Seawatch

SW 20 to 28mph, 16C, 60% cloud cover, dry.

A seawatch from the Fishing Boats along with Martin, Richard and Dave Smith who came down from north Kent. Still plenty of hirundines moving out to sea with 5,748 Swallows, 1,014 House Martins and 81 Meadow Pipits, plus a Merlin, nine Balearic Shearwaters and a Sooty Shearwater west. Razorbills were also evident with 109w, 7w 3e Arctic Skuas, two Little Terns, 27 Common and 191 Sarnie Terns. Given the paucity of birds in recent seawatches this was a memorable one especially the sight of hundreds of hirundines heading out in to the Channel.

Not too much on land today given the gusty wind but two Wheatears and eight Stonechats in the Desert.

Arctic Skua

Juvenile Common Tern

Sooty Shearwater

Balearic Shearwater

RSPB Dungeness 

SE 20 to 24mph veering SSW 14 to 26mph by evening, 12C to 16C, light showers by evening, 100% cloud by midday. 

A blustery wind but I was birding the ARC track to the Pines and noticing fewer Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps than previous days. Flurries of Swallows and House Martins were still heading south-west and a Hobby was foraging over the Tower Pits. Colin Turley was also at the Pines and we started to check out the Sallows near the Maple Trees that I now call the Pines Inlet. Chiffchaffs were calling and Colin and I were having a natter when I picked up a Yellow-browed Warbler calling nearby but out of sight. Despite it calling nine times poor Colin couldn't hear it and then it stopped calling. After a few minutes it flew in from the direction it had been calling from and with a loud call disappeared in a Sallow. Luckily Colin managed to see it before it disappeared. It remained mobile and called less and became difficult to see or hear. I think it eventually moved west across the track towards the Tower Pits.

A wander along the Willow Trail picked up more Chiffchaffs and a single Goldcrest. A count of 564 Shoveler and 26 Wigeon from Hanson Hide.

On Burrowes a few gulls were coming and going amongst them two 2nd winter and a 1st winter Caspian Gull. I also had a Kingfisher and a Grey Wagtail on Burrowes plus a further 408 Shoveler, although certainly more were lurking on the lee side of the islands out of the wind and out of view, and 142 Teal.

1w Caspian Gull

4w Caspian Gull

2w Caspian Gull

 SE 10 to 21mph, dry, 13C to 15C, 0% cloud cover.

With a run of south-easterlies you'd think we'd have at least one Yellow-browed warbler in the area somewhere but so far none have been found. I have been trying to locate one at ARC and the Pines. Still plenty of Chiffs and a few Blackcaps with 24 and 10 respectively. Meadow Pipits, Swallows and House Martins moving  all day east then south west across the peninsula. There was a Hobby at ARC, along with the Black-necked Grebe, seven Snipe and a couple of Pintail. Plenty of Shoveler with 534 on ARC and 510 on Burrowes, totalling 1,044. A single Shelduck was on Burrowes, the first I have seen in the area for a little while. Little Egret numbers seem to be increasing with at least 16 on Burrowes.

Despite the rising water levels on Burrowes, gulls, mostly Greater Black-backed were making use of the vegetated islands now they have been cut. Amongst the gulls were three 1st winter and two 2nd winter Caspian Gulls and after checking photos a 2w Yellow-legged Gull.

2w Yellow-legged Gull

 

2w Caspian Gull

Golden Plover

 Westerly 14 to 25mph, 12C to 14C, mostly dry with some light showers.

At the Tower Pits on the RSPB Reserve a few Pochard were lurking with 10 altogether. Chiffchaff numbers seemed to be down on previous das although numbers were still being noted elsewhere on the peninsula, maybe I hadn't found the right tit flock. I only recorded 12 between the ARC car park and the Pines along with a single Blackcap. Two Ravens flew out of the trees by the Pines Inlet. Heading to the other side of the Reserve, there was a single Yellow Wagtail at Cooks Pool and a single Cattle Egret amongst the cows on Boulderwall Fields. Across the reserve I had c.245 Lapwings as the water levels continue to rise and the number and size of islands reduce. Having said that the island creation at Dengemarsh continues with the digger piling bucket loads of mud and clay to form the islands there. In front of Xmas Dell there were at least 32 Snipe resting on the reed brash.

On the way back to the Visitor Centre I located two Black Terns and a Common Tern on Burrowes from the Makepeace viewpoint plus singles of Ringed Plover and Common Sandpiper. Back at the Visitor Centre I was informed of a juvenile Gannet that had been seen on Walland Marsh. The reporting visitors gave me the location and I found the juvenile Gannet sitting on the bank of Midley Sewer at Horsebones Bridge, a Greenshank was also calling overhead. The bird looked ok and it stretched and flapped its wings but seemed very tired. Owen Leyshon suggested calling Tom Wright the assistant warden at the Obs which I duly did and Tom came to collect the bird. As I write this the juvenile Gannet is asleep in the ringing hut at the Obs and has refused any food. It seems in good health.

On-going island creation at Dengemarsh 

Hayfield 3 looking good but no birds

Juvenile Gannet on Walland Marsh

Tom successfully collecting the juvenile Gannet

Snipe from Xmas Dell

Juvenile Black Tern

Juvenile Gannet on Walland Marsh

2nd October update. The Gannet survived the night and was successfully released at the Point.