19?06/2022

The Glossy Ibis seem to be a regular feature at the ARC

Grey Heron from Hanson

Little, Cattle and Great White Egrets can all be seen around the reserve, the Bitterns seem to have gone a little quiet. Avocets, Black-tailed Godwits, Grey Plover, Ringed Plover, Lapwing, Oystercatchers and Green Sandpiper are all regular on the ARC and Burrowes at the moment, so far just a handful of Common Terns. I think 2 pairs of Kingfisher nested this year with at least one nest fledging. Large numbers of eclipse wildfowl can be seen around the reserve, most looking very scruffy. Marsh Harriers, Common Buzzards and Hobby's can be seen just about anywhere on the reserve.

2 of the 3 short staying Black-necked Grebes came in close to Hanson Hide briefly before being chased off by an aggressive Coot.

These Great-crested Grebes are nesting in front of Hanson hopefully soon the eggs will hatch if they don't get predated.

One of several Honey Buzzards that have graced the peninsular this last week

Sedge, Reed and Cetti's Warblers, Common and Lesser Whitethroats and Blackcaps are all still singing around the reserve.

The overnight storms brought in many Swifts, House and Sand Martins this morning

A visit to Folkstone Warren found a confiding juvenile Peregrine

Fulmar and Rock Pipit at Folkstone Warren

13/06/2022

Hobbys have putting on superb displays around the reserve 

 

These 3 Glossy Ibis dropped into the ARC late morning today

The long staying Glossy Ibis on the ARC

Great White Egrets have started to reappear around the reserve

It was quite pleasant to go out early morning and not get blasted by the the incessant near gale force winds that have plagued the peninsula for the last few days. Hopefully from tonight onwards the moth trap will start catching numbers of moths.

The first Black-necked Grebe of the autumn on the ARC from Hanson

Avocets and Black-tailed Godwits

On my second visit of the day to the ARC mid morning I joined Pete and Pam in Hanson Hide, where among the 100s of eclipse wildfowl they had located 2 Pochard bearing Nasal Saddles, also there were 4 Avocet, 17 Black-tailed Godwits, 2 Redshank, a Ringed Plover, Oystercatchers and Lapwings, 4 Glossy Ibis, Great White and Little Egrets, 2 flyover Cattle Egrets early morning, a Kingfisher, 2 Cuckoos,  4 Hobby's and the usual Marsh harriers, Common Buzzards and Reed bed Warblers. It seems that Dennis's Hide has been closed due to a Bees nest, so as there are no other hides for viewing Burrowes I gave the reserve proper a miss.

An adult Common Whitethroat looking rather tatty after its parental duties

2 Common Pochard bearing nasal saddles on the ARC today spotted by Pete and Pam, probably French birds.

10/06/2022

The Ring-necked Duck, taken from Hanson Hide in this mornings drizzle

Female Marsh Harrier trying to join me in the hide

There were 14 Black-tailed Godwits on the Hay fields along with the Glossy Ibis, I didn't see any Cattle egrets or Great White Egrets today though they may have been hunkered down out of the wind. Apart from the resident avifauna it was a very quit day, with a few more like it in the coming weeks.

Nemophora degeerella by the ARC car park this morning

There were at least 8 Hobby's over the reserve when the sun came out this afternoon

Todays oddity were these 2 Greater White-fronted Geese which appeared over Dengemarsh and flew to The Point where they were seen to fly out to sea a couple of minutes later.

Emperor Dragonfly at Dengemarsh

The new Scott Lookout Shelter where one Scott Hide stood

The volunteers have indeed made an excellent job of constructing the new Lookout shelters, I'm sure their  arty design could easily grace one of Chelsea flower show gardens, where things are made for sipping tea on perfect summer afternoons, but not practical every day use. At Dungeness these "Lookouts" provide little or no shelter from the wind and rain. Yesterday evening I was at the Axel shelter when it started raining, I got rather wet as the rain dripped off the roof and blew in, also the rain was blown through the slats of the back of the shelter soaking the bench. In a gentle breeze from the west, I'm sure some it would provide some shelter especially with all the bushes around it, if the wind is any other vector forget it, to be fair there never was any shelter at the end of the Willow Trail, so I guess it is an improvement but a rather expensive and time consuming use of the volunteers undoubted skills.

I cannot see the Scott Lookout shelter being of any obvious use, as even in a Westerly wind like today the wind howled through, seemingly being concentrated through the slats, I can only imagine at the moment what it will be like there in a North, East or Southerly wind. I will now try to never mention them here again unless of course something changes for the better.

The Axel Lookout shelter at the end of the Willow Trail

08/06/2022

A cold, windy miserable morning at the sea watch hide where in 45 minutes I saw just 12 Gannets fly West and 2 East, along with a handful of Gulls.

At the ARC again no sign of the Ring-necked Duck among the many Pochard and Tufted Duck, 4 Black-tailed Godwit were feeding and Kingfisher flashed past carrying a fish.

I walked in from Springfield Bridge this afternoon, at the hayfields Pied Wagtails were feeding newly fledged young, also 2 Yellow Wagtails there, a Hobby was sheltering from the wind and showers, a Glossy Ibis sparkled in the brief sunny spells, 2 Avocet were in hay field 2 which is rapidly drying out, as are all the others. As expected there was nothing of note on a very windswept Burrowes and very few visitors.

Back at the bridge as another shower swept through I surprised a Fox with Vole.

Fledgling Pied Wagtail

Hobby sheltering from wind and showers

Spangly Glossy Ibis

Fox with a Vole

Southern Marsh Orchids by the track to the ARC

06/06/2022

Pair of Pochard from Hanson Hide

A nasty day on the peninsula, with a strong cool westerly wind and occasional drizzle making it feel like March. I made several visits to Hanson Hide but was unable to find the Ring-necked Duck, a few Swallows, House Martins and even a couple of Swifts were over the lake this morning. Pochard numbers are building, 4 Black-tailed Godwits were feeding on the islands that will soon be exposed along as no heavy rain falls, a Cuckoo was calling half heartedly. It wasn't till late afternoon that the sun broke through  and 2 Hobby's appeared along with a few Dragonflys, the undoubted highlight was watching a family of Long-tailed Tits for 15 minutes feasting on Aphids, sunning themselves and preening.

Long-tailed Tits feasting on Aphids

These images of the Firth Viewpoint were taken on warm sunny day, not many visitors using it!

I did go down to Burrowes and walk up to the Firth viewpoint, I am trying to reconcile myself to the viewpoint, but on a cold windy day like today it offered absolutely no protection from the elements, so after counting 19 Curlew and 2 Bar-tailed Godwits I went back to the comfort of Dennis's Hide. As seems to be the case most days there were very few cars in the car park, so few visitors, even this bank holiday weekend there were few cars in the car park. 

There are a few of these scattered around the reserve, 

Necter and Nectar! obviously no spellcheck😀

Might want to change this Tern image to something visitors will see, a Herring Gull perhaps!

I know this fence at Makepiece is temporary, the 2 empty frames held the plans for the replacement hide, the North East wind the other day blew them out, so you can imagine what it would have been like trying to use Firth Viewpoint, Impossible.  

05/06/2022

The Ring-necked Duck still present on the ARC today 

Black Redstart at West Beach this morning

Early morning visit to the ARC found the Ring-necked Duck still present but nothing else of note, though the islands are starting to appear so looks promising for the late Summer /Autumn migration. A wander around the trapping area found nothing notable apart from the number of dogs. At West Beach a Black Redstart on the fence but nothing in the bushes.

An afternoon wander around the reserve starting from Springfield Bridge found 8 Cattle Egrets all adults in the hayfields along with 4 Little Egrets, also a Glossy Ibis, Green Sandpiper, Avocet and Hobby. In the reed beds Bearded Tits were active but no Bitterns today, a very few Reed and Sedge Warblers were singing half heartedly. At Burrowes just 3 Grey Plover and a Common Tern were noted, apparently after I left 4 more Common Terns appeared along with 18 Sanderling, 5 Dunlin and 2 Redshank.

Some of the 8 Cattle egrets in the hay fields this afternoon

Glossy Ibis in the hayfields

Cattle Egrets over Dengemarsh

 

Sedge Warbler at Dengemarsh

Just a single Common Tern on the raft at Burrowes this afternoon

Grey Plovers on Burrowes

Avocet in the hayfields