Dungeness Bird Observatory

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Light Crimson Underwing Catocala promissa Dungeness 7th July 2026

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.

6th July

A bit more passage overhead today including 174 Sand Martins, two Yellow Wagtails and a Grey Wagtail. A Mediterranean Gull was seen offshore.

Two Porpoises and two Grey Seals were feeding offshore.

A Red-veined Darter was seen.

5th July

There was a very small arrival of migrants on the land today with a Redstart of note while birds passing through included 42 Swifts, a Red Kite, 46 Sand Martins and four Yellow Wagtails. Offshore, 11 Common Scoters flew past, eight Mediterranean Gulls and a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull were feeding offshore and a Little Egret was also feeding on the beach.

Three Porpoises and two Grey Seal were feeding offshore.

The moth-traps produced three Small Mottled Willows, a Beautiful Hook-tip and a Plumed Fan-foot of note.

There was a huge increase in dragonfly numbers with 20 Small Red-eyed Damselflies, two Lesser Emperors, five Norfolk Hawkers and nine Red-veined Darters of note.

Elsewhere, the Caspian Tern was still showing well on the RSPB Reserve.

4th July Moth Event

The DBOT moth event was well attended and proved very enjoyable. Those that took the opportunity to stay at the Observatory spent time in the evening with setting up and monitoring the moths and they were joined in the morning by the rest of the group to enjoy looking at and identifying the different moths in the various traps. Many thanks go to the Observatory staff and to Sean, Dorothy and Martin for bringing their traps to the event.

A Mediterranean Gull offshore was the only bird of interest.

An expected surprise at the moth traps was a Lesser Emperor dragonfly taken off the wall at first light.

Lesser Emperor Anax parthenope Dungeness 4th July 2026

Elsewhere, the Caspian Tern was still showing on the RSPB Reserve.

3rd July

A hint of autumn passage with a Little Ringed Plover, three Yellow Wagtails and two Grey Wagtails passing through.

The moth traps produced our fourth Light Crimson Underwing of the summer, a Green Silver-lines, a Plumed Fan-foot, a Small Mottled Willow and the rare pyralids, Acrobasis tumidana and Catoptria verellus.

Acrobasis tumidana Dungeness 3rd July 2026

Four Small Red-eyed Damselflies were found at the Long Pits and a Norfolk Hawker were seen.

1st July

A party of seven Bee-eaters flying around the trapping area proved elusive to see and 41 Sand Martins flew out to sea. A Yellow Wagtail also flew over. A seawatch this afternoon produced three Manx Shearwaters.

Two Porpoises and 13 Grey Seals were feeding offshore,

A Small Mottled Willow was trapped overnight and two Red-veined Darters were seen in the Desert.

Bird of the day from elsewhere though was a Caspian Tern which spent most of its day sitting on the islands and viewable from Dennis's Hide on Burrowes Pit.