With a fresh SE wind blowing this morning nearly all the interest was offshore where 63 Brent Geese, two Shovelers, 520 Common Scoters, a Red-necked Grebe, 1212 Sandwich Terns, four Common Terns, 13 Mediterranean Gulls, nine Arctic Skuas, a Great Skua, a Black-throated Diver, three Manx Shearwaters and 1032 Gannets were of note.
Three Porpoises and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.
Very few migrants around but there was some quality with a White Stork, a Red Kite, a Jay and a Wood Lark of note. Commoner migrants included 15 each of Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler, six Sedge Warblers, six Blackcaps, two Lesser Whitethroats, a Redstart and five Corn Buntings. Seawatching was fairly slow but picked up a bit in the afternoon with 35 Whimbrel, seven Bar-tailed Godwits, five Manx Shearwaters, two Common Terns, two Arctic Skuas, a Great Skua, a Manx Shearwater and a Shag of interest.
A highlight from the sea were nine White-beaked Dolphins (pods of three and six) along with eight Porpoises and a Grey Seal. Two Brown Hares were seen in the Desert.
Five Painted Lady butterflies were seen.
The morning saw a good arrival of migrants including two Wood Larks, 70 Willow Warblers, 55 Chiffchaffs, a Sedge Warbler, 16 Blackcaps, the first Lesser Whitethroat of the spring, 43 Whitethroats, a Ring Ouzel, a Redstart, 16 Wheatears and three Corn Buntings. Four Egyptian Geese, 26 Jackdaws, 12 Rooks, 11 Swallows, a Yellow Wagtail and a Rock Pipit also flew over
 |
| Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe Dungeness 9th April 2026 (Nathaneal Poffley) |
Over six hours of seawatching produced 38 Brent Geese, 114 Common Scoter, a Whimbrel, 15 Mediterranean Gull, 246 Sadwich Terns, four Arctic Skuas, and two Black-throated Divers of note.
At least 15 Porpoises and two Grey Seals were feeding offshore and two Brown Hares were seen on the land.
The second Large Tortoiseshell of the week was found at the Long Pits.
 |
| Large Tortoiseshell Aglais polychloros Dungeness 9th April 2026 |
A Brindled Beauty was only the sixth record from the Observatory traps.
 |
| Brindled Beauty Lycia hirtaria Dungeness 9th April 2026 |
It was very sad to hear of the death of Tony Greenland. Tony was a long time supporter of the Observatory, being on the committee in the 1970s, and returning to become a regular contributor and keen sea-watcher. His many stories and anecdotes kept everyone amused. He had been unwell for quite a well and is much missed. Our thoughts are with Christine and his family.
There were a decent number of migrants on the land with a Green Sandpiper at the Long Pits, an adult male Hen Harrier, three Buzzards, two Merlins, six Willow Warblers, 30 Chiffchaffs, a Reed Warbler, nine Blackcaps, 26 Whitethroats, a Redstart, 16 Wheatears, a Tree Pipit, two Redpolls and four Corn Buntings.
 |
| Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus male Dungeness 8th April 2026 (Jonathan Singlewood-Dodds) |
 |
| Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus Dungeness 8th April 2026 (Nathaneal Poffler) |
 |
| Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochrurus Dungeness 8th April 2026 (Nathaneal Poffler.) |
Today's highlight might have been a Chough which was present on the Point for 30 minutes or so this morning. Unfortunately the colour rings on its legs showed it be a bird from the Dover (Re) Introduction Programme and is called Betty.
 |
| Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax Dungeness 8th April 2026 (Jonathan Singlewood-Dodds) |
Six Porpoises and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore and two Brown Hares were seen in the Desert.
A Brimstone butterfly was seen.
There were a handful of migrants on the land with a Ring Ouzel caught in the moat being the highlight along with ten Sand Martins, a House Martin, 25 Chiffchaffs, two Willow Warblers, two Blackcaps and a White Wagtail.
Nearly 12 hours of seawatching eventually produced 36 Shelducks, 74 Shovelers, seven Gadwall, three Pintail, nine Teal, five Velvet Scoters, 424 Common Scoters, eight Red-breasted Mergansers, 35 Whimbrel, 11 Common Terns, 643 Sandwich Terns, 18 Little Gulls, four Mediterranean Gulls, four Arctic Skuas and a Great Skua.
 |
| Ring Ouzel Turdus torquatus Dungeness 7th April 2026 (Jonathan Singlewood-Dodds) |
A pod of seven White-beaked Dolphins moved east this morning and four Porpoises and two Grey Seals were feeding offshore.
There was a nice arrival of migrants on the land with 75 Chiffchaffs, 50 Willow Warblers, 14 Blackcaps, two Goldcrests, a Firecrest, a Ring Ouzel, two Redstarts, 33 Wheatears and a Corn Bunting. Eight Buzzards, four Swallows and a Siskin flew over.
The sea continued to disappoint despite ESE winds with 202 Common Scoters, four Mediterranean Gulls and 227 Sandwich Terns in four hours of watching.
 |
| Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus Dungeness 6th April 2026 (Jonathan Singlewood-Dodds.) |
 |
| Large Tortoiseshell Aglais polychloros Dungeness 6th April 2026 |
 |
| Ornate Shieldbug Eurydema ornata Dungeness 6th April 2026 |
 |
| Hister quadrimaculata Dungeness 6th April 2026 |
Very quiet on the land with just a Great Spotted Woodpecker, three Swallows, four Willow Warblers, 15 Chiffchaffs of interest. Seawatching was also slow going with 4.5hrs of coverage producing just five Eider, 110 Sandwich Terns, six Mediterranean Gulls, three Arctic Skuas and a Great Skua of note.
Two Porpoises and two Grey Seals were feeding offshore.
The early morning seawatch was very quiet but things picked up a bit in the afternoon as the wind increased from the SW. Notable counts included 469 Brent Geese, two Gadwall, a Velvet Scoter, 707 Common Scoters, 19 Curlew, 99 Kittiwakes, five Little Gulls, 11 Mediterranean Gulls, 347 Sandwich Terns, a Great Skua, seven Arctic Skuas and a Black-throated Diver. On the land, two Swallows, eight Willow Warblers, 25 Chiffchaffs, three Blackcaps and three Wheatears were of note.
Five Porpoises and two Grey Seals were feeding offshore.
With strong SW winds blowing most of the interest was offshore. Over eight hours of watching produced 181 Brent Geese, two Garganey, four Shoveler, three Teal, 641 Common Scoters, 30 Mediterranean Gulls, 404 Sandwich Terns, the first two Common Terns of the spring, three Arctic Skuas and a Little Egret. Four Willow Warblers, 18 Chiffchaffs and 310 Meadow Pipits were of note on the land.
Three Porpoises and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore and Weasel was seen at the Long Pits.