boats with AJG,

Great-crested Grebe: 1 o/s

Gannet: 21: o/s

Cormorant: 5 o/s

Sandwich Tern: 89W

Arctic Skua: 1 o/s DP

Swallow: 217 out

House Martin: 1 out

Harbour porpoise: 5+

Surely now the weather is changing the sea will start producing birds!

Silhouette of the Glossy Ibis late afternoon

 The ARC late afternoon was very quiet, though the Glossy Ibis is still present, 6 Common Snipe, a Black-tailed Godwit and a single Black-necked Grebe along with the usual wildfowl and Herons.

21/09/2020

AJG did an early morning sea watch in the fog, with predictably poor results:

07.20-08.20 from the fishing boats:

Brent Goose: 9E  8W

Wigeon: 15W

Common Scoter: 20W

Gannet: 53 up

Cormorant: 3E

Sandwich Tern: 26E

Swallow: 1 out

Chiffchaff Lighthouse Garden

As the fog lifted I walked most of The Point, The Desert and Long Pits area. Chiffchaffs were numerous, as were Blackcap, I only saw 4 Lesser Whitethroats and 2 Common Whitethroats, Siskins were going over virtually non stop, I kept looking up but failed to see any of the flocks just the odd low flying singleton, there were at least 10 Wheatears around, along with the usual couple of Black Redstarts, at least 20 Stonechats, 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, a few Swallows, Reed Buntings and Skylarks over but no eastern sprites. 

1 of c20 Stonechats seen in the area today

1 of 4 Lesser Whitethroats seen today

A very showy Wheatear in The Desert today

1 of 6 Common Buzzards over the garden while I was having lunch

Lydd fields held much the same as The Point but much smaller numbers, with the addition of 50+ Golden Plover and 2 Great White Egrets.

I joined AJG at the fishing boats this afternoon for an basking in the warm autumn sunshine:

14.00-15.00

Brent Goose: 74W     7E

Common Scoter: 2E

Red-throated Diver: 1E

Great-crested Grebe: 1 o/s

Gannet: 10E

Cormorant: 6E

Turnstone: 6W

Arctic Skua: 1E

Sandwich Tern: 16E   32W

Guillemot: 1E

Swallow: 1 out

Harbour Porpoise: 4+

House Sparrows enjoying the late afternoon sun at Springfield Bridge

Great White Egret in the centre of Dengemarsh with a sleeping Ruff

1 of 6 Clouded Yellows seen this afternoon in the Sunflower Field at Denge Marsh 

The Glossy Ibis still gorging on Medical Leeches at the ARC early evening

Along with the Ibis this evening 2 Black-necked Grebes, 2 Garganey and the usual Herons, most the waders were flushed by a persistent Sparrowhawk.

A nice Golden Twin Spot in the MV today 

A tatty Red Underwing in the trap this morning

 

19/09/2020

06.15-09.00 withAJG, SM & RW

Brent Goose: 4E

Teal: 1W

Wigeon: 4E

Shoveler: 1E

Common Scoter: 13E 

Great-crested Grebe: 1E  1 o/s

Sooty Shearwater: 1E

Gannet: 17W    22E

Cormorant: 6W      14E

Peregrine:  1E juvenile

Golden Plover: 2E

Dunlin: 17E

Knot: 2E

Arctic Skua: 4E

Mediterranean Gull: 1W  1E

G.B.B.G: 27E

Sandwich Tern:  204E    47W

Auk sp: 1E.   1W 

Swallow:131 out

Meadow pipit: 27 out

Siskin: 11N

Goldfinch: 3N

Linnet: 2N     40 around

Grey Seal: 1 Bull

Lydd Fields were virtually bird-less in the strong NE wind, just a couple of Reed Buntings and the usual Corvids, Pigeons and Gulls.

I couldn't find any Cattle Egrets in a quick scan of Dengemarsh from Springfield Bridge, 3 Great White Egrets were some compensation.

Glossy Ibis at the ARC this afternoon

 13.50-15.45 from the fishing boats with AJG & RW:

Pintail: 2E

Great-crested Grebe: 2 o/s

Gannet: 31E

Cormorant: 5E

Knot: 4E

Bar-tailed Godwit: 1E

Curlew: 1E

Great Skua: 2E 

Arctic Skua: 2E

Med Gull: 3E all 1st cal year 

Sandwich Tern: 605E into Lade Bay

Common Tern: 3E

Guillemot: 1E

Auk sp: 1W    1E

Swallow: 31 out

Late afternoon at the ARC the Glossy Ibis was still present, but only saw a single Black-necked Grebe, apart from 3 Dunlin and 2 Common Snipe waders were non existent there, a very poor show for mid September, the usual wildfowl were present but I could find no Garganey, though they were probably sheltering in the reeds at Hanson.  

18/09/2020

This mornings sea watch courtesy of AJG 06.15 - 07.15 

Brent Goose: 3W

Teal: 1W

Common Scoter: 14W

Gannet 1 up

Cormorant: present n/c

Arctic Skua: 1 o/s

Sandwich Tern:  46W

Common Tern: 2W

Such a poor sea watch It's hard to believe that it is mid September! 

The Desert and trapping area was no better with just a couple of Wheatears and a few Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps, a single Song Thrush was probably the highlight. 

Juvenile Common Tern fishing by the causeway today

There was still at least 3 Cattle Egrets at Boulderwall but no sign of the other 20+ from yesterday

A wander around Lydd fields produced another Wheatear, 3 Yellow Wagtails, 32 Golden Plover, a Marsh harrier, a Common Buzzard and a Great White Egret of note.

Great Black-backed Gull with a nice Bass

13.15-15.00 from the fishing boats joined by L & P H & AJG, not much improvement on this mornings sea watch.

Common Scoter: 2W 1E

Great-crested Grebe: 1 o/s

Gannet: 19W    29E

Cormorant: 6 o/s

Dunlin: 1E

Arctic Skua: 2 o/s

Mediterranean Gull: 1W adult

Sandwich tern: 12W    95E

Common Tern: 1E

Guillemot: 2 o/s

Swallow: 4 out

Grey Seal: 1 Bull

Harbour Porpoise: 4+

Sandwich Terns heading into Lade Bay

Common Scoter

A very poor image of 4 of the 4 Black-necked Grebes on the ARC today viewed from the causeway

Also at the ARC were 2 Avocets, 2 Knot and 4 Dunlin of any note. Today was the first day that I have not seen the Glossy Ibis there, also there no Lapwings or Golden Plover there and I was unable to locate any Garganey, but with the NE wing blowing across the lake it was difficult to keep the scope still.

I was reliably informed that Burrowes was a windswept avian free zone, also not surprisingly that Makepiece hide was hopeless, as with the wind blasting through the open doors and hatches it was impossible to keep binoculars steady let alone a telescope, a re-think needed perhaps!  

A Marsh Mallow Moth after I returned it to its larval food plant (Marsh Mallow)

 

14/09/2020

Submarine making its way down channel was probably the highlight of the sea watch

I joined AJG and CP for a very disappointing sea watch at the fishing boats this morning.

06.10-08.10

Common Scoter: 10E     4W

Great-crested Grebe: 2 o/s

Gannet: 37 o/s

Cormorant: 9o/s

Greenshank: 1 heard calling

Turnstone: 9 on beach

Knot: 1W

Dunlin: 4E

Arctic Skua: 3 o/s

Yellow-legged Gull: 1 on beach briefly

Black Tern: 1W

Little Tern: 1 juvenile o/s 

Sandwich Tern: 173W

Common Tern: 4W

Auk sp: 2E

Swallow: 43 out

House Martin: 24 out

Harbour Porpoise: 6+

Grey Seal: 2

Juvenile Little Tern at the fishing boats this morning

1st cal yr Yellow-legged Gull briefly on the beach

Wheatear

A slog around the Desert and Long Pits found a few Wheatears, Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps along with the usual Stonechats but little else was seen.

Stonechats in The Desert

Chiffchaff

Glossy Ibis with 3 Great White Egrets and a Little Egret

The Glossy Ibis was still on the ARC this morning along withe flocks of Knot, Golden Plover and Lapwing, 3+ Great White Egrets, 3 Black-necked Grebes and a Hobby of note. At least 3 Cattle egrets still in the hay fields per MH.

A long wander out to Scotney from home this afternoon saw 42 Yellow Wagtails with the cattle on the sward, 8 Tree Sparrows, a few Corn Buntings and 100s of feral geese.

Life history of Great Black-backed Gull 99L seen on the reserve on 08/09/2020