Warblers & Raptors

Somewhere in southern England... cool, still, sunny, sw 3 later - Set off early this morning with a car load of RM locals for a ringing demonstration. On arrival our hearing was assailed (or at least it was for the youngsters in the group!) with tapes of bird song, guaranteed to entice nocturnal migrants down to feed in the thick cover, and bounce into some of the 4,000 feet of strategically erected mist nests in scrub and reedbed. Our host for the morning was superb, showing us a range of migrants and resident species in the hand and giving us an insight into the tricks of the trade and results of their work. On average they ring over 40,000 birds a year (of which over 90% are trapped during the autumn) on a scale that is unmatched anywhere else on Earth, so it was odds on we were in for a treat. Half a dozen ringers were working flat out processing numerous warblers of which we clocked up nine species in the hand, including the elusive Grasshopper Warbler; of the `hundreds` (up to 800 some years!) of Groppers that are ringed here annually nearly all are caught during the first net round of the morning and in the lowest mist net panel. Was also interesting to learn than many juvenile migrants from western Britain and Ireland, `coast` eastwards so as to shorten the sea crossing, whereas the more experienced adults just `go for it`, so`s to speak.
As well as the warblers we also had Spotted Flycatcher, Common Redstart and Whinchat in the hand, plus calling Tree Pipit and Tawny Owl by the car park.

                                        Blackcap

                                Grasshopper Warbler

                                Lesser Whitethroat

                                    Common Redstart

                                 Sedge Warbler

We than went for a wander racking several Buzzards, Hobby, an unusual leucistic Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Yellow and Grey Wagtail overhead, plus plenty of hirundines and Goldfinches,
Thanks are due to all concerned for a thoroughly enjoyable and informative morning.
Scotney - Back on the Marsh and a stop off produced a pair of Peregrines dicing with death amongst the wind turbines, Marsh Harrier, 3 Wheatears, Mipits, Yellow Wagtails, Sand Martins plus all the usual wildfowl including 2 Ruddy Shelducks and 7 Egyptian Geese.
A skirt around Galloways yielded nothing more than half a dozen Stonechats and a couple of Common Whitethroats.
ARC - A selection of waders on the shingle ridges included 50 Goldies, 5 Dunlins and singles of Redshank, Green Sandpiper and Greenshank, plus all the usual ducks and egrets; earlier this morning from the causeway road we also had a Merlin which made for a pretty decent raptor day to go with the warblers.

Balearic Shearwater & Gem

Lade -0700hrs - Chilly damp start, breezy, sunny later, sw 4 - A distinctly cool, autumnal feel to the weather this morning. Unsurprisingly there were few moths of note in the trap apart from a migrant Gem, which was new for the year. Birdwise just a few Willow Warblers and a single Garden Warbler was all I could muster up on the migrant front, while the Black-necked Grebe and a Green Sandpiper remained on south lake.

                                Gem, Lade

Dungeness - By the time we arrived the wind had picked up considerably, but still managed to jam a Balearic Shearwater from the seawatch hide, plus plenty of passing Gannets and terns. At the Patch 3 Black and 2 Arctic Terns, a Little Gull and hundreds of Common Terns and gulls, although viewing was difficult due to the wind. Couldn`t find anything on the land apart from a single Wheatear.
Scotney - The plastic wildfowl were still present, Egyptian Geese and Ruddy Shelduck, plus 50 Golden Plovers and a scattering of Curlews and Lapwings.
Burrowes - Seemed to have been a clear out of waders with just 8 Dunlin, 3 Blackwits and singles of Little Stint, Common Sandpiper and Ringed Plover. Also noted Black-necked Grebe, Hobby and a Red-crested Pochard on New Diggings.
PS: I have a large number of unbound back issues of British Birds & Birding World magazines that I want to dispose of. If anyone is interested please let me know; the deal is though, you have to take the job lot.

Wader heaven

Lade - mild, dry, light airs, cloudy, cool, wet, dry, sw 2 - A mixed bag of weather today with the rain eventually arriving just before midday. Bird of the day was a juv Little Stint on the local patch feeding alongside Common and Green Sandpipers on the muddy islands amongst the reed swamp where also 12 Dabchicks, Garganey, Water Rail and Little Egret. Black-necked Grebe and Red-crested Pochard still on south lake. As for passage migrants, few and far between with singles figures of Common Whitethroat, Blackcap, Reed and Sedge Warblers, plus 20 Swallows, 10 Yellow Wagtails, 2 Mipits and a Grey Wagtail (scarce here) overhead.

                                Dabchick, Lade

                                Grey Heron on 200` `mirror`, Lade

ARC - Called in at Hanson hide around noon where a Peregrine was spooking the waders. Eventually a few Ringed Plovers, Dunlins, Lapwings, Golden Plovers returned to join 5 Snipe, 2 LRPs and a Greenshank. Also noted 2 Garganey, 3 Little Egrets, 2 Sparrowhawks, a Hobby and 2 Marsh Harriers. In front of the hide a Water Rail showed several times with her two fluffy, black chicks, plus Cetti`s and Reed Warblers.

                                Blackwits, Burrowes

Burrowes - A mid-afternoon visit with the Joker produced a decent return in front of Firth hide where 9 Blackwits, 5 Snipe, 10 Dunlins, 8 Ringed Plovers, 4 Ruff, 3 Redshanks, 3 Greenshanks and a Garganey, although the 14 Curlew Sandpipers from earlier had moved on. From Makepeace Common Sandpiper and 20 Wigeon and a Hobby from the access road.
Dungeness - Joined DW for a brief seawatch from the boats where a few terns were on the move plus distant Gannets and a Guillemot.
NB: Anyone coming down for the weekend can be assured of a wide range of passage waders, including Blackwits, Curlew Sandpiper and Little Stint, with the best viewing currently in front of Firth and Hanson hides. Water Rails with juvs have been showing well at both Hanson and Screen hides on ARC, while Great White Egret, Garganey, Black-necked Grebe are all present around the RSPB reserve. Osprey and Honey Buzzard have been through the Peninsula this week, plus Black Terns at the Patch and a steady flow of passerines including Pied Flycatchers, Whinchats (particularly Galloways) and Yellow Wagtails (largest numbers at Scotney). With all the extra birders in the field surely something rarer will be found...

Waders & Yellow-barred Brindle

Lade - 0600hrs - misty start and finish, hot and sunny in between, w 2 - Another poor day for passerines with just Reed and Sedge Warblers noted around the reedbeds. Plenty of wildfowl on south lake including the long-staying Red-crested Pochard and a Black-necked Grebe. A Turnstone was an usual find on the island plus Whimbrel over calling and 2 Buzzards behind the `mirrors`.
On the moth front several White-points were noteworthy, plus from yesterday a Yellow-barred Brindle which was new for the garden trap.

                                Juv Black-necked Grebe, Lade

                                Yellow-barred Brindle, Lade

Burrowes - Plenty of interest here with a hatful of waders (some probably having vacated ARC where vegetation clearing was underway) including 7 Blackwits, 5 Ruff, 5 Dunlins, 2 Curlew Sandpiper and a Little Stint, plus Snipe, Golden Plovers, Lapwings, Common Sandpiper, Greenshank and Ringed Plovers many of them in front of Firth hide. Also noted Peregrine, Black-necked Grebe and Garganey.

                                Ruff, Burrowes

Lade - Yellow Wagtails and a few Whimbrel continued to pass overhead this afternoon until a smothering sea mist rolled in and dropped the temperature.

Waders & Wagtails

Dengemarsh Gully - 0800hrs  - Warm, misty, e2, sunny later - A change of plan this morning as we walked the gully down and back in misty conditions, but with little return apart from singles of Common and Lesser Whitethroats, Blackcap, Whinchat, Wheatear and Reed Bunting. On the field by the chicken sheds the first 50 or so of many Yellow Wagtails seen today, plus `pinging` Beardies along the sewer.
Galloways - At least 15 Whinchats here but little else.
Scotney - What was bird of day in the shape of a ringtail Hen Harrier hunting behind the farm, with plenty of common wildfowl on the pits plus 2 Egyptian Geese. More migrant Yellow Wagtails with at least 200 coming and going and scattered amongst the sheep, where also 20 Pied Wagtails, 10 Curlews, 100 Starlings and 2 Common Sandpipers.

                                Egyptian Geese, Scotney

                                Yellow Wagtails, Scotney

ARC - From Hanson hide a host of waders on the shingle ridges included 300 Lapwing, 160 Golden Plover, 10 Curlew, 6 Oystercatcher, 7 Blackwits, 5 Greenshank, 5 Dunlin, 4 Ruff, 4 Ringed Plover, 2 Snipe and a Curlew Sandpiper. A Peregrine spooked the waders on occasions while Marsh Harrier and Sparrowhawk also put in an appearance. Also noted 3 Garganey, 2 Little Egret and a Green Woodpecker with more Yellow Wags overhead.
Please note that the vegetation in front of Hanson hide is being cut tomorrow, Thursday 5th September, to improve the view across the ridges, so if anyone is planning a visit make it after 5pm, or better still leave it `til Friday (thanks for the warning Craig).

                                Black-tailed Godwits, Burrowes

Burrowes - Plenty more waders here, particularly in front of Firth hide, with 7 Blackwits, 6 Greenshanks, 5 Dunlin, 2 Snipe, 2 Ruff, 2 Common Sandpiper and a Knot. From Makepeace a distant Little Stint alongside 2 Dunlin plus 2 LRPs and a Whimbrel over.
Lade - Loads more Yellow Wagtails passing overhead during the afternoon, plus Black-necked Grebe on south lake and Green Sandpiper and Redshank in the willow swamp.
Kerton Road - Called in at the café this afternoon where the main talking point was a spectacular insect, an Ant-lion, Euroleon nostros, which apparently is a rare migrant probably of continental origin.
Dungeness - Finished off with a late afternoon seawatch which was notable for a complete lack of seabirds apart from 2 Sandwich Terns in an hour.
No complaints though, as a cracking days birding with 18 species of waders noted.

Feral Geese

Lade - 0700hrs -  warm, dry and sunny, w2 - Very few moths in the trap this morning with just Gold Spot of any note. Likewise grounded migrants were hard to come by with only a couple of Willow Warblers and a Chiffchaff in the garden. On the desert a steady trickle of Whimbrels, Yellow Wagtails, Sand Martins and Swallows passed overhead, plus the first group of Mipits this autumn. Sparrowhawk, Kestrel and Marsh Harrier all noted.
While feral Greylags aren`t everyone`s favourite birds they do make an impressive spectacle when over 500 fly over the site gabbling away before landing on the lake.
NB: Around the Peninsula today the Wryneck was reported at Galloways, while a Pectoral Sandpiper was seen briefly on ARC, plus Black Tern, Black-necked Grebe, Osprey and Great White Egret also on the bird reserve (MH, PB et al).

Great White Egret & Wryneck

Lade - 0700hrs - cool, cloudy, nw2 - A chilly start to the day soon improved as the sun broke through by mid-morning. There were few grounded migrants around the local patch this morning with just  one or two Willow Warblers and Common Whitethroats, 12 Yellow Wagtails and 50 Sand Martins over the water. However, there were plenty of Sedge and Reed Warblers in the reed swamp and a wide range of birds across the site including waders coming off the bay - 100 Curlew, 50 Oystercatchers, 7 Redshanks and 2 Ringed Plovers; around the margins - Green and Common Sandpipers, Greenshank and Snipe; and overhead 5 Whimbrels. On south lake 4 Shelducks, Wigeon and Red-crested Pochard, Sandwich and Common Terns over, plus 2 Marsh Harriers and a Common Buzzard behind the `mirrors`. Bird of the morning however was a Great White Egret in the far reedbed, presumably one of the birds from the bird reserve.

                                Dabchicks, Lade

                                Redshanks, Lade

A decent night in the moth trap too with Jersey Tiger new for the year, plus first Angle Shades and Poplar Hawk-moth for a while.
Galloways - Called in by the S bend this afternoon where I had brief views of the Wryneck (202) feeding on the deck then flying up into an elderberry bush. Also noted a scattering of Wheatears, Whinchats and Stonechats.

                                        Angle Shades, Lade

                                Poplar Hawk-moth, Lade

                                  Jersey Tiger, Lade

NB: Elsewhere today a Honey Buzzard flew over Littlestone while several Curlew Sandpipers were on ARC (MH).