Ringtail harrier

 Warm, dry and sunny, NE3 - Having been away in Dorset for the first half of the week it felt good to spend the morning with Ted on the local patch birding, not only Lade wetlands but also Kerton quarry, the adjacent desert, Mockmill sewer and the rough grassland towards the airfield. The highlight was a ringtail harrier (probably an adult female Hen) being mobbed by corvids behind the wall mirror and last seen heading towards Belgar farm where ploughing operations attracted hundreds more corvids, pigeons and gulls. It was a good morning for raptors with several Common Buzzards (including one with a rufous tail!) Marsh Harriers and Kestrels plus a Sparrowhawk. The willow scrub behind south lake was alive with warblers, mostly Willow Warblers, Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs along with good numbers of Lesser and Common Whitethroats, plus Reed and Sedge Warblers in Mockmill. The desert yielded half a dozen Wheatears, two Stonechats and a Whinchat and a pair of Ravens flew over `cronking` noisily. On the high tide the quarry roost attracted around 500 Oystercatchers, 100 large gulls and Sandwich Terns, several Curlews, Redshanks, Greenshanks and Common Sandpipers with a Whimbrel briefly on the desert. Lade south was packed out with diving ducks, Coots, Great Crested and Little Grebes, Shovelers, Teals, Gadwalls and a lone Shelduck, plus a Great White and ten Little Egrets, two more Common Sandpipers, two Green Sandpipers, my first two Kingfishers of autumn, several Yellow Wagtails over and pulses of hirundines through. North lake held 500 Black-headed and a few Mediterranean Gulls, plus the usual wildfowl, grebes and Grey Herons. On the walk back along the main track a Wheatear allowed a ridiculously close approach to about ten feet as it posed for the camera. A cracking morning`s birding.  

                                  Common Sandpiper, Lade

                                 Great White Egret, Lade                                  

    Wheatear, Lade

Elsewhere across the peninsula today plenty more common passage warblers have been noted along with a few Spotted Flycatchers, plus a White-winged Black Tern and a Spotted Redshank on Burrowes this afternoon.

Shearwaters

Mild, sunny, SW 6 - The strong winds sweeping in from the Atlantic delivered a rash of shearwaters yesterday off Dungeness, many of which were distant and unspecified (see DBO website for details). This morning the light was awful and the two birds I saw were way off shore but probably Balearics. Crossing the causeway road a Black Tern was on the ARC with ten or more Common Terns, while at least five Cattle Egrets were in the Boulderwall fields with two Great Whites on Burrowes, plus hundreds of Sand Martins over the lake.

                                 Oystercatcher roost, Kerton Road quarry

                                  Great White Egret, Burrowes

                                 Starling, Dungeness

Elsewhere this week Lade has produced several Common Sandpipers around the margins of south lake and 210 Pochards were counted on Wednesday. The beach opposite the tavern attracted 20 Yellow Wagtails, while hundreds of Mediterranean, Common and Black-headed Gulls continue to drop in on the bay on a falling tide but only a few Sandwich Terns. A count of 1,100 Oystercatchers was made at Kerton Road quarry on the high tide and a large raft of Common Scoters is still present offshore in the bay. A couple of visits to Scotney sand pit produced a host of passage waders with the Pectoral Sandpiper still present until at least Wednesday along with several Little Stints and a Curlew Sandpiper.

                                 Ted, Dungeness

Sandpipers and Stints

Warm, dry and sunny, W3 - It was back to the Scotney sand pit this morning for an extended Ted walk where good numbers of passage waders continue to come and go, mainly due to regular visits from a Hobby and Kestrel. The highlights were, for the third day, a Pectoral Sandpiper (flew off at midday calling) and a Temminck`s Stint (last seen about 1100hrs), plus five juv Little Stints, 15 Green, three Wood and five Common Sandpipers, two Dunlins, three Ringed Plovers, three Redshanks and singles of Little Ringed Plover, Ruff, Snipe and Greenshank. Also present, five Little Egrets, a juvenile Mediterranean Gull, 50 Black-headed Gulls, 30 Linnets, and several Pied and Yellow Wagtails and pulses of Sand Martins and Swallows.

                                   Pectoral Sandpiper, Scotney

Wader Fest

 Warm, dry and sunny, W2 - Wandering around the farmland this weekend there has been a noticeable clear out of Reed Warblers in the reed-fringed ditches while Willow Warblers and Lesser Whitethroats continue to filter through the hedgerows and gardens. Yesterday at least six Common Buzzards were soaring high over New Romney causing the Herring Gulls to go into melt-down. The Little Grebe pair that nested on a tiny flood-relief pond along Church Lane have somehow successfully fledged two juveniles.

                                 Little Grebes, New Romney

I couldn`t resist a run down to Scotney sand pit this morning where a host of waders (and birders) were on offer at a site that just keeps on giving. A Temminck`s Stint and a Pectoral Sandpiper were still present from yesterday evening, though flighty when I was there due to a hunting Hobby, amongst at least 12 Green, four Wood, three Common and a Curlew Sandpiper, two Greenshanks, three Redshanks, a Snipe, a Ruff and several Golden Plovers calling overhead. I make that 27 species of shorebirds recorded at this site, so far this year, could there be a mega to come? We shall just have to wait and see...

Garden Warblers

Warm, cloudy, light airs - After last nights welcome rainfall this morning started on a humid, overcast note. I hadn`t visited the local patch for a while so we headed down to Lade pausing awhile to scan the bay with DS opposite the Romney Tavern where large numbers of birds were present on a falling tide. Over a thousand Oystercatchers were the most numerous species followed by hundreds of Mediterranean, Common and Black-headed Gulls, at least 50 Sandwich Terns, 200 Curlews and two Little Egrets, while the only small waders noted were eight Ringed Plovers. Onto the gravel pit lakes where there had been a big increase in diving ducks with around 500 Pochards and Tufted Ducks and 30 Great Crested Grebes. A large, mixed roving passerine flock by the ponds was of interest comprising 20 Long-tailed, Great and Blue Tits, 20 Willow Warblers, 10 Common and five Lesser Whitethroats, two Garden Warblers and several Dunnocks. Elsewhere, the White Stork was still present on the bird reserve this morning, though mobile.

    Oystercatchers, Lade Bay

    Mediterranean Gulls and Little Egret, Lade Bay

    Sandwich Terns, Lade Bay

    Cormorant and Little Egret, Lade south

    Ted

White Stork

Dungeness RSPB - warm, dry and sunny, SW2 - A muggy morning for a guided walk for four guests around the circular trail where most of the avian action was on the wetlands, particularly Burrowes pit which hosted the usual array of wildfowl, gulls and Common Terns, plus hundreds of migrant Lapwings and Sand Martins, four Common Sandpipers and a White Stork that dropped in mid-morning and posed well enough for a few pics from Firth lookout; it was ringed and appeared to have a tracker on its back, so most likely originated from the Knepp estate in Sussex. Dengemarsh provided the spectacle of a juvenile Marsh Harrier and Hobby tussling with one another as they hunted over the reed-bed, where a Great White and three Little Egrets were also seen and a few more Common Terns. Other notables included a Greenshank and Redshank over calling, two Kestrels, several Yellow Wagtails, singing Cetti`s and Willow Warblers and six Cattle Egrets amongst the stock in the Boulderwall fields, totalling 52 species of birds during the three hour walk. A decent range of regular grassland butterflies were also seen along with plenty of common dragon and damselflies, plus a Jersey Tiger moth.

                                 White Stork, Burrowes

Common Terns

Warm, dry and sunny, SW 4 - Having been away this past week at a music festival at Cropredy in a verdant Oxfordshire it felt good to return to the sun-baked, biscuit-coloured flatlands with the harvest in full swing. An early morning Ted walk produced plenty of Willow Warblers and Whitethroats in the hedgerows north of New Romney, along with the latest crop of juvenile Reed Warblers crashing about in the reed-fringed ditches being fed by the adults. Two Kingfishers were also noted along the New Cut, plus a host of gulls and corvids gleaning the bare earth in the wake of the turf-cutting operations in Hope Lane. From Hanson hide late morning a collection of at least 40 Common Terns scattered across the shingle islands comprised mostly adult birds (some already moulting), several juveniles from elsewhere and a home-grown three week old chick; and where an Avocet chick has also miraculously fledged with the adult bird still in attendance. Other waders included 100 Lapwings and singles of Oystercatcher, Greenshank, Common Sandpiper and Ringed Plover. At least six Garganeys were logged amongst the dabblers and a juvenile Hobby imperiously swept over temporarily flushing the waders. A check of Burrowes from the hide revealed ten more Common Terns actively swirling over a green-topped distant island and although I couldn`t confirm any chick sightings, judging from the adults` reaction when a crow flew over it seems likely that there are probably a few chicks hunkered down in the greenery. Otherwise there was little else of note apart from a few Lapwings and Common Sandpipers, hundreds of diving ducks and gulls and a steady stream of Sand Martins over the lake. 

                                 Common Terns, ARC

                                 Greenshank, ARC

                                  Garganeys, ARC

Arctic Skuas

Warm, dry and sunny, W 2 - Over the weekend our Ted walks around New Romney have been notable for the return passage of Willow Warblers with birds seen, but mostly heard, filtering through the tree and bush cover, including our back garden where they`ve been busy using the bird-bath. Increasing numbers of House Martins and Swallows have also been gathering on overhead wires and skimming over the turf fields as they too prepare for the long haul south. Gull numbers have picked up, loafing on the turf, comprising mainly Black-headed, Mediterranean and Common Gulls. Juvenile Buzzards have also been on the wing and Sparrowhawk sightings have increased. Yesterday morning on the high tide we visited Pirate Springs where while the land was virtually birdless, the bay yielded 50 or so feeding Sandwich Terns along with three dark phase Arctic Skuas in attendance; this is the first time I`ve seen three here this early in the season. At home the garden moth trap produced a decent catch Friday night with the highlights being 60 Silver Y`s and an Oak Hook-tip, new for the site.

                                  Common Tern, Burrowes

                                 Common Tern chick, ARC

                                  Garganey, ARC

A visit to the bird reserve this morning with the Apprentice Birder delivered all the expected waders and ducks from Hanson hide, including two Garganeys and a Pintail, plus a very active Peregrine that kept flushing everything from the shingle ridges. Several each of Common Sandpiper and Ringed Plover were noted along with an Avocet (no sign of the juv), and a Common Tern with a chick. Burrowes was much quieter, while four Cattle Egrets were seen in Boulderwall fields. I`ve recently traded in my old bridge-camera for an up-graded version (Nikon Coolpix P950) and can highly recommend mpb based at Brighton. The trade was carried out online with the old camera picked up and the new one delivered free of charge within five days. A brilliant service by mpb.com 

Sandpipers

Hot and humid - Following a very uncomfortable night with rumbles of thunder this morning`s weather continued in a similar vein. A visit to the bird reserve with my apprentice birder kicked of in the Hanson hide where a fine spread of passage waders included six Commons, four Greens and a Wood Sandpiper, a Dunlin, four Ringed Plovers, 20 Lapwings, two Oystercatchers, a Redshank and four Avocets, plus a well-grown juvenile. Also noted several Common Terns, 100 Black-headed Gulls, a Marsh Harrier, a Great White Egret and the usual host of wildfowl, Coots and grebes. On Burrowes a Little Ringed Plover was the only wader addition along with 40 Common Terns and all the usual diving ducks and gulls. At Boulderwall six Cattle Egrets were in attendance around the cows. 

                                   Cattle Egrets, Boulderwall (2022)

Yesterday, I had a "ridiculous" moth catch in the garden trap after another humid, still night with over  50 species of macros  recorded. There was nothing particularly unusual, apart from a staggering count of 280 Silver Ys, and that was very much a minimum as there were plenty more active around the trap site before I covered it up.

                                  Burnished Brass, (2022)

                                  Jersey Tiger (2020)