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24th Sep
A Cattle Egret flying over the trapping area was the highlight of an otherwise fairly quiet day. Grounded migrants included 50 Chiffchaffs, a Firecrest and a Pied Flycatcher while 65 Swallows, two Yellow Wagtails, three Grey Wagtails, 218 Meadow Pipits and 71 Siskins flew over. Two Gadwall, 23 Wigeon, three Teal, six Mediterranean Gulls, three Little Gulls and two Arctic Terns were seen offshore.
Two Porpoise were seen offshore.
Two adult Mediterranean Stick-insects were found around the Observatory garden.
The American Golden Plover was back in the stubble field at Jury's Gap and at least four Glossy Ibis were seen on the RSPB Reserve.
23rd Sep
A cold north-easterly wind brought a trickle of birds heading west offshore including 26 Brent Geese, 28 Wigeon, 90 Teal and three Mediterranean Gulls and also 60 Kittiwakes and four Arctic Skuas feeding offshore. A Grey Plover, two Great White Egrets, another flock of four Glossy Ibis, 90 Swallows, two Yellow Wagtails, two Grey Wagtails, 580 Meadow Pipits, two Tree Pipits and 130 Siskins flew over while a small number of migrants in the bushes included 35 Chiffchaffs, two Goldcrests and a Whinchat.
Three Porpoises and a Grey Seal were seen offshore.
Barry Banson Farewell.
There will be an informal get-together in memory of Barry at the Dungeness Bird Observatory on Tuesday 30th September at 2.30 pm.
Please RSPV so we have an idea of numbers.
We look forward to seeing you.
22nd Sep
A Brent Goose, 17 Shelduck, 31 Wigeon, four Mediterranean Gulls and six Arctic Skuas were seen offshore. A Willow Warbler and 50 Chiffchaffs were in the bushes and a Yellow Wagtail, three Grey Wagtails, 200 Meadow Pipits, a Redpoll and nine Siskins flew over.
The stubble field at Jury's Gap continues to provide excitement with a Buff-breasted Sandpiper joining the American Golden Plover and large numbers of Golden Plovers.
21st Sep
A very breezy night gave way to a calm and bright morning and a small arrival migrants including 100 Chiffchaffs, a Firecrest, two Redstarts and nine Wheatears while the invasion of Glossy Ibis continued with a flock of nine birds flying out to sea. Eight Buzzards, three Yellow Wagtails, a Grey Wagtail and 30 Siskin flew over and the Red-backed Shrike was still present. The sea was fairly quiet with just ten Mediterranean Gulls, an adult Yellow-legged Gull, a Great Skua, seven Arctic Skuas and two Red-throated Divers being seen.
Three Porpoises and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.
An Asian Hornet was seen feeding at Ivy flowers in the garden of Southview Cottage and three Mottled Shieldbugs were seen at the Lighthouse Garden.
The American Golden Plover was still in the massive stubble field at Jury's Gap.
20th Sep
There was another large movement of hirundines throughout the day with final totals of 1010 Sand Martins, 14,500 Swallows and 4750 House Martins as well as seven Grey Wagtails, five Tree Pipits, 31 Siskins and 12 Reed Buntings. There was also a large arrival of migrants in the bushes which included four Willow Warblers, 250 Chiffchaffs, 140 Blackcaps, a Firecrest, five Song Thrushes and three Spotted Flycatchers and the Red-backed Shrike was still present. Seawatching was also decent with two Glossy Ibis west and the Grey Phalarope still offshore along with 86 Bar-tailed Godwits, 25 Knot, nine Mediterranean Gulls, two Little Terns, three Great Skuas, 30 Arctic Skuas, six Manx Shearwaters, a Balearic Shearwater and a Shag.
A Vestal, a Lesser Treble-bar, a Palpita vitrealis and two Cydalima perspectalis were of note from the moth traps and a Western Conifer Seed-bug was also found.
The American Golden Plover was still showing at Jury's Gap.
19th Sep
Despite the wind dropping the sea was still good value with a Grey Phalarope, seven Sooty Shearwaters and 67 Manx Shearwaters of note along with six Shoveler, a Pintail, 18 Ringed Plovers, 16 Dunlin, 129 Kittiwakes, a Little Gull, a Black Tern, two Great Skuas and 36 Arctic Skuas. There was another emergence of flying ants in the evening which attracted a large flock of gulls and including at least 50 Mediterranean Gulls. Hirundines passed through for much of the day and gathered in large numbers in the afternoon with a conservative estimate of 1030 Sand Martins, 25,000 Swallows and 900 House Martins. Other birds passing overhead included 13 Yellow Wagtails, 14 Grey Wagtails, a Tree Pipit and 20 Siskins. There was also a small arrival on the land with three Willow Warblers, 65 Chiffchaffs, 50 Blackcaps, four Goldcrests, a Redstart and four Whinchats. The Red-backed Shrike showed again.
Two Porpoises and five Grey Seals were feeding offshore.
The moth traps were quite productive with a Cypress Pug, a Vestal, a Radford's Flame Shoulder and a Beautiful Marbled of note. Two Clouded Yellows were also seen.
The American Golden Plover was still with European Golden Plovers at Jury's Gap.
18th Sep
A damp, breezy morning continued to provide some decent seawatching with singles of both Leach's and Storm Petrel of particular note along with 101 Kittiwakes, a Little Gull, two Mediterranean Gulls, 365 Sandwich Terns, three Black Terns, 16 Arctic Skuas, two Sooty Shearwaters, 31 Manx Shearwaters, nine Balearic Shearwaters and 471 Gannets. It was fairly quiet on the land with two Willow Warblers, 37 Chiffchaffs, a Redstart and a Whinchat about the best on offer.
Three Porpoises and two Grey Seals were feeding offshore and a Brown Hare was seen on the land.
A large Common Toad was seen iin the trapping area.
Elsewhere, the adult American Golden Plover was still with the Golden Plovers at Jury's Gap.
17th Sep
Strong winds yet again meant a massive seawatching stint from dawn until near dusk. The highlights of the day were a near continuous movement of Sooty Shearwaters and ending with our second best-ever day count of 351 birds west and also another four Storm Petrels. Other seabirds were relatively scarce again with the 12hr watch producing just a Grey Plover, two Golden Plovers, 19 Bar-tailed Godwits, 26 Knot, three Curlew Sandpipers, (rare off here and with a small party of Bar-tailed Godwits), three Black Terns, 315 Common Terns, 436 Sandwich Terns, four Little Gulls, 98 Kittiwakes, ten Mediterranean Gulls, 43 Arctic Skuas, a Great Skua, 11 Manx Shearwaters and two Balearic Shearwaters and 791 Gannets. Four Little Terns and two Yellow-legged Gulls were also feeding offshore. Passage overhead included two Hobbies, 2081 Swallows and seven Yellow Wagtails. A Spotted Flycatcher and 30 Chiffchaffs were seen in the trapping area.
Three Porpoises and two Grey Seals were feeding offshore.
Elsewhere, the adult American Golden Plover was seen at Jury's Gap just over the border into East Sussex.
16th Sep
More strong winds which eventually produced an excellent total of 17 Storm Petrels offshore but other seabirds were in fairly short supply with just six Knot, 16 Mediterranean Gulls, four Black Terns, 17 Arctic Skuas of note. Two Caspian Gulls were feeding offshore and an Osprey attempted to head out to sea shortly before dark but quickly turned around and came back to land. A check of the bushes produced 32 Chiffchaffs, two Blackcaps, a Spotted Flycatcher, two Redstarts, eight Wheatears. Five Yellow Wagtails, seven Grey Wagtails and two Siskins also passed overhead. The Red-backed Shrike was also seen again.
Two Porpoises and two Grey Seals were feeding offshore and a Brown Hare was seen on the land.
15th Sep
A very windy day with most of the coverage offshore but it was even quiet here until a late flurry in the evening produced three Storm Petrels. Eight Little Terns, a Black Tern and 11 Arctic Skuas were also seen.
A Common Seal and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.
14th Sep
The first calm morning for a while brought a decent drop of migrants with a Woodlark, 700 Swallows, 13 Willow Warblers, 150 Chiffchaffs, 45 Blackcaps, two Spotted Flycatchers, 25 Robins, a Redstart, a Whinchat, seven Wheatears, 15 Yellow Wagtails, 12 Grey Wagtails, at least two Crossbills and nine Siskins. The Red-backed Shrike was still present and an Osprey flew over.
The sea was very quiet at first but as the wind picked from late morning birds began to move offshore with 14 Arctic Skuas, a Long-tailed Skua, nine Sooty Shearwaters, three Manx Shearwaters and nine Balearic Shearwaters of note.
13th Sep
In more windy conditions three Mediterranean Gulls, eight Little Terns, a Pomarine Skua, 40 Arctic Skuas, three Sooty Shearwaters and 13 Balearic Shearwaters were seen offshore. It was fairly quiet on the land but 25 Chiffchaffs, a Firecrest, a male Redstart, 13 Wheatears and ten Yellow Wagtails were seen and the Red-backed Shrike was still present. A Long-eared Owl was also showing well at the top of the Desert.
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| Long-eared Owl Asio otus Dungeness 13th September 2025 |
12th Sep
Another breezy day with a bit of seawtching but fairly quiet on the land. Two Egyptian Geese, a juvenile Cuckoo, 450 Swallows, 38 Chiffchaffs, nine Blackcaps, a Garden Warbler, two Spotted Flycatchers, a Redstart, two Whinchat, the Red-backed Shrike, 28 Yellow Wagtails, six Grey Wagtails and a Tree Pipit were seen on the land. Thirteen Little Terns, a Black Tern, 40 Arctic Skuas, the Long-tailed Skua, a Balearic Shearwater and 600 Gannets were seen offshore.
Two Porpoises and three Grey Seals were seen offshore.
The American Golden Plover reappeared at Jury's Gap and 14 Cattle Egrets, three Glossy Ibis and the Red-backed Shrike were seen on the RSPB Reserve.
11th Sep
Another windy day saw most of the interest offshore seven Little Terns, four Black Terns, 30 Arctic Skuas, a juvenile Long-tailed Skua, 14 Balearic Shearwaters and a Shag were of note. The Red-backed Shrike was still present and a Grasshopper Warbler and a Redstart were also of note. Two Swifts, 20 Yellow Wagtails and three Grey Wagtails flew over.
Four Porpoise and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.
A Pectoral Sandpiper was seen from the Hanson Hide on ARC.
10th Sep
A return to fresh SSE x SE winds saw much reduced numbers of birds in the bushes but passage offshore increased. The highlight of the day was a flock of 21 Glossy Ibis which arrived from the east and flew inland. The Red-backed Shrike was still in the northern Desert and the Wryneck was seen again. Other birds passing overhead or offshore included 117 Ringed Plovers, nine Sanderling, three Little Terns, five Black Terns, 42 Arctic Skuas, a Long-tailed Skua, seven Sooty, two Manx and 25 Balearic Shearwaters, 250 Sand Martins, 6500 Swallows and 52 Yellow Wagtails.
Two Mediterranean Gulls, a Yellow-legged Gull and a first-winter Caspian Gull were feeding offshore.
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| Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus Dungeness 10th September 2025 (Charlotte Foote) |
Two Porpoises and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.
The highlights from the moth traps were another Portland Ribbon Wave along with singles of Palpita vitreals and Scarce Bordered Straw.
Elsewhere, a Dotterel was seen in the stubble field at Jury's Gap, East Sussex.
9th Sep
A calm day saw an excellent arrival of migrants in the bushes and overhead. Numbers were dominated by 35 Willow Warblers, 70 Chiffchaffs, 14 Reed Warblers, 150 Blackcaps and 35 Lesser Whitethroats with a bit of variety provided by a Spotted Flycatcher, three Redstarts, eight Whinchats and 15 Wheatears while 150 Sand Martins, 650 Swallows, 25 Yellow Wagtails and 18 Grey Wagtails passed overhead. The highlights of the day though were a Nightjar in the trapping area at dawn and again at dusk, a Red-backed Shrike at the north end of the area and a flock of 61 White Storks which flew over and quickly out to sea. The flock was seen later in the day on a waste treatment site in Boulogne, France.
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| Red-backed Shrike Lanius cristatus Dungeness 9th September 2025 |
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| White Storks Ciconia ciconia Dungeness 9th September 2025 A flock of 61 birds. |
Highlights from the moth traps were a Palpita vitrealis, a Vestal and a Scarce Bordered Straw.
Elsewhere, another Red-backed Shrike was found on the RSPB Reserve and the American Golden Plover was seen at Jury's Gap again.
8th Sep
The highlights of the day were a flock of 14 Glossy Ibis which flew east over the area and out to sea, an Osprey over the Point and the reappearance of the Wryneck. There was a decent arrival of grounded migrants including 28 Willow Warblers, 31 Chiffchaffs, nine Reed Warblers, 80 Blackcaps, a Garden Warbler, 20 Whitethroats, two Spotted and a Pied Flycatcher, a Redstart, six Whinchats and 25 Wheatears. Birds passing overhead included a Green Sandpiper, nine Buzzards, a Hobby, 600 Sand Martins, 4200 Swallows, 210 House Martins, four Tree Sparrows, 100 Yellow Wagtails, 14 Grey Wagtails and a Tree Pipit. Eight Little Terns offshore were of interest.
Five Porpoises and two Grey Seals were feeding offshore.
7th Sep
A breezy morning saw a return to seawatching as the main interest where six Shovelers, two Pintail, a flock of six Avocets, 29 Mediterranean Gulls, 37 Arctic Skuas, 1000 Sandwich Terns, seven Little Terns, two Black Terns and eight Balearic Shearwaters were seen. Birds passing overhead included four Swifts, a Greenshank, seven Grey Herons, a Hobby, 8000 Sand Martins, 15,550 Swallows, 78 House Martins and 30 Yellow Wagtails. It was pretty quiet on the land but grounded migrants did include two Spotted and a Pied Flycatcher, two Redstarts and five Whinchats.
Six Porpoises and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.
The highlight from the moth traps was a Portland Ribbon Wave.
6th Sep
A calm day saw an excellent arrival of migrants on the land, a massive movement of hirundines and a few birds passing offshore. Grounded migrants were dominated by 20 Willow Warblers, ten Chiffchaffs, 200 Blackcaps and 30 Whitethroats and also a Grasshopper Warbler, ten Spotted and six Pied Flycatchers, three Redstarts and three Whinchats. The Wryneck was still showing occasionally in the Desert. Birds passing overhead included 13 Swifts, a Dotterel, 240 Ringed Plovers, three Redshanks and a Greenshank, a spectacular 25,000 Sand Martins, 4000 Swallows, 150 House Martins and 15 Yellow Wagtails. Although the sea was relatively quiet it still produced a flock of eight Spoonbills, 20 Arctic Skuas and a Balearic Shearwater of note along with two Shovelers, 16 Teal, 34 Grey Plovers, 366 Sandwich Terns and two Black Terns. In the evening there was a large emergence of flying ants and this brought lots of feeding gulls including 350 Mediterranean Gulls.
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| Sand Martins Riparia riparia Dungeness 6th September 2025 |
A Porpoise and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.
The moth traps were also very productive with a Convolvulus Hawkmoth, a Small Mottled Willow and our second-ever record of the rare migrant pyralid Diasemiopsis ramburialis. A Clouded Yellow was also seen.
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| Diasemiopsis ramburialis Dungeness 6th September 2025 |
The adult American Golden Plover was still showing in the large stubble field just north of Jury's Gap.
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| American Golden Plover Pluvialis dominica adult Jury's Gap, East Sussex 6th September 2025 |
5th Sep
With the wind dropping this morning it gave us a chance to look for migrants on the land with two Swifts, a Golden Plover, 111 Ringed Plovers, a Honey Buzzard passing south, a Wryneck in the Desert, 650 Sand Martins, 970 Swallows, 55 Willow Warblers, 14 Chiffchaffs, four Sedge Warblers, 70 Blackcaps, a Garden Warbler, 25 Whitethroats, three Goldcrests, two Spotted Flycatchers, a Redstart, ten Yellow Wagtails, four Grey Wagtails and a Tree Pipit. The sea was much quieter but still produced 400 Sandwich Terns, 13 Little Terns, 16 Arctic Skuas and three Balearic Shearwaters.
Elsewhere, of great note was an adult American Golden Plover which was with European Golden Plovers in a stubble field just north of Jury's Gap.
4th Sep
More strong SSW winds again meant more seawatching with 12hrs of coverage producing a Mediterranean Gull, 1173 Sandwich Terns, another 136 Little Terns, 230 Common Terns and 16 Black Terns, 121 Arctic Skuas, a Leach's Petrel, four Sooty Shearwaters, a Manx Shearwater and an excellent total of 61 Balearic Shearwaters. A first-year Caspian Gull was on the beach and seven Swifts flew out to sea. As we returned to the Observatory after the morning at the boats a spectacular flock of seven Honey Buzzards flew over the Point and in the afternoon an Osprey flew out to sea.
Four Porpoises and two Grey Seals were feeding offshore and as dusk fell a Common Pipistrelle gave amazing views as it flew around the Observatory garden.
3rd Sep
Virtually all the interest was offshore in poor weather conditions where almost dawn till dusk coverage produced two Golden Plovers, seven Grey Plovers, two Mediterranean Gulls, two Caspian Gulls, another huge total of 3207 Sandwich Terns, 113 Little Terns, 1006 Common Terns, six Arctic Terns and 41 Black Terns, 59 Arctic Skuas, ten Sooty Shearwaters, two Manx Shearwaters, 19 Balearic Shearwaters and a Merlin.
Five Porpoises and two Grey Seals were feeding offshore.
2nd Sep
A breezy day meant more seawatching where eight hour of coverage produced 28 Ringed Plovers, a flock of 91 Redshanks, a Mediterranean Gull, 1687 Sandwich Terns, four Arctic Terns, two Black Terns, 60 Arctic Skuas, a Sooty Shearwater, a Manx Shearwater, an excellent 44 Balearic Shearwaters and 615 Gannets. Two first-year Caspian Gulls were also on the beach.
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| Caspian Gulls Larus cachinnans first-years Dungeness 2nd September 2025 |
Fairly quiet on the land although 12 Willow Warblers, a Grasshopper Warbler and six Spotted Flycatchers were of note and five Swifts flew over.
Six Porpoises and two Grey Seals were feeding offshore.
1st Sep
Strong SSW winds resulted in a remarkable seawatch which was dominated by terns. Over 6,500 Sandwich Terns and 299 Little Terns broke autumn day total records and for Little Tern it was also the most seen in any autumn except for 1992. An adult Curlew Sandpiper, 24 Black Terns, 68 Arctic Skuas, a Great Skua, a Sooty Shearwater and 52 Balearic Shearwaters were also noteworthy. Two each of first-winter Caspian and Yellow-legged Gulls were also on the beach.
Three Porpoises, a Grey Seal and a Common Seal were seen offshore and a Brown Hare was seen on the land.
Despite the unfavourable conditions an evening search for rare orthoptera was surprisingly successful with two male Large Coneheads, three Sickle-bearing Bush-crickets and plenty of Tree Crickets were noted. Three Mediterranean Stick-insects were found in the Observatory garden.
31st Aug
With a fresh SW wind most of the interest was offshore again where 13 Black Terns, two Little Terns, 150 Common Terns, 2015 Sandwich Terns, four Mediterranean Gulls, 51 Arctic Skuas and 13 Balearic Shearwaters were noted in 6.25 hours of watching. A Caspian Gull and a Yellow-legged Gull were on the beach at the fishing boats. On the land, a Spotted Flycatcher, two Redstarts, three Whinchats and two Grey Wagtails were of note and an Osprey flew over the area.
Four Porpoise and two Grey Seals were seen offshore and a Brown Hare was seen on the land.
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