There was a small but significant arrival of migrants today in the continuing strong NE winds. Of particular note were a Cuckoo, a Spotted Flycatcher, four Pied Flycatchers, a Redstart and a Whinchat while numbers were provided by 14 Willow Warblers and 15 Lesser Whitethroats.
10th Aug
A party of seven Little Egrets, five Buzzards, a Hobby, 80 Swallows and 23 Yellow Wagtails flew over while migrants in the bushes included 12 Willow Warblers, two Sedge Warblers, 12 Reed Warblers, a Garden Warbler and 15 Lesser Whitethroats. Two juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls were seen at the fishing boats.
A brilliant night of moth trapping with many notable species including a Striped Hawkmoth, a Ni Moth, a remarkable 92 Small Mottled Willows, a Tree-lichen Beauty, two Scarce Bordered Straws, eight Pearly Underwings, six Delicates, a Palpita virealis and two Cydia amplana.
The evening chorus from the Tree Crickets was easily audible from the Observatory.
9th Aug
The hot, dry weather continues and it remains fairly quiet on the land with eight Willow Warblers, a Sedge Warbler, ten Reed Warblers, a Nightingale and a Redstart and the highlight of two Grasshopper Warblers. Birds passing overhead included 29 Swifts, four Grey Plover, a Redshank and a Greenshank, 46 Sand Martins, 48 Swallows and 41 Yellow Wagtails. Ten Mediterranean Gull were feeding offshore.
A Grey Seal and 12 Porpoises were seen.
The highlights from the moth traps included two Purple Marbled, a Scarce Bordered Straw and a Channel Island Pug.
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| Purple Marbled Eublemma ostrina Dungeness 9th August 2026 |
8th Aug
A Little Egret, four Buzzards and 12 Yellow Wagtails flew over while a small arrival of migrants in the bushes included 11 Willow Warblers, a Sedge Warbler, 15 Reed Warblers and four Lesser Whitethroats, a Nightingale calling in the trapping area and a Redstart. A juvenile Caspian Gull flew past the Point and 200 Sandwich Terns and 50 Common Terns were feeding offshore.
Nine Porpoises and three Grey Seals were feeding offshore.
The moth traps came up trumps with another Eastern Bordered Straw, seven Small Mottled Willows, a Small Ranunculus, two Tree-lichen Beauty's and also a Hemp Agrimony Plume which is a new species for the Observatory traps. A Clouded Yellow butterfly was also seen.
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| Hemp Agrimony Plume Adaina microdactyla Dungeness 8th August 2026 |
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| Eastern Bordered Straw Heliothis nubigera Dungeness 8th August 2026 |
Two Large Coneheads were singing at the north end of the Long Pits and a Southern Oak Bush-cricket was seen in the Observatory garden where 15 Mediterranean Stick-insects were also seen.
Elsewhere, a male Montagu's Harrier was seen on the Lydd Ranges,
7th Aug
Still the heat goes on. A few migrants in the bushes included 23 Willow Warblers, nine Lesser Whitethroats, 40 Whitethroats and a Nightingale. A check of the beach at low tide produced the days highlight in the form of an adult Roseate Tern among 400 Sandwich Terns and a Black Tern while waders included ten Ringed Plovers, ten Turnstones, 45 Sanderlings and 150 Dunlin. There were also 25 Mediterranean Gulls and two juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls.
Four Porpoises and two Grey Seals were feeding offshore and a Brown Hare was seen on the land.
The moth traps were fairly poor in terms of numbers but still produced our eighth Striped Hawkmoth of the year, a Rest Harrow, a Bordered Straw and 14 Small Mottled Willows. Seven Clouded Yellows were also seen.
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| Striped Hawkmoth Hyles livornica Dungeness 7th August 2026 |
Two Lesser Emperors and a Red-veined Darter were seen at the Long Pits.
An evening visit to look for the rarer orthoptera produced six singing Large Coneheads, two Sickle-bearing Bush-crickets and a superb chorus from the Tree Crickets while three Southern Oak Bush-crickets and ten Mediterranean Stick-insects were seen in the Observatory garden.
6th Aug
Another very hot day. Commoner migrants were scattered around the Point including 28 Willow Warblers, 11 Sedge Warblers, 23 Reed Warblers, two Garden Warblers and 20 Lesser Whitethroats and a Little Ringed Plover and nine Yellow Wagtails flew over. There was a large feeding frenzy offshore which included 300 Mediterranean Gulls, two juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls and 300 Sandwich Terns.
There were ten Porpoises and three Grey Seals feeding offshore.
The highlight from the moth traps was a Cosmopolitan along with six Small Mottled Willows and a Cydia amplana. A Clouded Yellow and four Brown Argus were also seen.
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| Cosmopolitan Mythimna loreyi Dungeness 6th August 2026 |
There were two sighting of the rare fly Dune Villa Villa modesta but they avoided capture or cameras and a Lesser Emperor dragonfly was seen at the Long Pits.
A Mediterranean Stick-insect and a Southern Oak Bush-cricket were seen in the Observatory garden.
5th Aug
Still hot and sunny but with a fresh NE wind. Very quiet on the bird front with just a Common Sandpiper, 11 Mediterranean Gulls and around 400 Sandwich Terns of note.
Seven Porpoises and three Grey Seals were feeding offshore.
4th Aug
Very quiet despite the calmer conditions. Visible migration was limited to 54 Sand Martins and 15 Yellow Wagtails and a Garden Warbler was about the best in the bushes. Two Arctic Skuas flew west in the evening and a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull was seen at the fishing boats.
A Brown Hare was seen on the land and four Porpoises were feeding offshore.
A Vestal, four Small Mottled Willows and a Cydia amplana were the highlights from the fairly quiet moth traps.
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| Vestal Rhodometra sacraria Dungeness 3rd August 2026 |
3rd Aug
Strong NE winds overnight and for much of the day. Three Marsh Harriers flew over the area and a Kingfisher was seen at the Long Pits again. Despite the windy conditions a decent haul of grounded migrants were seen including 13 Willow Warblers, 39 Reed Warblers, three Blackcaps, six Lesser Whitethroats, 71 Whitethroats, a Whinchat, three Wheatears and six Yellow Wagtails. A Mediterranean Gull and a third-summer Yellow-legged Gull were seen at the fishing boats.
Five Porpoise and three Grey Seals were feeding offshore.
A Lesser Emperor dragonfly was seen at the Long Pits.
2nd Aug
Fewer birds in the bushes in the continuing hot conditions. A thorough search produced 31 Willow Warblers, three Sedge Warblers, 49 Reed Warblers and 45 Whitethroats and singles of Redshank and Greenshank flew over.
A Porpoise and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.
Two Small Mottled Willows were the only notable moths from the traps.
1st Aug
The month started where July ended with continuing hot and dry conditions. There was another decent drop of common migrants including 80 Willow Warblers, seven Sedge and 84 Reed Warblers, a Garden Warbler, 22 Lesser Whitethroats, 75 Whitethroat, a Dartford Warbler, a Pied Flycatcher and a Whinchat. 19 Sand Martins also flew over and 100 Mediterranean Gulls were on the Point this evening.
The numbers of moths in the traps continues to be very low but it was high in quality with a Gypsy Moth and another two Eastern Bordered Straws of note.
Five Lesser Emperors were seen at the Long Pits.
At least 15 Wasp Spiders were found around the Bird Observatory and with at least one in the back garden.
Another evening check for rare orthoptera produced two singing Large Coneheads and lots of Tree Crickets and two Southern Oak Bush-crickets were found in the moth traps in the evening.
31st July
The drought/heatwave continues to the end of month. There was a very decent scattering of migrants in the bushes including a juvenile Cuckoo, 42 Willow Warblers, nine Sedge Warblers, 63 Reed Warblers, two Garden Warblers, 31 Lesser Whitethroats, 75 Whitethroats and a Redstart. A flock of 100 Mediterranean Gulls passed offshore and a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull was seen at the fishing boats, four Grey Herons came in and 36 Sand Martins, 16 Swallows, 12 Yellow Wagtails and a Tree Pipit flew over. A flock of 21 White Storks also flew over but it is hard to get too excited by them these days.
Three Porpoises and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore
Three Lesser Emperors were seen at the Long Pits.
Although moth numbers are actually quite low we still caught seven Cydia amplana, the uncommon pyralid Deplanqueia inscriptella, a Striped Hawkmoth 16 Small Mottled Willows while seven Hummingbird Hawkmoths were seen during the day.
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| Deplanquiea inscriptella Dungeness 31st July 2026 |
An evening visit to the trapping area produced four singing Large Coneheads and lots of Tree Crickets.
30th July
There were good numbers of commoner migrants in the bushes this morning including 43 Willow Warblers, 42 Reed Warblers, a Garden Warbler and a Redstart and 15 Swallows and 19 Yellow Wagtails flew over. There were plenty of birds on the beach again with 19 Ringed Plovers, four Turnstones, 125 Sanderlings and 160 Dunlins as well as 45 Mediterranean Gulls and 400 Sandwich Terns.
A Grey Seal was seen offshore.
The moth traps were productive with the highlight of a Ni Moth along with another Striped Hawkmoth, eight Small Mottled Willows and two Cydia amplana.
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| Ni Moth Trichoplusia ni Dungeness 30th July 2026 The seventh Observatory record. |
29th July
A small arrival of migrants included 25 Willow Warblers, three Sedge Warblers, 20 Reed Warblers and 19 Yellow Wagtails. Good numbers of waders were on the beach including 115 Sanderlings and 85 Dunlin and a Common Sandpiper at the Long Pits.
Five Porpoises were feeding offshore.
The moth traps were low in actual numbers caught but still produced some interest with two Rest Harrows, a Jersey Tiger, a Small Mottled Willow, a Tree-lichen Beauty and another Saltmarsh Plume.
28th July
With no obvious change in the weather, still hot and very sunny, there was a surprise arrival of at least 80 Willow Warblers. A total which equals the previous highest July totals set in 1983, 1987 and 2014. A Kingfisher was seen at the Long Pits and other grounded migrants included 31 Reed Warblers, a Garden Warbler and 14 Wheatears. A check of the beach produced 30 Ringed Plovers, ten Turnstones, a Knot, an adult Curlew Sandpiper, 190 Sanderlings and 153 Dunlin. Two Egyptian Geese and six Yellow Wagtails flew over and five Mediterranean Gulls flew east.
Two Grey Seals were feeding offshore.
The moth traps produced four Rest Harrows, nine Small Mottled Willows, a Tree-lichen Beauty, two Cydia amplana and surprises in the form of a Saltmarsh Plume - I think only the second Observatory record and a Citron Plume - new for the trap and third area record.
Three Lesser Emperors were seen at the Long Pits.
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| Saltmarsh Plume Adsista bennetti Dungeness 28th July 2026 |
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| Citron Plume Hellinsia carphodactyla Dungeness 28th July 2026 |
27th July
A dribble of overhead passage included 235 Swifts, 36 Sand Martins and five Yellow Wagtails and nine Willow Warblers were seen in the bushes. There were forty Sanderling and 30 Dunlin on the beach. Three Mediterranean Gulls flew west and 35 Sandwich Terns were feeding offshore.
Two Porpoises were feeding offshore.
Shortly before midnight a check of the moth traps found a large (22mm) click-beetle Stenagostus rhombeus on the kitchen wall. It is normally an inhabitant of Beech and Ancient woodlands and so a surprising find of what appears to be the first Dungeness area record.
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| Stenagostus rhombeus Dungeness 27th July 2026 |
26th July
Very quiet. Seawatching produced just two Mediterranean Gulls. Overhead passage in the morning saw 233 Swifts, nine Sand Martins and two Yellow Wagtails go south and eight Willow Warblers were seen in the bushes.
The moths provided plenty of interest again with an Oak Processionary, another Striped Hawkmoth, a Jersey Tiger and ten Small Mottled Willows of note.
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| Jersey Tiger Euplagia quadripunctaria Dungeness 26th July 2026 |
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| Oak Processionary Thaumetopoea processionea Dungeness 26th July 2026 |
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| Striped Hawkmoth Hyles livornica Dungeness 26th July 2026 |
25th July
A handful of grounded migrants included a Cuckoo, three Great Spotted Woodpecker, 21 Willow Warblers, 20 Reed Warblers and two Garden Warblers, A Little Ringed Plover, a Bar-tailed Godwit, a Snipe, a Redshank, 15 Sand Martins and 15 Siskins flew over and five Mediterranean Gulls were feeding on the beach
Three Porpoise were seen offshore.
The highlight from the moth traps was a Striped Hawkmoth and 25 Small Mottled Willows. A Clouded Yellow butterfly was also seen.
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| Striped Hawkmoth Hyles livornica Dungeness 25th July 2026 |
24th July
A bit of overhead passage was seen including seven Swift, a Little Ringed Plover, a Greenshank, 26 Sand Martins and 13 Swallows while ten Willow Warblers, four Sedge Warblers, 38 Reed Warblers and 20 Lesser Whitethroats were seen on the land. Offshore, 23 Common Scoter, 100 Mediterranean Gulls and a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull were seen.
Six Porpoise and two Grey Seals were feeding offshore.
The moth traps continue to provide highlights with two Cydia amplana, an Acrobasis tumidana, eight Rest Harrows, a Gypsy Moth, three Tree-lichen Beauty's and eight Small Mottled Willows of note.
Acrobasis tumidana Dungeness 24th July 2026
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| Rest Harrow Aplasta ononaria Dungeness 24th July 2026 |
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| Gypsy Moth Lymantria dispar Dungeness 24th July 2026 |
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| Tree-lichen Beauty Cryphia algae Dungeness 24th July 2026 |
23rd July
Fairly slow on the bird front. A bit of visible migration involved 404 Sand Martins and 11 Yellow Wagtails whilst three Willow Warblers and 17 Reed Warblers were among the few grounded migrants. Waders roosting on the beach included a Knot, 125 Sanderling and 40 Dunlin along with a Little Egret.
Eight Porpoise and two Grey Seals were feeding offshore.
The moth traps were very disappointing but dragonflies continued to provide interest with a Small Red-eyed Damselfly, three Lesser Emperors and a Red-veined Darter seen. A Bee Wolf was caught in the trapping area.
22nd July
The early morning netting session in the Trapping Area produced a Nightingale of note along with a Cuckoo and a Redstart seen and later in the day a total of 1200 Sand Martin also passed through. An attempt to catch some was very successful with 108 birds ringed and also two British controls. Five Mediterranean Gulls were seen offshore.
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| Nightingale Luscinia megarhynchos Dungeness 22nd July 2026 |
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| Sand Martins Riparia riparia Dungeness 22nd July 2026 |
Twelve Porpoises and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore and a Brown Hare was also seen.
Moth-trapping produced a Jersey Tiger and a Bordered Straw of note and notable dragonflies included three Lesser Emperors and a Southern Migrant Hawker.
21st July
A Snipe, a Kingfisher, two Willow Warblers, two Sedge Warblers and 12 Reed Warblers were seen on the land while two Grey Herons, 108 Sand Martins and eight Yellow Wagtails flew over. Seven Mediterranean Gulls were feeding offshore.
Five Porpoises and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.
Of note from the moth traps were another Eastern Bordered Straw, a Tree-lichen Beauty and an Agonopteryx curvipunctosa.
20th July
Still warm and sunny with a trickle of passage overhead including 25 Sand Martins, nine Yellow Wagtails and a Grey Wagtail. There was a small increase in grounded migrants with a Common Sandpiper and a Kingfisher at the Long Pits and three Great Spotted Woodpeckers, two Willow Warblers, four Sedge Warblers, two Garden Warblers and 35 Reed Warblers in the bushes. Eight Shelduck flew east while 25 Mediterranean Gulls and a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull were feeding offshore.
Three Porpoises and two Grey Seals were feeding offshore.
Another Eastern Bordered Straw was caught in the moth traps while three Lesser Emperor dragonflies and a Norfolk Hawker were seen.
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| Eastern Bordered Straw Heliothis nubigera Dungeness 20th July 2026 |
19th July
Another warm and sunny day. A Grasshopper Warbler was caught in the Moat and a Golden Plover and two Yellow Wagtails flew over. Three Mediterranean Gulls were feeding offshore.
Six Porpoise and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.
A Scarce Bordered Straw and a Small Mottled Willow were the highlights from the moth traps.
A Southern Oak Bush-cricket and two Mediterranean Stick-insects were seen in the Observatory garden.
18th July
A trickle of movement offshore included 18 Shelducks, four Teal and four Mediterranean Gulls and an Arctic Skua, and 23 Sanderling and 18 Dunlin were on the beach at high tide. Two Willow Warblers were seen at the Long Pits and two Yellow Wagtails flew over.
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| Sanderlings Calidris alba and Dunlins Calidris alpina Dungeness 18th July 2026 |
A Grey Seal was feeding offshore.
An Eastern Bordered Straw was the unexpected highlight from the moth traps.
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| Eastern Bordered Straw Heliothis nubigera Dungeness 18th July 2026 |
17th July
A Treecreeper and two Willow Warblers were seen at the Long Pits and 1000 Sand Martins went out to sea in the afternoon/evening. There were 25 Mediterranean Gulls offshore.
A Porpoise and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.
A decent catch of moths overnight included a Red Underwing, a Small Ranunculus, a rare gelechid Metzneria neuropterella, two Cydia amplana and the pyralids Aglossa pinguinalis (only the fourth Observatory record) and Acrobabsis tumidana.
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| Small Ranunculus Hecatera dysodia Dungeness 17th July 2026 |
A Southern Oak Bush-cricket was also caught and a Mediterranean Stick-insect was seen in the Observatory garden.
However, the highlight of the day was a Gull-billed Tern which dropped into ARC briefly. Remarkably it was a bearing a colour-ring from a German ringing scheme. Despite extensive searching it could not be relocated.
16th July
Very windy and hot yet again. A couple of checks of the sea produced 25 Mediterranean Gulls but very little else.
A Brussel's Lace and six Small Mottled Willows were of note from the moth traps.
A Porpoise and two Grey Seals were feeding offshore.
15th July
Hard work in the very hot and windy conditions and nothing of any note seen.
The moth traps produced an example of the scarce pyralid moth Acrobasis tumidana.
14th July
The heatwave and strong to gale force NE wind continues. Very little to be seen other than eleven Mediterranean Gulls and 35 Sandwich Terns offshore this morning.
A Porpoise and a Grey Seal were seen offshore.
13th July
Virtually unbirdable today with the gale force NE wind blowing. As the wind finally dropped a bit in the evening a look at the sea produced a feeding flock of 28 Common Scoters and 51 Mediterranean Gulls and 28 Sandwich Terns moving east.
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| Common Scoters Melanitta nigra Dungeness 13th July 2026 |
Six Porpoise and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.
11th July
Still very hot but now very windy and little to be seen Two Mediterranean Gulls were feeding offshore and 27 Sand Martins and seven Yellow Wagtails passed through.
10th July
Increasingly windy and little to report other than 100 Mediterranean Gulls and 50 Sandwich Terns feeding offshore this morning.
9th July
Still very hot and sultry. Overhead passage was limited to 12 Swifts, two Whimbrel, 200 Sand Martins, 20 Swallows and 14 Yellow Wagtails. in the evening, 50 Mediterranean Gulls and 50 Sandwich Terns were feeding off the fishing boats.
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| Sandwich Tern Thalasseus sandvicensis Dungeness 8th July 2026 A few juvenile birds are starting to appear now. |
Two Porpoises and four Grey Seals were feeding offshore and a Brown Hare was seen in the Desert.
Fish don't feature very often on this site but this evening I saw two superb Starry Smoothhounds caught by a beach angler weighing 8lb 3oz and 7lb 14oz respectively. They were both safely returned.
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| Starry Smoothhound Mustelus asterias Dungeness 9th July 2026 |
The moth traps produced the pyralid Dioryctria simplicella (send Obs record), the tortrix Cydia amplana, two Brussels Lace and six Small Mottled Willows. A Southern Oak Bush-cricket was also caught.
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| Cydia amplana and Dioryctria simplicella Dungeness 9th July 2026 |
One Red-veined Darter was seen.
8th July
The heatwave continues as does the trickle of birds passing overhead with 22 Swifts, a Little Ringed Plover, 125 Sand Martins, three Yellow Wagtails and a Grey Wagtail of note. The Redstart was seen again the Trapping Area. Two Mediterranean Gulls were offshore.
Fifteen Porpoises and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore and two Brown Hares were seen on the land.
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| Porpoises Phoca phoceana Dungeness 8th July 2026 |
A Poplar Lutestring, five Small Mottled Willows and a Double Kidney (only the fifth record from the Observatory traps) were of note from the moth traps.
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| Double Kidney Ipomorpha retusa Dungeness 8th July 2026 |
Dragonflies continue to be a feature with two Lesser Emperors, five Norfolk Hawkers and eight Red-veined Darters of interest.
7th July
More overhead passage included 30 Swifts, 187 Sand Martins and three Yellow Wagtails while a juvenile Dartford Warbler and the Redstart were seen on the land. Gulls feeding offshore included 25 Mediterranean Gulls and a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull.
Two Porpoises and three Grey Seals were feeding offshore.
Moth trapping produced another Light Crimson Underwing and 12 Small Mottled Willows. A Southern Oak Bush-cricket was also caught.
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| Light Crimson Underwing Catocala promissa Dungeness 7th July 2026 |
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| Southern Oak Bush-cricket Meconema meridionale Dungeness 7th July 2026 |
Dragonfly watching continues to be productive with a Lesser Emperor, four Norfolk Hawkers and eight Red-veined Darters seen.
6th July
A bit more passage overhead today including 174 Sand Martins, two Yellow Wagtails and a Grey Wagtail. A Mediterranean Gull was seen offshore.
Two Porpoises and two Grey Seals were feeding offshore.
A Red-veined Darter was seen.
5th July
There was a very small arrival of migrants on the land today with a Redstart of note while birds passing through included 42 Swifts, a Red Kite, 46 Sand Martins and four Yellow Wagtails. Offshore, 11 Common Scoters flew past, eight Mediterranean Gulls and a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull were feeding offshore and a Little Egret was also feeding on the beach.
Three Porpoises and two Grey Seal were feeding offshore.
The moth-traps produced three Small Mottled Willows, a Beautiful Hook-tip and a Plumed Fan-foot of note.
There was a huge increase in dragonfly numbers with 20 Small Red-eyed Damselflies, two Lesser Emperors, five Norfolk Hawkers and nine Red-veined Darters of note.
Elsewhere, the Caspian Tern was still showing well on the RSPB Reserve.
4th July Moth Event
The DBOT moth event was well attended and proved very enjoyable. Those that took the opportunity to stay at the Observatory spent time in the evening with setting up and monitoring the moths and they were joined in the morning by the rest of the group to enjoy looking at and identifying the different moths in the various traps. Many thanks go to the Observatory staff and to Sean, Dorothy and Martin for bringing their traps to the event.
A Mediterranean Gull offshore was the only bird of interest.
An expected surprise at the moth traps was a Lesser Emperor dragonfly taken off the wall at first light.
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| Lesser Emperor Anax parthenope Dungeness 4th July 2026 |
Elsewhere, the Caspian Tern was still showing on the RSPB Reserve.
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