White-winged Black Tern

Warm, dry and cloudy, E2 - A muggy feel to the day commenced on the Ranges where the Midrips and Wickes were largely devoid of birds apart from a few Shelducks and Black-headed Gulls. However, the main track by the beach was alive with Yellow and Pied Wagtails, c100 or more, plus lesser numbers of Meadow Pipits and Linnets, and at least six Wheatears. Small parties of coasting hirundines were noted, mostly Swallows, with some settling on the cottage roofs, while out on the bay plenty of Sandwich Terns could be heard. The shingle ridges by the `village` held a flock of 110 Golden Plovers. A reported Red-necked Phalarope from earlier could not be relocated here or on the sand pit and front lakes at Scotney. Called in at the reserve where a juvenile White-winged Black Tern had been located on Burrowes but gave only distant flight and settled views out from Firth whilst I was on site amongst numerous Common Terns. We finished the afternoon at Lade and Kerton Quarry to carry out the monthly WeBS count where numbers were slightly down on recent days.

                                  Wheatear - Dungeness

Elsewhere since my last post I managed to see two of a small influx of Pied Flycatchers around the Estate yesterday, plus a scattering of Wheatears. On the reserve numerous Little Ringed Plovers, Wood, Green and Common Sandpipers were noted on ARC and Burrowes along with one or two Greenshanks Ruffs and a Spotted Redshank, several Garganey and a Black Tern. The garden moth trap delivered another new macro for the site last night in the shape of a Webb`s Wainscot. 

                                  Webb`s Wainscot - New for the site

                                  Pyrausta purpuralis 

Black Tern

Lade - Hot, dry and sunny, E2 - South lake continues to attract large numbers of wetland birds. A visit yesterday on the high tide produced over 150 roosting Sandwich Terns, 20 Commons and, new in, a juvenile Black Tern which frustratingly kept over the far side of the lake. Whilst watching my first two juvenile Marsh Harriers of summer quartering the far reed bed, being mobbed by a Sparrowhawk, a Bittern dropped into the reeds having flown in from ARC direction. A Dartford Warbler called and showed briefly from the main track gorse while there was a noticeable drop off in warbler activity by the ponds. At least six Common Sandpipers flitted around south lake. Afterwards I called in to ARC where the vegetation has now been cleared in front of Hanson hide, but there was little of note apart from six Little Ringed Plovers, several Common Sandpipers and two Snipes. I returned to Lade in the evening with the family to observe the solar eclipse, an amazing spectacle and most notable for the sudden drop in temperature as the sun was blotted out, and a Grey Plover overhead calling in the twilight.

                                  Common Sandpiper - Lade

                                   Latticed Heath - new for the trap

                                   Evergestis pallidata

Today`s visit to Lade was for a sea swim in the bay - amongst the jellyfish! However, as always, it was good to watch the Sandwich Terns screeching overhead and fishing offshore; also noted two Little Terns and a flyover Knot. The garden moth trap was busy last night with Latticed Heath being new for the site alongside the smart micro-moth Evergestis pallidata.

Bird Biomass

Lade - warm, dry and sunny, E2 - The drought continues and with it falling water levels showing previously unseen islands (certainly by me) at the back of south lake attracting large numbers of wetland birds along with the typical late summer build-up of waterfowl. The eutrophic ecology of the lake has resulted in an algae bloom, combine that with shallow margins and deep trenches full of carp and its little wonder that some of my counts over the past week have been off the scale. For example today on south lake alone: 52 Mute Swan 220 Coot, 460 Pochard, 210 Tufted Duck (inc six broods of ducklings), 55 Shoveler, 82 Gadwall and 25 Mallard along with 42 Great Crested and 12 Little Grebes, many with juveniles The islands at high tide this morning held 180 Sandwich and 20 Common Terns, c300 Black-headed and 20 Mediterranean Gulls, 50 Cormorants, plus around the margins 26 Little and four Great White Egrets, 18 Grey Herons, six Common Sandpipers and two Greenshanks. Passerine wise a steady passage of Sand Martins drifted through yesterday while today there was an up-tick in Willow Warblers and Chiffs around the ponds (some in song) among a host of Sedge and Reed Warblers, Common and Lesser Whitethroats. On Friday several Wheatears and a Whinchat were on the desert, plus a grounded Whimbrel this morning and a light overhead passage of Yellow Wagtails. 

                                  `New` islands - Lade south

                                  Grey Heron and egrets

                                  Great Crested Grebe family

                                  Tufted Duck family

                                 Wheatear - Lade

At Kerton Quarry another 50 Sandwich Terns and 200 Black-headed Gulls were at roost along with 550 Oystercatchers on the far bank and 280 Curlews on the desert. Hundreds more wildfowl were present including a mixed flock of 100 Greylag, Canada and Egyptian Geese.   

                                  Terns and Gulls - Kerton Quarry

Yesterday morning I went in search of Saturday`s Monty`s Harrier outback at Scotney where numerous Yellow and Pied Wagtails, Reed Buntings and Linnets were noted along with two Wheatears and three Stonechats, but no sign of the harrier. Elsewhere, the Hammonds Corner Little Owls have successfully raised two juveniles and a `kettle` of six Buzzards over New Romney Saturday afternoon kept the Herring Gull`s occupied!

    Yellow Wagtail - Scotney

Barnacle Geese

Dungeness - warm, dry and sunny, SW5 - A blustery morning for my monthly guided walk around the circular trail during which few passerines were seen due to the strong wind. However, a sprinkling of waders saved the day, all on Burrowes, including five Little Ringed and two Ringed Plovers, two Black-tailed Godwits, three Common Sandpipers and singles of Wood Sandpiper, Dunlin, Ruff and a Whimbrel over calling. There was still plenty of Common Tern activity from Firth lookout and a juvenile Black Tern remained. Hundreds of Sand Martins streamed across the wetlands and two Barnacle Geese were amongst the feral geese at Dengemarsh where at least three Great White Egrets were present. Willow, Sedge, Cetti`s and Reed Warblers and Lesser Whitethroat were all heard along the way while two Clouded Yellows were noted amongst loads of Painted Ladies. From Hanson hide earlier I had two Garganeys and a Bar-headed Goose within the usual wildfowl.

                                  Black-tailed Godwit - Burrowes

                                  Little Ringed Plover - Burrowes

                                  Barnacle Geese - Dengemarsh

                                  Bar-headed Goose - ARC

Black Tern

Lade - warm, dry and sunny- Having spent most of the past week doing family stuff it felt good to get out around the local patch with Ted first thing morning, mercifully in cooler weather conditions courtesy of cloud cover and a northerly airflow. The water levels continue to drop due to the drought revealing several long islands over by the wall `mirror` that attracted a host of gulls, ducks, Common Terns and Cormorants alongside 18 Little and two Great White Egrets with a further eight Littles elsewhere across the site. South lake delivered large numbers of waterfowl including hundreds of Pochard, Tufted Duck, Shoveler, Gadwall, Mallard and Coot, 50 Great Crested Grebe, 150 Black-headed and 50 Mediterranean Gulls with another couple of hundred diving ducks on north lake. Several Common Sandpipers zipped over the lakes and a Greenshank passed high overhead calling. In the sheltered ponds area passage Willow, Reed and Sedge Warblers, Common and Lesser Whitethroats were plentiful. 

Next stop was ARC from Hanson hide where passage waders included three Little Ringed Plovers, a Common Sandpiper and a Dunlin amongst many more common wildfowl, gulls, Cormorants, grebes plus a flight view of a Bittern. (I called in on the reserve on Wednesday where Black-tailed Godwit, Greenshank and Green Sandpiper were noted on Burrowes plus a juvenile Black Tern from Firth lookout, Garganey and Greenshank from Hanson).

                                  Black and Common Terns - Burrowes

                                  Garganey - ARC

Moving onto Kerton quarry where a large flock of gulls contained 20 Mediterranean Gulls, 30 Sandwich Terns and 120 roosting Oystercatchers from the viewpoint, while over 200 Curlews and a Whimbrel flew to roost out on the Desert.  

                                  Oak Processionary - New for the garden trap

Curlew Sandpiper

Hot, dry and sunny, light airs - A long, sweaty Ted walk around the peninsula first thing produced very little in the way of migrants apart from a few Willow Warblers in the Trapping Area and Reed and Sedge Warblers by Long Pits. A returning adult Curlew Sandpiper was good to see on ARC from Hanson hide amongst large numbers of feral geese, eclipse ducks, gulls, egrets, Coots, Cormorants, Lapwings and a couple of Common Sandpipers. Two more of the latter species were on Kerton quarry along with more moulting ducks, gulls and feral geese. 

                                  Curlew Sandpiper - ARC

                                  Black-tailed Godwit - Burrowes

                                     Gypsy Moth

                                         Cream-bordered Cream Pea

Elsewhere this week a few Common Sandpipers, Redshanks, Dunlins, LRPs and Black-wits were noted around the reserve, plus a Hobby with a Sand Martin, while Lade had nothing of note apart from common passage warblers by the ponds and three family parties of Tufted Ducks on south lake. On Wednesday I heard, and eventually, saw a Treecreeper in New Romney town park, my first record here. Last nights moth trap included only my third Gypsy Moth, while our garden Hedgehogs continue to be active at night time.

Red Knot

Lade - warm, dry and sunny, NE 2 - With the wind easing there was much more obvious passerine activity across the site this morning, particularly by the ponds from Lesser Whitethroats and Reed Warblers, and Common Whitethroats and Sedge Warblers along the main track. Two Great Spotted Woodpeckers were noted in the willow swamp while several pulses of Sand Martins paused awhile over the lakes. All the usual diving ducks, egrets and grebes were present and two Mediterranean Gulls roosted on north lake. 

                                  Lesser Whitehroats - Lade ponds

                                        Marbled Clover - new for the garden trap

At Kerton Quarry the standout bird was a cracking adult Red Knot in worn breeding plumage, nice and close just below the viewpoint. I pondered on where this long-distance traveller had originated from as they have a circumpolar breeding distribution on the high Arctic tundra with Greenland being the closest location to us. It was probably a failed breeder of the numerous Calidris canutus canutus race and more than likely a female as they depart first leaving the male to tend the young, but wherever it came from it was a treat to see in its red nuptial plumage. The only other passage waders noted was a flyover Greenshank and two Common Sandpipers on the main island, plus several Sandwich Terns and 100 Black-headed Gulls.

    Red Knot - Kerton Quarry