Hobbies

 Dungeness - warm, dry and sunny, SW 4 - Spent the day guiding for Mark and Maria from the West Midlands, my first outing since the easing of lockdown. We kicked off with a one hour seawatch from the Patch hide where plenty of Gannets, Sandwich and Common Terns were feeding offshore while a few Common Scoters and four Brent Geese moved up-Channel. The breeding Peregrines were active around A station where we watched the male dispatch a freshly caught feral pigeon. All the usual suspects were noted near the old lighthouse including Wheatears, Black Redstart, Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Linnet and Whitethroat. 

                                 Early Purple Orchid and Painted Lady, Dungeness

  Moving onto the bird reserve where at Cook`s pool two Whimbrels, Great White and Little Egrets and the usual warblers were noted. The first of at least ten Hobbies seen throughout the afternoon hawked St Mark`s flies over the water along with a couple sat on the grass taking a breather. Around the circular trail more Hobbies and scrub warblers noted including several Lesser Whitethroats. On the hayfields two Greenshanks, four Redshanks, a pair each of Gadwall and Shoveler, ten Shelducks, various feral geese and a very brief Golden Plover in near breeding plumage. From the ramp `pinging` Bearded Tits, Marsh Harrier, Cuckoo and Kingfisher. Over the road on ARC we located the long-staying Glossy Ibis at the south end of the lake, nesting Black-headed Gulls, a calling Green Woodpecker, 100 Swifts and all three species of hirundines. Also seen today, and part of a widespread influx that seemed to commence yesterday, several Painted Lady butterflies.  

Spotted Flycatcher

 Lade  - A weekend of wet and windy weather on Saturday morning followed by warmer conditions once the front went through in the afternoon and more thunderstorms early and late today. A couple of seawatches at Dungeness delivered several Arctic and Great Skuas amongst the usual flow of Gannets, Common Scoters and Common Terns yesterday, plus a Mediterranean Gull within the settled terns and gulls on the beach in front of the Patch.

                                 Common Terns and Med Gull, the Patch

The local patch continues to produce a better than average showing of Garden Warblers and Lesser Whitethroats around the ponds than in recent years, along with our first and untypically elusive Spotted Flycatcher of spring. Otherwise it was a fairly predictable run of migrants across the peninsula today with the Glossy Ibis still on the reserve and at least three Poms through this morning, plus two Great Northern Divers (RW). 

                                  Spotted Flycatcher, Lade ponds (by Dave Scott)

                                 Gathering storm clouds over the Desert

Warblers, chats and flycatchers

 Dungeness - cool, cloudy, NW 3 - An early morning circuit around the point delivered a decent scattering of established breeders including Wheatear, Whitethroat, Stonechat, Black Redstart and Meadow Pipit all in song. An odd piece of behaviour meriting a mention came from two Black Redstarts cavorting about atop one of the highest pylon `arms`, something I`d not seen before at such a height, their `distress` may have been due to a male Peregrine sat atop an adjacent pylon. The Trapping Area harboured plenty of song from Chiffchaffs, Whitethroats and Blackcaps, plus several Willow and Garden Warblers and Lesser Whitethroats, and two Redpolls over calling. Out of the chill wind in the sun traps three Grizzled Skippers basked in the warming rays. A couple of visits to the north end of the Long Pits revealed brief bursts of song from a Wood Warbler and a Grasshopper Warbler (both scarce passage migrants here) while Pied and Spotted Flycatchers and Redstart were also reported in the general area today. From the access road to the visitor centre five distant Whimbrels were on the Boulderwall fields and a Hobby flew over Cook`s pool. Burrowes was quiet with most of the prime nesting islands and rafts already occupied by Herring and Lesser-black Backed Gulls.

                                  Grizzled Skipper, Trapping Area

                                 Wheatear, Dungeness

                                  Tern raft, Long Pits

On the local patch DS found a Pied Flycatcher first thing by the ponds, this time a smart male which he managed to photograph. It became far more retiring as the day wore on and I only had fleeting glimpses of it in cover as the wind picked up this afternoon. More Willow Warblers and Lesser Whitethroats had also dropped in here and my first Hobby of the spring at Lade flew behind the wall `mirror` this afternoon. Many thanks to Dave for providing the superb pics below.

                                  Pied Flycatcher, Lade ponds (by Dave Scott)

                                Lesser Whitethroat, Lade ponds (by Dave Scott)

                                  Willow Warbler, Lade ponds (by Dave Scott)

Heron and flycatcher pics

 Dungeness Seawatch - 0545 - 0745hrs - cold, cloudy, light airs - Another frosty start to the day heralded a slow seawatch from outside the hide in the company of CP and MC. Plenty of Gannets, Common Terns and gulls were milling about offshore feeding, with some of the terns eventually moving through. Up-Channel movement comprised 80 Common Scoters, eight Whimbrels, six Barwits, two Arctic Skuas and two Black-throated Divers of note, plus two Fulmars down and two Greylags inbound. At least three Pomarine Skuas went through later in the morning (MC).

                                  Pied Flycatcher, Lade ponds, 5-5-21 (by Dave Scott)

A check of the local patch failed to relocate yesterdays Pied Flycatcher at the ponds, which was a ringed bird as shown in Dave Scott`s superb photograph above. A late afternoon shower brought down 20 Swifts and 100 hirundines over north lake.

                                  Grey Herons, Lydd (by Les Carter)

Whilst I have been unable to survey the Lydd heronry again this year it has been good to hear from church wardens Les and Pat Carter. From their lofty perch atop the tower it seems that all is well across the heronry with plenty of comings and goings and well-grown`branchers`. 

 

Pied Flycatcher

 Lade - cold, cloudy, NW 3 - By heck it was cold first thing as we trudged across the shingle ridges towards the lakes, fully booted and suited against the polar air flow, with the dogs in tow. There was little to see on a largely barren south lake apart from the usual breeding waterfowl and a party of Swallows hurrying north. However, as we approached the shelter of the ponds the sun broke through elevating the temperature and revealing a host of warblers comprising eight species. Most vocal and numerous were Whitethroats, Sedge, Reed and Cetti`s Warblers, followed by a couple of Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs and singles of Willow Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat; a veritable warbler fest and one of the best concentrations I can recall in recent springs. A distant Cuckoo joined in the cacophony of song as the warblers picked off flying insects released from their torpor by the sun; all we needed now was a `cherry on the bun`. Cue Pat and, "What`s that small bird over there with black and white wings? Probably a Chaffinch", said I. "Err, no better still make that a female Pied Flycatcher!" and only my second spring record here! Another visit late afternoon and the flycatcher was still in the same spot remaining faithful to a lone birch tree and seemingly able to feed in the cold air.

                                  Pied Flycatcher, Lade ponds

                                  Sedge Warbler and Whitethroat, Lade ponds

A tramp outback at Scotney with the wind picking up, thunder and lightening and on the edge of a hefty shower or two produced 20 Avocets, two Greenshanks and a Little Ringed Plover on one pit and a Little Gull amongst a flock of Black-headed Gulls on another pit. Several Yellow Wagtails and Corn Buntings also noted along the way, plus two Buzzards, five Shelducks, two Shovelers and a Little Egret.

Garden Warbler

 Dungeness - cool, cloudy, SW 3 - 0545 - 0745hrs - An early morning seawatch from the point produced very little of interest apart from two Arctic Skuas and a Black-throated Diver amongst a steady passage of Gannets, Common Scoters, Fulmars, auks and terns. This seems to be part of a recent pattern with slow going during the morning only for things to liven up during the afternoon as terns and skuas move through; as this aft when a one hour visit delivered five Arctic, two Great and a Pomarine Skua from the seawatch hide.  

                                 Garden Warbler, Plovers garden

The wind picked up through the Beaufort scale during the morning as we circuited the local patch where c200 hirundines skimmed over south lake, and another 100 just after lunchtime over the causeway by north lake. Warbler and Cuckoo song was subdued in the blustery conditions and a flock of 20 Sanderlings was noted on the beach. Back home I heard a low babbling song coming from a lilac bush in the corner of the garden by the shed. At first I thought it was a Blackcap in sub-song but soon had a reappraisal after realising that it was, `going on a bit`, so grabbed the bins and camera and staked out the bush. Eventually, said songster popped up and into view revealing itself as a splendid Garden Warbler; better still it emerged from the foliage to greet the sun, take in the warmth and pose for a piccie, before being chased off by the local Dunnock nesting nearby. This was a first for the garden in 15 years! 

Terns, skuas and hirundines

 Saturday - cold, dry and sunny, NE 2 - A circuit of the local patch at Lade was notable for a substantial increase in Whitethroats across the site with at least ten birds in song. Sedge and Reed Warblers had also doubled in numbers since we last visited on Thursday, although worryingly there has been no further signs of Cuckoo since the lone record a fortnight ago. Swallows, House and Sand Martins, plus a few Swifts continued to trickle northwards. Other local news today included a Black Kite over St Mary-in-the-Marsh heading inland (CP).

A couple of hours this afternoon spent at the seawatch hide with the regulars proved highly entertaining with a terrific up-Channel movement of Commic Terns, mostly well offshore and probably the majority Arctic Terns. While I was there at least 2,000 went through; for the full count posted by MC visit the Trektellen website. Also noted during my brief two hour watch: five Great, five Arctic and three Pomarine Skuas (one with an enormous set of spoons), 50 Brents, 30 Gannets, five Kittiwakes, three Little Terns, two Med Gulls, a Little Gull and a Fulmar.  

Sunday - Lade - cool and showery, light airs - At last a Cuckoo calling from the willow swamp, and another one flying around behind the wall `mirror`, so at least two birds; I guess they`re late due to the cold April and blocking northerly airflow. Also a steady passage of hirundines and Swifts through the site early on. Another visit this afternoon between the showers to check for any downed migrants over south lake produced several hundred more hirundines, mostly Swallows, but little else in the chilly conditions.