Winged Insects

Warm, dry and sunny - This past week`s heatwave has certainly witnessed a rush of winged insect activity. From the garden moth trap to an influx of migrant Painted Lady and Red Admiral butterflies and odenata in between there has been plenty of non-avian interest across the Dungeness peninsula and elsewhere locally. Around Dengemarsh the wetlands produced large numbers of Black-tailed Skimmers, Four-spot Chasers and Emperors along with countless blue damselflies. It was also good to see a couple of Brown Hares during my Ringed Plover survey and find another pair on territory with young. Little Ringed Plover, Redshank, Lapwing and Oystercatcher have all been seen with young around the wetlands recently. At least 15 pairs of Common Terns have taken to the rafts on Dengemarsh and during a circuit on Friday two Cattle Egrets and a protracted flight view of a Bittern were noted as well as Bearded Tits with fledglings. This morning, after a visit to Lade, we checked out Tower Pits where there was no sign of yesterdays Golden Oriole but good views of Hobby, Cuckoo and a pair of Marsh Harriers.

                                   Black-tailed Skimmer

                                 Broad-bodied Chaser

                                   Four-spotted Chaser

                                  Painted Ladies

    Common Terns, Dengemarsh

                                  Mute Swan with a kinked neck

                                  Ted at the ramp

Nightingales and Turtle Doves

Orlestone Forest - warm. dry and still - 0430hrs - It was an early morning wake-up call, in perfect weather conditions, and away to the woods for a guided dawn chorus walk for a friend from New Romney. As soon as we parked up in the half-light we were greeted to a cacophony of bird song from three competing Nightingales and several Blackcaps plus a supporting cast of Blackbird, Song Thrush, Blue and Great Tits, Wren, Robin, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Woodpigeon and a lone Goldcrest. We stood there for a good while and just soaked it all up, a wall of avian noise - terrific stuff! During the course of the circular walk we racked up at least 10 singing Nightingales as well as three Turtle Doves, two Garden Warblers and a Willow Warbler along with Treecreeper, Nuthatch and Great Spotted Woodpecker. On the way home we called in at Kenardington crossing where two more `purring` Turtle Doves, another Nightingale, a Cetti`s Warbler and a Cuckoo were noted, plus several Yellowhammers, Goldfinches, Whitethroats, Buzzards and a Mistle Thrush. 

                                   Yellowhammer - Kennardington

After breakfast I headed out on a Ted walk to Lade, Kerton Quarry and the reserve where there was little change from previous visits this week.

                                  Carrion Crow and Greylag - Boulderwall

Greenish Warbler

Hot, dry and sunny, E2 - The heatwave continued across the weekend with a high pressure system settling over central Europe delivering a humid airflow from the south along with a noticeable arrival of Painted Ladies, mostly along the coastal strip but also a few around New Romney. Today`s highlight was a particularly showy and vocal Greenish Warbler discovered by Jacob in the north-west corner of the Trapping Area. I particularly enjoyed its jerky, rambling song and, when it moved low down through cover, its distinctive pale supercilium and faint wing-bars. My pics weren`t up to much but many thanks to Dave Scott who did far better (see below).  Around midday whilst on the foreshore beachcombing with our Kate I had distant views of a Honey Buzzard soaring over the peninsula, thanks to Dave Bunney via WhatsAp; two more were seen later along with two White Storks. Also reported over the peninsula this weekend were Red Kite and Bee-eater plus Black-winged Stilt, Garganey and Wood Sandpiper on the reserve.

                      Greenish Warbler - Trapping Area (by Dave Scott)

The muggy overnight conditions were perfect for moth activity with 20 species of macros coming to light in the garden trap and on the shed wall.

                                  Peppered Moth

                                  Burnished Brass

                                  Willow Beauty 

Red-breasted Flycatcher

Dungeness - warm, dry and sunny, S 3 - For today`s Ted walk we headed down to the estate where there had been a small, overnight fall of Spotted Flycatchers, mostly around the Long Pits where there was up to ten birds with others reported across the peninsula. The Spotted Flycatcher is one of the latest long-distance migrants to reach our shores where its status is one of steep decline and as a result is Red Listed; thirty years ago ten plus would`ve been considered normal, but not so today. However, much rarer and certainly not an annual spring migrant, was a Red-breasted Flycatcher discovered in the moat that performed throughout the morning in willow scrub by a net ride. Brief snatches of song were heard along with a Wren-like rattling call; I presume, as it lacked an orange chin and was singing that it was most likely a 1st year male, unless, of course, females of this species sing?  Whatever the outcome it was a smart bird and many thanks to Dave Scott for his superb pic and video clip reproduced below.

    Spotted Flycatchers - Long Pits

    Red-breasted Flycatcher - DBO Moat (by Dave Scott)

                                           Red-breasted Flycatcher (by Dave Scott)

Cattle Egrets

Cool, cloudy, SW 4 - We started the morning with a circular Ted walk around Dengemarsh where the highlight was a flock of 10 Cattle Egrets in the sheep fold behind the flood, which were the first I`ve seen for a while. Common Terns were still few in number on and around the new tern rafts while two lone Lapwings was the sum wader total on the dried out hayfields. From the ramp I had brief flight views of a Bittern, with another `booming` nearby, plus confirmed breeding of Bearded Tit and Cetti`s Warbler as they attended to fledged young. A Cuckoo was also in good voice, several Hobbies and Swifts hawked flying insects overhead and a Yellow Wagtail was noted on the farmland section of the walk along with several Skylarks and two Corn Buntings. There was little on offer from Hanson hide apart from two Shovelers, a pair of Wigeon, 30 Gadwall and the usual breeding waders and gulls; a few more Hobbies and Swifts drifted over and a male Marsh Harrier flew through. There was no change to the birds on Kerton quarry from yesterday.

                                  Cattle Egrets - Dengemarsh

                                  Common Terns - Dengemarsh

                                  Wigeon - ARC

Garganey

Cool, cloudy, W 2 - It has been a quiet past few days across the peninsula due mainly to a persistent and nagging northerly airflow; however, the wind direction is due to change by Tuesday to a warmer southerly which hopefully will deliver one or two Mediterranean overshoots our way. Garganey have been scarce this spring on the gravel pits across Dungeness although today`s drake on ARC has been present for about a week now. Cuckoos have been noted at Lade, Dengemarsh and Tower Pits with up to seven Hobbies and a number of Swifts at the latter site this morning. The high tide wader roost at Kerton quarry produced 65 Oystercatchers, 12 Curlews and a Whimbrel, while Redshank and Lapwing both had fledglings on the main island. Another pair of Ringed Plovers with chicks was discovered today bringing my tally to four pairs so far this spring and a Spotted Flycatcher was at the top end of Long Pits.. 

                                  Garganey - ARC

Common Terns

Dungeness RSPB - cool, cloudy, NW5 - A grim morning with a chill Arctic airflow and the threat of showers for my monthly guided walk for nine guests around the circular trail. The highlight on Burrowes was a flock of seven Dunlins in summer plumage but otherwise it was very quiet with just the usual gulls, wildfowl and Cormorants, plus Sand Martins coming and going at the nesting wall, four Little Egrets, a Redshank and a handful of Common Terns on the islands. Apart from a few snatches of song from Reed, Sedge and Cetti`s Warblers there was little of note until Dengemarsh where we had good views of two Marsh Harriers and up to five Hobbies as well as hearing a `booming` Bittern. The rafts and islands in front of the hide attracted five Common Terns, a pitiful number considering there was over 30 here on Monday. From the ramp several Bearded Tits broke cover in the reedbed and we had further close views of Swifts, a perched Hobby and a Cetti`s Warbler. Also noted during the circuit: singing Reed Buntings, Linnets, Common and Lesser Whitethroats, Lapwing, Grey Heron, Shelduck, Pochard and Gadwall. We made it back to the VC just before a heavy hail shower hit.

                                   Storm clouds gathering