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.

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.

Saltmarsh Plume Adsista bennetti   Dungeness   28th July 2026

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.

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.

Jersey Tiger Euplagia quadripunctaria   Dungeness   26th July 2026

Oak Processionary Thaumetopoea processionea   Dungeness   26th July 2026

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.

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

Rest Harrow Aplasta ononaria   Dungeness   24th July 2026

Gypsy Moth Lymantria dispar   Dungeness   24th July 2026

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. 

Nightingale Luscinia megarhynchos   Dungeness   22nd July 2026

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

12th July

 Very quiet but very difficult birding with a strong, hot NE gale blowing.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Light Crimson Underwing Catocala promissa   Dungeness   7th July 2026

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.

Lesser Emperor Anax parthenope   Dungeness   4th July 2026

Elsewhere, the Caspian Tern was still showing on the RSPB Reserve.

3rd July

A hint of autumn passage with a Little Ringed Plover, three Yellow Wagtails and two Grey Wagtails passing through. 

The moth traps produced our fourth Light Crimson Underwing of the summer, a Green Silver-lines, a Plumed Fan-foot, a Small Mottled Willow and the rare pyralids, Acrobasis tumidana and Catoptria verellus.

Acrobasis tumidana   Dungeness   3rd July 2026

Four Small Red-eyed Damselflies were found at the Long Pits and a Norfolk Hawker were seen.

1st July

A party of seven Bee-eaters flying around the  trapping area proved elusive to see and 41 Sand Martins flew out to sea. A Yellow Wagtail also flew over. A seawatch this afternoon produced three Manx Shearwaters.

Two Porpoises and 13 Grey Seals were feeding offshore,

A Small Mottled Willow was trapped overnight and two Red-veined Darters were seen in the Desert.

Bird of the day from elsewhere though was a Caspian Tern which spent most of its day sitting on the islands and viewable from Dennis's Hide on Burrowes Pit.

Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia   Dungeness RSPB   1st July 2027