Dungeness RSPB - cold, dry and sunny, NW3 - Spent an interesting afternoon filming with the BBC Countryfile team, mostly from the viewpoint overlooking Hookers from where we had superb views of up to four Marsh Harriers and a cracking adult female Hen Harrier that eventually drifted off towards the army ranges. All the expected reedbed birds were noted including Bearded Tit, Cetti`s Warbler, Water Rail, plus a most unexpected female Common Scoter in the reed-bed channel. For the final hour around sunset we moved over to ARC for the Starling show, but only a small flock came to roost in the reed-bed in front of Screen hide. However, we had distant views of a large murmuration comprising several thousand birds - back over the road at Dengemarsh! On the walk back to the car park 22 Cattle Egrets flew to roost.
Wednesday, 20 November 2024
Monday, 18 November 2024
Slavonian Grebe
Mild, overcast, light airs - Spent the morning guiding for Eric and Jim from south London. We started off with a 90 minute sea-watch from the hide in far from promising weather conditions for seabirds. However, there was a steady trickle of Gannets moving up-Channel, most way-off shore and plunge diving for fish. A handful of closer Sandwich Terns flew by and three distance Kittiwakes were logged along with two Mediterranean Gulls, several Great Crested Grebes and Red-throated Divers on the sea, four distant Guillemots/auks, a Common Scoter, five inbound Starlings and, best of all, a brown Eider heading down-Channel. At least six Grey Seals were also feeding offshore. Along the power station wall a flurry of close birds included three Black Redstarts (one a smart male) two Meadow Pipits, a Chaffinch, a Pied Wagtail, a Robin and a Grey Wagtail calling overhead. On the way in earlier I`d seen a Dartford Warbler by the new lighthouse, which we failed to relocate but did see a Kestrel and a Blackbird.
At the bird reserve car park a flock of eight Greenfinches by the feeders was of note along with the usual tits and a Great Spotted Woodpecker calling from cover, while a pair of Whooper Swans flew over trumpeting loudly. On Burrowes the Red-throated Diver, three Black-necked and a Slavonian Grebe were still present along with the usual wildfowl, Cormorants and gulls, plus four Pintails, five Goldeneyes, a Great White Egret and a perched Kingfisher. All in all a productive morning in great company with 62 species of birds recorded.
Sunday, 17 November 2024
Counting birds
Warm, dry and sunny, W3 - A glorious day to be out and about in the field for the monthly WeBS and harrier counts. We spent most of the morning at Kerton quarry and Lade pits counting wildfowl, of which there were very few, as is typical this time of year, and where no species reached three figures; a lone redhead Goldeneye on south lake and at least six Water Rails calling from the willow swamp were the only noteworthy birds. On north lake a 300 strong gull flock comprised roughly equal numbers of Black-headed and Common Gulls, plus 10 Mediterranean Gulls. On the bird reserve the Red-throated Diver and Slavonian Grebe remained on Burrowes, along with two Black-necked Grebes, while at least 10 Cattle Egrets were in a horse paddock set back from the airport road. It was a sorry old sight in the Dungeness RSPB car park where a coach load of birders from Watford were peering through the door into the temporarily closed visitor centre. I explained to some of them that the shop would be permanently closed early next year, along with others across the country, unsurprisingly, it was not well received...
This afternoon I joined Chris P for the harrier count on Walland Marsh where 17 Marsh Harriers came to roost. A pair of Whooper Swans and a Bewick`s Swan disturbed by shooters at the fishing lakes took flight along with a vocal, mixed flock of 500 Greylags and Canada Geese with at least four White-fronts. Also noted several large murmurations of Starlings heading for the bird reserve, hundreds of Lapwings, six Cattle Egrets, seven Great Whites and five Little Egrets at roost, eight Corn Buntings, 10 Fieldfares, four Kestrels and a Common Buzzard.
Wednesday, 13 November 2024
Bearded Tit
Dungeness RSPB - mild, cloudy, N 2 - An OK sort-of-a morning weather-wise for my monthly guided walk around the circular route for five guests. During the three hours we noted a wide range of classic wintering species including Red-throated Diver, Black-necked Grebe and Goldeneye on Burrowes; two Snipes, three Marsh Harriers, two Great White Egrets, 100 Wigeon and 200 Lapwings on Dengemarsh; and a stunning cock Bearded Tit on the grit tray at Hooker`s ramp. Migrants included plenty of Robins, a few Blackbirds and Chaffinches in the bushes, several flocks of inbound Starlings, three Redwings and two Chiffchaffs. A thousand feral Greylags provided a noisy spectacle tumbling out of the sky over Dengemarsh, while a dozen more Snipes were seen from Christmas Dell hide. Also noted: several Kestrels, Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers, a Sparrowhawk, a Buzzard, Grey Herons, Reed Buntings, Goldfinches, Cetti`s Warblers and calling Water Rails.
Its a wonder to me that the intensive farmland around New Romney manages to support so many Buzzards. I see them on a near daily basis, and not only on the farmland but also flying over the town where I`m often alerted to them by the raucous alarm calls of Herring Gulls. Part of the Buzzards` success, of course, is their ability to survive on a wide variety of prey as shown by the two pictured below that I watched the other day hunting earthworms (and squabbling over them!) following a rain shower.
Sunday, 10 November 2024
Woodcock
Cloudy, dry, light airs - The weather conditions this past week have continued in the same vein, being grey and gloomy with occasional mist and drizzle. Bird of the week for me has been the Woodcock with up to ten flushed from cover (mostly by Ted) across the Dungeness and Lade desert, including four yesterday from a patch of bracken east of the trapping area; it makes you wonder how many more are lurking elsewhere, probably thousands judging by the number (in the hundreds of thousands) that are shot each winter across the country. The overhead passage of finches continues to be poor with only a handful of Bramblings, Siskins and Redpolls heard along with a few Skylarks, Meadow Pipits and Grey Wagtails. We had one decent morning when small flocks of thrushes dropped in around the point comprising mainly Blackbirds and Redwings plus a few Song Thrushes. Robins are the most numerous migrant in the bushes while a few Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests were also present along with the odd Firecrest and a Dartford Warbler by the Kerton Road. On the bird reserve single Slavonian and Black-necked Grebes are still present along with a Red-throated Diver and the usual array of Larus gulls on Burrowes.
During our Ted walks around New Romney this week the highlight has been a couple of Kingfisher sightings along the New Cut (where also a Mink noted) and small groups of Fieldfares by the horse paddocks. The dry weather has seen a flurry of ploughing and drilling activity on the arable lands, attracting some huge and mobile flocks of gulls and corvids. I`ve finally packed away the garden moth trap for the winter after a few blank nights, while an Oak Rustic earlier in the week was new for the site.
Tuesday, 5 November 2024
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.
Monday, 4 November 2024
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.
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.