Dungeness Birding

Weather

Light NW winds throughout the day 3 to 13 mph. Clear skies, plenty of sun daytime low of 11C, high of 18C, dry.

Burrowes Pit

Scoping the American Golden Plover

Their seemed to have been an overnight clearout of the Red-necked Phalarope, Pectoral Sandpiper, White-Winged Black Tern and the Black Terns as no news was forthcoming from the Locals or any visiting birders. The Pectoral Sandpiper was re-located at the east end of ARC along with a Ruff and Redshank. I went to Hanson hide first from which a Great White Egret and the Glossy Ibis were showing but no sign of any Garganey, four Dunlin were present.

I then went to the RSPB visitor centre to see if any of the Black Terns or White-winged Black were present but I couldn't find any looking from the visitor centre so I decided to wander along to the Firth Lookout and hadn't gone very far before Neil Burt came running along the track. Neil had found a small Golden Plover which looked very interesting and was nearer the islands in front of Dennis's Hide, so we went there to check. Neil had found an adult American Golden Plover, a smart looking bird amongst a small flock of Golden Plover and it showed well in the hazy sunshine on the nearest island to Dennis's Hide for most of the day, finally flying off around 15:00.

This bird drew in many birders as well as those looking for the other scarce species that had been in the area resulting in the Red-necked Phalarope being located in the same place as yesterday and the Pectoral Sandpiper moving back to the islands in front of Hanson Hide.

Martin picked up a 4th Cal year Caspian Gull on Burrowes whilst we were all looking at the AGP.

Two Black Terns were still foraging on Burrowes and in the evening a juvenile Ruff appeared there along with 224 roosting Greater Black-backed Gulls of which two were ringed, J16EY and JK525.