Isabelline Wheatear

Dengemarsh Gully - cold, cloudy, showers, NE 4 - With a scudding wind coming off the North Sea delivering a rash of short, sharp, showers weather conditions were far from ideal for our morning Ted walk; not that he was particularly bothered, originating as he does from the Carpathian mountains of Romania where winters can be brutal. The gully is one of those sites that looks good for a rarity or two and to be fair it has got form even in my time: Pallas`s, Melodious and Yellow-browed Warblers, Red-flanked Bluetail, Bluethroats and Wryneck, to name but a few. However, most of the time it`s as dull as ditch water and initially today was no different: a ticking Robin, two singing Cetti`s Warblers and three flyover Goldfinches was about it; still, the best stuff is almost always at the bottom of the gully... We crossed the sewer by the dam and wandered up the slope where Ted disturbed a passerine from the edge of the gorse scrub. I called him in and put him on the lead and then noticed that the bird was perched on the ruins of Myrtle Cottage about 20 yards away, so after a quick look through the bins, thinking it looked interesting, fired off a few shots with the bridge camera. It was a very erect and sandy-brown looking wheatear giving a first impression of perhaps a Greenland type, although the tail appeared to be quite black as it flew out over Penn Bars. 

Back at the car, and out of the wind and rain, I had a good look at the pics and the first thing I noticed was a broad white eye-brow, mostly in front of the bill and dark lores, plus a prominent alula contrasting with the pale-fringed wing coverts denoting a 1st autumn bird. The tail appeared to be shorter and certainly blacker than Northern Wheatear - so it had to be an Isabelline Wheatear! Having not seen one for a while (Scilly in the 90`s) I contacted Owen for a second opinion who met me on site and confirmed the identification from my pics, as did Jacob via WhatsApp (thanks to you both). Thankfully the bird remained in the same area around Myrtle Cottage and out on Penn Bars throughout the afternoon enabling a number of local birders to connect with this rarity from the steppes of central Asia - and apparently it is the first record of Isabelline Wheatear for the Dungeness area. 

    Isabelline Wheatear - Dengemarsh Gully

Whooper Swans

Warm, dry and sunny, NE 2 - Spent the morning on the peninsula seeing very little on the migration front apart from an overhead trickle of Goldfinches, Skylarks, Meadow Pipits, Chaffinches, Stock Doves and corvids plus a single Yellowhammer which is quite scarce down here on the shingle. Grounded migrants included five Robins by the sea containers and a few Chiffchaffs, Stonechats and Goldcrests elsewhere. On Wednesday we did the long walk around the power station to Penn Bars and back to the Obs which delivered four Black Redstarts on the station fencing, three flyover Woodlarks and two Swallows from the moat. Thursday morning we started at Lade where the highlights were a Ring Ouzel on the Desert and seven Grey Plovers on south lake and at ARC where three Whooper Swans and a Glossy Ibis were of note. Monday was very windy as last weekend`s gales passed up-Channel and only suitable for seawatching. From the fishing boats several Sooty Shearwater, a Grey Phalarope and a Bonxie were seen amongst numerous Gannets, Little Gulls and auks plus a few Red-throated Divers, Sandwich Terns and Arctic Skuas.

                                 Whooper Swans - ARC

Little Gulls

Lade - dry, sunny, W5 - Following on from the deluge delivered by named Storm Boelo yesterday, this morning dawned with blue skies and a keen westerly. Passerines were few and far between due to the strong wind while most of the ducks were hunkered down in sheltered spots around both lakes. However, of note were five Little Gulls over south lake, and when I called in at Hanson hide late morning more were coming and going over ARC. I counted a minimum of 22 birds, some close to the hide, and many more were logged by local birders elsewhere today: 128 on Burrowes, 23 at the old Scotney sand pit and several passing the fishing boats. Little Gulls can occur at Dungeness just about any time of year but this batch were no doubt associated with the recent double-barrelled storms displacing birds passing along the Atlantic seaboard.  

                                  Little Gulls - ARC

Long-tailed Blue

Dungeness - warm, dry and sunny, W3 - This morning`s Ted walk took us on a circuit of the peninsula in fine autumn sunshine but with few grounded migrants apart from a scattering of Robins and Chiffchaffs in the bushes, 10 Blackbirds, two Song Thrushes, a Ring Ouzel by the wigwams and a light overhead passage of Meadow Pipits, Skylarks and Chaffinches, a Woodlark, Redpoll and Grey Wagtail. The highlight of the morning however was a tatty Long-tailed Blue butterfly in the Trapping Area that showed its trademark, and diagnostic, broad white band on the underwing and distinctive upperwing pattern complete with two black dots where the `tails` should`ve been. A most unexpected late migrant and well found by Charlotte. An early afternoon check of Kerton quarry and Lade south revealed nothing of note apart from the usual wetland birds and a flight view of a Bittern.

    Long-tailed Blue - Trapping Area

Earlier this week visits to the point delivered several Woodcocks in the Desert and by the sea containers, a Ring Ouzel in the Trapping Area, a Dartford Warbler by the cafe and 20 Little Gulls on a seawatch from the fishing boats. On Monday we walked the gully which was pretty much birdless while at least 15 Cattle Egrets were in the flood field by Springfield Bridge. Lade bay had a flock of 30 Brent Geese on the mudflats on Tuesday and at least 100 Knot. Yesterdays Ted walk around farmland north of New Romney produced good numbers of Skylarks and Meadow Pipits in stubble fields, 20 each of Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting and Linnet in the ditches, 20 Redwings, five Blackbirds and two Song Thrushes in the hedgerows, plus several Stonechats, Cetti`s Warblers, Chiffchaffs and Buzzards along the way. 

                                  Storm clouds over the gully

                                  Cattle Egret - Springfield Bridge

Ring Ouzel

Lade - cool, cloudy, wet, NE2 - A weekend of contrasting weather with warm sunshine yesterday and cold overcast conditions today with heavy showers rattling in off the North Sea. In New Romney town park first thing at least 20 Redwings had dropped in overnight while several more were noted over Lade later along with a steady trickle of Chaffinches and Meadow Pipits. The highlight though was a juvenile Ring Ouzel flushed from gorse scrub along the main track and two continental Blackbirds by the ponds. Several Stonechats, Chiffchaffs and Robins were seen at Lade and also around the old lighthouse at Dungeness. A brief look at the sea between the showers delivered plenty of Gannets and distant auks, several flocks of Brent Geese and Common Scoters and a single Arctic Skua. 

The garden moth trap was still attracting a good variety of autumnal species early last week when the nights were mild, but it wont be long now before the trap is stowed away until next spring.

                                  Mallow 

                                  Large Wainscot

                                         Red-line Quaker

                                         Lunar Underwing

This evening I joined Chris for the first harrier count of winter on a very wet Walland Marsh where 13 Marsh Harriers came to roost. Also noted in the general area, 16 Cattle Egrets and 20 Corn Buntings.

Curlew Sandpiper

Dungeness RSPB - warm, dry and sunny, light airs - Superb weather for my monthly guided walk around the circular trail. Burrowes held all the usual wildfowl plus two Buzzards on an island out from Firth and a lone, moribund looking Common Tern amongst a flock of Lapwings. A scattering of Cetti`s Warblers, Chiffchaffs, Stonechats and Robins were noted in the bushes along with a light overhead passage of Skylarks, Meadow Pipits, Linnets, Chaffinches and at least one Siskin. Dengemarsh was the place to be for waders with more Lapwings, three Ringed Plovers, a Golden Plover, a Dunlin and a juvenile Curlew Sandpiper on islands out from the hide, while another 50 Goldies and three Grey Plovers flew over calling. The guests also enjoyed good views of all three species of egrets, several Marsh Harriers and a Sparrowhawk as well as numerous Migrant Hawkers and Clouded Yellows.

                                   Great White Egret - Dengemarsh

  

Brent Geese

Dungeness - mild, overcast, SE 4 - One of my favourite migratory spectacles of autumn at Dungeness is the down-Channel passage of Brent Geese, which was in full flow today and last Friday from the fishing boats. The dark-bellied race breed on the Arctic tundra of northern Russia and Siberia and spend the winter period on the estuaries and intertidal harbour zones of southern England and northern France where they seek out their traditional food of eel-grass. This morning straggly flocks of varying sizes clipped the point; some were so close that you could hear their yelping contact calls - great stuff! There was also a good supporting cast from Gannet, Common Scoter, Red-throated Diver, Razorbill, Guillemot, Kittiwake, Mediterranean Gull (particularly on Friday) and Arctic Skua; Long-tailed Skua and Sooty Shearwater were also noted earlier plus a Sabine`s Gull and a Leachs`s Petrel this afternoon. For a detailed report on todays sea-watch checkout Trektellen this evening.

Yesterday`s WeBS count at Lade recorded a dramatic drop-off in duck numbers since last month, which is fairly typical for this time of year. However, with several shingle islands still present on south lake, and high tide approaching, 100 Lapwings were joined by 15 Grey Plovers, five Bar-tailed Godwits and a Greenshank; 300 Curlews and five Whimbrels flew to roost on the desert. Friday`s Black Tern, present on north lake, had departed, but there was still plenty of Chiffchaffs around the ponds plus a Goldcrest calling from the pines in the camp. Ted walks across the local farmland over the weekend produced a few Redwings, Stonechats, Skylarks and Meadow Pipits, Kestrels, Buzzards and a Raven. Bats and hedgehogs continue to be active around the garden while the moth trap has been disappointing due to the cooler nights. 

Elsewhere over the weekend it was generally quiet on the land with the highlight being the long-staying American Golden Plover hanging out within a Goldie flock on stubble fields near Jury`s Gap/Scotney sand pit. 

    Brent Geese on the move off Dungeness