Juvenile Honey Buzzard

At the point just before 7:00am. By 9:00am I'd had a few hundred Swallows and Sand Martins moving south-east along with 113 Yellow Wagtails, 2 Tree Pipits, a Grey Wagtail, Green Sandpiper and Whimbrel. Along the beach were 28 Wheatears and a Whinchat. The highlight was a juvenile Honey Buzzard which Jacob picked up coming in from the north. It landed in the Trapping Area and eventually took off and headed south down the coast. Even though I was relatively close to the HB as it took off from the Trapping Area  and started to gain height, the heat haze and hand holding a 1,100mm lens meant that almost all of my photos were horrendously out of focus. Or, which is more likely I was very wobbly and had the camera on the wrong settings!

Juvenile Honey Buzzard

Honey Buzzards

A good seawatch this morning with passing Sooty and Balearic Shearwaters heading west along with a good total of Arctic Skuas and more Little Terns. Less Common, Sandwich and Little Terns moving than yesterday but many distant tern flocks on the horizon. 

By about 09:45 the movement showed signs of slowing down so I went home for breakfast and then headed to the RSPB Reserve. On arriving I checked the islands from Dennis's picnic tables and picked up part of a radio message conversation between Charlotte and Jacob which sounded interesting. On enquiring I was told that there were at least 3 Honey Buzzards over the trapping area. I managed to watch them from the picnic tables and after a short while 5 Honey Buzzards were soaring over the area together and gradually gained height before moving off high north east. Jacob picked up another 2 following the coast which appeared to join the 5. A little later Kev Else picked up another Honey Buzzard moving south east between Lade and Kerton Road. I think this is likely to be an eighth bird. As far as I know this number of Honey's in the area on one day is quite unprecedented, at least since I've been living in the area.

The 5 Honey Buzzards had first been picked up by Keith Cutting over the Dungeness RSPB car park heading east who kindly put out a message which was picked up by the locals.

I managed to some extreme distant photos from Dennis's of 4 Honey's over the trapping area in the haze and then 3 as they gained height.

   

Weather

Cold early morning, 15°C daytime high. Dry for most of the day with showers, some heavy in the afternoon. NW 14-16mph.

View looking at the south east side of the Trapping Area.

The Desert east of the Trapping Area.

I started the day in the Desert at the Point, taking a wide route near to the railway station and then on to the Sanctuary. Three Red Foxes were evident warming up in the morning sunshine. 

Two flocks of 11 and six Stonechats were foraging amongst the gorse along with a two Whinchats and a Redstart. Occasionally Meadow Pipits would fly over heading west indicating that a movement albeit in low numbers was happening. I recorded 17w.

Meadow Pipit

Whinchat

Whilst at the northern end of the Desert I was fortunate to be in the right place to pick up a juvenile Honey Buzzard which ended up circling over the Point and Long Pits before heading off north-west over ARC and Lade. It or another was later seen perched in willow from the Polish War Memorial. Kestrels are not keen on the intrusion in to their air space and monitored the movements of the Honey Buzzard. At least 19 Kestrels were recorded in the Desert area.

Honey Buzzard juvenile being mobbed by a Kestrel.

I then visited the RSPB Reserve and checked out Burrowes Pit. The White-winged Black Tern and at least 11 Black Terns were still present. An unexpected heavy rain shower caused the White-winged Black Tern to make a most bizarre head movement. After the rain shower, a couple of Black Terns decided it was time for a wash.

White-winged Black Tern (right) and Black Tern (left) 

Washing Black Terns

Bizarre head movement by the White-winged Black Tern

White-winged Black Tern

Butterflies were noticeable in the Desert with Small Copper, Small Heath, Red Admiral and a couple of Peacocks.

Peacock Butterfly

Whilst watching the terns feeding, a begging juvenile Goldfinch with an adult appeared on the Teasels in front of Dennis's Hide.