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Local weather

Update

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5th Oct

With clear skies and almost no wind it was very quiet on the land with just a handful of Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps in the bushes and single Wheatear and Rock Pipit on the ground. Visible migration was limited to a party of six Buzzards, a Tree Sparrow, two Grey Wagtails, 40 Siskins and 30 Reed Buntings.
Passage offshore was also fairly slow and limited mainly to Sandwich Terns during the morning. However, there was a notable influx of at least 102 Mediterranean Gulls on the sea and beach. A Great Northern Diver and a Great Skua also flew west and a Manx Shearwater flew east and at least five Arctic Skuas were lingering.  


Mediterranean Gulls Ichthyaetus melanocephalus   Dungeness   5th October 2018
Two colour-ringed birds were among a group of birds on the beach.
Three Porpoises were feeding offshore. A Badger was running around the moat as we opened the nets in the morning.

 The moth trap was quiet for migrants but in the afternoon a Convolvulus Hawkmoth larva was found and brought to the Observatory. We provided it with a pot of compost and it promptly buried itself and began to pupate.

Convolvulus Hawkmoth Agrion convolvuli   larva   Dungeness    5th October 2018
A Spiked Shieldbug was also found.
 
Spiked Shieldbug Picromerus bidens   Dungeness   5th October 2018

Elsewhere, six Cattle Egrets and 14 Great White Egrets came in to roost at the ARC Pit.
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