Butterflies and Peregrines

Dengemarsh  0900hrs - warm, dry and sunny, sw 2 - We spent the morning at Dengemarsh in balmy spring-like weather with a warm airflow coming all the way from the Azores, apparently. Walked the gully where a pair of Peregrines showed well, calling to each other, atop pylons and a Kingfisher flashed up and down the sewer. Overhead a steady passage of Mipits, Goldfinches and Skylarks, plus 20 coasting Swallows, while in the scrub a scattering of Robins, Dunnocks, Great Tits, 10 Reed Buntings, four Song Thrushes, three Chiffchaffs and a Ring Ouzel.
More Swallows drifted over as we grilled a large mixed flock of some 200 Mipits, Reed Buntings and Linnets in the arable field by Springfield Bridge. Checked the hayfields and flood noting only Bearded Tits along the way. Two Great White Egrets flew over Hookers and the obligatory Marsh Harriers, Kestrels and a Sparrowhawk were in action.
Most noteworthy through the morning was the number of Red Admiral butterflies on the move with a steady southward stream heading towards the sea, plus several Clouded Yellows and a Common Blue at the bottom of the gully.
We rattled up 106 species during the week with the highlights for the guests being a trio of egrets, Woodlark, Yellow-browed Warbler and the Ring Ouzels.

                                Meadow Pipits, Dengemarsh Flood

                                Peregrine, Dengemarsh Gully

Woodlark & Continental Coal Tit

Dungeness - 0900hrs - mild, calm, cloudy - The sea resembled a mill pond for our one hour seawatch from the hide where the only real spectacle was a 200 strong flock of Brents moving languidly down-channel low over the sea. A few Kittiwakes, Gannets, Med Gulls, Common Scoters, two Little Gulls, singles of Arctic and Great Skuas added to the interest, while a large mixed flock of gulls and Gannets were feeding on a shoal well offshore. At the Patch a 3rd winter Yellow-legged Gull was the only noteworthy amongst the commoners.
On the land the lighthouse garden held several Robins, Chiffchaffs, Goldfinches, a Blackcap with plenty more Goldfinches, Mipits, Pied Wagtails and Linnets overhead. Moving round to the edge of the Desert a large flock of Mipits cried out for attention and whilst grilling through the wood sage and rank grass, hoping for a `big pipit,` up popped a cracking Woodlark, a scarce passage migrant down here that usually fizzes over calling and rarely grounds. Not so with this little beauty though, as it stuck around for at least an hour affording good views, on the deck and flying around calling, much to the delight of a clutch of local birders.

                        Barney got fed up with seawatching, and somehow found a ball...

                                Goldfinches, Lighthouse Garden

Whilst watching the Woodlark we had brief views of a Continental Coal Tit within a Great Tit flock sporting its distinctive blue-grey upperparts. Also noted around the peninsula several hundred House Martins and Swallows, ten Kestrels, two Black Redstarts, five Stonechats, Song Thrush, Skylark, Reed Bunting and Fieldfare over and a Ring Ouzel in the moat.
Lade - 1200hrs  - A scan of the sands from the boardwalk revealed the expected Curlews, Oystercatchers, Barwits, Dunlins, Sanderling, two Knots and 20 Swallows south.
RSPB - 1300hrs - Pretty quiet here although the Cattle Egret was still amongst the cows and we had a stunning Merlin and a flighty Ring Ouzel near the Corral. On Burrowes a Ruff and four Dunlins were the highlights, while over the road on ARC,  50 Goldies, four Ruff, two Blackwits and two Snipe added to the wader tally, plus 50 Brents over `cutting the corner`. Also noted here and there, Great White and Little Egrets, Swallows, Cetti`s Warblers, Tree Sparrows, Kingfisher, Green Woodpecker, Water Rails (calling), ten Kestrels and Marsh Harriers.
Dungeness - 1515hrs - We finished off at the fishing boats with a 90 minutes seawatch, in the company of PB, where a steady passage of Gannets and Kittiwakes was under way, plus around 10 each of Sandwich Terns, Med and Little Gulls, 200 Brents, 40 Common Scoters, three Arctic Skuas and two auks.
In summary, another cracking days birding around the Dungeness Peninsula.

                                Brents, Dungeness

                                        Gannet, Dungeness

A fall of Ring Ouzels & a Yellow-browed Warbler

Lade - 0800hrs - mild, drizzle, w 3 - A slow start to a dreary old day weather wise with a trickle of overhead migrants comprising Mipits, Skylarks, Goldfinches and three Swallows. Still hundreds of Coots and wildfowl on south lake, plus Kestrel, Sparrowhawk and Marsh Harrier hunting behind the `mirrors`.
Birdwatching Break - Picked up two of our regular visitors (Ray and Stuart) from Ashford station who were down for a three day stay at Plovers; to be greeted by three Grey Wagtails flying around the taxi rank!
Faggs Wood - A brief stop for lunch in the car park yielded a decent range of woodland birds including Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Long-tailed and Coal Tits, Goldcrest and Jay. We crossed the Marsh via Warehorne Bridge noting 10 Kestrels and three Buzzards along the way, plus the usual Tree Sparrows and finches on the feeders at Midley.
Dungeness - With news breaking of a large fall of Ring Ouzels we headed straight for the point where we eventually saw up to 20 individuals on the edge of the Desert, Trapping Area and in the moat, where we had the best views. Several of the adult males showed really well around the moat before flying off clacking loudly. Throughout the afternoon large flocks of ouzels came and went across the DBO recording area with a total count somewhere in excess of 500!
Whilst working the moat we were fortunate enough to see a Yellow-browed Warbler that had been trapped earlier, following a call from PB (once I`d realised the volume on my phone was turned off... many thanks and apologies to those who tried to contact me earlier and got no response).
Also seen around the point: plenty of Robins, ten Blackbirds, three Song Thrushes, five Kestrels, 10 Mipits, five Stonechats, three Wheatears, two Swallows, five Pied Wagtails, Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Black Redstart.

                                               Ring Ouzels, Dungeness

                                            Yellow-browed Warbler, Dungeness

Boulderwall - Crossing the causeway road a Great White and two Little Egrets were on New Diggings while the Cattle Egret showed a treat close to the access road in the field by the old farmhouse, as usual feeding amongst the hooves of the suckling herd.
Scotney - In fading light we tried for the reported Bonxie but without success. All the expected wildfowl were on site but there was no sign of any Golden Plovers.
A cracking afternoons birding at Dungeness for the guests with Ring Ouzels, Yellow-browed Warbler and Cattle Egret the undoubted highlights.

First Goldeneye

Lade - 0800hrs - mild, rain, cloudy, sw 5 - After spending the weekend in the Chilterns (Red Kites and that kind of thing...) it was a case of playing catch up with the WeBS count on the local patch this morning in wet and windy conditions. A redhead Goldeneye was the first of the autumn, while a count of 711 Coots was a personal site record.
I then counted the wildfowl on New Diggings and the ponds at Boulderwall for RSPB, but there were few birds present.
Scotney- Spent a couple of hours over two visits around midday checking out the plovers on the grass at Scotney from the lay-bye searching for yesterdays American version amongst a couple of hundred nervy Golden Plovers. While there were several adult Golden Plovers moulting out of breeding plumage there was one distinctive looking individual that showed only briefly before crouching in a fold in the ground and eventually being flushed by a Peregrine. Unlike the other Goldens this bird had extensive black blotching on the underparts running under the vent, a bold white supercilium and a grey caste to a spangled back.
As I say, views were brief and I didn`t note the underwing colour and could not rule out Pacific, or a runt Golden, so all in all pretty hopeless really. Still the likelihood is that it`ll stick around and maybe with better weather tomorrow offer up another chance as for most of the time the birds were hunkered down trying to shelter from the strong wind and squally showers.
Also on the grass six Ruff, ten Dunlin, two Curlews and the usual feral flock of Barnacle Geese.

                                Brents on the move, Dungeness

                              Is it a city in the sea? No, just a very large container ship

Dungeness - After going through the high tide, roosting gulls on the beach this afternoon checking for yesterdays Audouin`s (where the best I could muster was an adult Yellow-legged Gull) we joined PB at the fishing boats for an hour. A steady passage of Sandwich and Common Terns was underway down-Channel along with three large parties of Brents comprising in total around 100, plus 25 Common Scoters, three Teal, five Arctic Skuas, two Bonxies, five Med Gulls, two Dunlin, Sanderling, Curlew, Guillemot and Kittiwake.
Good numbers of skuas had been recorded earlier along with a Sooty Shearwater and at least five Leache`s Petrels (PB).
Called in at the Lade boardwalk on the way home where three Bonxies were harrying the gulls on the beach.

Viz mig

Lade - 0700hrs - mild, showery, sw 3 - An early start this morning and after checking the lakes, where just the usual wildfowl, decided on a one hour viz mig from the aerial ramp, after all it is October, and pretty decent it was too with the following heading south into a light wind: 23 Skylarks, 15 Swallows, two House Martins, 125 Mipits, 12 alba wagtails, four Blackbirds, 40 Starlings, 45 Chaffinches, 16 Greenfinches, 72 Goldfinches, 105 Linnets, six Reed Buntings and singles of Rock Pipit and Yellow Wagtail. Also noted three Marsh Harriers, two Buzzards and five Kestrels behind the `mirrors`.

A flight of Curlews

Lade - 1000hrs - mild, cloudy, sw 6 - Another blustery day, but at least it was dry and with plenty of sunshine, while South lake had taken on the appearance of a small sea complete with white-topped waves. However, in the shelter of the ponds insect activity attracted several Chiffchaffs, and a Kestrel that attempted, unsuccessfully, to catch Migrant Hawker dragonflies. Five Swallows zipped over the ponds hurrying southwards.
Just for once I was in the right place at the right time when the Curlew flock drifted over from the bay, en-route to their roost site on the Desert. For five or six minutes they flew overhead, strangely silent, enabling an accurate count of 326 birds.

                               Curlews, Lade

ARC - An afternoon visit  to the Screen hide revealed very little apart from a distant Great White Egret and a Marsh Harrier sheltering from the wind. Over the road the Cattle Egret was still present amongst the cows at Boulderwall.

A trio of Shearwaters

Dungeness - 0900-1200hrs - mild, cloudy, s 6/7 - Commenced a days guiding for two guests from Hertfordshire in the seawatch hide, in near gale force conditions, with a big sea running and plenty of spray in the air. Gannets were streaming past affording good close views along with Black-headed and Common Gulls, Med Gulls, Kittiwakes, Sandwich Terns, plus a distant few auks and scoters. We also had cracking views of at least 12 Arctic and two Great Skuas throughout the watch, several of which came in close chasing the terns and gulls, and watched in admiration as six plucky Swallows headed out for France into the teeth of the tempest.
However, it was the shearwaters that stole the show even though the majority were passing way offshore from our position. A single Balearic Shearwater passed inside the buoy showing well, plus at least five Manx further out along with several others too distant to differentiate. At least 10 Sooty Shearwaters moved down-Channel with many more distant shearwaters going unidentified in the poor weather; but when we called in at the fishing boats around noon and chatted to the sea-watchers it would seem that most were probably of the latter as over 100 were recorded throughout the day. Whilst there an albino Herring Gull flew through.
A circuit of the moat produced a handful of Chiffchaffs and Robins sheltering from the wind and a Yellow Wagtail called overhead.

                                Stormy Dungeness

RSPB - On New Diggings a Great White Egret showed from the road, while the Cattle Egret remained faithful to the suckling herd in the fields at Boulderwall. The usual Marsh Harriers, Kestrels and a Merlin were noted around the reserve, plus all the expected wildfowl on Burrowes, a Black-necked Grebe, six Dunlin, Raven, two Little and one Great White Egrets, Tree Sparrows, Chiffchaffs and Long-tailed Tits around the car park.
On ARC the expected wildfowl, eight Ruff, four Dunlins, Water Rail and Chiffchaffs in the willows.
We called in at the boats this afternoon but things had died down so decided to pull stumps.
Highlights of the day were the shearwaters and skuas off Dungeness, whilst 73 species were noted across the peninsula, so not too bad considering the wind, spray and some hefty showers.