4th Sep

More windy and wet conditions meant most of the coverage was of the sea. The highlight was a Grey Phalarope which spent about an hour feeding offshore while bits and pieces included eight Mediterranean Gulls, five Caspian Gulls, 940 Sandwich Terns, seven Black Terns, 18 Arctic Skuas, five Fulmars, a Manx and four Balearic Shearwaters. As the weather improved a few birds were found in the bushes with a Wryneck and a Pied Flycatcher of note. A bit of overhead passage included 53 Sand Martins, 152 Swallows and seven Yellow Wagtails.

Caspian Gulls Larus cachinnans   first-years   Dungeness    4th September 2026
Images of two of the five Caspian Gulls present today.
The upper bird was color-ringed Yellow with Black E:H and is likely to be a bird of Dutch origin.

Five Porpoises and two Grey Seals were feeding offshore.

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3rd Sep

A damp and breezy day. Nearly five hours of seawatching produced 343 Sandwich Terns, 56 Common Terns, two Black Terns, a Great Skua and 21 Arctic Skuas of note. A few migrants were grounded including 26 Willow Warblers, six Blackcaps, 15 Lesser Whitethroats, three Spotted Flycatchers and a Pied Flycatcher. 

2nd Sep

A Wryneck was seen at the Long Pits again amid another decent arrival of common migrants including a Short-eared Owl, a Hobby,  45 Willow Warblers, 15 Chiffchaffs, four Sedge Warblers, two Grasshopper Warblers, 55 Blackcaps, three Garden Warblers, 55 Lesser Whitethroats, 120 Whitethroats, three Spotted Flycatchers, two Pied Flycatchers, three Redstarts, four Whinchats and ten Wheatears.  A Dotterel flew over the area during the morning along with a Golden Plover, two Snipe and four Greenshanks, 945 Swallows, 150 House Martins, 55 Yellow Wagtails, four Grey Wagtails and three Tree Pipits.

Seawatching was fairly slow but a Black Tern, two Great Skuas and six Arctic Skuas passed offshore and a juvenile Caspian Gull at the fishing boats were noteworthy.

Four Porpoises and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.

The moth traps produced 14 Small Mottled Willows, three Palpita vitrealis and a Vestal (with a further four seen in the field). Three Clouded Yellows were also seen.

The White-winged Black Tern was still showing well on Burrowes Pit, RSPB.

1st Sep

There was an excellent arrival of migrants today with a Nightjar, a Wryneck and a Red-backed Shrike of particular note and numbers provided by 80 Willow Warblers, ten Reed Warblers, 56 Blackcaps, 39 Lesser Whitethroats, 88 Whitethroats, four Spotted Flycatchers, three Redstarts, three Whinchats and also a Short-eared Owl, two Grasshopper Warbler, a Firecrest and a Pied Flycatcher. Birds passing through overhead included two Buzzards, 930 Swallows, 112 House Martins, 11 Yellow Wagtails and three Grey Wagtails.

The sea was fairly quiet but six Arctic Skuas, a Great Skua and a Sooty Shearwater were seen during the day.

Seven Clouded Yellows were seen.

The White-winged Black Tern was still showing well on the RSPB Reserve.

31st Aug

Another breezy day but with reduced offshore passage which still produced an adult Sabine's Gull west in the morning along with a Gadwall, a Little Tern, three Black Terns, 422 Common Terns, 635 Sandwich Terns, a Little Gull, seven Mediterranean Gulls, four Arctic Skuas and a Balearic Shearwater. Single juvenile Caspian Gull and Yellow-legged Gulls were on the beach.

Very quiet on the land although a White Stork made several flights over the recording area in the morning and single Grey Wagtail and Tree Pipit also passed through.

Two Porpoises and two Grey Seals were feeding offshore.

Three Clouded Yellows were seen.

Elsewhere the White-winged Black Tern continues its stay on the RSPB reserve and a Red-necked Phalarope was found on Scotney Sand Pit. 

Access to the Observatory

Please be aware that we now have scaffolding around the building, due to roof works, so care is needed with parking and access. 

Thank you. 

30th Aug

Strong westerly winds and showers limited coverage to mainly the sea where ten hours of watching  brought the highlights of the day in the form of a Storm Petrel and 55 Balearic Shearwaters with back up in the form of a Little Gull, ten Mediterranean Gulls, two Caspian Gulls, 2350 Sandwich Terns, 20 Black Terns, an Arctic Tern, 46 Arctic Skuas, two Manx Shearwaters and 560 Gannets. Large numbers of waders were roosting at the Lifeboat Station including 156 Ringed Plovers, 17 Curlew, three Bar-tailed Godwits, a Knot, 18 Sanderlings and 64 Dunlin. The best of the few grounded migrants were ten Willow Warblers, a Redstart and nine Wheatears and 220 Sand Martins and three Yellow Wagtails flew over.

Two Porpoises and two Grey Seals were feeding offshore.

The White-winged Black Tern was still showing very well on the RSPB Reserve.

29th Aug

A day of strong to gale-force winds and frequent downpours. Nearly all the coverage was of the  sea with 12 hours of watching producing 38 Black Terns, 1309 Common Terns, 4688 Sandwich Terns, 11 Mediterranean Gulls, a juvenile Caspian Gull, two Yellow-legged Gulls, 48 Arctic Skuas, three Great Skuas, two Sooty Shearwaters, four Manx Shearwaters and 30 Balearic Shearwaters. The Dartford Warbler was seen in the Moat again.

Four Porpoises and two Grey Seals were feeding offshore.

28th Aug

A quieter day. Grounded migrants included a Short-eared Owl, 21 Willow Warblers, six Reed Warblers, nine Blackcaps, 24 Lesser Whitethroats, 21 Whitethroats, a Redstart and two Whinchats and 58 Yellow Wagtails and three Tree Pipits flew over. A Dartford Warbler was also seen in and around the Moat. Seawatching produced just three Mediterranean Gulls, 14 Arctic Skuas and two Balearic Shearwaters of note. 

Four Porpoise and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore and a Brown Hare was also seen.

The best the moth traps could offer were a Scarce Bordered Straw, four Small Mottled Willows and a Small Ranunculus.

The White-winged Black Terns remains on the RSPB Reserve.

27th Aug

More thunderstorms during the morning brought a decent arrival of migrants. Numbers of grounded migrants were dominated by 24 Willow Warblers, 72 Lesser Whitethroats and 76 Whitethroats along with seven Reed Warblers, seven Blackcaps, two Redstarts, seven Whinchats and 22 Wheatears. Birds passing overhead included 13 Swift, another Honey Buzzard, 80 Sand Martins, 880 Swallows, 60 Yellow Wagtails and three Tree Pipits.

Waders feeding on the beach included 47 Ringed Plover, 30 Curlew, two Bar-tailed Godwits, two Ruffs, 22 Sanderling and three Redshank  and a party of five Greenshank flew over. Gulls feeding offshore included 16 Mediterranean Gulls and two juvenile Caspian Gulls while 612 Sandwich Terns, 61 Common Terns, a Black Tern and 28 Arctic Skuas passed through.

A Brown Hare was seen on the land and 12 Porpoises and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.

The moth traps produced two Maiden's Blush, a Scorched Carpet, two Small Mottled Willows, a Delicate, four Scarce Bordered Straws, the plume moth Hellinsia carphodactyla and the pyralid Neophopteryx angustella of note but these were totally eclipsed by the catching of a Black V Moth by Bob Arnfield at the top of the Long Pits.

Black V Moth Arctornis l-nigrum   Dungeness   27th August 2026

The White-winged Black Tern continued its long stay on the RSPB Reserve.