Another 15 very early Brent Geese passed through offshore and a Buzzard and a Marsh Harrier flew over. A juvenile Little Egret feeding along the roadside in front of the power station was an unusual sight. One Redshank flew in off the sea in the morning and a party of at least three birds flew over the Observatory just after dark. A Sedge Warbler and 14 Willow Warblers were seen on the land.
Three Porpoises and four Grey Seals were feeding offshore.
A sweep netting session in the Moat proved highly successful with the catching of a Fire Bug Pyrrhocoris apterus - the first Observatory area record of this once very rare species but which is now more frequently recorded and with records from Lydd and Lydd-on-Sea.
Fire Bug Pyrrhocoris apterus Dungeness 2nd August 2021 |
Elsewhere, the clear highlight of the day was a Caspian Tern which was present at Dengemarsh for five minutes this afternoon before flying off in a NW direction.