Storm Petrels off Dungeness

Dungeness - 0845-1100hrs - cool, cloudy, sw 4 - Not long after I left site yesterday afternoon Storm Petrels started filtering past the fishing boats; a total of 26 were recorded before lights out heading west. So this morning I joined DW, PB and TG at the boats and it was no surprise that more Storm Petrels were trickling through, at least another 30 by midday, of which I managed to see six, most of which were well offshore. Also noted a steady westward flow of Gannets, Fulmars, Manx Shearwaters, Kittiwakes, plus a few auks, Common Scoters and Sandwich Terns, a Grey Seal and several Porpoises.
  Presumably the Stormies were displaced into the North Sea by the gale force winds earlier in the week and were tacking back through the Channel towards the Atlantic. Storm Petrels breed along the western seaboard of Britain and Ireland where the nearest known English colonies are on Scilly, and probably some of the Cornish peninsulas, although the few breeding sites in north-west France are closer.
  The previous weather related `wreck` of Stormies in my time down here was back in the spring of 2006. That too was preceded by gale force winds and involved a total of 411 birds between 21st and 28th May;  I even managed to find one on Lade north, shortly before it got eaten by a Herring Gull!
  So, they are quite a rarity in this part of the English Channel, but it remains to be seen whether or not this latest movement will upstage the unprecedented events of 2006.

Storm Petrels in the Channel

Lade - 0700hrs - cool, sunny, w 5 - A much sunnier, drier day than yesterday, but still with a keen wind whipping in from the west. There seemed to be even more Swifts and House Martins on site this morning, skimming low over the lake and out across the Desert, probably numbering around 500. A Marsh Harrier battled against the strong wind and a Cuckoo could be heard, otherwise most land birds were adopting a low profile.
Dungeness - 1600-1700hrs - Following yesterdays gale force winds and rain a number of Storm Petrels were reported off the east coast of Thanet this morning. When I arrived at the fishing boats this afternoon several of the regular seawatchers were already leaving having completed a largely blank shift. There wasn't much change during my hour either, with a just a trickle of distant Gannets, Kittiwakes, Fulmars and a Common Tern noted moving west, but no sign of any petrels.

Manx Shearwater

Dungeness - 0745hrs - cool, cloudy, rain, w 7 - The wind and rain increased through the early hours to gale force by daybreak as a deep depression moved up Channel off the Atlantic. The sea was a broiling mass of waves and spray and birding in these sort of conditions are usually pretty hopeless; but truth be told it was worth making the effort just to experience the power of the tempest. However, forty five minutes from the shelter of the seawatch hide did deliver a single Manx Shearwater (new for the year) along with a trickle of distant Gannets, Sandwich and Common Terns.

                                Stormy Dungeness

  The rain dried up by mid-morning and the sun broke through, although the wind was relentless throughout the day. From Hanson hide a good selection of wildfowl hunkered on the islands included two pairs of Shoveler and Teal amongst scores of Pochards, Shelducks, Gadwalls and Coots. A pair of Little Ringed Plovers were present along with 50 Lapwings and two Oystercatchers, but the two Spoonbills from earlier had moved on. Also noted, Marsh Harrier, Hobby, Cuckoo and several hundred Swifts and House Martins.

                                "Mmm, now how am I gonna get out there..."

  Over the road on Burrowes many more Swifts (maybe 300 or so) hawked over the lake where more eclipse wildfowl were present. Hobby, Peregrine and Marsh Harrier also noted. It was a similar picture on Lade pits with a couple of hundred Swifts careering over the water, but none with white bellies or rumps. An evening visit to ARC yielded similar fare to the morning, apart from a flyover Bittern.

Bee Orchids

Lade - cool, sunny, w 2 - These past couple of mornings we seem to have slipped into the birding doldrums of early summer with a large flock of Swifts feeding over south lake being the only contrast to the established breeding birds. However, the warbler tribe appear to be doing well, Cuckoos are still active around the willow swamp and Marsh Harriers hunting over the reedbeds.
  The garden MV has been poor of late, due to brisk overnight winds, with low numbers of moths, while the weather forecast doesn't look very encouraging over the next few nights.

                                Bee Orchids, Lade

  Yesterday morning I spent some time searching for orchids along the old railway line track and was pleased to find three Bee Orchid spikes.

Hepatic Cuckoo

Lade - warm, dry, cloudy, w 2 - A circuit of the local patch this morning delivered a wide range of wildlife, particularly around the ponds which was alive with common dragonflies, butterflies and day-flying moths, amongst many other invertebrates, plus Grass Snake, Marsh Frogs and Common Lizard.
  A male Marsh Harrier was hunting over the main reedbed, a Hobby dashed through and, for the third year running a rare `hepatic`, or rufous morph female Cuckoo was noted, maybe the same returning bird?
  Back home, another good crop of moths awaited in the garden MV with five each of White Spot and Cream-spot Tiger the highlights, and six macros new for the year including Common Marbled Carpet.
Dungeness - A tour of the bird reserve had a typical early summer feel to it with a build up of Pochard, Shelduck and other ducks on Burrowes, a post breeding flock of 100 Lapwings on ARC and several Hobbies over Dengemarsh, plus a Great White Egret at Boulderwall.
  Around the peninsula over the past week the stand out bird has been an elusive Rosy Starling found in a Starling flock near Hooker`s, closely followed by a pair of Black-winged Stilts on the Midrips yesterday, although typically at this time of year neither lingered. Honey Buzzards, a couple of Bee-eaters, several Red Kites and a Black Kite have also put in brief appearances.

Honey Buzzard

Dungeness - 0630hrs - warm, dry, sunny, e 2 - Checked the Patch first thing where the long staying Iceland Gull was on the beach alongside two Mediterranean Gulls. Four more Meds flew by along with several Sandwich Terns and a trickle of Gannets further out. A stroll down towards Pen Bars, and the piece of land between the switching station and B station, revealed a family party of Fox cubs, a Stoat and several Wheatears, one of which was feeding young.
  Elsewhere, around the power station complexes Raven, Peregrine and Black Redstart noted, plus plenty of Painted Ladies.

 On the bird reserve, three Grey Plovers and a pair of Avocets on Burrowes, plus up to 10 Hobbies a  Peregrine and several Marsh Harriers and Buzzards over Dengemarsh. Whilst looking for an elusive Rosy Starling we had good views of our first Turtle Dove of the year near Manor Farm, while at Boulderwall a Barn Owl was hunting over the fields in bright sunshine.

                                Turtle Dove - first of the year

                                Avocet pair, Burrowes

Lydd - Working on the allotment around midday, several Common Buzzards passed overhead followed by a cracking Honey Buzzard being given the treatment by a Herring Gull.
  An evening visit on Walland revealed two more Turtle Doves, Lesser Whitethroat, Cetti`s Warbler, Little Owl, Kingfisher, Marsh Harrier, Yellowhammer and Yellow Wagtail.                           

Purple Cloud

Dungeness - 0700hrs - misty, cool and cloudy, sw 3 - I tend to avoid Dungeness over a busy Bank Holiday weekend, but this morning it was back to being nice and quiet and people free. We wandered down to the Patch with a fret rolling in off the sea where the 1st summer Iceland Gull sat on the beach along with two Mediterranean Gulls and a host of Herrings. Mipit, Black Redstart and Pied Wagtail were all noted on the power station complex.
  Elsewhere on the land it was predictably quiet with just the usual Whitethroats, Linnets, Dunnocks and the like to sift through. However, a cracking little moth awaited in the Obs fridge: a Purple Cloud, trapped by Long Pits last night, a rare immigrant from the near Continent.
  Back home the garden MV contained 25 species of macros including White Spot, White-point and Fox Moth.

                                Purple Cloud, DBO

                               White-point

                                Fox Moth

                                Great Crested Grebe with chick


ARC - An afternoon visit to Hanson hide delivered a large flock of Swifts and hirundines feeding on emerging insects over the lake, plus Hobby, Marsh Harrier, Shelduck and Great Crested Grebe with young, Ringed Plover, 10 Lapwings and singing Cetti`s Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat.
  Also checked south lake at Lade where another mob of Swifts and hirundines were on the wing over the water, but could find nothing unusual in their midst.