Flycatchers, chats and moths

Lade - 0600hrs - mild, cloudy, light airs - Last night was near perfect mothing conditions and at last a decent catch in the garden MV with Green Silver-lines and a migrant Vestal new for the year, plus Pale Grass Eggar and Chinese Character the pick of the bunch from 35 species of moths.
A Spotted Flycatcher squeaking away in the garden firs was virtually the first bird of the day and a good omen for things to come.

                                Chinese Character, Lade

                                Green Silver-lines, Lade

                                      Pale Grass Eggar, Lade

                                Vestal, Lade

At the bottom of Taylor Road a Pied Flycatcher and Common Redstart were performing in the cattery garden firs alongside several Willow Warblers and Common Whitethroats. Crossing the storm beaches and onto the Desert we clocked up a total of nine Wheatears and five each of Stonechat and Whinchat. A Grey Wagtail went over calling and was the first of the autumn here, plus a trickle of Yellow Wagtails and a Greenshank. More Common Whitethroats and a couple of Lesser Whitethroats were in the scrub beside south lake.
Around the willow swamp three more Spotted Flycatchers were noted, plus Chiffchaff, Reed and Sedge Warblers, while hundreds of hirundines were over the `mirrors. Two Sparrowhawks, Buzzard and Marsh Harrier rounded off a pretty decent session.

                                Wheatears and Stonechat, Lade

ARC - Much the same stuff on the lake as yesterday including Glossy Ibis and Spotted Redshank amongst legions of common wildfowl and Lapwings. From the Willow Trail two Spotted Flycatchers and several Chiffchaffs, plus two more Spot Flits and a Lesser Whitethroat in the car park scrub.

                                Spotted Flycatcher, Greatstone

Dunes Road - An early afternoon visit to the small wood at Greatstone paid dividends with two Pied and five Spotted Flycatchers, plus a large mixed flock of tits, including 20 Lottis, Willow Warblers, Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps and two Garden Warblers. The track beside the fields yielded five Wheatears, two Whinchats, four Corn Buntings and 30 Linnets.
Littlestone - A late afternoon walk along the  foreshore for waders noted a scattering of Barwits, Turnstones and Ringed Plovers amongst the Oystercatchers and Curlews. On the golf course  Wheatear and Whinchat, plus yet another Spotted Flycatcher in the garden of the Romney Bay hotel.
In summary one of the best days I can remember down here for chats and flycatchers.

2012 Kent Bird Report

Lade - warm, dry and sunny, ne 2 - With lighter winds this morning there was a little more passerine activity on the local patch with several Whinchats, Stonechats and Wheatears on the storm beach scrub and at least 10 Common Whitethroats. Sand Martins and Yellow Wagtails continued to drift south and there were still a few Willow, Sedge and Reed Warblers in the willow swamp.
The garden MV continued to disappoint with a couple of Silver Ys the only migrants amongst a meagre 12 species.
Greatstone Beach - Scanned the beach from the Tavern but the tide was a bit too far out. However, the large waders were back in force and a rough count totalled at least 350 Oystercatchers and 230 Curlews, plus 28 Ringed Plovers as well as 100 Dunlin, Sanderling, Grey Plover and Turnstone.
Hammonds Corner - Three Turtle Doves on overhead wires by the farm were my first of the autumn and rarity of the week so far...
ARC - A mid-afternoon scan from Screen hide yielded the Glossy Ibis, Spotted Redshank and three Garganey amongst masses of wildfowl and Lapwings.
RSPB staff and Vols were busily working in front of Hanson cutting back vegetation to improve the viewing experience.

2012 Kent Bird Report - Arrived home this afternoon to find the latest KOS bird report on the door mat, and what a whopper it is; at a weighty 223 pages I nearly put me back out lifting it up!
Once recovered I settled down with a brew for a quick peruse. Having been involved in county bird reports in a previous life I know how much time and effort goes into these historical tomes, so before any cynics pipe up - " 2012, bit late, aint it mate, what`s the point anyway when you`ve got Twitter?" Well, no actually, it is better late than never and the point is it lays down a benchmark of the county`s birds for future reference in a lasting printed format, when who knows what`ll happen to digital data?
Ok, so I`m a bit old school when it comes to bird reports, I love `em,  and this one is a real cracker - the stunning front cover illustration by Stephen Message sucks you in straight away, as do the double inserts of colour bird pics, the quality of which is astounding; my favourite was the Quail at Elmley by Mick Southcott.
A comprehensive, systematic list takes up the majority of the report, preceded by a succinct `Aspects of the Year` by Alan Fossey which I thoroughly enjoyed. Breeding birds are one of my favourite subjects and having contributed to the field work I headed for the Nightingale survey, Kent being an important core area for this nationally declining migrant. But there`s something for everyone within this report including a First and Last Dates for Migrants, a Ringing Report and two accounts on a species new for Kent, Calandra Lark.
Many`s the time tapping away on the keyboard late into the night I bet many of the compilers of this bird report questioned their sanity and pondered whether or not it really was worth all the effort.
To them I say a hearty, "well done you, and yes it was".

Glossy Ibis & shorebirds

Lade 0800hrs - warm, dry and sunny, ne 3 - A misty start to the day with an invigorating north-easterly coming in off the bay, warming up by mid-morning. We had a thorough check round the local patch, but there were few migrants on show apart from a scattering of Common Whitethroats, Willow, Sedge and Reed Warblers, plus a Whinchat on the Desert. A few Yellow Wagtails passed overhead while 50 Sand and House Martins were over north lake. On south lake the first six Wigeon of the season were noted, along with a Kingfisher and Sparrowhawk.
ARC - From the south end two Blackwits, Ruff, three Egyptain Geese and a Pintail, while the Glossy Ibis flew over the causeway road and landed on distant islands, closest to Screen hide.
With most of the islands in front of Hanson now submerged there was little wader habitat although a distant Spotted Redshank was present on the far shore, plus a few Common Sands, Dunlins and Snipe. The usual Lapwings and dabbling ducks were present and the Black-necked Grebe was in front of the hide. A large party of Sand Martins moved through and a Marsh Harrier drifted over flushing one and all.
Lade - With a short tide this afternoon we went for a stroll along the foreshore to check out the small shorebirds which almost always linger at Greatstone Beach `til last knockings. The increasing onshore wind kept the last of the seasons` holidaymakers at bay and a flock of around 100 sandpipers comprised mainly Dunlin, along with a handful each of Sanderling, Turnstone, Ringed Plover and a Barwit. Smart birds are waders, my favourites infact, and a real privilege to see them at such close range. As high tide approached two Arctic Skuas came in off the sea and chased off the beached Sandwich Terns of which at least 150 were counted as they headed towards Dungeness calling raucously. By the time we got back to the boardwalk a large Grey Seal was just offshore, hunting flatfish no doubt.

                                Dunlins and Sanderling, Lade Bay

Cosmopolitan

Lade - warm, dry and sunny, cloudy later, w 2 - After the excitement of yesterday, and clear overnight skies, many migrants had shipped out leaving a return to more `normal` levels of chats and common warblers across storm beaches and around the willow swamp. Hirundine and Yellow Wagtail numbers too were well down.
In the garden moth trap though 23 species including Silver Ys, White-points and a Yellow Shell.
At the Kerton Road Café a rare migrant was on show a, Cosmopolitan.

                                    Wheatear, Lade

                                     Cosmopolitan, KRC

                               Yellow Shell, Lade

Burrowes - The lake was full of common wildfowl, including Black-necked Grebe, Teal and Wigeon, plus a large flock of Cormorants working together to catch fish. Waders scattered around the islands included two each of Ruff, Common Sandpiper and Dunlin and singles of Greenshank and Wood Sandpiper. A Curlew Sandpiper was also reported here, plus Glossy Ibis on the hay fields and a Common Redstart in the car park scrub. On ARC the same waders as over the weekend.
Lade - 1800hrs - Plenty of shorebirds, terns and gulls on the beach with 24 Ringed Plovers being of note.
Thought for the day - One hundred years ago today Martha, a captive North American Passenger Pigeon, expired in Cincinnati Zoo, so ending one of the most infamous mass, human induced bird extinctions of modern times.
In another 100 years I wonder how many more bird species will have gone the way of Martha, including the Turtle Dove...

Marvellous Mockmill

Lade - 0600-0900hrs - mild, cloudy, w 2 - A superb late summer morning with light airs and ideal conditions for walking Mockmill Sewer, a slither of marsh and scrub running south from the lakes into the Desert. As we crossed the storm beaches with Sand Martins fizzing by it was immediately apparent it was going to be a good session - you could just smell the birds! Crossing the main track and striking out across the Desert the first of many loose flocks of Yellow Wagtails were encountered; in total there must`ve been at least 150 grounded with another 50 moving over in the hour I searched through `em, most of which were juvs but also some spanking adult males too. Some of the Sand Martins pitched up on the shingle and atop scrub amongst hundreds of Starlings and House Sparrows feeding on emerging insects. Other grounded migrants on the shingle ridges included five Stonechat, three Wheatear and Stonechat and several Mipits.
As we approached Mockmill a Tripit went over calling, the first of the autumn. In the sewer bottom, with not a breath of wind, passerines were everywhere and over the next two hours I estimated there to be at least 50 Common Whitethroat, 20 Sedge Warbler, 10 each of Reed and Willow Warblers, eight Lesser Whitethroat, five each of Blackcap and Garden Warbler and two Cetti`s - and that was just the warblers! Also present were 10 each of Reed Bunting, Goldfinch, Stonechat and Whinchat, five Wheatear, Robin, Dunnock, Wren and Blackbird.
Scanning across the airport fields a cracking ringtail Hen Harrier headed towards Lydd while three Marsh Harriers, two Common Buzzards and a Kestrel were also noted.
I never made it round the lakes and willow swamp so goodness knows what else was about.
On the walk back to Plovers a call from PB alerted me to the spectacle of hundreds of House Martins perched on the top rim of the water tower. This place never ceases to amaze me.
The moth trap was again low in species with only Angle Shades and Canary-shouldered Thorn of any note. Yellow Wagtails continued overhead throughout the morning while Willow Warblers and Whitethroats drifted through the garden fir trees.

                                        Angle Shades, Lade

                                "This beats seawatching any day"

                                Sedge Warbler, Mockmill

Dungeness - An early afternoon visit with family and a circular walk down to the fishing boats noted a steady movement of terns feeding offshore and an Arctic Skua. Two Wheatears and five Yellow Wagtails were on the shingle by the lighthouse and five Whinchats posed on scrub behind the Sanctuary. Whilst taking tea in the café two Common Buzzards drifted over the peninsula.

                                Whinchat, Sanctuary

Lade - A late afternoon Honey Buzzard came in off the bay and headed inland causing the local gulls to go into meltdown. On a falling tide, in warm sunshine and superb light, the beach was alive with shorebirds and gulls. Pick of the waders were 32 Redshanks and singles of Grey Plover and Curlew Sandpiper, plus two Arctic Terns amongst 50 Commons and 100 Sandwich Terns loafing on the mudflats. A trickle of hirundines pushed on south and 20 grounded Yellow Wagtails fed around the rotting sea kale.
Another terrific days birding on the local patch, which as usual I had to myself. I think this has to be one my best days for sheer numbers of warblers and chats.
NB: There was plenty more of a similar ilk to be had across the NNR today judging from Twitter, including an influx of Turtle Doves, Pied and Spotted Flycatchers, Great White Egret, several Honey Buzzards, Montagu`s Harrier, a Black Kite (?), plus the return of an old favourite, a Glossy Ibis on the bird reserve.
Happy days.

A day of drift migrants and mushrooms...

Lade - 0700hrs - mild, cloudy, sw 3 - Another poor night around the garden moth trap with only 12 species recorded, mostly Flounced Rustics. A Whinchat was the best bird over the pits along with hundreds of hirundines and a scattering of Whitethroats and Willow Warblers.
ARC - From Screen hide the Red-necked Phalarope was busily feeding on the flooded islands amongst the Lapwings and dabbling ducks, including at least five Garganey. Other waders around the site were single figures of Redshank, Greenshank, Spotted Redshank, Snipe, Ruff, Dunlin and Little Stint. Masses of hirundines swarmed over the water and a Red-crested Pochard was noted amongst the distant diving ducks. From the pines a flock of 20 Yellow Wagtails were the only migrants of note feeding along the railway line.
There didn`t appear to be much else about passerine wise until the wind suddenly dropped and a clump of brambles and an elder near the Screen hide was jumping with migrants including Common Redstart, Spotted Flycatcher, three Lesser Whitethroats, two Common Whitethroats, Reed and Willow Warblers.

                                Spotted Flycatcher

We then went mushrooming at a Top Secret location...

Lade - Whilst barbequing in the garden early afternoon a buzzard sp went over which was probably a Honey, but too distant to be sure, plus a house-high Hobby that sent the local Starlings into a frenzy.
Dengemarsh Gully - A late afternoon visit to the gully delivered brief views of the Wryneck and Melodious Warbler. Down towards the sea eight Whimbrel briefly dropped in, a Raven went along the foreshore and a Wheatear was on the lookout tower.

                                Wheatear

PS: Also reported across the peninsula today were an Osprey, several Honey Buzzards and a probable Rough-legged Buzzard (per DB & SB).

Melodious Warbler

Lade - mild, wet, sw 3 - A disappointing catch in the garden MV considering how many moths were around the light last night. Whilst emptying the trap a Greenshank went over calling.
Nothing much of note over the pits apart from five Swifts in with the hirundines over south lake. A thousand or so Greylags flighting in from nearby farmland provided a fair spectacle. The recent rains have completely flooded the margins and emerging islands in the reed swamp to such a level that I doubt there`ll be any wader habitat here this autumn.

                                      Knot Grass, Lade

                                         Square-spot Rustic, Lade

Dengemarsh Gully - Following news of the Melodious Warbler staying over from yesterday there was only one place to head for this morning. I was expecting a typical skulking-warbler-type stake out, but no, not this little beauty as it performed like a good `un in the bushes by the wind turbine just below an admiring throng of local and visiting birders; check out  http://ploddingbirder.blogspot.co.uk/  for some cracking pics.
A couple of Redstarts were also showing well, plus Garden Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat. A Wryneck was far more recalcitrant and it took a couple of visits to get brief views of this notorious skulker amongst the gorse scrub.

                                       Redstart, Dengemarsh Gully

Dungeness - 1530hrs - An hour at the boats this afternoon delivered a steady flow of Sandwich and Common Terns down-Channel, plus two Little Terns and two Whimbrels. Further out a few Gannets were on the move and an Arctic Skua was duffing up a tern.
NB: The Red-necked Phalarope was still present on ARC today and viewable from either Screen or Hanson hides