Fewer birds in the bushes in the continuing hot conditions. A thorough search produced 31 Willow Warblers, three Sedge Warblers, 49 Reed Warblers and 45 Whitethroats and singles of Redshank and Greenshank flew over.
A Porpoise and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.
Two Small Mottled Willows were the only notable moths from the traps.
The month started where July ended with continuing hot and dry conditions. There was another decent drop of common migrants including 80 Willow Warblers, seven Sedge and 84 Reed Warblers, a Garden Warbler, 22 Lesser Whitethroats, 75 Whitethroat, a Dartford Warbler, a Pied Flycatcher and a Whinchat. 19 Sand Martins also flew over and 100 Mediterranean Gulls were on the Point this evening.
The numbers of moths in the traps continues to be very low but it was high in quality with a Gypsy Moth and another two Eastern Bordered Straws of note.
Five Lesser Emperors were seen at the Long Pits.
At least 15 Wasp Spiders were found around the Bird Observatory and with at least one in the back garden.
Another evening check for rare orthoptera produced two singing Large Coneheads and lots of Tree Crickets and two Southern Oak Bush-crickets were found in the moth traps in the evening.
The drought/heatwave continues to the end of month. There was a very decent scattering of migrants in the bushes including a juvenile Cuckoo, 42 Willow Warblers, nine Sedge Warblers, 63 Reed Warblers, two Garden Warblers, 31 Lesser Whitethroats, 75 Whitethroats and a Redstart. A flock of 100 Mediterranean Gulls passed offshore and a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull was seen at the fishing boats, four Grey Herons came in and 36 Sand Martins, 16 Swallows, 12 Yellow Wagtails and a Tree Pipit flew over. A flock of 21 White Storks also flew over but it is hard to get too excited by them these days.
Three Porpoises and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore
Three Lesser Emperors were seen at the Long Pits.
Although moth numbers are actually quite low we still caught seven Cydia amplana, the uncommon pyralid Deplanqueia inscriptella, a Striped Hawkmoth 16 Small Mottled Willows while seven Hummingbird Hawkmoths were seen during the day.
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| Deplanquiea inscriptella Dungeness 31st July 2026 |
An evening visit to the trapping area produced four singing Large Coneheads and lots of Tree Crickets.
There were good numbers of commoner migrants in the bushes this morning including 43 Willow Warblers, 42 Reed Warblers, a Garden Warbler and a Redstart and 15 Swallows and 19 Yellow Wagtails flew over. There were plenty of birds on the beach again with 19 Ringed Plovers, four Turnstones, 125 Sanderlings and 160 Dunlins as well as 45 Mediterranean Gulls and 400 Sandwich Terns.
A Grey Seal was seen offshore.
The moth traps were productive with the highlight of a Ni Moth along with another Striped Hawkmoth, eight Small Mottled Willows and two Cydia amplana.
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| Ni Moth Trichoplusia ni Dungeness 30th July 2026 The seventh Observatory record. |
A small arrival of migrants included 25 Willow Warblers, three Sedge Warblers, 20 Reed Warblers and 19 Yellow Wagtails. Good numbers of waders were on the beach including 115 Sanderlings and 85 Dunlin and a Common Sandpiper at the Long Pits.
Five Porpoises were feeding offshore.
The moth traps were low in actual numbers caught but still produced some interest with two Rest Harrows, a Jersey Tiger, a Small Mottled Willow, a Tree-lichen Beauty and another Saltmarsh Plume.
With no obvious change in the weather, still hot and very sunny, there was a surprise arrival of at least 80 Willow Warblers. A total which equals the previous highest July totals set in 1983, 1987 and 2014. A Kingfisher was seen at the Long Pits and other grounded migrants included 31 Reed Warblers, a Garden Warbler and 14 Wheatears. A check of the beach produced 30 Ringed Plovers, ten Turnstones, a Knot, an adult Curlew Sandpiper, 190 Sanderlings and 153 Dunlin. Two Egyptian Geese and six Yellow Wagtails flew over and five Mediterranean Gulls flew east.
Two Grey Seals were feeding offshore.
The moth traps produced four Rest Harrows, nine Small Mottled Willows, a Tree-lichen Beauty, two Cydia amplana and surprises in the form of a Saltmarsh Plume - I think only the second Observatory record and a Citron Plume - new for the trap and third area record.
Three Lesser Emperors were seen at the Long Pits.
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| Saltmarsh Plume Adsista bennetti Dungeness 28th July 2026 |
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| Citron Plume Hellinsia carphodactyla Dungeness 28th July 2026 |
A dribble of overhead passage included 235 Swifts, 36 Sand Martins and five Yellow Wagtails and nine Willow Warblers were seen in the bushes. There were forty Sanderling and 30 Dunlin on the beach. Three Mediterranean Gulls flew west and 35 Sandwich Terns were feeding offshore.
Two Porpoises were feeding offshore.
Shortly before midnight a check of the moth traps found a large (22mm) click-beetle Stenagostus rhombeus on the kitchen wall. It is normally an inhabitant of Beech and Ancient woodlands and so a surprising find of what appears to be the first Dungeness area record.
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| Stenagostus rhombeus Dungeness 27th July 2026 |
Very quiet. Seawatching produced just two Mediterranean Gulls. Overhead passage in the morning saw 233 Swifts, nine Sand Martins and two Yellow Wagtails go south and eight Willow Warblers were seen in the bushes.
The moths provided plenty of interest again with an Oak Processionary, another Striped Hawkmoth, a Jersey Tiger and ten Small Mottled Willows of note.
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| Jersey Tiger Euplagia quadripunctaria Dungeness 26th July 2026 |
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| Oak Processionary Thaumetopoea processionea Dungeness 26th July 2026 |
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| Striped Hawkmoth Hyles livornica Dungeness 26th July 2026 |
A handful of grounded migrants included a Cuckoo, three Great Spotted Woodpecker, 21 Willow Warblers, 20 Reed Warblers and two Garden Warblers, A Little Ringed Plover, a Bar-tailed Godwit, a Snipe, a Redshank, 15 Sand Martins and 15 Siskins flew over and five Mediterranean Gulls were feeding on the beach
Three Porpoise were seen offshore.
The highlight from the moth traps was a Striped Hawkmoth and 25 Small Mottled Willows. A Clouded Yellow butterfly was also seen.
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| Striped Hawkmoth Hyles livornica Dungeness 25th July 2026 |
A bit of overhead passage was seen including seven Swift, a Little Ringed Plover, a Greenshank, 26 Sand Martins and 13 Swallows while ten Willow Warblers, four Sedge Warblers, 38 Reed Warblers and 20 Lesser Whitethroats were seen on the land. Offshore, 23 Common Scoter, 100 Mediterranean Gulls and a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull were seen.
Six Porpoise and two Grey Seals were feeding offshore.
The moth traps continue to provide highlights with two Cydia amplana, an Acrobasis tumidana, eight Rest Harrows, a Gypsy Moth, three Tree-lichen Beauty's and eight Small Mottled Willows of note.
Acrobasis tumidana Dungeness 24th July 2026
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| Rest Harrow Aplasta ononaria Dungeness 24th July 2026 |
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| Gypsy Moth Lymantria dispar Dungeness 24th July 2026 |
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| Tree-lichen Beauty Cryphia algae Dungeness 24th July 2026 |