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.

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 tumidane and Catoptria verellus.

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

30th June

Thirty-two Mediterranean Gulls were seen offshore and a Yellow Wagtail and a Tree Pipit flew over this morning. 

A Grey Seal was seen offshore.

Three Small Mottled Willows were found in the moth-traps and a Red-veined Darter was seen in the Desert,

However, the highlight of the day was a very smart Kentish Plover found on the beach at Lade Sands. This is the first area since 2019.

Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus    Lade Sands   30th June 2026

29th June

A Siskin over the Observatory this morning and a Little Ringed Plover calling after dark were the only birds of note.

Moth trapping produced another Rose Plume and six Small Mottled Willows of note.

Rose Plume Cnaemidophorus rhododactyla   Dungeness   29th June 2026

A Norfolk Hawker was also seen.

28th June

The only birds of note were 20 Mediterraneans Gulls in the continuing heatwave.

However the moth traps really came to the fore this morning when a fairly distinctive individual was found which I was at a complete loss as to its identity.  Following further research with Sean Clancy and posts/searches on the internet etc it seems most likely that it is an example of Blastobasis glandulella.  This appears to be the fourth British record with the first record in East Sussex in 2023,  one at Seabrook, Kent in 2024 and one the night before ours at Kessingland, Suffolk.

Blastobasis glandulella   Dungeness   28th June 2026

27th June

Another very hot day and little to be seen on the bird front other than 20 Swifts over the area.

The moth traps continue to provide most of the interest with an excellent catch overnight which included a Rose Plume, the pyralids Acrobasis repandana and Evergestis limbata, a Pine Hawk-moth, a Four-spotted Footman and two Light Crimson Underwings.

Four-spotted Footman  Lithosia quadra   Dungeness  27th June 2026.

Light Crimson Underwing Catocala promissa   Dungeness 27th June 2026

A Norfolk Hawker also came to the moth lights.

26th June

Another very hot day and little to be seen on the bird front other than a Green Sandpiper over the Long Pits.

The moth continue to provide a bit of interest with the uncommon pyralid Anania perlucidalis, an Oak Hook-tip and a Small Mottled Willow of note.

Anania perlucidalis   Dungeness 26th June 2026