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Local weather

Update

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31st May

A Honey Buzzard flew over the trapping area and then headed north this morning. Two Chiffchaffs were caught in the moat.

The moth traps were high on quality with a Striped Hawkmoth and another two Eastern Bordered Straws being the highlights as well as a Lime Hawkmoth, a Hummingbird Hawkmoth and a Bordered Straw.



Striped Hawkmoth Hyles livornica   Dungeness   21st May 2026


Eastern Bordered Straw Heliothis nubigera   Dungeness   31st May 2026

In addition, a Purple Marbled was caught in Lydd-on-Sea and at least three more Eastern Bordered Straws were caught  across the Point.

Purple Marbled Eublemma ostrina   Lydd-on-Sea   31st May 2026


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30th May

Frustratingly, the birds of the day would have been a small flock of Bee-eaters which flew over the Point mid-morning but went unseen. A Crossbill also flew over.

A Scorched Carpet and two Beautiful Hook-tips were the only moths of note in the traps and a pair of mating Hummingbird Hawkmoths were seen on the power station wall..

There was an impressive arrival of Painted Ladies during the morning with at least 400 being seen.

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29th May

Very little in the way of birds to report.

Sixteen Porpoise and two Grey Seals were seen feeding offshore and a Brown Hare was seen in the Desert.

Over 100 Painted Ladies were also seen.

A Green-eyed Hawker was seen in the Trapping Area.

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28th May

 Very quiet on the bird front. A late flock of 21 Brent Geese flew east in the evening.

Six Porpoises, three Grey Seals and a Common Seal were feeding offshore.

A Green-eyed Hawker and two Lesser \Emperor dragonflies were seen at the southern end of the Long Pits.

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27th May

The highlight of the day was a female Montagu's Harrier which flew south towards the Point before turning and heading inland where it was also seen at ARC and Cockles Bridge. A Spotted Flycatcher was also seen. The sea was very quiet with just a Gadwall, 24 Common Scoters, a Bar-tailed Godwit and 32 Mediterranean Gulls passing east. 

Two Porpoise and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.

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26th May

Offshore, 81 Common Scoters, six Grey Plovers and seven Mediterranean Gulls passed through but nothing much to report on the land.

Five Porpoises and two Grey Seals were seen offshore and four Brown Hares were seen on the land.

The highlight of the day though was the catching of an Eastern Bordered Straw overnight. The third Observatory record of this scarce migrant moth.

Eastern Bordered Straw Heliothis nubigera   Dungeness   26th May 2026

Of even greater significance on the moth front was the catching of a Fir Carpet by Sean Clancy in his garden in New Romney.

Fir Carpet Thera vetustata   New Romney   26th May 2026


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25th May

After yesterdays excitement it was much quieter today with barely a migrant to be seen on the land. Sixty-two Mediterranean Gulls flew east and six Corn Buntings were seen on the Point.

Offshore, 12 Porpoises and two Grey Seals were feeding and two Brown Hares were seen in the Desert.

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24th May

A brilliant days birding began with the finding of a singing Greenish Warbler at the north-west corner of the trapping area. Surprisingly it gave superb views for most of the morning and early afternoon and was the first Dungeness record since 1993. Four Bee-eaters were seen on numerous occasions during the day while two Honey Buzzards, a Red Kite and two White Storks also flew over. A check of the sea in the evening produced 60 Mediterranean Gulls.




Greenish Warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides    Dungeness    24th May 2026

Three Porpoise were seen offshore and a Brown Hare was seen in the Desert.

The moth traps produced three Small Mottled Willows.

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23rd May

Two Bee-eaters flew south and out to sea over the Point in the early morning and later in the day a White Stork made a couple of passes over the area. Other migrants were few and far between other than a few new Reed Warblers and a male Redstart at the Long Pits. Twenty Mediterranean Gulls were feeding offshore in the evening

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22nd May

Two Spotted Flycatchers and a Whinchat were the only notable migrants on the land. Evening watching offshore produced 13 Mediterranean Gulls.

The highlight of the day was a Minke Whale which was seen several times close inshore in the evening.

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