Dungeness Birding: May 2025

Saturday, 31 May 2025

Hobbies

Back on the 24th May when the female Red-footed Falcon was on the RSPB Dungeness reserve, at least 23 Hobbies were also around. Then the next day I could only find one Hobby, there had been a mass clearout or so it seemed. Yesterday, May 30th Hobbies were back and in even greater numbers than before with at least 25 across the reserve from ARC to Dengemarsh, there were 21 viewable from the Hookers ramp at one point.

Hobby

Sometimes it is all too easy to take Marsh Harriers for granted but they are a scarce rare breeding bird in the U.K. and a treat to watch hunting, especially the smart males.

Male Marsh Harrier

Migrating waders continue to visit the reserve and a flock of 14 Black-tailed Godwits dropped in to Hayfield 1, a couple of them almost in full breeding plumage. Sanderling, Little Stint, Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Curlew Sandpiper and a 1st summer Little Gull were all on Burrowes Pit.

Black-tailed Godwits

A smart drake Red-crested Pochard has been on ARC for a while now, quite a lovely looking duck.

Drake Red-crested Pochard

Saturday, 24 May 2025

Feeding frenzy

A DM from Martin telling me that the Red-footed Falcon was showing 'crazy' well overhead along the Lydd track by Hookers, saw me there just in time for it to have moved away. However, a tight flock of at least 17 feeding Hobbies were going bonkers over Hookers Lake along with the Red-foot. It was an incredible wildlife encounter to watch these aerial masters swooping, stalling, diving and climbing in pursuit of insects and then feeding on their catch on the wing, in the strong and gusty south-westerly wind. The sky was literally a blur of foraging Hobbies. In the end the Red-foot did appear back over the Lydd track and remained overhead for a short while providing fantastic views. I managed to get the following sequence of it chasing and feeding.

Low level pass across the Lydd track.

Bee-eater

Early morning on the 23rd May, I decided to go back on to the RSPB reserve to see if the Red-footed Falcon was still around. It was cold and the hobbies I could find were all still sitting in willows. A message came through that a Bee-eater was sitting on wires at the Point, in two minds whether to try and see it as they are notorious for staying all too briefly before flying off, I decided to go for it. On arriving, I was lucky, because the Bee-eater was still perched on the wires and calling infrequently. It stayed for a further two or three minutes before flying high and to the south, still occasionally calling and I lost it as it became a dot disappearing into high cloud.

Bee-eater

After then spending a couple of hours completing a couple of monads for the BTO Heathland Bird Survey, I returned to the reserve as the temperature had warmed up and news had confirmed that the red-foot was still around. There were plenty of Hobbies foraging across Boulderwall Fields, Hookers and Dengemarsh and the numbers just seemed to increase as the morning went on with my finally tally being 23, plus the female red-foot.

Female Red-footed Falcon

One of the great aspects of the area is the diversity of wildlife and I always love seeing ruby-tailed wasps, this one was on one of the many seats across the reserve no doubt checking the area for mining bees.

Ruby-tailed Wasp

Wader passage across the reserve has resulted in views of beautiful adult summer plumaged Knot, Turnstone and Temminck's Stint, plus there have been good numbers of the Tundra form of Ringed Plover. The Temminck's Stint was found by Jacob, initially on Burrowes but then relocated on ARC.

Tundra form of Ringed Plover

Red Knot

Ruddy Turnstone

Temminck's Stint

Thursday, 22 May 2025

Red-footed Falcon

A damp, cold and overcast late afternoon but brightened by a great find by Tone and David Blakesley of a female Red-footed Falcon initially at Dengemarsh but then preferring to perch and forage at Hookers.

Female Red-footed Falcon

Female Red-footed Falcon and Hobby

Tuesday, 13 May 2025

Whiskered Tern

A very light southerly wind with an almost calm sea but despite being mostly distant there were still a few birds going past offshore. A three hour watch included 11 Pomarine Skuas comprising flocks of two and nine and an incredible flock of 17 Cattle Egrets.

Cattle Egrets

Early afternoon I received a message at 14:07 from Craig Edwards, the RSPB Reserves Manager that a Whiskered Tern was on Dengemarsh viewed from Dengemarsh Hide. I called MC and then had to call him back as the bird had flown north. MC, RW and I started to check the various water bodies on the reserve and on checking New Excavations I re-found the tern sitting on a post. Unfortunately a Marsh Harrier caused it to take off and fly towards Burrowes Pit. Locals started to arrive at Makepeace Hide but there was no sign so the search began again until Jacob radioed that he had re-located it on ARC where most of the Locals managed to obtain views before at 15:53 it flew back towards the New Excavations/Dengemarsh area but despite searching could not be relocated until 18:51 when relocated on Hookers by GP.

Whiskered Tern

A few Grey Plovers across the reserve. These four making use of a new islands created at New Excavations.

Grey Plovers

Monday, 12 May 2025

The real Mediterranean - Lesvos 20th - 24th April

My first visit to the island of Lesvos in Greece for two weeks from 20th April to 4th May. Birding with long time friend Reg Thorpe, who I haven't been birding abroad with for at least 30 years and yes, we still remain good friends. A superb time encountering a lot of species that I have wanted to see and hear well for a long time. Whilst we didn't have any falls during the visit each day brought new exciting bird experiences as despite the cool and windy weather birds continued to migrate across the island.