Nesting Ringed Plover Update

The nesting Ringed Plover was still sitting today, hopefully on remaining undamaged eggs.
5th July update - The Ringed Plover pair had abandoned their nesting attempt.

The four Avocet chicks are still alive and being well looked after by the adult birds.

Two chicks receiving protection from the rain

Drying off

Waders continue to visit ARC, this adult Dunlin was one of three individuals that has now increased to six.

Little Ringed Plovers have bred at ARC without us knowing. Three juveniles and one adult remain on the islands frequently getting chased by the Ringed Plovers.

The female Red-crested Pochard and remaining duckling can sometimes prove elusive to see at ARC but in the last few days have been recorded daily.

Lesser Emperor dragonflies are now also being recorded at ARC, Long Pits and at the Point.

Juvenile Bearded Tits also continue to be seen well from Hanson Hide.

Amongst the migrating waders, a moulting male Ruff

Rose-coloured Starling

Another great find by Jacob of a male Rose-coloured Starling initially near the Moat and then moving around the adjacent area associating with a flock of adult and juvenile Starlings.

Rose-coloured Starling

There have been up to three Little Gulls moving between the various larger pits across the RSPB Dungeness reserve.

Little Gulls

A first for the area was a breeding pair of Red-crested Pochards. First picked up on Saturday 7th June with a female and four ducklings, the family is now down to three ducklings as of Wednesday 11th June.

Female Red-crested Pochard and four ducklings

At the front of Hanson Hide a flock of four noisy juvenile Bearded Tits gave fabulous views amongst the reed stems.

Juvenile Bearded Tit

A Weasel hunting along the bridleway at Hayfield 1, always ran away from me!

Weasel

Bearded Tit

Always a joy to see and hear, a lone male Bearded Tit was foraging amongst a small and narrow section of reed on the RSPB Reserve.

Bearded Tit

Bearded Tit

The Flood Field on the reserve is looking brilliant, attracting a couple of elusive water pipits and plenty of teal.

Beardies and Bittern

Another lovely day around RSPB Dungeness. The Visitor Centre is now closed but a sightings board has been placed outside the entrance doors as a temporary measure until the centre opens again in two to three months time.

The reed bed from the Viewing Ramp

One of the two Bitterns being regularly seen on ARC from Hanson hide.

A flock of nine Bearded Tits were foraging on the reed seedheads including this fabulous male from the Viewing Ramp. 

Also on the reserve today were three Whitefronted Geese on Boulderwall Fields and five Water Pipits on Hayfields 1 and 2.

The Great Northern Diver was on Burrowes along with eight Goldeneye and the Long-tailed Duck still on New Diggings.  

 Light NW wind 6-8mph then decreasing 3-6mph in the afternoon. Dry, 40% cloud cover, 5C to 14C.

Today was the Kent Ornithological Society Big Migration Day. This is the KOS having a go at trying to get more people out in the field and enjoying their birdwatching and also contributing in submitting records of the birds they see. As this is the first year it is very much a 'first draft' with the focus very much seeing what worked and what didn't. For me it was a normal day enjoying the birds of the area and wandering around seeing what I could find. 

A cold start with my car's temperature gauge registering 5C. I headed to Scotney double bends to see if the Black-necked Grebe and/or the Slav Grebe were there but I couldn't find either. I did count 127 Egyptian Geese, just loads in the area now. On Scotney sward amongst the Lapwing flocks were five Ruff, 213 Golden Plovers and 18 Curlew. Next stop was ARC and a walk to the Pines revealed 15 Chiffchaffs, two Great-Spotted Woodpeckers and a Jay which headed towards the Point. Our first Redwings of the winter were trapped and ringed at the Obs. A steady movement of Swallows and Sand Martins were heading south then west over the ARC pit and this carried on all day across the reserve. From Hanson hide was the Glossy Ibis a Black-tailed Godwit and a Garganey. One of the Coastguard helicopters came in to land at the airfield but was only at c.300ft and flushed all the birds on the islands as it swung around over the Pit, so duly reported the disturbance to Craig. From the Visitor Centre I picked up a distant Osprey between Burrowes and the Long Pits. It had been seen earlier in several locations around the Point and finally headed NE, presumably out to sea. I had a flock of six Bearded Tits circling overhead and calling, finally they headed north over Burrowes Pit and lost to view. From Xmas Dell hide there were 26 Snipe roosing amongst the reed brash. A pleasant day and good to finally have a dry and sunny day given all the recent rainfall. Very few gulls now roosting on Burrowes due to the shingle islands being covered by water.

Water levels look good on Hayfields 1 and 2 on the Reserve but no birds!

The flock of six Bearded Tits high overhead.

Five of the 26 Snipe from Xmas Dell hide.