Sightings April 2010

          For Latest Insect Sightings click here.
The 2008 Annual Report is now available and costs £6.75 (inc. p&p)
1st Fairly quiet in the Observatory area but a Hooded Crow was noteworthy and more regular migrants included 400 Wood Pigeons, four Wheatears, 15 Chiffchaffs and a Firecrest.

However, what was presumably yesterdays Alpine Swift made a short appearance at ARC around midday. A couple of hastily taken record shots are given below.

Alpine Swift

Alpine Swift

Click for larger images

2nd Eight hours seawatching produced 25 Eiders, 606 Common Scoters and eight Velvet Scoters, two Black-throated Divers, four Arctic Skuas, a Great Skua, three Little Gulls, 285 Sandwich Terns and 15 Common Terns.

It was very quiet on the land.

Two Penduline Tits were showing at ARC.
3rd Five Firecrests were seen in the bushes.

Fairly quiet offshore although a Red-necked Grebe, a Great Skua, four Mediterranean Gulls and 14 Common Tern were seen.

Three Penduline Tits were showing at ARC and the Great White Egret reappeared at Dengemarsh.
4th A Little Ringed Plover flying over the area, the first Whitethroat of the year, 16 Chiffchaffs, four Willow Warblers and five Firecrests were the only notable birds on the land.

Two Mediterranean Gulls and seven Common Terns were feeding at the Patch whilst a few Common Scoters and nine Shoveler flew east.

Three Penduline Tits were showing at ARC again and the Great White Egret was seen at Dengemarsh.
5th Eleven Eiders and a Great Skua flew east and three Mediterranean Gulls were feeding offshore. Three Firecrests were seen on the land.
6th A small movement of birds offshore included five Gadwall, 14 Teal, 20 Shoveler, four Tufted Ducks, eight Eiders, 592 Common Scoters and seven Red-breasted Mergansers, a Black-throated and a Great Northern Diver, two Arctic Skuas, two Mediterranean Gulls and 19 Common Terns flying east during 5.5hours of watching. Three Little Gulls were also feeding offshore.

It was very quiet on the land again but nine Wheatears were of note.
7th Five Sparrowhawks, 350 Wood Pigeons, four Sand Martins, a Yellow Wagtail and ten Goldfinch flew over whilst a few grounded migrants included eight Wheatears, a Blackcap, two Willow Warblers, three Firecrests and a Lesser Redpoll.
8th There was a small arrival of migrants in the bushes and a few birds flying over during the morning. Of the grounded migrants the most significant were our first Sedge Warbler, four Whitethroats, eight Willow Warblers, 20 Chiffchaffs and two Firecrests whilst overhead, 600 Wood Pigeons, two Bearded Tits, two Bramblings, 27 Goldfinch and a Siskin flew through.
9th A Buzzard, a Woodcock, 300 Wood Pigeons and eight Whitethroats were of note on the land whilst offshore, two Mediterranean Gulls and seven Common Terns flew east.
10th Three Teal and 15 Red-breasted Mergansers, a Black-throated Diver, four Grey Plovers, four Mediterranean Gulls and 19 Common Terns flew east.

A male Common Redstart was seen in the Lighthouse Garden and eight Whitethroats were seen in the bushes. A trickle of birds passing overhead included a Tree Sparrow, a Brambling, 14 Goldfinch and eight Redpolls.

11th A quiet day with strong, cold north-easterly winds. Several hours seawatching during the day produced just 38 Shovelers, three Velvet Scoters, two Red-breasted Mergansers, six Grey Plover, six Knot, three Whimbrel, three Mediterranean Gulls and 48 Common Terns of interest. There was barely a migrant to be seen on the land.
12th Another very quiet day in the continuing strong and cold north-easterly winds. A Green Sandpiper at the Long Pits was noteworthy.
13th Very little change in either the weather or the lack of birds.
14th No change in the weather and little change in the birds. There was a steady, but slow trickle of birds east offshore including four Shovelers, six Red-breasted Mergansers, five Golden Plovers, six Whimbrel, a Great Skua, four Mediterranean Gulls and eight Common Terns with another feeding at the Patch.

There was hardly a migrant to be seen on the land.

15th Very limited coverage today but four Teal, four Pintail, eight Red-breasted Mergansers, five Mediterranean Gulls flew east and a Marsh Harrier arrived.
16th Still no change in the weather with strong and very cold north-easterly winds and clear skies. The only notable bird was a Raven mixed in with the Carrion Crow flock on the beach during the morning. A flock of 24 Whimbrel also flew east.
17th Another quiet day. Seawatching produced 25 Red-breasted Mergansers, a Shag, 18 Whimbrel, 95 Curlew, four Great Skuas and 15 Mediterranean Gulls whilst a Greenshank and a Tree Pipit were of note on the land.
18th A much better day with an excellent movement of birds offshore and a few birds in the bushes. Thirteen hours of seawatching produced 2026 Brent Geese, four Gadwall, six Pintail, 19 Shovelers, 24 Eider, 1390 Common Scoters and 61 Red-breasted Mergansers, four Black-throated Divers, a Manx Shearwater, 25 Bar-tailed Godwits, 230 Whimbrel, 13 Pomarine Skuas, 15 Arctic Skuas, seven Great Skuas, 30 Mediterranean Gulls, 89 Little Gulls and four Arctic Terns.

Two Little Egrets, singles of Tree Pipit, Yellow Wagtail and Redstart, our first Ring Ouzel of the spring, six Blackcaps and 30 Willow Warblers.
19th A steady trickle of birds flew east offshore but just a handful of birds in the area were seen. Ten and a half hours of seawatching produced 274 Brent Geese, three Pintail, 845 Common Scoters, ten Velvet Scoters, and 22 Red-breasted Mergansers, two Black-throated Divers, four Slavonian Grebes, 113 Whimbrel, three Pomarine Skuas, nine Arctic Skuas, 16 Great Skuas, 177 Little Gulls, the first Black Tern and 19 Little Terns of the spring and three Arctic Terns.

The best of the birds on the land were two Yellow Wagtails and three Blackcaps.
20th A surprisingly good day with an unexpected arrival of common migrants. Numbers were provided by 75 Wheatears, 45 Whitethroats, 32 Blackcap and 65 Willow Warblers and other typical migrants included a Hobby, two Little Ringed Plovers (displaying in the Desert), a Tree Pipit, three Yellow Wagtails, a Nightingale, nine Redstarts, a Ring Ouzel, our first Grasshopper Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat and Garden Warbler and two Pied Flycatchers of the spring. 

Whinchat

Pied Flycatcher

Click for larger images

It was fairly quiet offshore for most of the day except for a movement of 350 Brent Geese in the morning and a small movement in the evening with a Pomarine Skua, four Arctic Skuas and three Great Skuas. There were two Mediterranean Gulls and two Yellow-legged Gulls at the Patch.
21st Another unusual arrival of commoner migrants in good weather. Numbers were provided by 190 Wood Pigeons,  25 Wheatears, 35 Whitethroats, 26 Blackcap and 50 Willow Warblers and other typical migrants included a Hobby, a Greenshank, a House Martin,  two Yellow Wagtails, two Nightingales, two Redstarts, a Ring Ouzel, six Reed Warblers, six Sedge Warblers, a Lesser Whitethroat and three Garden Warblers. 

There was very little movement offshore but there were 120 Common Terns and one Arctic Tern at the Patch and 104 Whimbrel flew east.
22nd It was fairly quiet offshore but three hours watching eventually produced 24 Shovelers, 37 Bar-tailed Godwits, 56 Whimbrels, a Great Skua and two Arctic Skuas.

A Nightingale was singing at the Long Pits where a Ring Ouzel and a Lesser Whitethroat were also seen.
23rd A quiet day with several hours seawatching producing just 35 Whimbrels, three Arctic Skuas and four Great Skuas of interest and Nightingale and Lesser Whitethroat singing at the Long Pits.
24th The sea provided most of the interest during the day with large movements of birds through the morning and with a late surge of passage in the evening. Notable birds included a summer-plumaged male Long-tailed Duck, four Black-throated Divers, two Slavonian Grebes, two Pomarine Skuas, 54 Arctic Skuas and six Great Skuas whilst numbers were provided by 225 Brent Geese, 27 Shelduck, 21 Eiders, 1566 Common Scoters, 22 Red-breasted Mergansers, 15 Grey Plovers, 211 Bar-tailed Godwits, 160 Whimbrels, six Mediterranean Gulls, 322 Little Gulls, 485 Sandwich Terns, 2500 Common Terns, 149 Little Terns and nine Black Terns.

Migrants on the land were generally few and far between but did include a Hobby, a Cuckoo, a Tree Pipit, five Yellow Wagtails, 25 Wheatears, a singing Grasshopper Warbler, three Lesser Whitethroats and a Firecrest.

Also of note, a Great White Egret was seen on the RSPB Reserve.
25th The sea provided most of the interest during the day with a good movement of birds through the morning and including 198 Brent Geese, 750 Common Scoters, 12 Velvet Scoters, 274 Bar-tailed Godwits, four Pomarine Skuas, 34 Arctic Skuas and ten Great Skuas, 75 Little Gulls, 430 Common Terns, ten Little Terns and two Black Terns.

It was very quiet on the land.
26th A very quiet day on land and at sea. The best the land had to offer was a single Tree Pipit whilst the sea produced just a Black-throated Diver, an Arctic Skua and five Mediterranean Gulls of note.
27th Despite light southerly winds it was another fairly quiet day. Of note on the land were just a single Tree Pipit and 12 Chiffchaffs whilst nearly 8 hours of seawatching revealed four Black-throated Divers, 200 Bar-tailed Godwits, 19 Whimbrel, five Arctic Skuas, a Great Skua and six Little Terns.

Of great note on the RSPB Reserve, a Purple Heron was seen around the New Excavations in the morning.
28th Another fairly quiet day with very little on the land but a better day offshore where 7.5hrs of watching eventually produced four Black-throated Divers, 205 Bar-tailed Godwits, 15 Whimbrel, eight Pomarine Skuas, two Arctic Skuas, two Great Skuas and three Little Terns.

The best of the birds on the land were a Hobby and a Firecrest.

The Purple Heron was seen again on the RSPB Reserve, around the New Excavations in the morning and at Dengemarsh later in the day.
29th Very quiet. There was a Hobby, a Little Owl, good numbers of Whitethroats and nine Willow Warblers but very little else to be seen on the land. Also very quiet offshore with just an Arctic Skua and two Little Gulls of note.

Remarkably, there were two Purple Herons at Dengemarsh on the RSPB Reserve during the afternoon.
30th A Pomarine Skua, five Arctic Skuas and a Great Skua and 245 Gannets were seen offshore and a few Swifts and Swallows came in. Two Merlins were seen on the Point and a Garden Warbler and two Lesser Whitethroats were seen in the bushes.

The two Purple Herons were showing occasionally throughout the day in the Hookers/ Dengemarsh area on the RSPB Reserve.