Dungeness Bird Observatory

22nd Aug

There were decent numbers of migrants in the bushes during the morning including 55 Willow Warblers, three Sedge Warblers, four Reed Warblers, a Garden Warbler, 22 Lesser Whitethroats, 40 Whitethroats, a Spotted Flycatcher, two Pied Flycatchers, a Redstart, two Whinchats and 17 Wheatears. However, the birds of the day both appeared in the Moat in the afternoon in the form of a superb Wryneck and a Wood Warbler. A few birds also passed overhead with a Buzzard, 116 Sand Martins, 16 House Martins, 60 Yellow Wagtails and a Tree Pipit.

Wryneck Jynx torquilla Dungeness 22nd August 2026

Wood Warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix Dungeness 22nd August 2026

Of note offshore were eight Sanderling, a Knot, four Mediterranean Gulls, 400 Sandwich Terns and a Black Tern.

Two Porpoises and four Grey Seals were feeding offshore and a Brown Hare was seen in the Desert.

The moth traps produced ten Small Mottled Willows, six Delicates and a Small Ranunculus and a Clouded Yellow was seen in the Desert.

21st Aug

There was a decent arrival of migrants in the bushes with 60 Willow Warblers, 11 Sedge Warblers, ten Reed Warblers, two Grasshopper Warblers, a Garden Warbler, 30 Lesser Whitethroats, 23 Whitethroats, five Spotted Flycatchers, two Redstarts, two Whinchats and 27 Wheatears. Two Little Egrets, a Short-eared Owl, a Hobby, 70 Yellow Wagtails and three Tree Pipits flew over.

There were 38 Ringed Plover, a Little Ringed Plover, four Whimbrel, five Bar-tailed Godwits, eight Turnstones, 30 Sanderling and ten Dunlins were on the beach and a Common Sandpiper and a Greenshank were seen at Long Pits. Five Mediterranean Gulls and five Black Terns were seen offshore.

The moth traps continue to produce migrants with a Ni Moth of note along with 36 Small Mottled Willows and six Delicates.

Ni Moth Trichoplusia ni Dungeness 21st August 2026

The White-winged Black Tern was still present on Burrowes Pit on the RSPB Reserve.

20th Aug

Rain from first light until mid-morning felt like it should have grounded a few migrants but there was very little to be seen with just 16 Willow Warblers and 14 Lesser Whitethroats. Nearly nine hours of seawatching produced a Grey Plover, 11 Dunlin, four Mediterranean Gulls, 1975 Sandwich Terns, three Little Terns, an Arctic Skua, two Manx Shearwaters east and two Balearic Shearwater.

Four Porpoises and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.

The moth traps continue to provide with 51 Small Mottled Willows and ten Delicates of particular note.

Elsewhere, the first-winter White-winged Black Tern was still showing well from the Firth Screen on the RSPB.

19th Aug

A wet morning but still very warm. Disappointing on the land with just 22 Willow Warblers, 18 Lesser Whitethroats and 12 Wheatears in the bushes and 15 Yellow Wagtails overhead of interest. Three Whimbrels, 27 Turnstones, three Mediterranean Gulls, 415 Sandwich Terns, 41 Common Terns and an Arctic Skua of note.

Four Porpoises were feeding offshore.

The moth traps produced a Portland Ribbon Wave, 30 Delicates, 18 Small Mottled Willows and a Small Ranunculus.

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

18th Aug

Hot and sunny again. Very quiet on the land with just 15 Willow Warblers, 19 Lesser Whitethroats and a Pied Flycatcher in the bushes and 405 Swallows, 143 Sand Martins and 36 Yellow Wagtails overhead. Seawatching produced a Bar-tailed Godwit, a Common Sandpiper, 21 Mediterranean Gulls, 190 Sandwich Terns, 34 Common Terns and an Arctic Skua.

Two Porpoises and five Grey Seals were feeding offshore.

The moth traps produced 16 Small Mottled Willows, 26 Delicates, a Small Ranunculus and a Scarce Bordered Straw.

17th Aug

The first rain for weeks although it only lasted for a few minutes. Very quiet on the land with just two Whinchats of note while birds passing overhead included a Grey Plover, a Golden Plover, a Short-eared Owl. a Hobby, 180 Swallow, 330 Sand Martins and 28 Yellow Wagtails.

The moth traps were excellent with a Blair's Mocha (seventh Observatory record), a Portland Ribbon Wave, a Gem, 85 Small Mottled Willows, a remarkable 44 Delicates, a Beautiful Marbled, a Marsh Mallow Moth (fourth Observatory record), a Radford's Flame Shoulder, two Scarce Bordered Straws, a Prays rufescens and two Beet Moths.

Blair's Mocha Cyclophora puppilaria Dungeness 17th August 2026

Marsh Mallow Moth Hydraecia osseola Dungeness 17th August 2026

A Birch Shield-bug was also trapped and a Southern Oak Bush-cricket was seen in the Observatory garden.

Birch Shield-bug Elasmostethus interstinctus Dungeness 17th August 2026

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

16th Aug

Another very hot day. A few migrants on the land with 15 Willow Warblers, 16 Reed Warblers, a Grasshopper Warbler, 15 Lesser Whitethroat, 35 Whitethroats and ten Yellow Wagtails. In the evening, 200 Mediterranean Gulls and an Arctic Skua were feeding offshore.

Two Small Mottled Willows, a Delicate and a Scarce Bordered Straw were of interest from the moth traps.

Elsewhere of note was a first-winter White-winged Black Tern on Burrowes Pit on the RSPB Reserve.

White-winged Black Tern Chlidonias leucopterus Burrowes, RSPB Reserve 16th August 2026

15th Aug

And on it goes - another hot and dry day. Migrants continue to arrive in small numbers in the bushes with a Nightingale and six Pied Flycatchers of note as well as 18 Willow Warblers, six Sedge Warblers, 23 Reed Warblers, nine Lesser Whitethroats and 30 Whitethroats while two Wood Sandpipers, 115 Swallows and 25 Yellow Wagtails passed overhead.

A Grey Seal was seen offshore.

The moth traps were productive again with a Celypha rufana, an Acrobasis tumidana, two Portland Ribbon Waves, a Small Ranunculus, a Delicate and a Pinion-streaked Snout of note.

Six Large Coneheads were found in the trapping area and the Tree Cricket was superb again but no Sickle-bearing Bush-crickets were found.

14th Aug

A very hot and sunny day yet again. There was another reasonable arrival of migrants in the bushes with 20 Willow Warblers, 11 Sedge Warblers, 24 Reed Warblers, a Grasshopper Warbler, a Garden Warbler, 12 Lesser Whitethroat and a Pied Flycatcher of note. Birds passing overhead included 195 Swifts, a Golden Plover, two Green Sandpipers, a Greenshank, 283 Swallows, 332 Sand Martins and 28 Yellow Wagtails and in the evening a massive flock of gulls arrived to feed on flying ants which included at least 1000 Mediterranean Gulls. An Arctic Skua was seen offshore.

Two Porpoises and two Grey Seals were feeding offshore.

The moth traps were very productive again with the highlight being a Tapestry Moth. This was once a common enough moth in houses etc but is now hardly ever recorded even at a national level. Other noteworthy moths included a Beet Moth, two Evergestis limbata, a Pyralis farinalis, a Neophopteryx angustella, two Clay Triple-lines, two Portland Ribbon Waves, 40 Small Mottled Willows, a Delicate and four Small Ranunculus, A Clouded Yellow butterfly was also seen.

Tapestry Moth Trichophaga tapetzella Dungeness 14th August 2026

13th Aug

There were good numbers of migrants in the bushes including 15 Willow Warblers, a Grasshopper Warbler, 28 Lesser Whitethroats and three Pied Flycatchers while a Golden Plover, a Greenshank, a Little Egret, 54 Swallows, 30 Sand Martins and 23 Yellow Wagtails flew over. The sea was quiet except for 200 Sandwich Terns feeding offshore.

Six Porpoises were seen offshore and two Brown Hares were seen in the Desert.

The moth traps were productive with a Clay Triple-lines, a Scorched Carpet, nine Small Mottled Willows and two Beet Moths of note. A Clouded Yellow was also seen

The clear highlight of the day though was the finding of a Verge Cricket Eumodicogryllus bordigalensis on the beach at the Lifeboat Station. Remarkably this follows one heard singing (but not seen) in the early hours of 9th August in a private garden at Lydd-on-sea. These constitute the second and fifth British records. Over the following days it has become clear that there has been a significant arrival of this cricket into southern England.