Dungeness - 6-8 May 2013

I made my spring trip to Dunge at the beginning of the week.  I headed down in the late afternoon on Monday 6th.  I went straight to the seawatching hide at about 5.30pm.  Within 30 mins my first Pomarine Skua went passed and until 7.30pm another 3 flew East.  I also had 1 Arctic and  1 high Bonxie over the hide.  Then news of a Montagu's Harrier came in over the entrance to the RSPB, so I jumped in with Andy L and made my way round there.  We didn't get even close - it might have been a Hen anyway.

Next day I was up at 4.50am and after a walk around an empty moat I headed to the sea again.  I stayed until 9.00am and had another 9 Poms, 1 Arctic and 1 Bonxie.  Later, back at the sea during the early evening, I had a flock of 8 Velvet Scoter heading East.  Elsewhere, I headed over to Scotney to look for the Long-tailed Duck which I found on one of the back pits with a Wood Sandpiper as a bonus.  Finishing off at Denge Marsh there was a booming Bittern.  Migrants were thin on the ground with only Yellow Wags in any abundance.  3 Hobbies over the Water Tower by ARC was nice though.  The trapping area and desert was hard work for a few Chiffs and Willow Warblers.

Finally on the last day, Wednesday 8th, I went for another early seawatch, which was cut short by heavy and persistent rain.  It did yield 1 Pom, 8 Velvet Scoter, 1 Roseate Tern and 1 Black Tern.

A total of 94 species over a couple of days wasn't bad, despite no particularly exciting arrivals...

The moth trap only yielded 3 Tawny Shears.

Nightingales and Stilts - 6th May 2012

0530 - Nightingale survey at Riverside CP.  Only one singing, but a Turtle Dove purring in the background made for a pleasing sound to show the Maltese shooters that the birds will somehow get through.  Also about were a few Reed Warblers, one Lesser Whitethroat, lots of Whitethroat, a couple of Willow Warblers and a few Chiffs.

1615 - A quick trip over to Elmley for the Black-winged Stilts; 4 of them!  Loads about on Elmley as well. Up to 4 SEO's, 2 or 3 Marsh Harriers, 3 Spotted Redshanks, 4 Greenshanks, 5 Whimbrel, 3 Barwits and a few Yellow Wags about.

A few days in Dorset 21/4 - 24/4 2012

I spent a few days in Dorset this week and picked up a few decent birds as well as a number of spring migrants I haven't yet seen back in Kent:

22/4 - Durlston Country Park: Plenty of Guillemots and a couple of Razorbill from the cliffs. Also, a female Bullfinch, my first Whitethroat of the year, a Sandwich Tern passed, singing Chiffs and Blackcaps, a Raven and a few Swallows through.

22/4 - Brand's Bay approaching low tide: Two flyover Med Gulls, two Whimbrel, a Common Tern and a couple of Sandwich Terns. A few hirundines passed through with two Sand Martin, two House Martin and a few Swallows.

23/4 - Just outside Wool: I twitched a short-staying White Stork, which left flying North 20 mins after I saw it. I saw another White Stork last year on 14/4, so both birds fell in the ideal migratory period for this species.

23/4 - Studland NNR and Little Sea: A bit quiete, but singing Willow Warblers, Chiffs and a couple of Wheatears and another couple of flyover Med Gulls.

23/4 - Middlebere: Hoping for Osprey and Spoonbills, but alas I had to make do with Chiffs, a couple of Sedge Warblers, a few Buzzards, a single Greenshank and c300 Blackwits.

24/4 - Studland NNR and Little Sea: Still no Dartford Warblers, but out at the Little Sea there was a juv Little Gull flitting from the surface into the air before alighting on the surface again. Also at least four Swifts, four House Martins and some Swallows through. A single Sparrowhawk fly along the adge of the lake.

74 species in three days and an additional 17 for the year list.