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.
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