A fall of Reed Buntings

Lade - cool, dry, sunny, light airs - 0700-1000hrs - Following three days of gloomy weather it was great to wake up to sunshine this morning. Viz mig was light as we headed across the shingle to Mockmill with a trickle of Skylarks, Reed Buntings and Mipits overhead, plus a few high Siskins, Redpolls and Chaffinches. Working the sewer from the south Barney flushed a couple of Snipe and a sun trap brought forth several late flowering patches of Ragged Robin and Nottingham Catchfly. A Hare shot out, scurrying over the stones towards the water tower.

                               Mockmill Sewer, Lade

                                Reed Buntings, Lade

                                Robin, Lade

And then it happened, that magical moment that occurs every so often in birding - migrants started to drop out of the ether. It comprised mostly of Reed Buntings; at least 100 eventually scattered along the sewer scrub, sitting in the blackthorn twittering away to one another, while others soaked up the sun after their nocturnal flight, or flopped around in the fireweed and reeds refuelling on weed-seeds and insects. This concentration was bound to attract other species and pretty soon about 20 Skylarks grounded, along with 20 Mipits and 15 Blackbirds. The sewer was soon alive with birds and over the coming hour or so Chaffinches, Song Thrushes, Robins, Wrens, Dunnocks, Linnets, Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps, 4 Cetti`s Warblers, 3 Stonechats and our first Ring Ouzel of the autumn joined the party.
A Fox was also enjoying the sunshine and 420 Curlews came in to roost on the storm beaches.
A terrific session on this under watched part of the Marsh hinterland.

                                Curlews coming to roost, Lade
                     

                                Sunbathing Fox, Lade

Dungeness - A 30 minute seawatch from the boats this afternoon with TG delivered a few passing Sandwich Terns and Med Gulls, 3 Arctic Skuas and a couple of Gannets.

Whiskered Bat

Lade - warm, cloudy, w 2 - Nothing much this morning on the local patch migrant wise apart from a trickle of south bound Swallows, a Wheatear and a few Goldfinches overhead. However, another visit just before dusk delivered a bird new for the Marsh year list (not that I really keep one of course, but that does make 201...) in the form of a Short-eared Owl being mobbed by two crows high over the desert.

                                Grey Heron, Lade

RSPB - A guided walk around the circular route was memorable for a small bat roosting in Makepeace hide that was identified by DW as a Whiskered Bat, mainly on its ear structure.  Whiskered Bats are known to summer roost in out buildings, but its not often you get such a close view of these fascinating little creatures of the night, a real privilege.

                                 Whiskered Bat, Makepeace hide

As for birds, a typical range of resident and migrant species was noted including up to 6 Kingfishers across the lakes, 8 Great White Egrets and 8 Pintails on Burrowes, 2 Ravens over Dengemarsh, a single Yellow Wagtail on the hayfields, plus Long-tailed Tits, Stonechats, Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps, Goldcrest, Cetti`s Warblers, Marsh Harriers and Kestrels along the route. The Lapwing roost on the shingle contained 2 Golden Plovers and there was a steady stream of several hundred House Martins, Swallows and at least 2 Sand Martins overhead.

                                Great Crested Grebe, Burrowes

                                Great White and Little Egrets, Burrowes

                                    Great White Egret, Burrowes

Jack Snipe

Lade - 0730hrs - mild, cloudy, wet, se 2 - A thorough working of the local patch this morning teased out a Jack Snipe from Mockmill sewer along with 3 Common Snipes. There appeared to be an influx of Stonechats with at least 10 birds scattered across the shingle scrub, plus 20 Linnets, 20 Goldfinches, 2 Skylarks, Wheatear and Reed Bunting. A large tit flock by the ponds contained several Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests, while several Water Rails yelled from cover in the willow swamp. All the usual wildfowl on the lakes, plus 2 Swallows hurrying south and a Marsh Harrier over the `mirrors`.
A decent catch in the garden trap last night yielded typical autumnal moths of 10 species.

                                        Autumnal Rustic

                                         Black Rustic

                                        Lunar Underwing

Greatstone Beach - A surprisingly high count of 120 Sandwich Terns on the sands was the highlight here, plus a Black-tailed Godwit amongst the legions of Oystercatchers, Curlews and Dunlins.
RSPB - Along the access road 5 Stonechats and a Wheatear, plus Kestrel and Marsh Harrier over Boulderwall fields. At least 8 Great White Egrets were on Burrowes along with the usual wildfowl and 6 Swallows south.
Very little on ARC with 8 Pintails and a Black-necked Grebe the highlight amongst low numbers of wildfowl. From the willow trail, Cetti`s Warbler, Chiffchaffs, Goldcrest and Water Rail.
Dungeness - An hour at the boats this afternoon proved high on comedy value with the usual suspects on good form, but low on seabirds with just a trickle of Sandwich Terns, Gannets, Common Scoters, several Arctic Skuas, auks and 2 Med Gulls.

Weather change

Following a hectic weekend of 60th birthday celebrations (thanks again to Pat and the girls, plus the many family and friends who turned up) with calm, dry weather and few birds on the local patch it was a return to wet and windy conditions, but with a mild southerly airflow, so we headed down the road for an hour at the boats.
Dungeness - 0930hrs - A steady flow of Gannets and Sandwich Terns were moving/feeding offshore, plus 2 Bonxies, 15 Brents, 6 Wigeon, a pale phase Arctic Skua and a Mediterranean Gull.
Lade - A few Goldcrests and Chiffchaffs around the ponds, plus 5 Swallows and a House Martin over south lake was about it this afternoon on the migrant front.

Acadian Flycatcher - New to Britain

Dungeness - Great news tweeted out from Dungeness Bird Observatory yesterday confirmed last months empidonax flycatcher to be an Acadian Flycatcher Empidonax virescens, following results of the dropping DNA analysis at Aberdeen University.
Well done to one and all for a memorable day and an excellent conclusion.

             Acadian Flycatcher, Dungeness, 22nd September 2015 - New to Britain

Lade - Thick fog - Despite the peasouper this morning Goldcrests seemed to everywhere hereabouts calling from garden and scrub cover, along with several Chiffchaffs. Small parties of Redpolls and Goldfinches went over in the murk. A second visit late morning with the fog clearing failed to find much else

                                Foggy Lade

Another day of crests

Lade - warm, dry, sunny, e 2 - With the wind slackening off overnight birds appeared to be everywhere this morning with plenty of Goldcrests scattered across the shingle scrub and around the willow swamp and at least 5 Firecrests. The ponds was the hotspot with a late Spotted Flycatcher and Reed Warbler, plus 2 continental Coal Tits amongst 10 each of Blue, Great and Long-tailed Tits, 5 Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs. Gounded migrants on the desert included 50 Mipits, 2 Wheatears, 4 Stonechats and a Reed Bunting. Also noted around the site, Kingfisher, Marsh Harrier, 10 Swallows, 50 Wigeon and several calling Water Rails.

                                    Goldcrest, Dungeness Bird Observatory

Dungeness - A stroll around the point this afternoon produced more crests and Coal Tits in the bushes, although the Yellow-browed was not seen today in the lighthouse garden. From the seawatch hide the Grey Phalarope put in a brief show flying east, while 2 Arctic Skuas, 3 Common Terns and 4 Brents were offshore.

Chats and Sprites

Lade - cool, sunny, dry, e 5 - Another very windy day, but with plenty to see from the off. Goldcrests and at least one Firecrest moved through the garden fir trees throughout the day with more crests and tits around the willow swamp. The desert scrub yielded a nice little fall of 8 Wheatears, 4 Stonechats and a Whinchat, although overhead passage was virtually non-existent, apart from a few Mipits and Goldfinches.

                                Wheatear and Stonechat, Lade

Dungeness - Spent a very pleasant couple of hours this afternoon nattering away to local birders and watching Continental Coal Tits, Goldcrests and Firecrests around the lighthouse garden and West Beach scrub. Restless passerines moving through cover are a tall order for the bridge camera, so I was pleased to get at least a record shot of a Firecrest.
The Yellow-browed Warbler was present in the garden until at least mid-afternoon, while the Grey Phalarope was seen again at the Patch.

                                Coal Tit and Firecrest, Dungeness