Our July Moth event took place on July 3rd and 4th. For the evening event we gathered around 9.00pm to set up the various traps across the area in a variety of habitats and then spent some time watching to see what came in.
A Greenshank, 310 Mediterranean Gulls and four Grey Herons passed overhead.
Three Porpoises and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.
The moth traps were productive again with our fourth-ever Small Marbled being the highlight along with a Green Silver-lines, a Beautiful Hook-tip, a Delicate and another Argyresthia retinella of note.
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| Green Silver-lines Pseudoips prasinana and Small Marbled Eublemma parva Dungeness 19th June 2025 |
Fifteen Swifts, a Little Ringed Plover, a Curlew and eight Grey Herons flew over while 208 Mediterranean Gulsl flew west offshore this evening (with another 33 birds loitering).
Two Porpoise, seven Grey Seals and two Common Seals were feeding offshore.
The moth traps produced another Striped Hawkmoth, a Four-spotted Footman and the micro Argyresthia retinella of note.
At least 100 Swifts and a Grey Wagtail passed overhead and 11 Mediterranean Gulls flew west offshore.
Two Bordered Straws were trapped overnight.
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| Kestrel Falco tinnunculus Dungeness 17th June 2025 The breeding male. |
Another quiet day with just three Little Ringed Plovers and a Mediterranean Gull of note.
Moth trapping remarkably produced another Speckled Footman along with a Clouded Silver (only the eighth Observatory record), a Bordered Straw and a Palpita vitrealis.
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| Speckled Footman Coscinia cribraria and Clouded Silver Lomographa temerata Dungeness 16th June 2025 |
Two Norfolk Hawkers were also seen.
Very quiet on the bird front with just two Manx Shearwaters offshore of any note.
A Brown Hare was seen on the land.
However, the moth traps rescued the day with the catching of the very rare micro-moth Aproaerema polychromella. This is the first record for Dungeness and only the third county record.
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| Aproaerema polychromella Dungeness 15th June 2025 |
Very quiet with just a Mediterranean Gull offshore of note.
A pair of Kestrels are nesting on "Mr.T" at the Point and are now feeding at least four young birds.
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| Kestrel Falco tinnunculus chicks Dungeness 14th June 2025 |
A Golden Plover flew over the Observatory, even singing as it went by and a Mediterranean Gull was feeding offshore.
The highlight from the moth traps was our third-ever Speckled Footman while two Small Seraphims, an Oak Nycteoline and an L-album Wainscot provided some padding.
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| Speckled Footman Coscinia cribraria Dungeness 13th June 2025 |
Two Mediterranean Stick-insects were showing in the Observatory garden.
The run of rarities continued with another Bee-eater over the Point and a Serin giving good views at times around the Observatory. A flock of six Crossbills also passed overhead.
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| Serin Serinus serinus Dungeness 12th June 2025 |
A brilliant day with a Bee-eater seen/heard on several occasions during the morning followed by a superb adult Rose-coloured Starling among a large flock of Starlings feeding around the Point. A Great Northern Diver in summer plumage which flew over the Point for a few minutes was also unexpected. Also of interest were 17 Swifts and six Mediterranean Gulls.
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| Rose-coloured Starling Sturnus roseus Dungeness 11th June 2025 |
Two Porpoise and a two Grey Seals were feeding offshore.
The moth traps produced a Water Ermine and a Chamomile Shark of note.
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| Chamomile Shark Cuculia chamomillae and Water Ermine Spilosoma urticae Dungeness 11th June 2025 |