Hunting for Buntings

Cold, cloudy, NW 3 - These past couple of morning`s we`ve walked the foreshore with Ted from St Mary`s Bay to Greatstone beach checking the tideline for passerines, in particular buntings, but have come across very little apart from a couple each of Meadow Pipit and Pied Wagtail, plus a Chiffchaff. The only glimmer of hope was a ground-hugging bird, that may well have been a Lapland Bunting, on the track at Pirate Springs halfway between the coffee van and the Romney Bay hotel that sped inland to the golf links before I could clinch the id. On a falling tide all ten species of regular wintering bay waders were logged on the sands with Ringed Plover and Redshank being the scarcest in just single figures. Along the way Common Gulls were much in evidence with over 300 counted.

                                   Greatstone Beach

A small flock of Long-tailed Tits are now regular visitors to the garden bird feeders.

                                  Long-tailed Tits, New Romney

Owls

Cold, dry and sunny, NW 2 - It doesn`t matter how long you`ve birding for (in my case its over 60 years!) owls are one family of birds that are hard to ignore. This week I`ve connected with four species locally including, and probably the easiest to see, Little Owls, at Hammonds Corner and Lydd, plus a stunning close Barn Owl yesterday afternoon quartering the field by the entrance to Lydd airport. `Eared` owls are always a bit more tricky but yesterday on our Ted walk through the trapping area we had obscured views of a roosting Long-eared Owl, while this morning a distant Short-eared Owl hunted the shingle ridges on the desert at the back of Tower Pits towards the airport; I often wonder how many we miss, particularly the former due to its largely nocturnal habits. 

Goldeneyes

Dungeness RSPB - mild, sunshine and drizzle, SW5 - A breezy morning for my monthly guided walk around the circular trail during which most of the wildfowl were hunkered down in the lee of bunds trying to avoid the wind. However, Burrowes delivered all the usual wintering wildfowl including at least five Goldeneyes (four drakes) and an adult Caspian Gull in the roost in front of Dennis`s hide. It was pretty quiet around the trail due to the weather with several Marsh Harriers, a Sparrowhawk and hundreds of Lapwings and Wigeons across Dengemarsh of note. The Great Northern Diver remained on New Diggings while the Long-tailed Duck was reported on Burrowes in the afternoon from the visitor centre.

                                  Goldeneye, Burrowes

                                 Lapwings, Dengemarsh

The recent island restoration work on New Excavations is now complete for the winter and looking superb when viewed from Christmas Dell hide. Hopefully, it will attract breeding terns and gulls next spring, particularly as four new rafts are also being added in the New Year. What with the additional islands on Dengemarsh, the new return trail path, various other modifications around Burrowes and the new Makepeace hide to come the reserve is looking in great shape for the future. Well done to all concerned, both staff and volunteers throughout a busy 2024.   

    New Excavations

Harriers

Mild, cloudy, light airs - Following a couple of cold days over the weekend today was much brighter with a spring-like feel to it, ideal for a run-out to Walland Marsh with CP for the monthly harrier count where 26 Marsh Harriers came to roost along with a smart male Hen Harrier also in the area. En-route, a Brent Goose and a flock of 23 Bewick`s Swans were in a field at Midley and later on another two flew over our viewpoint along with three Whooper`s and two White-fronts. A large collection of distant grey geese probably included the reported Pink-feet and White-fronts, plus nine Egyptian Geese and a Great White Egret. Due to ongoing fieldwork there were thousands of corvids, gulls, Lapwings, Starlings, Woodpigeons and Stock Doves swirling over the farmland, but once again very few small passerines. We also noted several Kestrels and Buzzards, a Curlew, a Snipe, plus calling Golden Plovers, Water Rails and Cetti`s Warblers on the walk back in the half light of a new moon. 

                                  Bewick`s Swans, Midley

                                   Great Northern Diver, New Diggings

On our Friday Ted walk we checked out Lade where Goldeneyes were down to just two birds on south lake and both Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers were present in the willow swamp along with several vocal Water Rails. The Great Northern Diver and Long-tailed Duck remained on New Diggings while the Hume`s Warbler was still in and around the Obs garden. I often hear Grey Wagtails flying over the house and adjacent park, but this morning one briefly alighted in the driveway and onto the garden list!

Ringtail

Dungeness - cold, overcast, drizzle, NE 3 - After four days of foul weather the strong winds and rain associated with named storm Darragh at last relented, although the Mordor-like gloom persists. We started off at Lade first thing with four Goldeneyes the highlight on south lake, plus Teal, Pochard and Tufted into three figures. We then walked the foreshore at Dungeness checking the few gulls that were present while a trickle of auks, Gannets and Red-throated Divers were noted on the sea along with a couple of Grey Seals. The land was largely bird-less apart, from the Hume`s Warbler which continues its residency in around the bird observatory garden; this morning it was calling intermittently`  - a sharp, `chew-wit`, similar to a Pied Wagtail to my ears. It was then onto the bird reserve and a walk out to New Diggings along the Outland Trail that delivered two Common Snipes flushed from the footpath and a cracking adult female Hen Harrier overhead that continued on towards Boulderwall. The Long-tailed Duck eventually surfaced long enough to actually see it from the viewpoint, while a Great Northern Diver was reported at the southern end of the lake later on (MC). From the visitor centre a single Black-necked Grebe was noted over the far side of the lake. 

                                   Kestrel, Lade

Long-tailed Duck

Warm, dry and sunny, NW 2 - Superb morning to be out in the field commencing at Lade and Kerton Road pits where the highlights were six Goldeneyes and 150 Teal on south lake, two Marsh Harriers and a Common Buzzard over the willow swamp and a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Cetti`s Warbler by the ponds. Moving onto the bird reserve where I had decent views of the mobile juv/female type Long-tailed Duck on New Diggings. It is best viewed from the end of the Outland Trail viewpoint, with the sun behind you, and not from the causeway road (there were six cars parked there this morning) which is extremely dangerous and where the power station police will move you on. The Hume`s Warbler was again reported in the bushes around the Obs garden/moat (PE).

                                   Long-tailed Duck, New Diggings

Hume`s Warbler

Dungeness - mild, cloudy, light airs - We spent another morning birding Lade and Kerton Road followed by a trudge along the beach either side of the fishing boats checking for the elusive Glaucous Gull. There was little happening on the sea apart from a few Gannets and large gulls feeding offshore, plus a party of nine east-bound Brent Geese. We wandered over to the bushes around the lighthouses, where there was nothing of note, and onto the Obs for a natter. After a short wait the Hume`s Warbler showed in the front gardens of the cottages and then into the Obs garden where several of us enjoyed some good views of this stripy, sprite (complete with shiny leg iron) over a 15 minute period before it flew towards the moat. Unusually, for this species it did not call once. The only other noteworthy was a Peregrine flying onto a pylon with prey.