Dungeness Bird Observatory

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.

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.

Long-eared Owl Asio otus Dungeness 13th September 2025

Four Porpoises and two Grey Seals were feeding offshore.

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.

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.