Spinach & Haworth`s Pug

Lade - 0500hrs - Hottest day of the year so far with mid-afternoon temperatures in the mid 20c C and only a light easterly wind. As a result another good catch in the garden trap with 43 species of macro moths including two new for the trap: Spinach and Haworth`s Pug, both of which were confirmed at the Kerton Road Café where over a thousand moths were trapped of over 60 species including plenty more Sussex Emeralds.

                                   Poplar Kitten

Very little action bird wise on the pits due to the sultry weather with only a Greenshank over of any note.
ARC - 1200hrs - Scanned from Hanson where the highlights were Little Gull, Blackwit, 3 LRPs and a family party of Long-tailed Tits from the approach track. 

Moths & `Mirrors`

Lade - 0500hrs - warm, cloudy, first off, hot and sunny later, se 2 - With hardly any overnight wind  it was no surprise that the garden traps were heaving with moths this morning. The bulk of the 42 species comprised the usual suspects - DAs, Rustics, H&Ds, TShears and the like - plus 9 new for the year and another Sussex Emerald. Amongst the newcomers were Privet Hawkmoth, Common Emerald, Leopard Moth and Poplar Kitten.

                                          Common Emerald

                                Lade `Mirrors`

                                          Leopard Moth

                                          Privet Hawkmoth

Over the pits Greenshank and Whimbrel calling, plus good views of an adult Cuckoo on the shingle ridges, also mo`thing. Several hundred Sand Martins and Swifts over the lake and two Yellow Wagtails south. Couldn`t find yesterdays RCPs tho.
It was Open Day at the Lade Sound `Mirrors` with access via the swing bridge onto the island where the three structures sit sentinel like. As the weather was good plenty of people trooped over throughout the day where OL and staff provided information and guidance.

Sussex Emeralds & Yellow Wagtails

Lade - mild, misty, early on, warm sunshine later, se 2 - 0500hrs - The day started, as many have of late, misty and murky, but at long last without the nagging north-easterly wind. This attracted far more moths to light, including the seasons first Sussex Emerald in the garden trap, a Dungeness speciality. At the Kerton Road Café 13 were trapped with another 14 at the Moth Lord`s trap. Sussex Emeralds are weak fliers and are mostly found around the trap rather than on the eggs boxes within. Some of the specimens at the KRC showed signs of wear suggesting they`d been on the wing for some time, although one or two were freshly emerged insects in spanking nick.

                                     Cloaked Minor

                                Sussex Emerald

Being as it was calm I gave the local patch the full treatment before the sun broke through. Skylarks and a single pair of Mipits were in full song as were all the regular warblers. I could find no sign of any Cuckoos and assumed the adults have moved off south; how quickly the seasons change around and this one has been particularly good for Cuckoos at Lade; now its a case of checking for juvs emerging from the reedbeds. On the south pit two Red-crested Pochards were amongst a host of eclipse ducks, feral geese, swans and at least four broods of Tufted Ducks; was good to see two well grown Oystercatcher chicks on the scaffold island. Over the water 100 Sand Martins hawked insects with scores of Swifts higher up along with Black-headed Gulls.
Bird of the morning was Yellow Wagtail with the first six migrants of the season over calling, two of which grounded on the storm beaches. This species, along with Sand Martin, provides one the great visible migration spectacles of late summer at Dungeness as birds pass down peninsula on their southern journeys.
A late afternoon stroll across the shingle ridges to check for grassland butterflies was successful with both Large and Small Skippers, Small White, Common Blue, Painted Lady, Small Tortoiseshell, Marbled White, Gatekeeper, Small Heath and Meadow Brown. Walking back along the beach two more Yellow Wags fizzed overhead. 

Juvenile Birding

Lade - cool, cloudy, start, warm, sunny afternoon, ne 3 - 0600hrs - Another poor catch in the moth trap due to the chilly overnight north-easterly with only 12 species present.
Dungeness - At the Patch at least 8 Med Gulls and 4 Little Gulls amongst the hundreds of Black-headed Gulls and Common Terns. Along the power station wall the regular singing male Black Redstart, Linnets and Pied Wagtails.
RSPB - Spent the afternoon showing Ze from Berkshire the birding delights of the peninsula. She set me the task of finding birds suitable to photograph, which was not easy in such a brisk wind. A circuit of the reserve resulted in all the expected warblers, Marsh Harriers, Hobby, Kestrel, Common Terns, 2 Red-crested Pochards, 2 Shelducks, Dunlin, Whimbrel, Raven, Ringed Plover and a Med Gull. On ARC 6 Blackwits, 4 Little Egrets, LRP, 3 Wigeon, Green Woodpeckers and Swallow at the nest. A pair of Little Owls with 2 juvs provided a good target for the camera.
At Dungeness most of the gulls had moved from the Patch and the Black Redstart proved difficult. Called in at the Obs to check on the House Martin chick, what a little cutie!
In summary a steady afternoon and early evening with plenty of juvenile birds out and about.

                                Juv Little Owls, Lydd

                                Linnet, DBO

                                Swallow, ARC

Sunbathing Blackbird

Lade - 0600hrs - cool, cloudy, ne 4 - The day started on a decidedly chilly note with a blasting north-easterly and low cloud. Consequently, there was only 10 species in the moth trap this morning. Over the pits a few Swifts and Sand Martins, otherwise everything else was keeping its head down.
ARC - A quick look from Hanson revealed 5 Blackwits, 2 Dunlins, 2 Redshanks, Greenshank and LRP, all adults. At the south end 4 Little Egrets and another Greenshank, plus a 1st summer Little Gull.
Lade - This afternoon the sun eventually broke through and it warmed up nicely. Across the road from the cottage, beside a sheltered wall, a Blackbird was enjoying the sunshine and remained in the same position basking for 10 minutes until disturbed by a pedestrian. Fascinating to watch and he soon resumed the prone position with wings outstretched and bill agape. Every so often he would fly up onto the wall and preen vigorously before dropping back down onto the grass. A while later several adult Starlings also joined suit.

                                Blackbird, Lade

The Ashes - A bit off topic, but hey-ho. As a cricket lover I`m addicted to Test Match Special on Radio 4 Long Wave, and this 1st Test is shaping up to be a cracker already. But (you just knew there was a `but` coming...) is it just me that finds Geoffrey Boycott intensely annoying? He was wittering on to a clearly agitated Agers this afternoon about how crap England were, in his usual obnoxious manner (he sounded drunk to me). I mean the bloke is a pain in the rear end when he`s sober, slagging all and sundry off, while completely ignoring the fact that he was the most boring cricketer ever to play for England. Why the BBC give him air time is beyond me.
Phew, that`s better, just had to get that off me chest...

Black Birds...

Lade - 0600hrs - warm, dry, sunny, ne 4 - Following a hectic, hot, sweaty day up north yesterday (well, the London area) was good to get back home on the Marsh where the wind never ceases and the temperatures are more tolerable.
Anyhow, the moth trap was disappointing last night because of that wind with only Scalloped Oak new for the year. Nothing much happening over the pits apart from the usual eclipse ducks, a Common Sandpiper around the margin, Sand Martins over the water and a calling Cuckoo in the reed swamp; probably the last time I`ll hear that this year.

                               Scalloped Oak

Dungeness - At the Patch the highlight was a superb Black Tern in full summer plumage, my first of the year, along with over 800 Black-headed Gulls, 50 Common Terns, 2 Med Gulls and a Little Gull.
At sea a few Gannets on the move plus a line of 28 Common Scoters east. A Grey Seal was feeding within the ring of scum around the boil on flat fish
Along the power station wall a singing Black Redstart and a Pied Wagtail feeding young.
Called in at the Obs where the juv House Martin was growing in leaps and bounds.

                                House Martin, DBO

ARC - 1500hrs - Wandered down to Screen hide where an impressive variety of waders were strewn out across the distant islands, all of them stunning adults in summer plumage the best of which was a black Spotted Redshank. Next to Ruff, there can`t be a finer wader, and its not often a Spotshank turns up in this nick. Also on the islands a supporting cast of 13 Blackwits, 3 Dunlins and singles of Redshank, Greenshank, LRP and Common Sandpiper, plus all the usual Lapwings and Oycs - Oh! happy days are here again.
Also, 3 Marsh Harriers, 3 Wigeons, Hobby, Green Woodpecker, and to cap a great day a Bittern flew over Tower pits calling!

                                Waders, ARC (Spot Shank far right)

Burnished Brass & Obscure Wainscot

Lade - 0600hrs - warm, dry & sunny, ne 2 - Another superb summers day tempered by a cooling sea breeze from the north-east. Slightly down on species in the moth traps this morning, although three new for the year included a stunning Burnished Brass and the localised Obscure Wainscot. Also, 14 Small Elephant Hawkmoths was a trap record. Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral and Painted Lady in the garden late morning.

                                Burnished Brass

                                 Obscure Wainscot

Spent the afternoon on Greatstone beach building sandcastles with the grandson to the sound of Sandwich Terns calling overhead - its a tough old life...