There was a small arrival of migrants on the land with 12 Willow Warblers, six Chiffchaffs, three Blackcaps, three Black Redstarts, a Firecrest and three Wheatears. A four-hour seawatch this morning produced 215 Brent Geese, six Shovelers, 22 Velvet Scoters, 446 Common Scoters and five Sandwich Terns of note.
Six Porpoises and two Grey Seals were feeding offshore and a Hedgehog was feeding in the Observatory garden again.
The first two Willow Warblers of the year were of note on the land along with 139 Wood Pigeons, 20 Jackdaws, five Chiffchaffs, a Blackcap and 20 Redwing. The sea was very quiet with just four Shovelers, two Teal and eight Sandwich Terns of any interest.
Four Porpoise and a Grey Seal were seen offshore.
A mainly bright and sunny morning with a fresh SW breeze. The morning seawatch produced 599 Brent Geese, 211 Common Scoters, six Red-breasted Mergansers, 61 Sandwich Terns, 155 Kittiwakes, eight Mediterranean Gulls, an Arctic Skua, 48 Red-throated Divers and also two Little Egrets which flew west of note. Nine Chiffchaffs, a Blackcap, three Black Redstarts and a Wheatear were the only birds of note on the land.
Five Porpoises were seen offshore.
Another foggy start to the day and not a great deal to be seen. The highlights on the land were a Jack Snipe, 18 Chiffchaffs, 28 Redwings, six Song Thrushes, eight Black Redstarts and six Wheatears.
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| An atmospheric start to the day |
The Hedgehog was feeding in the garden again this evening and ten Porpoises and two Grey Seals were feeding offshore.
A Red Kite, a Buzzard and a Swallow flew over the area and grounded migrants included 100 Redwings and seven Black Redstarts.
Over seven hours of seawatching produced ten Shovelers, two Gadwall, 262 Wigeon, 22 Teal, two Velvet Scoters, a flock of five Black-necked Grebes, nine Mediterranean Gulls and an Arctic Skua.
The mammal highlight was a Hedgehog in the Observatory garden this evening. Fifteen Porpoise and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.
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| Hedgehog Erinaceus europeaus Dungeness 26th March 2025 |
The Hoopoe was seen again at Denge Quarry but was very elusive.
A Red Kite, a Short-eared Owl, a Wood Lark, two Swallows, eight Chiffchaffs, two Fieldfares, 800 Redwings, 12 Song Thrushes, ten Black Redstarts, a party of six White Wagtails, a Brambling, another Hawfinch, a Redpoll and three Siskins.
Six Porpoise were feeding offshore and a Brown Hare was seen on the land.
Elsewhere, a Hoopoe was found at Denge Quarry, Lydd-on-sea.
A quiet day. A small arrival of birds on the land included a Hawfinch of note along with 17 Chiffchaffs, a very early Sedge Warbler, three Firecrests, 11 Goldcrest, 31 Redwings, six Song Thrushes, two Mistle Thrushes, seven Black Redstarts, 80 Chaffinches and five Siskins.
Two Grey Seals were feeding offshore and a Brown Hare was seen in the Desert.
Drizzle/light rain from the early hours grounded 600 Redwings with many of them singing from the bushes. Also passing over were six Golden Plovers, a Woodcock, a Swallow, 36 Chiffchaffs, ten Firecrests, eight Goldcrests, five Fieldfares, 15 Song Thrushes, a Mistle Thrush, 43 Robins, 18 Black Redstarts, a massive 2,260 Chaffinches, four Bramblings, three Siskins and 15 Reed Buntings.
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| Redwings Turdus iliacus Dungeness 23rd March 2025 |
Seawatching wasn't too good but poor visibility didn't help. Of interest were 472 Brent Geese, three Red-breasted Mergansers, 240 Kittiwakes, 34 Little Gulls and an Arctic Skua.
Eight Porpoise were feeding offshore.
The clear highlight of the day was an Iberian Chiffchaff in the garden of Southview Cottage (actually seen just before dark last night and confirmed this afternoon). It showed really well at times and was very occasionally heard called or singing. This is the second Dungeness record. There was a decent spread of other grounded migrants with 18 Black Redstarts and six Wheatears were notable along with a Merlin, 12 Chiffchaffs, two Blackcaps, a Firecrest, seven Goldcrests, 18 Redwings, eight Song Thrushes, two Grey Wagtails, a Rock Pipit and two Bramblings.
Over seven hours of seawatching from first light was productive with 2269 Brent Geese, 15 Eider, 1,214 Common Scoters, 23 Red-breasted Mergansers, a Little Ringed Plover, 206 Kittiwakes, 74 Little Gulls, 26 Mediterranean Gulls, 299 Sandwich Terns, three Arctic Skuas, 247 Red-throated Divers and a Black-throated Diver.
Mammals were well represented today with a pod of 11 White-beaked Dolphins passing through in the early morning along with seven Porpoises, a Grey Seal, a Brown Hare and a Weasel.
A Red Chestnut was trapped overnight - only the eighth Observatory record.
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| Red Chestnut Cerastis rubricosa Dungeness 21st March 2025 |
There was a small arrival of migrants on the land with 14 Black Redstarts, three Wheatears and a Hawfinch of note along with a Jack Snipe, a Merlin, six Chiffchaffs, a Firecrest, five Song Thrushes and 323 Chaffinches.
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| Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochrurus male Dungeness 21st March 2025 |
Although much quieter offshore than in the previous two days there were still 27 Garganeys, 425 Common Scoters, six Red-breasted Mergansers, three Avocets, 58 Little Gulls, five Mediterranean Gulls, 237 Sandwich Terns, 233 Red-throated Divers and 1,060 Gannets of interest.
Four Porpoises and a Grey Seal were seen offshore.
Another excellent seawatch in a light south-east breeze produced Brent Geese, a Garganey, 75 Shovelers, 21 Pintails, 120 Teal, four Eiders, 3476 Common Scoters, 11 Red-breasted Mergansers, a party of three Slavonian Grebes, 151 Sandwich Terns, 143 Little Gulls, 33 Mediterranean Gulls, an Arctic Skua and 309 Red-throated Divers. The first Swallow and two Wheatears of the spring arrived and a Pheasant, 95 Carrion Crow, 14 Chiffchaffs, two Firecrest, seven Black Redstarts and two White Wagtails were also of note.
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| Brent Geese Branta bernicla Dungeness 20th March 2025 |
The non-avian highlight of the day was a pod of about eight White-beaked Dolphins and Porpoises increased to 15. Two Grey Seals and a Common Seal were also seen.
A Hummingbird Hawk-moth was seen on the beach and a Waved Umber was found on a window at the Observatory. A Red Admiral and a Comma were seen at the Long Pits.
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| Waved Umber Menophra abruptaria Dungeness 19th March 2025 |
A fresh SE wind which dropped away during the day resulted in another spectacular seawatch dominated in terms of numbers by 9,290 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, (our second-best ever day total), 105 Pintails, 2,093 Common Scoters, 656 Red-throated Diver, 110 Sandwich Terns, 56 Little Gulls and 554 Kittiwakes. Notable species included a Pale-bellied Brent Goose, eight Garganey, 28 Teal, three Eiders, two Velvet Scoters, a flock of four Black-necked Grebes, the first Arctic Skua of the year and two Black-throated Divers.
Very quiet on the land with just a Merlin, a Wood Lark over the Desert and three Black Redstarts of note.
Four Porpoises and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.
The wind veered slightly into the east and prompted another good movement of birds offshore. Highlights were 163 Pintails, 33 Shovelers, 12 Pochards, a drake Scaup and 30 Avocets while numbers were provided by 836 Brent Geese, 56 Shelducks, 88 Teal, 341 Common Scoters, 374 Dunlins and 158 Red-throated Divers. Other bits and pieces included two Tufted Ducks, a Red-breasted Merganser, two Mediterranean Gulls and 11 Sandwich Terns. It remains quiet on the land although a Red Kite first seen on the RSPB reserve made it into the Observatory area, a Firecrest was seen in the trapping area, six Black Redstarts were spread around the Point and a Grey Wagtail was seen at the power station sewage works.
Four Porpoise and two each of Common Seal and Grey Seal were seen offshore.
A first-winter Caspian Gull and a second-winter Yellow-legged Gull were at the Point this morning along with 64 Dunlins and a Merlin while a Black Redstart and a Rock Pipit came in off the sea.
Eight Porpoises and a Grey Seal were seen offshore.
There was a little bit of migration overhead including 47 Stock Doves, 11 Jackdaws, a party of 14 Ravens and a Grey Wagtail while a Wood Lark was seen at the Long Pits.
Four Porpoises were feeding offshore.
Still cold with a strong NE wind. The only birds of note were seven Grey Plovers and 22 Sandwich Terns passing east offshore.
Three Porpoises were also feeding offshore.
Very quiet with seawatching producing just 403 Gannets of any note while the best on the land were three Black Redstarts.
Two Porpoises and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.
What was actually a very quiet day came to live in late morning when a White-tailed Eagle first seen on the Reserve flew over the recording area and eventually north over New Romney. It turns out that this was a bird originally released with a satellite tag (G542) on the Isle of Wight. The early seawatch produced just two Mediterranean Gulls of interest.
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| White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla Tagged G542 Dungeness 13th March 2025 |
Three Porpoises were seen offshore.
Seawatching produced 1202 Brent Geese, two Egyptian Geese, five Wigeon, three Teal, two Goosanders, three Little Gulls and 384 Red-throated Divers of interest. A handful of migrants on the land included a Chiffchaff, a Firecrest, six Black Redstarts and a male White Wagtail.
Five Porpoise and a Grey Seal were seen offshore.
Very quiet on the land with just a Firecrest and a male White Wagtail of interest. A 90 minute seawatch this morning produced seven Teal, a party of five Black-tailed Godwits, a Mediterranean Gull and 254 Gannets.
Five Porpoises and a Grey Seal were seen offshore.
A handful of birds on the land included two Woodcocks, a Buzzard, a Kingfisher, two Chiffchaffs, four Firecrests, 12 Siskins and 17 Reed Buntings.
The sea was much quieter this morning with a 2.25hr watch producing just four Shovelers, ten Pintail, four Velvet Scoters, three Sandwich Terns, a Little Gull, four Mediterranean Gulls and 359 Gannets of interest. The only notable birds on the land were a Firecrest, three Goldcrests, 50 Chaffinches and 15 Siskins.
One Porpoise was seen.
A decent seawatch again this morning with a fresh SE breeze bringing 778 Brent Geese, six Shelduck, 57 Shovelers, a Gadwall, 31 Wigeon, 98 Pintail, 179 Teal, 447 Common Scoter, four Avocets, two Sandwich Terns, ten Little Gulls, 11 Mediterranean Gulls, 59 Common Gulls, 193 Red-throated Divers and 1912 Gannets. A Merlin was also seen. Still very quiet on the land with just four Woodcocks, two Firecrests, 14 Redwings, a male White Wagtail and 35 Chaffinches of note.
A fresh SSE wind brought a spectacular easterly movement of wildfowl dominated by flock after flock of Pintails and a final total of 3705 birds. This total smashed the previous record day count which in itself was created earlier this spring with 994 on 21st February. There were plenty of other wildfowl with a notable total of 474 Shovelers (our fourth best spring day total) along with 634 Brent Geese, a Gadwall, 97 Teal, 317 Common Scoters and a Red-breasted Merganser, Also of note were seven Grey Plover, six Golden Plover, 27 Curlew, 12 Sandwich Terns, five Little Gulls, 58 Mediterranean Gulls, 149 Common Gulls, 320 Red-throated Divers, five Fulmars and 600 Gannets. It was very quiet on the land with just two Chiffchaffs and a Firecrest of interest.
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| Pintail Anas acuta flocks Dungeness 7th March 2025 |
Two Porpoises and a Grey Seal were seen offshore.
A Small Tortoiseshell was also seen.
With a light southerly wind and early mist the main interests were offshore where over eight hours of watching produced 3756 Brent Geese, 22 Wigeon, eight Shoveler, four Gadwall, 222 Pintails, 38 Teal, a Tufted Duck, four Eiders, 156 Common Scoters, 31 Mediterranean Gulls and 58 Little Gulls (in the afternoon). A first-winter Caspian Gull was also seen on the beach. A Firecrest, two Black Redstarts and a Rock Pipit were the best on offer on the land.
Two Porpoises and a Common Seal were feeding offshore.
A nice day but not much to report. Three Jack Snipe and two Common Snipe were flushed from the Long Pits where a Kingfisher was also seen. Two Firecrests were seen in the bushes, 18 Stonechats were scattered across the Point and a Rock Pipit flew over. The highlights from two hours of seawatching were just 237 Brent Geese, three Shovelers and a Mediterranean Gull.
Two Porpoise were seen offshore.
A Goosander flew east this morning and nine Sandwich Terns were seen offshore. Three Woodcocks were seen in the trapping area. Two Grey Wagtails, a Rock Pipit and three Siskins flew over.
Four Porpoise and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.
A Peacock butterfly was seen in the ringing hut.
Three Gadwall were seen on the Long Pits were a Jack Snipe and a Common Snipe were also seen. A Merlin, a Grey Wagtail and three Siskins flew over and a Firecrest was seen in trapping area. A Great Northern Diver flew east close inshore.
A Mediterranean Gull and six Sandwich Terns were seen offshore. A Merlin and six Siskins flew over.
Three Porpoises and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.
Two Mediterranean Gulls were seen offshore and a Buzzard and a Merlin were seen on the land.
A Porpoise and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.
Elsewhere, the Long-tailed Duck was still on New Diggings, the Smew was on ARC and a female Scaup and a Purple Sandpiper were seen at Scotney