Black Redstart

Dungeness - cold, dry and sunny - A brief seawatch this morning from the hide produced the expected large numbers of auks, Gannets, Cormorants and Red-throated Divers offshore, plus four Common Scoter. At the entrance to the estate the years first Black Redstart was feeding around the shacks towards The Pilot along with several Pied Wagtails and a pair of Stonechats.
  Called in at Boulderwall where the fields were full of birds, mostly Lapwing, Coot and Wigeon, plus a few Curlew, Stock Dove and Woodpigeons. Three Cattle Egrets showed intermittently in the distant paddocks, but I could find no sign of any Tree Sparrows on the feeders.
  Next stop Pigwell and another fruitless search for the Woodlark; infact it was pretty quiet all round with only a few Blackbirds, Robins and Goldfinches noted and some sunbathing Rabbits.

                                Sunbathing Rabbit

Trio of warblers

Lade - cold, dry and sunny, N 2 - A cracking day to be out and about around the local patch with bright sunshine and a light ground frost early on. We tramped across the shingle with all the verve of early New Year; it can`t last! Kingfisher, Dartford and Cetti`s Warblers and Chiffchaff were all present, plus a passing Marsh Harrier and eight Goldeneyes on south lake. Teal numbers had dropped off from last week along with Wigeon and Pochard.
Walland Marsh - Had a run out to the Woolpack reed bed this afternoon for roosting harriers in perfect weather conditions, cold and still. While six Marsh Harriers came in and had a look, none roosted and they all eventually drifted off south, although at least 20 Corn and 30 Reed Buntings did roost in the bed. Also noted: two Great White Egrets, two Buzzards, two Kestrels, Linnet, Goldfinch, Bearded Tit, Song Thrush, Cetti`s Warbler, Little Owl and Water Rail.

New Years Day Tally

Bird Count Day - mild and sunny morning, cloudy afternoon, NW3 - Our traditional NYD bird count kicked off in fine style with three calling Little Owls at St Mary`s-in-the-Marsh under a clear still sky with Venus and the Moon shining brightly. Along with Chris and Phil we headed for the Low Weald and a Barn Owl on Shirley Moor before settling down for a dawn chorus in nearby Park Wood. Tawny Owl, Goldcrest, Long-tailed and Coal Tits, Nuthatch, Treecreeper and Jay all went onto the list amongst a host of regular woodland birds.
  At the canal zone of Kenardington and Warehorne we jammed in on two Green Sandpipers and a flock of four Goosanders in flight, plus Great White Egret and Little Egrets, Bullfinch, Meadow Pipit, Skylark, Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting and the first of many Buzzards seen today. Crossing the Marsh Mistle Thrush, Redwing and Fieldfare, Sparrowhawk, Marsh Harrier, Golden Plover and 30 Bewick`s Swans at Horse`s Bones Farm all went onto the day list.
  At Pigwell while we dipped on the Woodlark we scored well with Grey Wagtail on the sewage works and a cracking male Dartford Warbler in gorse by the cycle track and a Stonechat. At Scotney the pace really picked up with Spotted Redshank, a wintering Common Sandpiper, Ruff, Redshanks, Goldeneye and Barnacle Geese on the front fields, plus two Whooper Swans, Corn Buntings and a pair of Pintails out back the highlights. We also watched a hovering Buzzard get hammered by first a Kestrel, then a Sparrowhawk and finally a male Peregrine! At Lydd camp a Little Owl enjoyed the warm winter sunshine.

                                Whooper Swans, Scotney

                                Little Owl, Lydd camp

  It was then onto a busy Dungeness and a seawatch from the fishing boats where at least two Bonxies were active offshore. Hundreds of Guillemots were on the sea along with scores of Kittiwakes and Gannets, Red-throated Divers, a Razorbill and a single sub-adult drake Eider, west, while at least two Caspian Gulls were on the beach.
  At Littlestone we duly bagged all ten species of waders on the bay, but with low counts of Ringed and Grey Plovers, Barwit and Knot. We finished the day mopping up on the bird reserve including  Pink-footed Goose and three Cattle Egrets at Boulderwall; Water Rail, Cetti`s Warbler and Bearded Tit from the ramp and the final species of the day, a Yellow-legged Gull on Burrowes making a respectable 112 species of birds during our 57 mile low-key birding tour.
  Many thanks to Chris for driving, Phil for listing and for a great day in the field in fine company. 
 

Last Rites

Lade - mild, cloudy and still - A circuit of the local patch delivered good views of Goldeneye action  close to the bank on south lake. On the mill-pond like surface the drakes rattled away and chucked back their heads as they displayed to the nonchalant redheads. Otherwise it was a similar avian picture to the past week.
  Needless to say there were no late additions to the Plovers year list (not that I`m a keen lister) which ended on 218 species for the Romney Marsh area, so about average.

                                Displaying Goldeneyes, Lade


  On a more sobering note there was much activity hereabouts this morning when a group of migrants landed on the beach in a rubber dingy. The Border Force helicopter clattered overhead for ages as eight people were rounded up by the police and detained. When something like this happens on your doorstep it puts our cosseted lifestyle in some sort of perspective.
  A happy and peaceful New Year to one and all.

That was the year that was

Memories of 2018

It`s a traditional staple of bloggers to cast a look back over the past year. Rather than give a calendar account of events (you can get that by trawling through this year posts) I`ve selected and categorised a few treasured memories from 2018, in no particular order of importance, so here goes.
Rarity of the year - OK, lets get this category out of the way early on. There were quite a few candidates, particularly in spring with Kentish Plover on the bird reserve and a Terek Sandpiper at Rye the best of the waders. An unusually showy Great Reed Warbler in front of Hanson hide made the list, as did a flashy trio of Hoopoe, Bee-eater and Rosy Starling at Midley, Littlestone and Dungeness respectively. There were some real skulkers and `half birds` to consider such as Short-toed Treecreeper, Pallid Swift and Hume`s Warbler (and much respect to the finders) but for me it had to be those two Bluethroats that graced Dengemarsh Gully back in early spring. I know they`re not even `proper` rarities but they`re smart as peaches and they hung around for a few days, and above all showed like good `uns.

                                Bluethroat, Dengemarsh Gully

Local patch -  A tricky category with plenty of choice seeing as I visit Lade pits on a near daily basis. The two wintering Long-tailed Ducks that remained into May, and attempted breeding by Black-necked Grebes featured highly on the candidates list; as did all five species of common grebes that appeared during the year with Dabchicks having a particularly good breeding season. Migrant Spotted Flycatchers and Whinchats put on a decent autumn show, along with nesting Cuckoos and Lesser Whitethroats, but it was Dartford Warbler that will remain firmly etched in the memory bank as they were omnipresent and even nested successfully.

                                Dartford Warbler, Lade

Absentees of the year - Sadly its the predictable tale of woe concerning declining summer migrants such as Swift, Cuckoo, Swallow, Yellow Wagtail, Pied Flycatcher and Turtle Dove, plus another poor autumn for overhead passage of larks, pipits, finches and the like. As far as I can recall there were no records of Dotterel, Temminck`s Stint, Melodious or Icterine Warblers this year and only one or two of Wood Warbler, Ortolan, Red-backed Shrike and Wryneck. I managed to go through the year without encountering a Grey Partridge, while Tree Sparrows are clinging on by a tenuous thread across the Marsh.

                                Yellow Wagtail at its Scotney stronghold

Wader of the year - Right, lets buck ourselves up after the morose offerings of the previous category. Waders are my favourites; proper birders birds, there`s no skulking in bushes with these beauties or worrying about whether they`ve just escaped from an aviary or wildfowl collection, or splitting hairs over specification issues. I`ve already mentioned two rarities, Kentish and Terek, and the Scotney Buff-breasted was a real treat, but its not all about them. Wood Sandpipers had a good autumn and I just love the evocative flight call of the many flocks of Seven-note Whistlers that passed over the peninsula on passage; and what about those plumy adult Curlew Sandpipers that turned up in mid-summer beating a rapid retreat from the Arctic? All possibles, but for me spring Bar-tailed Godwits take some beating, particularly when they pause a while and plonk down in the Boulderwall fields only a few yards away. What truly gorgeous birds.

                                Summer plumage Bar-tailed Godwits


Conservation success of the year - A no brainer this one, it has to be the Dungeness RSPB Re-tern Project which bore instant fruits with the successful nesting of a number of Common Terns on the newly created islands and tern rafts on Burrowes. During the summer seven different types of sea swallows graced the old gravel pit including plenty of migrant Black, scarce Roseate and Arctic, prospecting Sandwich and Little and as a bonus a rare American Black Tern. Well done to all concerned.

                                Terns on Burrowes

It`s not a bird - During the course of our ramblings there was so much other natural history stuff to enjoy hereabouts. Having always been fascinated by all aspects of our flora and fauna this past year threw up many memorable encounters. New species of moths in the garden trap included a spectacular Bedstraw Hawkmoth and Orache in contrast to a diminutive Concolorous, while an Asian Hornet at Dungeness was new to me. Record breaking numbers of Porpoises off the point and up to 20 Grey Seals in the bay this summer were memorable and it was an excellent year for some of our grassland butterflies such as Grizzled Skipper and Marbled White. Small bats flitting around our garden fir trees on a summers evening were a treat and there was a decent show of Bee Orchids on the local patch.
  However, it was a tiny plant that stopped me in my tracks whilst out surveying for Cetti`s Warblers this spring that won the non-bird accolade. Rounding a clump of sallows I encountered a small clearing in the shingle carpeted with Wild Strawberries. Immediately the wow factor kicked in as it reminded me of a bygone, carefree era as a kid when I used to pick these tiny fruits growing on a chalky bank in a Chiltern`s beech wood near our village. A truly magical moment.

                                Wild Strawberries

Best birding day - Of which there were plenty around the Marsh this year, but I`m going to opt for one of our day trips to France in late May with Chris and Mark when we clocked up 120 species across the Somme area. The list of birds was incredible and included a mammoth 14 species of warblers including crippling views of Grasshopper, Marsh and Melodious Warblers, plus Bluethroats, Black-winged Stilts, Serins and White Storks along with a host of other wetland birds. Turtle Dove, Grey Partridge and Nightingale, birds that are on their last legs here were commonplace. A fantastic day in great company.

                                Black-winged Stilt approaching its nest site

                                White Stork hunting frogs

                                Gropper in full song

 Natural event of 2018 - Not easy this one. It`s a toss up between the Super Moon in February, the `Beast from the East` or the summer heat wave, I can`t decide so just enjoy the pics.

                                Phew!

                                Wow!

                                Brrrr!

Companion of the year - No competition, he`s always up for a trip out and never argues with my identifications, but dislikes seawatching, its  - Barney!!

                                Loves winter

                                Loathes summer

                                Finds seawatching boring

And finally a big thank you to all readers of this blog and the kind words I`ve received when we`ve met out in the field. The ramblings will continue in 2019!

Ringtail and Woodlark

Scotney - mild, cloudy and still - I decided on a change of scene this morning, and with some success. Around the farm a small flock of finches and sparrows contained several each of Tree Sparrow and Corn Bunting, while the resident Little Owl was in its usual spot on the straw bales.
A ringtail Hen Harrier flew over the coast road heading towards the Midrips on the ranges was a welcome first for the year. Whilst scanning the front fields from the cycle track I was joined by CT. The flooded sheep folds were full of wildfowl and waders including a Spotted Redshank, three Ruffs, 10 Redshank and four Ringed Plovers amongst hundreds of Goldies, Lapwings, Curlews and Starlings.

                                Spotted Redshank, Scotney

  Moving back down the road towards Lydd we stopped at the entrance to the sewage works at Pigwell, where walking back along the cycle track we eventually had good flight and scope views on the deck of a smart Woodlark in a stony, weed-strewn field. Also present were three Red-legged Partridges, Stonechat, Goldfinches and Chaffinches, hundreds of corvids and a Little Egret, plus 50 Pied Wagtails and a Grey Wagtail over by the sewage works.
  On the way home a drive out the back of Lydd to Horse`s Bones farm delivered a distant flock of 48 Bewick`s Swans and two more Corn Bunings on an overhead wire.   

The Doldrums

Lade - mild, dry, cloudy, light airs - The past few days birding the local patch has been a bit like the weather, much the same. Still, I`m not complaining as it has been calm, dry and relatively mild for what is, after all, mid-winter and this morning there was a spectacular sunrise over the bay to greet the day.
  On the lakes wildfowl have increased with Teal, Pochard and Tufted Duck all over 200 each in number and Wigeon up to 80. Goldeneye are also on the up with 10 today, but there`s still no sign of any Smew or Slavonian Grebe, both of which are expected sometime over the coming weeks. Elsewhere around the site this week: Bittern, Marsh Harrier, Peregrine, Water Rail, Caspian Gull (adult), Snipe, Green Woodpecker, Kingfisher, Skylark, Stonechat, Cetti`s and Dartford Warbler, Chiffchaff, Long-tailed Tit and Goldcrest.

                                Sunrise over Lade bay

  On the bird reserve the three Cattle Egrets are still present between the Boulderwall fields and Cockles Bridge, up to 30 Bewick`s Swans are on Walland Marsh between Lydd and Midley at Horse`s Bones farm, a Woodlark has remained faithful to a stubble field at Pigwell, Lydd and the two Whooper Swans are still in fields outback of Scotney. Otherwise its the usual wintering seabirds offshore at Dungeness, waders in the bay and wildfowl and egrets around the bird reserve.