Warm, dry and sunny, W2 - After the rain of yesterday it was back to a classic summers day with warm sunshine and a light breeze coming in off the bay. Our first port of call was Scotney sand pit to check for waders where the highlight was a cracking `white` male Ruff attached to a group of five Black-tailed Godwits. Also noted: five Avocets, Common and Green Sandpipers, two Greenshanks and a Little Ringed Plover, while there was a noticeable increase in wildfowl with 56 Egyptian and 12 Canada Geese, 12 Shelducks and six Teals. Two juvenile Marsh Harriers drifted over and the usual Yellow Wagtails and Corn Buntings were noted. Moving onto the bird reserve where three Cattle and two Great White Egrets were around Cook`s Pool, plus Marsh Harrier, Kestrel and Common Buzzard overhead. Dungeness was quiet with just 30 Common and several Sandwich Terns at The Patch and two juv Peregrines on A Station. Kerton quarry held a pair of Ringed Plovers and around 50 Great Black-backed Gulls while Lade ponds attracted two passage Willow Warblers and a host of fledged Reed and Sedge Warblers.
Friday 26 July 2024
Wednesday 24 July 2024
Greenshanks
Warm, dry and cloudy, S2 - Last night proved to be the best moth catch of the summer so far in the garden trap with 40 species of macros coming to light. While there was nothing new it was good to see a decent range of moths at last. Afterwards we headed down to Scotney sand pit where passage waders included four Black-tailed Godwits, 10 Green and five Common Sandpiper, 15 Avocets, 10 Lapwings, two Greenshanks and a Dunlin. Also present: 38 Egyptian Geese, 18 Shelducks, 10 Teal, 20 Black-headed Gulls, two Little Egrets and 10 Yellow and 20 Pied Wagtails. A family of Corn Buntings were noted on the farmland with several more heard singing from the ranges. There was little else of note on the front lakes where the shepherds were releasing hundreds of ewes back onto the swards.
Tuesday 23 July 2024
Ravens
New Romney - warm, dry and cloudy, W2 - Black crows are a constant feature of life here in town. We live a stones-throw from a large, mixed colony of Rooks and Jackdaws (a Rook/Jackdory, if there is such a word!) atop the high street holm oaks with birds also spilling out onto St Martin`s field park to feed their offspring. Day and night throughout the year there is a near constant cacophony, even during the winter months when the oaks are utilised by hundreds of roosting corvids, including Carrion Crows. Even the `daddy` of them all, the Raven, is regularly seen, but mostly heard, flying over the town commuting between feeding grounds. This morning whilst on our Ted walk I encountered a pair of Ravens outback hopping around on a sheep fold and then atop an old barn before flying off, `kronking` loudly and delivering what must be one of the most evocative calls in the bird world. And how times have changed, only 20 years ago it was virtually unknown across Dungeness and the Marsh.
Yesterday, we checked out Lade in blustery weather conditions where a few Swifts over the lake were the only birds of note. At Dungeness, The Patch yielded 70 Common and two Sandwich Terns over the boil, while a brief session in the seawatch hide with MC produced a few distant Gannets and Sandwich Terns, two Fulmars and singles of Little Tern, Common Scoter and Arctic Skua.
Sunday 21 July 2024
Green Sandpipers
Warm, dry and overcast, W2 - Humid weather conditions for a visit to Scotney sand pit where counts of 20 plus Green Sandpipers have been recorded during the week. This morning, however, I could only find 11 birds along with five Common Sandpipers, 12 Avocets, four Oystercatchers, a Greenshank and a Whimbrel over calling. Also noted, 12 Shelducks, eight Teal, 10 Yellow and 20 Pied Wagtails, two Little Egrets, 10 Black-headed Gulls and five Egyptian Geese. Sedge Warblers must`ve had a good breeding season as youngsters seemed to be everywhere either side of the footpath, while a Corn Bunting sang from a wheat field, a pristine juv Marsh Harrier flew through and several Water Rails vocalised from a reed bed. There was little else of note at the main body of the Scotney complex when viewed from the road. Around the bird reserve a steady passage of Sand Martins was underway, while three Cattle and two Great White Egrets were present at Cooks Pool.
Farmland walks with Ted this weekend have produced few highlights apart from a slight increase in butterfly sightings yesterday, comprising mainly Red Admirals on bramble, while the first Box Tree Moth of summer came to light in the garden trap. Small bats, presumably Pipistrelles, continue to be seen around the local park and gardens during the evening.
Friday 19 July 2024
Wildfowl and gulls
Hot, dry and sunny, light airs -- This morning I visited the local patch at Lade and Kerton quarry to count the wildfowl, in co-ordination with John Young who had the unenviable task of counting the massed ranks on Burrowes and ARC. Lade lakes/Kerton quarry respectively: Tufted Duck - 152/48. Pochard - 73/18. Mallard - 18/10. Gadwall - 8/2. Shoveler - 8/2. Teal - 7/0. Coot - 96/28. Great Crested Grebe - 72/19. Dabchick - 10/2. Mute Swan - 2/4. Canada Goose - 0/12. Egyptian Goose - 0/6. Little Egret - 12/4. Oystercatcher - 0/187. Lapwing - 0/10. Common Sandpiper - 1/2. A check from Hanson hide revealed that the Avocet pair and a Shoveler still had their young intact and where a brood of Gadwall ducklings were on the water. Apart from a Mediterranean Gull, several Common Terns, Common Sandpipers and Ringed Plovers the only other birds of note were a Great White Egret and an eclipse Pintail.
Yesterday, around noon, a huge emergence of flying ants over New Romney attracted hundreds of Starlings and gulls, mostly Mediterranean and a few Black-headed and Common Gulls, to feast on the easy pickings as they soared high over the town. Even the Herring Gulls got in on the act, strutting around the local park and verges snapping up the insects, but by late afternoon it was all over and normal service was resumed.
Wednesday 17 July 2024
Shoveler
Warm, dry and sunny, SW2 - A check of The Patch this morning drew a blank (predictably!) for yesterdays Rosy Tern; however, I did see my first Painted Lady of this butterfly depleted summer by the power station wall and the male Peregrine was active on A station along with two fledged juveniles. The rest of the morning was spent on a guided walk for RSPB starting at Burrowes where the only passage waders were 10 Lapwings, two Black-tailed Godwits and singles of Common Sandpiper and Little Ringed Plover. Nesting Common Terns continue to be active on the newly exposed islands in front of Dennis`s hide, while all the usual Sand Martins, wildfowl, gulls, Coots and grebes were present in good numbers. On the Boulderwall fields three Cattle and a Great White Egret were noted, a Redshank, several Little Egrets and a Greenshank and a Yellow Wagtail over. From Hanson a Shoveler (scarce here as a breeding bird - only one or two pairs annually) showed off its four ducklings close to the hide, much to the annoyance of a Dabchick that furiously attacked the female driving it and her young away from its own juvs. The Avocets still had two chicks, two each of Little Ringed Plover and Common Sandpiper were on the islands, plus ten Common Terns and hundreds of wildfowl, gulls, Cormorants, feral geese and Coots.
Monday 15 July 2024
Common Terns
Warm, dry and sunny, light airs - Breeding Common Terns have had a tough time across the Dungeness wetlands this summer, mainly due to stubbornly high water levels covering suitable nesting islands and `tern rafts` already being occupied by Herring Gulls. However, although it may appear to be late-in-the-day, recently water levels have subsided enough for small numbers of terns to settle down and attempt to breed on both Burrowes and ARC lakes; also, today I noticed a pair on the new raft on Lade south, so all may well not be lost. A juvenile Marsh Harrier was also present hunting over the willow swamp, presumably from one of three breeding pairs locally. Kerton quarry harboured good numbers of wildfowl, grebes and feral geese, plus 10 Oystercatcher, 10 Lapwings and a Common Sandpiper with several each of Yellow Wagtail and Swift over heading south. Over the weekend visits to Hanson hide produced five Avocets (inc a pair with two juvs) and a few passage Little Ringed Plovers, Common and Green Sandpipers, Black-tailed Godwits and Dunlins, plus a Shoveler with juvs, a Great White Egret, 10 Common Terns (inc three sitting birds) and the usual massed ranks of wildfowl, grebes and Coots. Also over the weekend there was confirmation that a Bittern had fledged two juveniles on ARC.
