16th Sep

At long last there was a nice arrival of Chiffchaffs this morning along with a few Blackcaps although admittedly not a great deal else in the bushes. Birds passing overhead included two Marsh Harriers which flew over the Observatory and out at the Point shortly after first light, 750 House Martins, 200 Swallows, a Tree Sparrow, ten Yellow Wagtails, four Grey Wagtails and two Tree Pipits. There was very little movement offshore but six Arctic Skuas continued to pester the feeding Sandwich Terns.

Nine Porpoise and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.

The moth traps were fairly quiet but another two Hoary Footman were noteworthy along with a single Delicate and Bulrush Wainscot.

15th Sep

A little bit more around on the land this morning with a Hobby, ten Chiffchaffs, the first Firecrest of the autumn in the Moat and four Tree Sparrows in the Observatory garden and 20 Yellow Wagtails, two Grey Wagtails and a Tree Pipit overhead. In the late afternoon a Honey Buzzard flew over the Point.

There were hundreds of Sandwich Terns and 120 Kittiwakes feeding offshore and these in turn were attracting some excellent numbers of Arctic Skuas with at least 30 lingering and chasing them. Genuine passage remains slow but did include two Balearic Shearwaters and 18 Whimbrel.

At least 15 Porpoises and four Grey Seals were feeding close inshore.

More searching through the Small Coppers produced another aberrant individual - this one appearing to be a better example of ab.radiata. A Clouded Yellow was also seen in the Moat.

Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas ab.radiata   Dungeness   15th September 2021

Moth numbers in the traps were not great but included our first Vestal of the year, another Delicate and a Pearly Underwing of note.

A late afternoon visit to the Trapping Area produced two Sickle-bearing Bush-crickets.

14th Sep

Birds passing through during the day included 500 Swallows and a Grey Wagtail whilst grounded migrants included 20 Blackcaps. 

Offshore passage was very slow with the first two two Red-throated Divers of the autumn and a Balearic Shearwater passing through of note but there were excellent numbers of skuas loitering with around 20 Arctic Skuas and a Great Skua.

In the evening a large flock of gulls including 100 Mediterranean Gulls descended on the Point to feed on flying ants.

Six Porpoises and two Grey Seals were seen offshore.

Another nocturnal visit to the Trapping Area for orthoptera produced six Large Coneheads and nine Sickle-bearing Bush-crickets.

 

13th Sep

A Great Skua and 18 Arctic Skuas were seen offshore but the startling lack of birds on the land continues with just four Wheatears and a Grey Wagtail of any note at all.

Six Porpoises and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.

The moth trap produced a fairly small catch but it did include this Convolvulus Hawkmoth which is in much better condition than yesterdays individual.

Convolvulus Hawkmoth Agrion convolvuli   Dungeness   13th September 2021

More searching through the masses of Small Copper butterflies around the Observatory produced another aberration which looks to be somewhere along the gradient between ab.radiata and ab.obsoleta. 

Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas ab.radiata-obsoleta   Dungeness   13th September 2021

12th Sep

The lack of  migrants continues despite another decent feeling morning and seawatching was also hard work but a Sooty Shearwater was seen along with a few Arctic Skuas and 34 Kittiwakes. The few migrants on the land included a Buzzard, a Merlin, ten Willow Warblers, four Wheatears, 20 Tree Sparrows, 18 Yellow Wagtails, five Grey Wagtails and two Tree Pipits. However, a White Stork was seen flying over the RSPB Reserve in the late morning and was easily visible from the Moat. This was then eclipsed by a remarkable flock of 45 birds which circled over the peninsula in the late afternoon for about 40 minutes before heading away in a NE direction. It appears that these were birds from the introduction project at Knepp.

The fine and hot afternoon saw vast numbers of Small Coppers on the wing with at least 600 at the front of the Observatory alone and including an aberrant form believed to be fuscae. A Clouded Yellow, plenty of Small Heath and two Brown Argus were also seen.

Small Coppers Lycaena phlaeas   Dungeness   12th September 2021

Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas ab fuscae   Dungeness   12th September 2021 

Brown Argus Aricia agestis   Dungeness   12th September 2021

The moth traps produced a few goodies including a very worn Convolvulus Hawkmoth, a Cypress Pug, our third Hoary Footman of the autumn and a Delicate.

Hoary Footman Eilema caniola   Dungeness   12th September 2021
The fifth Observatory record and the third this autumn.

Another evening visit was made to look for Orthoptera, Despite the decent conditions there was very little singing but cold searching still produced three Large Coneheads including the first two females of the season and 19 Sickle-bearing Bush-crickets with 12 being found at new stations for this species.

Large Conehead Ruspolia nitidula   female   Dungeness   12th September 2021

 

11th Sep

It remains incredibly quiet on the land with just three Grey Wagtails passing through being the only birds of note. It was also slow going offshore as well with a party of three Little Terns feeding close inshore and 12 Arctic Skuas passing west during the day being the highlights.

A White-speck and a Delicate were the best from the moth traps.

White Speck Mythimna unipuncta   Dungeness   11th September 2021

An evening visit to the Trapping Area was productive with seven Large Coneheads and eight Sickle-bearing Bush-crickets seen but the surprise sighting was that of a Common Toad. 

Large Conehead Ruspolia nitidula   Dungeness   11th September 2021

Sickle-bearing Bush-cricket  Phaneroptera falcata   Dungeness   11th September 2021

Commo Toad Bufo bufo   Dungeness   11th September 2021

10th Sep

Another ideal morning for a few migrants to arrive but yet again there was barely a grounded migrant to be seen and just a trickle of birds passing overhead. The best on offer were a paltry Common Sandpiper, nine Grey Wagtails and a Tree Pipit. The sea also continues to disappoint with just two Mediterranean Gulls, 168 Sandwich Terns and three Arctic Skuas of any note.

Two Porpoises and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.

The moth traps were not as busy as the previous night but the catch did include our second-ever Marsh Mallow Moth. 

Marsh Mallow Moth Hydraecia osseola   Dungeness   10th September 2021

9th Sep

Conditions seemed ideal for a few migrants to drop in this morning but it was not to be with the pitiful numbers of common migrants continuing. The only birds of note on  the land were singles of Merlin, Hobby, Spotted Flycatcher and Whinchat and 17 Wheatears. The sea was also pretty devoid of birds with just a couple of Arctic Skuas of note.

The overnight conditions did however make for a very decent catch in the moth traps with singles of the pyralids, Nephopteryx angustella (11th Obs record), Anania verbascalis (12th Obs record), and Cydalima perspectalis (3rd Obs record), two Cypress Pugs, a Narrow-winged Pug (4th Obs record), a Dusky Thorn and two Hoary Footman (3rd and 4th Obs records).

Anania verbascalis, Nephopteryx angustella, Narrow-winged Pug Eupithecia nanata and Hoary Footman Eilema caniola   
Dungeness   9th September 2021

8th Sep

Very quiet on the land with just six Willow Warblers, three Spotted Flycatchers, a Pied Flycatcher, two Redstarts, a Whinchat and 20 Yellow Wagtails of note. Singles of Mediterranean Gull, Great Skua and Arctic Skuas were the best of the meagre offerings offshore. 

Although the area was not checked for crickets this evening the Tree Crickets were clearly audible from the Observatory, a distance of around 400metres.

Elsewhere, three Spoonbills were new in on the Reserve and the three Cattle Egrets and a Glossy Ibis continue their stay there. Three Garganey were present and the first first-calendar Caspian Gull of the autumn was seen.

7th Sep

Grounded migrants continue to be scarce but ten Willow Warblers, a Spotted Flycatcher, two Pied Flycatchers, two Redstarts and two Whinchats were of interest while birds passing overhead included 100 Swallows, 30 Yellow Wagtails, 12 Grey Wagtails and a Tree Pipit. One Arctic Skua was seen offshore.

Another evening visit for Orthoptera was very successful with nine Large Coneheads and six Sickle-bearing Bush-crickets found and thousands of Tree Crickets creating an incredible chorus even audible from the Observatory garden. Earlier in the day a single Southern Oak Bush-cricket was found.

6th Sep

What was a pretty quiet day for grounded migrants saw the first really big push of departing Swallows through the Point with at least 6,000 in the area along with a 1,000 House and 180 Sand Martins. During the morning two Buzzards, 25 Yellow Wagtails, six Grey Wagtails and three Tree Pipits passed overhead and an adult male Merlin was chasing Swallows this afternoon. A party of four Ravens were also seen.

The best on offer from the moth traps were two Rest Harrows.

Another two Fire Bugs were seen this morning and an evening check for orthoptera produced seven Large Coneheads and eight Sickle-bearing Bush-crickets and an impressive chorus from the Tree Crickets.

The other highlight of today was the resurfacing of the access road to the Observatory.

A nice new surface for the Observatory road.

5th Sep

The wind finally dropped but with clear skies overnight most of the odd bits that had been lingering (including the Wryneck) appeared to have departed. Two Pied Flycatchers and a Spotted Flycatcher were new arrivals while four Whinchats and 20 Wheatears were also seen.

The sea continues to be slow-going with just two each of Great and Arctic Skuas and six Mediterranean Gulls being seen.

A Badger came into the garden in the early hours of the morning.

Butterfly observations today were dominated by Small Coppers with hundreds on the wing and a single Holly Blue.

4th Sep

Almost a repeat of the last few days although the Wryneck was much more visible today in the slightly improved conditions. There was a steady trickle of Swallows and Sand Martins moving through along with a Grey Wagtail and eight Yellow Wagtails. Two Whinchats and two Redstarts were also seen. A Black-tailed Godwit flew over the Point and two Arctic Skuas were lingering offshore.

The unlikely highlight on the mammal front was a Grey Squirrel on the beach behind the Patch Hide this morning. A Brown Hare was also seen.

Two adult Fire Bugs were found in the Moat.

Road repairs.

  The road from the red and white gate to the Obs is being resurfaced this week. The road will be closed to all traffic from 8am to 5pm on Monday and Tuesday. Visitors will have to park and walk in. 🚧

3rd Sep

Nothing much changed with the odd decent birds appearing to be the same "long-staying" birds including the Wryneck, a Redstart and two Whinchats still around the south-eastern corner of the Trapping Area. A Spotted Flycatcher on the power station was one of the few new migrants present. Two Mediterranean Gulls were feeding at the Patch and two Great Skuas and two Arctic Skuas were loitering offshore.

2nd Sep

Not a great deal of change as the cold northerly wind and cloudy conditions continue. The Wryneck was still present and marginally more visible today but the only other significant migrants were two Whinchats, a Redstart, 25 Wheatears and a Tree Pipit while three Egyptian Geese and single Golden Plover and Green Sandpiper flew over the area.

Wryneck Jynx torquilla   Dungeness   2nd September 2021

1st Sep

The Wryneck was still present but remains incredibly elusive and two Pied Flycatchers and a Redstart were also noteworthy but other migrants were thin on the ground other than at least 40 Wheatears and 70 Yellow Wagtails. Three Tree Sparrows flew over and two Whinchats were also seen in the Desert. A juvenile Hobby was seen on the beach.

Seawatching remains very slow going with over three hours of observation producing just three Mediterranean Gulls and three Arctic Skuas of note.

Four Porpoises and a Grey Seal were seen offshore.

31st Aug

A Wryneck was seen briefly at the south-east corner of the trapping area and two Pied Flycatchers were seen in the Moat. Two Tree Pipits and 20 Yellow Wagtails flew over, three Whinchats and 20 Wheatears were seen in and around the Desert area and a Merlin was seen at the fishing boats. A Mediterranean Gull and a Little Gull were feeding at the Patch and two Arctic Skuas were lingering offshore.

30th Aug

A cool, damp and breezy day which produced very little. A Garden Warbler and two Pied Flycatchers were seen in the Moat. Offshore, 21 Sanderling, a Mediterranean Gull, 123 Sandwich Terns and 15 Arctic Skuas were of note.

Three Porpoises and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.

The highlight from the moth trap was a Tree-lichen Beauty but it was high up on the wall and evaded capture.

29th Aug

Another day of few birds. Several seawatches during the day produced a Sooty Shearwater, eight Mediterranean Gulls, 183 Sandwich Terns, two Great Skuas and eight Arctic Skuas of note. A handful of birds on the land included a Cuckoo, 100 Sand Martins, a Redstart, four Whinchats, 15 Wheatears and six Yellow Wagtails.

Three Porpoises and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.

Butterflies seen included a Clouded Yellow and three Holly Blues and four Hummingbird Hawkmoths were seen sunning themselves on the power station this morning.

An adult and a nymph Fire Bug were netted in the Moat.

28th Aug

Another day of few birds but with some quality in the form of a Wryneck in the Desert/Teasel Bank area although for the most part it was very elusive and a Pied Flycatcher in the Moat. A Buzzard flew over and a Short-eared Owl arrived and a Whinchat and 15 Wheatears were also seen. There was very little movement offshore but a couple each of Great and Arctic Skua were loitering with intent.

At least two Porpoises were feeding offshore.

Elsewhere, a second Wryneck was seen at Galloways on the Lydd Ranges, the Glossy Ibis remains at ARC along with two Black-necked Grebes. A Wood Sandpiper and three Black Terns were seen on Burrowes.

27th Aug

There was the thinnest scatter of migrants across the Point today but with a Common Sandpiper on the Long Pits, three Pied Flycatchers, a Whinchat and three Tree Pipits of note along with an Osprey which flew over and out to sea at 1120.

Elsewhere, the Glossy Ibis continues its long stay at ARC where up to four Black-necked Grebes have also been seen this week. Up to three Black Terns have also been moving around the various pits, a Garganey is present and a Cattle Egret has been seen on several occasions.

26th Aug

A very quiet day on both land and sea with just single Arctic Skua and Great Skua seen offshore and 45 Yellow Wagtails and a Grey Wagtail of note on the land.

Two Porpoises and a Grey Seal were seen offshore.

Despite the seemingly unpromising weather the moth traps still came up with the goods in the form of a Portland Ribbon Wave (2nd Observatory record) and a Channel Islands Pug.

Portland Ribbon Wave Idaea degeneraria   Dungeness   

25th Aug

A Common Sandpiper flew west and five Mediterranean Gulls, a Great Skua and four Arctic Skuas flew east. A small arrival of migrants on the land included 15 Willow Warblers, a Garden Warbler, a Pied Flycatcher, two Whinchats and seven Wheatears while 45 Yellow Wagtails and a Tree Pipit flew over. 

Five Southern Oak Bush-crickets were found in the Observatory garden at lunchtime and an evening visit to the Trapping Area produced eight Large Coneheads and ten Sickle-bearing Bush-crickets and large numbers of singing Tree Crickets.

Sickle-bearing Bush-cricket Phaneroptera falcata   Dungeness   25th August 2021 

24th Aug

Four Whinchats, five Wheatears and 72 Yellow Wagtails were of note on the land while 34 Mediterranean Gulls, a Little Gull and a Yellow-legged Gull were feeding offshore.  

Three Porpoises were feeding offshore.

A Holly Blue was seen at the Long Pits.

23rd Aug

With the wind veering NE overnight and a bit of cloud first thing there was a decent arrival of migrants with 55 Willow Warblers, 75 Whitethroats, three Pied Flycatchers, a Spotted Flycatcher, three Whinchats, a Redstart, 15 Wheatears, 35 Yellow Wagtails and a Tree Pipit of note.

Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava    Dungeness   23rd August 2021 (Gill Hollamby)

A Badger came into the garden in the early hours of the morning.

The moth trap wasn't too inspiring for moths but it was still well worth running as it did produce another male Southern Migrant Hawker. Later in the morning the Heligoland Trap came up trumps again with a female Lesser Emperor in the catching end.

Lesser Emperor Anax parthenope   female   Dungeness   23rd August 2021

Southern Migrant Hawker Aeshna affinis   male   Dungeness   23rd August 2021.

22nd Aug

Although it was pretty quiet there was still some migrant interest with two Pied Flycatchers and 20 Wheatears of note along with a Snipe, a Green Sandpiper, a Greenshank and three Redshanks. A Little Gull flew east into the bay and 12 Mediterranean Gulls and five Arctic Skuas were feeding offshore.

The moth traps weren't very inspiring but did produce a Cydia amplana and a Rest Harrow of note.

Dragonflies stole the show in the evening when a couple of checks of the Heligoland Trap produced two Southern Migrant Hawkers.

Southern Migrant Hawkers Aeshna affinis   Dungeness   22nd August 2021
Top two images show a female and lower three show a male.
An alternative name for this species is Blue-eyed Hawker - you can see why in the case of the male..

21st Aug

A handful of birds were seen on the land with a Dunlin, a Snipe, a Green Sandpiper, 1050 Sand Martins, 18 Swallows, eight House Martins, 40 Yellow Wagtails and two Grey Wagtails while grounded migrants included a couple of Garden Warblers, a few Reed Warblers, six Wheatears and a Whinchat.

Seawatching remains fairly slow going but 5,5 hours of observation produced a Balearic Shearwater, four Redshank and a Little Gull along with 18 Mediterranean Gulls and six loitering Arctic Skuas offshore.

There was an increase in Porpoise numbers with at least 12 offshore along with two Grey Seals and a Common Seal. A Badger was feeding in the garden just before midnight.

There was a bit of interest in the moth trap with two Rest Harrows, a Rosy Wave and another Clouded Buff (the fourth Observatory record).

20th Aug

There was a bit of visible migration with 650 Sand Martins, nine Yellow Wagtails and three Grey Wagtails passing through during the morning while after dark two Dunlin and a Green Sandpiper were heard. Although offshore passage was virtually non-existent there were still 60 Mediterranean Gulls and two juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls feeding at the Patch.

Four Porpoise were feeding offshore.

An evening foray for crickets produced five Large Coneheads and 12 Sickle-bearing Bush-crickets.

19th Aug

Still just a handful of Willow Warblers scattered across the Point and very little else in the way of migrants. The Patch was attracting plenty of gulls this morning and included an excellent total of 84 Mediterranean Gulls and also two juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls. A Black Tern passed through this afternoon.

Five Porpoises were feeding offshore.

Our second Cydia amplana and  of the autumn was caught in an otherwise fairly poor night.

Elsewhere, an Osprey showed well on the RSPB Reserve along with a Glossy Ibis and three Great White Egrets. There were lots of birds on Lade Sands including a Little Stint and 600 Mediterranean Gulls 

18th Aug

Very quiet on the bird front with just a Balearic Shearwater offshore and 12 Willow Warblers, four Wheatear, seven Yellow Wagtails and a Tree Pipit of note on the land.

Four Porpoises and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.

The highlights from a decent catch of moths overnight were two Cydia amplana, a Pine Hawkmoth and The Ear. A tap of the Tree Mallows in the front garden produced eight Southern Oak Bush-crickets.

17th Aug

Despite the continuing general lack of birds on the land a Wood Warbler was seen in the Trapping Area along with 40 Willow Warblers, a Garden Warbler and two Spotted Flycatchers. and a distant Osprey flew over the area. Seawatching produced a Balearic Shearwater, two Black Terns and an Arctic Skua. A Greenshank flew over along with 35 Swifts, 50 Sand Martins, six Yellow Wagtails, a Grey Wagtail and a short-staying Corn Bunting. 

This evenings Orthoptera watch produced 11 singing Large Coneheads and 16 Sickle-bearing Bush-crickets in and around the Trapping Area.      

 

16th Aug

Three Mediterranean Gulls and an Arctic Skua flew west.at sea whilst overhead passage on the land included 120 Sand Martins, 12 Swallows, nine Yellow Wagtails and the first three Tree Pipits of the autumn. Grounded migrants were almost non-existent.

Five Porpoises and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore and a Brown Hare was seen on the land.

Moth-trapping overnight produced a Box-worm Moth of note while a short sweep netting session in the Observatory Garden resulted in five Southern Oak Bush-crickets being caught.

15th Aug

A total of 11 Whimbrel, 50 Sand Martins and 22 Yellow Wagtails passed overhead while ten Willow Warblers and ten Wheatears were seen in the bushes but the highlight of the day was an Osprey which flew over the Point and eventually out to sea. 

Another Thresher Shark was seen breaching this afternoon in what it is turning out to be a remarkable summer for sightings.

Overnight moth-trapping produced a Brussels Lace and a Black Arches, (the fourth and eighth observatory records respectively) and a Jersey Tiger was seen in the Desert.

A Slender Groundhopper was caught in the Desert while an evening search for Orthoptera proved highly successful with seven singing Large Coneheads and 15 Sickle-bearing Bush-crickets (seven adults and eight nymphs) being found. A few Tree Crickets were also singing.

14th Aug

The highlight of the day was a Honey Buzzard which flew over the Point at mid-day. Earlier in the morning a Greenshank, 70 Sand Martins and seven Yellow Wagtails flew over while 30 Willow Warblers, a Whinchat and a Grey Wagtail were grounded. A juvenile Mediterranean Gull was also seen offshore.

A Clouded Yellow and three Hummingbird Hawkmoths were seen and a nymph Sickle-bearing Bush-cricket was found.

      

13th Aug

Another very quiet day with just four Willow Warblers at the Long Pits and 90 Sand Martins and a Yellow Wagtail passing overhead.

Two Porpoises were seen offshore.

Another two Fire Bugs were found in the Moat.

12th Aug

 Very quiet on both land and at sea.

Six Porpoises and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.

The best of the moths were another two Loxostege sticticalis, a Rest Harrow and a Bordered Straw.

A late night search for crickets produced four Large Coneheads and six Sickle-bearing Bush-crickets including the first three adults.

11th Aug

The first decent arrival of autumn migrants on the land was dominated by Willow Warblers with at least 50 seen. Five hours of seawatching produced a Balearic Shearwater, 185 Gannets, two Grey Plovers, a Whimbrel, a Mediterranean Gull, 165 Sandwich Terns, five Black Terns and three Arctic Skuas.

Three Porpoises and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.

10th Aug

Most of the days avian interest was offshore although even here it was fairly slow going. Several watches during the day eventually produced a Balearic Shearwater, 149 Gannets, 51 Kittiwakes, eight Mediterranean Gulls, 109 Sandwich Terns, four Little Terns and an Arctic Skua of note. Four Willow Warblers were seen in the Trapping Area and 75 Sand Martins passed overhead.

Four Porpoises and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.

A mid-day search of the Trapping Area produced two nymph Sickle-bearing Bush-crickets and a few, mostly nymphal, Tree Crickets and a few taps of the Privet bushes in the front garden dislodged seven Southern Oak Bush-crickets.

Southern Oak Bush-cricket Meconema meridionale   Dungeness   10th August 2021

As darkness fell another visit was made to the Trapping Area and this proved very successful with a total of seven Large Coneheads found (two seen well). A couple of Tree Crickets were heard singing and another three Sickle-bearing Bush-crickets were seen.

Large Conehead Ruspolia nitidula   Dungeness   10th August 2021

9th Aug

Yet more seawatching with coverage for most of the day producing eight Balearic Shearwaters, 230 Gannets, 14 Mediterranean Gulls, 108 Sandwich Terns, an excellent total of 26 Little Terns and 446 Common Terns of note

Four Porpoises and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.

8th Aug

Little change in the weather so very limited coverage on the land but plenty of seawatching. The Sooty Shearwater remained the star bird which was feeding at the Patch in the morning before debunking to the fishing boats where it gave great views at times and even come to bread thrown out for the gulls at times. Birds passing through included seven Fulmars, two Mediterranean Gulls, 121 Common Terns and a Great Skua. A juvenile Yellow-legged Gull was also on the beach.

Three Porpoises were also feeding offshore.

7th Aug

Another day of strong south-westerly winds and frequent rain made observations on the virtually pointless but provided some decent movement of birds offshore. The latter included a remarkable Sooty Shearwater which flew in from the east and then continued to spend the rest of the day feeding amongst the gulls and terns at the Patch. More conventional records from 10.5hrs of watching included 58 Common Scoters, a Manx Shearwater, three Balearic Shearwaters, 453 Gannets, 81 Kittiwakes, nine Mediterranean Gulls, 238 Sandwich Terns, a Little Tern, 509 Common Terns and three Arctic Skuas. A juvenile Yellow-legged Gull was also feeding at the Patch.

Sooty Shearwater Puffinus griseus   Dungeness   7th August 2021

Four Porpoises and two Grey Seals were feeding offshore and a Badger visited the Observatory garden at both ends of the day.

6th Aug

A wet and very windy morning meant plenty of seawatching with 7.25 hours of observation producing three Balearic Shearwaters and 12 Black Terns of note along with three Shovelers, seven Fulmars, 428 Gannets, two Knot, two Mediterranean Gulls, seven Little Terns, a Great Skua and an Arctic Skua. 

Five Porpoise and a Grey Seal were also feeding offshore.

5th Aug

A few waders flew over during the morning including a Golden Plover, three Ringed Plovers and a Green Sandpiper. A Great Spotted Woodpecker, seven Willow Warblers and five Reed Warblers were seen in the Trapping Area and 200 Sand Martins and two Yellow Wagtails also flew over. Two juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls were feeding at the Patch but there was very little sign of any offshore movement.

Four Porpoises and two Grey Seals were feeding offshore and a Thresher Shark also breached.

A Channel Island Pug was caught last night and is the seventh record for the Observatory traps  and a brief check for orthoptera produced two nymph Sickle-bearing Bush-crickets.

Channel Island Pug |Eupithecia ultimaria   Dungeness   5th August 2021