Black-tailed Godwits!

This evenings Glaucous Gull by the fish hut found by Dave Bunney

Probably my last silly o clock sea watch of the spring started well but soon died as the visibility deteriorated causing some unusual optical illusions that had fishing boats seemingly suspended in the sky.

The highlight for me was the 2 flocks (90 & 80)  of Black-tailed Godwits that flew high west, I have absolutely no idea where they were going.

05.00-10.00 with AJG, DS, MH,CP et al
Shelduck: 2E
Shoveler: 1E
Garganey: 2E
Common Scoter: 132E
Red-throated Diver: 4E
Great-crested Grebe: 29 around
Fulmar: 2E   1W
Manx Shearwater: 7E    2W
Gannet: 32E     24W
Oystercatcher: 9E
Grey Plover: 6E
Sanderling: 34E
Whimbrel: 25E
Bar-tailed Godwit: 21E
Black-tailed Godwit: 170W  (flocks of 90 & 80)
Arctic Skua: 5E
Pomarine Skua: 4E @ 05.15
Kittiwake: 12E
Sandwich Tern: 407E
Common/Arctic Tern: 823E
Little Tern: 41E
Swallow: 5 in
Harbour Porpoise: 10+
Grey Seal: 1
A short stop at the ARC was again disappointing due to the lack of summer migrants, where are they all! A Cuckoo was again on the wires opposite my house but no sign of the Yellow Wagtails that usually nest in the field.
A short visit to the sea watch hide this afternoon to collect a chair saw 2 flocks of Oystercatchers totalling c50 birds fly west, an Arctic Skua marauding off shore and an Osprey, unfortunately the latter was an American aircraft.
This evening Dave Bunney found a juvenile Glaucous Gull at the fish hut, many thanks to him for getting the news out to the locals so quickly.
It seems that another 5 or 6 Pomarine Skuas were seen this afternoon.
With a few days left of the Pomarine Skua season, it seems that it is going to be a poor year them, I personally have managed to see 50 birds so far, well short of last years personal total of 249.

This evenings Glaucous Gull

Another Superb Dungeness Sea Watch!

Hopefully any Pomarine Skuas tomorrow will be closer!

A very long but brilliant sea watch in brilliant weather and better company: AJG,ML,GH,RW,NB,DW.JTM et al: Nearly 6,500 birds of 35 species past today!
04.55-19.00
Shelduck: 5E
Shoveler: 7E
Common Scoter:423E
Red-breasted Merganser: 1E
Red-throated Diver: 4E
Black-throated Diver: 2E
Great-crested Grebe: 16+ around
Fulmar:3E. 7W
Manx Shearwater: 9E   3W
Gannet: 89E      42W
Cormorant: present n/c
Oystercatcher: 17E  21W
Turnstone: 8E
Grey Plover: 43E
Sanderling: 78E
Dunlin: 17E
Knot: 138E
Curlew: 1 over
Whimbrel: 194E
Bar-tailed Godwit:: 547E
Great Skua: 7E
Arctic Skua: 24E
Pomarine Skua: 15E
Black-headed Gull: present n/c
Mediterranean Gull: 1 over
Herring Gull: present n/c
Great Black-backed Gull present n/c
Little Gull: 2E
Kittiwake: 19E    3W
Sandwich Tern: 853E
Common/Arctic Tern: 3,509E
Arctic Tern: 106E
Little Tern: 80E
Black Tern: 2E
Guillemot: 2W
Auk sp: 4W
Swallow: 12 in
Harbour Porpoise: c20
Grey Seal: 1

 Whimbrel overhead

Arctic Skua in hot persuit

Arctic Skua

 Bar-tailed Godwits

More Whimbrel

 The poor light conditions cannot possible convey the spectacle of all these migrating Terns

Excellent Dungeness Sea Watch!

05.00-12.00 + 15.00-19.45 AJG,MB,ML,AL, SO, DW,JTM et al
Brent Goose: 3E
Shelduck: 3E
Shoveler: 4E
Tufted Duck: 1E
Common Scoter: 112E
Red-throated Diver: 2E   1 around
Great-crested Grebe: 21 around
Fulmar: 1E   5W
Manx Shearwater: 10E     8W
Gannet: 139E
Cormorant: present n/c
Little Egret: 1E
Sanderling: 66E
Dunlin: 2E
Oystercatcher: 54E
Grey Plover: 25E
Knot: 26E
Whimbrel: 280E
Bar-tailed Godwit: 541E
Great Skua: 2E
Pomarine Skua: 12E   5@11.38,  1@15.05, 6 @19.01 (thanks to Matt Eade for the heads up)
Arctic Skua: 21E
Black-headed Gull: present n/c
Mediterranean Gull: 2E  1 around
Common Gull: present n/c
Herring Gull: present n/c
Great Black-backed Gull present n/c
Little Gull: 1E
Kittiwake: 40E   1W
Sandwich Tern: 713E
Common/Arctic Tern: 1,030E
Arctic Tern: 742E
Little Tern: 14E
Black Tern: 1E
Swallow: 18 in
Crow 5 in
Grey Seal: 1
Harbour Porpoise: 6+

There were at least 3 other Pomarine Skuas past Dungeness today that I missed due to incompetence!

Arctic Terns in the Sunshine!

Spooonbill west past the sea watch hide at 06.56 this morning

05.00-09.30 with AJG,MB,RW,ML,AL,GH,NB et al
Greylag Goose: 2 out
Shelduck: 3E  2 out   4 in
Common Scoter: 21E
Red-throated Diver: 1E  1W
Great-crested Grebe: 16 around
Fulmar: 3E  1W
Manx Shearwater: c15 feeding offshore
Gannet: 174E
Spoonbill: 1W
Sparrowhawk: 1E
Oystercatcher: 27E
Ringed Plover: 2E
Dunlin: 1E
Turnstone: 2E
Whimbrel: 222E
Curlew: 1E
Bar-tailed Godwit: 227E
Great Skua: 2E
Arctic Skua: 2E
Kittiwake: 8E.  1W
Sandwich Tern: 536E
Common/Arctic Tern: 72E
Auk Sp: 13E  10W
Swallow: 9 in
Wood Pigeon: 1 on beach
Black Redstart: 1 singing behind hide
Crow: 8 in
Goldfinch: 15E
Linnet: 6E
Harbour Porpoise: 6+
Fox: 1 on beach

Some of the Whimbrel & Bar-tailed Godwits past today

Fulmar over the hide

Beach Fox

 Bittern at the ARC this morning

Arctic Tern

14.30-17.45 with AJG who kindly collated the numbers, also SO,DW,GH & ML.
Brent Goose: 1W
Red-throated Diver: 1E
Fulmar: 1W
Gannet: 49E
Shag: 1E A scarce bird at Dungeness!
Oystercatcher: 1E
Grey Plover: 2E
Dunlin: 20E
Knot: 4E
Whimbrel: 92E
Bar-tailed Godwit: 65E
Great Skua: 3E
Arctic Skua: 9E
Kittiwake: 13E
Sandwich Tern: 136E
Arctic Tern: 2,140E they were still coming past when I left!
Little Tern: 6E
Black Tern: 2E   The first past this year!

Still only small numbers of summer migrants around the Dungeness area, though I did manage to locate a Turtle Dove on the marsh.

May 4th!

Another long day staring at the sea enjoying the sunshine. Many thanks to everyone present for calling out the birds and numbers.
05.05-17.00 with a lunch break 11.00-12.10. AJG,MB,ML,AL,RW,DS et al.
Brent Goose: 4E
Shelduck: 2E  2W
Common Scoter: 160E   1W
Eider: 9E
Red-Throated Diver: 3E
Great-crested Grebe: 31 around
Fulmar: 8 down
Manx Shearwater: 37E   3W
Gannet: 36E   193W
Peregrine: 1 around
Hobby: 1 in
Oystercatcher: 4W  9E
Sanderling: 6E
Bar-tailed Godwit: 2E
Whimbrel: 93E
Curlew: 1E
Great Skua: 9E
Pomarine Skua: 3E   2@06.14, 1@ 13.14
Arctic Skua: 5E
Mediterranean Gull: 4E
Kittiwake: 28W
Little Gull: 1E
Sandwich Tern: 501E
Common/Arctic Tern: 2,465E
Common Tern: 72E
Arctic Tern: 256E
Little Tern: 35E
Auk: 4W
Swallow: 28 in
House Martin: 2 in
Crow: 1 in
Harbour Porpoise: 34+
Grey Seal: 1
It would seem that there were very few migrants on the land again today.

Wheatears!

Had a lay in this morning which meant I missed the 2 early Pomarine Skuas and the 2 Black-throated Divers.
Driving along the approach road about 07.30 I noticed that there seemed to be a few Wheatears around, parking at the new lighthouse I walked back along the shingle to the lifeboat station with AJG we counted c70 Wheatears, 6 Shelduck flew over but little else was noted.

 Gleaming in the morning sunshine

1 of six that flew over The Point this morning

The rest of the morning I spent at home waiting for a parcel delivery which gave me the opportunity to do some sky watching. 2 Common Buzzards, 2 Marsh Harriers and a Hobby were the highlights of an otherwise slow watch.

Early afternoon at the ARC found Reed and Sedge Warblers still in small numbers, Common and Lesser Whitethroat and Cetti's Warbler were all very vocal, also a Cuckoo there and 2 Hobby's over the tower pits,  however very little of note on the lake.

I then wandered down to The Patch where c30 Common Terns were around the boil, c100 large Gulls in the roost several bearing black Norwegian rings which due to the heat shimmer I was unable to read, also 2 Wheatears there.

A sea watch from the fishing boats started very well with a Sooty Shearwater heading North into Lade Bay, but that was highlight of a very poor watch.

14.45-16.30 with AJG,MH,RW,CT,JTM et al.

Red-throated Diver: 1E
Great-crested Grebe: 12 around
Sooty Shearwater: 1E
Gannet: 17W
Kittiwake: 11W
Auk sp: 1W
Harbour Porpoise: 6+

Late afternoon visit to Galloways and Dengemarsh Gully found another c40 Wheatears but almost nothing else of note.

An Excellent Dungeness Sea watch!

Arctic Turn over Burrowes this afternoon

05.00-12.30 &15.00-18.30  BC, AJG, OL, RW, JTM, DW, DS, MH,CP, TS, ML et al
Eider: 3E
Common Scoter: 353E    61W
Red-breasted Merganser: 2E
Red-throated Diver: 18E
Great-crested Grebe: 14 around
Fulmar: 48E   36W
Manx Shearwater: 411W     61E
Gannet: 763W    309E
Cormorant: present n/c
Oystercatcher: 5E  1W
Whimbrel: 1E
Great Skua: 31E
Arctic Skua: 29E
Pomarine Skua: 9E
Mediterranean Gull: 1W.  2nd cal yr
Herring Gull: present n/c
Great Black-backed Gull present n/c
Kittiwake: 79W     11E
Sandwich Tern: 707E   55W
Common/Arctic Tern: 668E
Common Tern: 96E
Arctic Tern115E    123W
Little Tern: 16E
Guillemot: 60W.  4E
Auk sp: 64W    17E
Harbour Porpoise: 3+

Bar-tailed Godwits at Cooks Pool this afternoon

In a break from sea watching during the worst of the rain I visited the reserve where on Tanners Pool a Spoonbill was asleep, later by Cooks pool some Bar-tailed Godwits were showing well in the down pour, while over lakes 100s of Arctic and Common Terns, a couple of Little Gulls from Dennis's Hide, also a few more Bar-tailed Godwits, a couple of Sanderling and a Greenshank. Later a Black Tern and 2 Little Gulls per OL et al. 

A quick stop at the ARC on my way home saw more Arctic Terns and 2 Hobby's viewed from the causeway.
On arrival at home 2 Yellow Wagtails alighted on the fence opposite my house and a Cuckoo was singing from the overhead cables.

Red Kite getting the Herring Gull treatment over the fish hut late this afternoon

05.30-08.30 from the sea watch hide AJG, RW et al. Many thanks to AJG for supplying me with this mornings numbers as I was indisposed.
Common Scoter: 67E
Red-throated Diver: 2E
Great-crested Grebe: 14 around
Fulmar: 8W
Manx Shearwater: 8W
Gannet: 220W

Oystercatcher: 2E
Great Skua: 1E
Pomarine Skua: 1E
Arctic Skua: 4E
Hobby: 2 in
Peregrine: 1 on beach
Kittiwake: 10W
Sandwich Tern: 290E
Common/Arctic Tern: 56E also c300 at The Patch
Guillemot: 1W

A lunchtime walk around Scotney found of note 76 Bar-tailed Godwits, 14 Whimbrel, 4 Ringed Plovers, 3 Avocets and 6 Wheatears on the Sward. At the back of the lake 12 Yellow Wagtails, 6 Corn Buntings, another 8 Wheatears, a Little Owl, a Hobby, 20 Avocets and another 4 Whimbrel.
OL relocated the Large Tortoiseshell at the Long Pits early afternoon but it had disappeared by the time I arrived. Another Spoonbill overflew the reserve but it was generally quiet today.

1of the dozens of Wheatears that were around the peninsular today

Little Tern at the fishing boats this afternoon

13.40-17.00 from the fishing boats with AJG, RW, JTM et al.
Common Scoter: 7E
Slavonian Grebe: 1 drifted East
Great-crested Grebe: 13 around
Red-throated Diver: 5E
Manx Shearwater: 2W
Gannet: 36E  358W
Red Kite: 1 over the fish hut drifted inland
Great Skua: 8E
Arctic Skua: 8E
Kittiwake: 16W
Sandwich Tern: 27W
Common/Arctic Tern: c50 feeding off shore
Little Tern: 4 feeding
Guillemot: 36W    1E
Swallow: 11 in
Wheatear: 10+ behind fishing boats

Little Terns off the fishing boats this afternoon

Bar-tailed Godwit Day!

Whimbrel at Southern end of the ARC

Overcast mainly dry morning with brisk NNE wind persistent rain by 13.00.
06.00-10.00 & 12.30-15.15 from the sea watch hide: AJG,MB,DW,DS,PE,JK et al
Brent Goose: 8E
Shelduck: 2E
Shoveler: 2E
Common Scoter: 11E
Red-breasted Merganser: 6E
Red-throated Diver: 3E   2W
Great-crested Grebe: 7 around
Fulmar: 2E   2W
Gannet: 133E      265W
Oystercatcher: 9E   1W
Turnstone: 1E
Sanderling: 8E
Whimbrel: 4E
Bar-tailed Godwit: 828E
Greenshank: 1 over
Great Skua: 2E   2W
Pomarine Skua: 2E
Arctic Skua: 4E
Mediterranean Gull: 1 around
Kittiwake: 13E
Sandwich Tern: 199E
Commom/Arctic Tern: 240E  +  150 over The Patch
Little Tern: 5E  3W
Auk Sp: 4E   12W
Guillemot: 7W
Sand Martin: 1 in
Swallow: 113 in
Yellow Wagtail: 1 in
Carrion Crow: 9 in
Grey Seal first thing
Harbour Porpoise: c10
Mid morning at the ARC the first decent arrival of Swallows, House Martins and a few each of Sand Martin and Common Swift, at the south end 4+ Whimbrel and a Great White Egret.
Elsewhere 6 Spoonbills flew North through Burrowes per PB, a 2nd cal yr Caspian Gull was also on Burrowes MB et al. Wheatears could be found at various sites around the peninsular, as could Yellow Wagtails but migrants were generally scarce.

Highlight of a visit to Galloways

 Pied Flycatcher found by DW at the top of the Long Pits

I took an hour out of the sea watch to see this bird now sadly a scarce migrant on the peninsular.

An early start in anticipation of the S Easterly wind producing the birds, sadly expectations were not met.

05.15 - 15.15 OL, AJG, DS et al
Eider: 1E
Common Scoter: 483E.   10 W
Velvet Scoter: 6E
Red-breasted Merganser: 4E
Red-throated Diver: 16E   2W
Great-crested Grebe: 36 around
Fulmar: 8W
Manx Shearwater: 7E    4W
Gannet: 420W.    192E
Cormorant: 61 flew out at dawn
Oystercatcher: 6E   9W
Sanderling: 17E
Whimbrel:55E
Bar-tailed Godwit: 103E
Turnstone: 1E
Great Skua: 11E
Arctic Skua: 13E
Black-headed Gull: present n/c
Mediterranean Gull: 1W
Common Gull: present n/c
Herring Gull: present n/c
Great Black-backed Gull present n/c
Little Gull: 2E
Kittiwake: 64E
Sandwich Tern: 537E
Common/Arctic Tern: 804E
Little Tern: 4E
Guillemot: 11 around
Auk sp: 43W   18E
Swallow: 2 in
Harbour Porpoise: 4+
Brown Hare opposite Jarmans early morning
The only news from the reserve was the Cattle Egret still present and 3 Common Sandpipers on Burrowes.