Merlin

Dungeness - mild, cloudy, light airs - We spent the morning traipsing around the peninsula in misty, murky weather conditions without a breathe of wind. By far the most numerous passerines were Robins which seemed to be ticking away or perched atop every clump of scrub along with the ubiquitous Wrens and Dunnocks, plus a few Stonechats, Chiffchaffs, Goldcrests, Goldfinches and Chaffinches. Grounded birds included small flocks of Meadow Pipits, Linnets and alba wagtails along the beach which attracted the attention of a brown Merlin in a life and death struggle as it pursued its quarry out over the flat calm sea. Further quality was provided by three Dartford Warblers in broom around the new lighthouse and behind the railway station, while a small fall of Blackbirds, Song Thrushes and Redwings briefly dropped onto the shingle by the old experimental station site. The final migrant of the morning was down to Ted who flushed a Woodcock from a patch of bracken in the desert.

                                 Merlin, fishing boats

                                 Dartford Warbler, new lighthouse

Goldeneyes

Mild, cloudy, E2 - Our first two Goldeneyes of autumn were on Lade south this morning; a distant redhead over by the wall `mirror` and a closer drake from the main footpath. Despite good birding conditions yet again few passerines were noted apart from several Chaffinches, a couple of Blackbirds and a Chiffchaff by the ponds; there was absolutely no overhead passage. A check of the beach on the high tide revealed a roost of 200 Oystercatchers, 30 Turnstones, six Grey Plovers, four Bar-tailed Godwits and seven Sandwich Terns.

                                  Drake Goldeneye, Lade south

                                 Grey Plover, Lade beach

                                  Sandwich Terns, Lade beach

                                  Turnstones, Lade beach

                                 November Moth, Brick and Angle Shades

Normally by now I would have packed away the garden moth trap for the winter, but not so this year as the mild overnight temperatures have ensured a steady flow of late autumn moths including, this morning, a Brick a common immigrant and new for the trap site.  

Brent Geese

Mild, overcast, dry, SE3 - The Brent Goose passage is one of the great autumn birding spectacles at Dungeness as the dark-bellied race from northern Russia vacate their tundra breeding grounds for the milder climes of the estuaries of southern England and northern France. An hour at the fishing boats and another from the seawatch hide with the locals produced over 1,000 geese, some close enough to be heard, others way out it the Channel as wisps of `smoke`, great stuff. Almost as impressive was a large flock of Gannets feeding out to sea, probably on mackerel being pursued by tuna. Also noted 50 Common Scoters, several Mediterranean Gulls, Red-throated Divers, Wigeons and Shovelers, a Little Gull, a Merganser, three Pintail and a Sooty Shearwater. For a full account of this morning`s seawatch checkout the trektellen website updated by Martin. In contrast the land was very quiet.

    Brent Geese on the move, Dungeness

Called in at the bird reserve on the way home where the usual Cattle Egrets were on the Boulderwall fields, while a Slavonian Grebe had joined two Black-necked Grebes and a Red-throated Diver on Burrowes.

Redpolls

Mild, dry, overcast, W2 - The benign weather continues with a circuit of Lade and Kerton Road this morning producing very little of note on the migrant front apart from a few Blackbirds in Mockmill, a trickle of Skylarks over the desert and several Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests by the ponds. Duck numbers on the lakes were also low with only Tufted Ducks reaching three figures and most of the Great Crested Grebes having returned to the sea for the winter. Buzzard, Kestrel and Marsh Harrier were all hunting over the rough grassland behind the `mirrors` where Water Rail and Cetti`s Warbler also heard. In the trapping area we arrived as Tom was ringing Redpolls and a Firecrest (although we just missed a Bullfinch (something of a local rarity here) and heard a Yellow-browed Warbler from the pilot path.

                                 Firecrest, DBO

                                 Redpolls, DBO

Yesterday, on the way back from the Church Lane spinney, a flock of 50 White-fronted Geese flew over heading south (seen shortly afterwards by Dave Scott flying out across the bay at Greatstone) noisily cackling away to one another. The garden moth trap last night lured in several each of Blair`s Shoulder-knot and the micro Palpita vitrealis

                                 Blair`s Shoulder-knot

                                  Palpita vitrealis

Dartford Warblers

Cloudy, dry, E2 - Since my last post we`ve been out and about daily across the Dungeness peninsula, Lade, Pirate Springs and around New Romney, but there has been little to report, despite seemingly fair birding conditions in a light easterly airflow. A few Chiffchaffs, even fewer Goldcrests, Blackbirds and Song Thrushes were noted in the bushes, plus a Dartford Warbler today in the gully and several others scattered across the desert and the Kerton triangle this week. Overhead passage has been pitifully low on larks, pipits, finches, buntings and the like, while 10 Redwings over Hope Lane and two yesterday at the Springs was about it. Having said that the bird reserve has produced the usual Cattle Egrets (nine at Bouderwall this morning), with a Red-throated Diver and a Black-necked Grebe having taken up residence on Burrowes. The garden moth trap continues to be productive, mainly due to double figure temperatures and light airs, with a Dark Sword-grass the highlight last night.

                                 Sandwich Terns and Common Gull, Littlestone

                                  Speckled Wood, Hope Lane

                                  Dark Sword-grass

                                 Cattle Egrets, Boulderwall

Golden Twin-spot

Scotney - warm, dry and sunny, S2 - Another fine morning of weather was spent birding the Scotney complex, commencing at the sand pit where a Ring Ouzel disturbed from the wooded gully by the track was the highlight. Since our last visit the water levels in the pit had risen significantly, but still lured down 12 Lapwings and singles of Greenshank, Redshank and Green Sandpiper amongst a scattering of common wildfowl. A tardy Yellow Wagtail flew hurriedly south, while Kestrel, Marsh Harrier, Cetti`s Warbler, 20 Skylarks, four Stonechats, five Blackbirds, 20 Goldfinches and five Meadow Pipits were also noted. A pause at the double bends revealed at least 12 Pintails on the water within a host of Wigeon, Teal, Gadwall, Mallard, Pochard and Tufted Ducks. At the farm entrance the lake on the Lydd side yielded two Black-necked Grebes, another Greenshank and four Green Sandpipers, plus a mixed flock of 500 Golden Plovers and Lapwings over that eventually settled on the ranges. A quick look at Burrowes for a reported Black-throated Diver failed to deliver, although a Red-throated Diver and a Black-necked Grebe were reported from the Scott lookout.

                                 Scotney sand pit

                                  Greenshank, Scotney sand pit

                                 Black-necked Grebes, Scotney

Our final stop on the local patch produced the usual wildfowl, plus several Goldcrests, Chiffchaffs and Robins in the willow scrub by the ponds. The garden moth trap came up with the goods last night delivering a scarce migrant in the shape of a Golden Twin-spot, new for the site, as well as 10 common late autumn species. 

                                 Golden Twin-spot, new for the trap site

                                 Beaded Chestnut and Black Rustic

Glossy Ibis

Warm, dry and sunny, S3 - After a wet start on Monday the weather improved as the week progressed to being pleasantly mild with a southerly airflow, not that it has done much for the seawatching off Dungeness. Infact, it has been quiet just about everywhere bird-wise across the peninsula. Two Glossy Ibises were on view from Hanson hide late yesterday afternoon, along with two Black-tailed Godwits in amongst the Lapwings, plus several showy Bearded Tits in the reedbed by the boardwalk. A large flock of several hundred Golden Plovers flew over Hope Lane on Tuesday, while Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests continue to filter through our town garden and Grey Wagtails overhead. This afternoon we checked out Pirate Springs, but that too was devoid of birds apart from a mixture of 50 roosting Ringed Plovers, Dunlins and Turnstones along the strandline.

                                  Glossy Ibises, ARC

                                  Painted Lady, ARC

                                  Tufted Duck, ARC

                                 Dunlins and Ringed Plovers, Pirate Springs

                                 Ted on the sea wall