8th Aug

Little change in the weather so very limited coverage on the land but plenty of seawatching. The Sooty Shearwater remained the star bird which was feeding at the Patch in the morning before debunking to the fishing boats where it gave great views at times and even come to bread thrown out for the gulls at times. Birds passing through included seven Fulmars, two Mediterranean Gulls, 121 Common Terns and a Great Skua. A juvenile Yellow-legged Gull was also on the beach.

Three Porpoises were also feeding offshore.

7th Aug

Another day of strong south-westerly winds and frequent rain made observations on the virtually pointless but provided some decent movement of birds offshore. The latter included a remarkable Sooty Shearwater which flew in from the east and then continued to spend the rest of the day feeding amongst the gulls and terns at the Patch. More conventional records from 10.5hrs of watching included 58 Common Scoters, a Manx Shearwater, three Balearic Shearwaters, 453 Gannets, 81 Kittiwakes, nine Mediterranean Gulls, 238 Sandwich Terns, a Little Tern, 509 Common Terns and three Arctic Skuas. A juvenile Yellow-legged Gull was also feeding at the Patch.

Sooty Shearwater Puffinus griseus   Dungeness   7th August 2021

Four Porpoises and two Grey Seals were feeding offshore and a Badger visited the Observatory garden at both ends of the day.

6th Aug

A wet and very windy morning meant plenty of seawatching with 7.25 hours of observation producing three Balearic Shearwaters and 12 Black Terns of note along with three Shovelers, seven Fulmars, 428 Gannets, two Knot, two Mediterranean Gulls, seven Little Terns, a Great Skua and an Arctic Skua. 

Five Porpoise and a Grey Seal were also feeding offshore.

5th Aug

A few waders flew over during the morning including a Golden Plover, three Ringed Plovers and a Green Sandpiper. A Great Spotted Woodpecker, seven Willow Warblers and five Reed Warblers were seen in the Trapping Area and 200 Sand Martins and two Yellow Wagtails also flew over. Two juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls were feeding at the Patch but there was very little sign of any offshore movement.

Four Porpoises and two Grey Seals were feeding offshore and a Thresher Shark also breached.

A Channel Island Pug was caught last night and is the seventh record for the Observatory traps  and a brief check for orthoptera produced two nymph Sickle-bearing Bush-crickets.

Channel Island Pug |Eupithecia ultimaria   Dungeness   5th August 2021

4th Aug

Seven hours of seawatching during the day produced three Balearic Shearwaters along with two Grey Herons, 11 Shelducks, 30 Mallard and 188 Sandwich Terns along with a steady flow of Sand Martins going out to sea. A juvenile Marsh Harrier and a Golden Plover flew over the trapping area and a Merlin, four Willow Warblers and three Yellow Wagtails were also seen.

Six Porpoise and two Grey Seals were feeding offshore and another Thresher Shark was seen breaching on a couple of occasions..

Highlights from the moth traps were a Pine Hawkmoth, a Sussex Emerald and another Loxostege sticticalis. 

Three Sickle-bearing Bush-crickets were found and a few swishes of a sweep net produced 50 nymph Tree Crickets. 

The pyralid moth Loxostege sticticalis and a Pine Hawkmoth Hyloicus pinastri

3rd Aug

Thunderstorms overnight failed to produce very much in the way of grounded migrants with just a handful of Willow Warblers in the bushes although an Osprey which flew out to sea this morning was noteworthy. In the late afternoon a flock of 300 Sand Martins were gathered and feeding at the Point. The sea was relatively calm this morning but four Balearic Shearwaters and two Arctic Skuas were still seen.

The Audiomoth was deployed last night but was fairly unproductive with just three flocks of Dunlin recorded.

Three Porpoises and two Grey Seals were feeding off the fishing boats and a Thresher Shark breached a couple of times off the Point. A Common Pipistrelle bat was flying around the Observatory this evening.

The highlight from the moth traps was another example of Loxostege sticticalis.

Loxostege sticticalis   Dungeness   3rd August 2021

2nd Aug

Another 15 very early Brent Geese passed through offshore and a Buzzard and a Marsh Harrier flew over. A juvenile Little Egret feeding along the roadside in front of the power station was an unusual sight. One Redshank flew in off the sea in the morning and a party of at least three birds flew over the Observatory just after dark. A Sedge Warbler and 14 Willow Warblers were seen on the land. 

Three Porpoises and four Grey Seals were feeding offshore.

A sweep netting session in the Moat proved highly successful with the catching of a Fire Bug Pyrrhocoris apterus - the first Observatory area record of this once very rare species but which is now more frequently recorded and with records from Lydd and Lydd-on-Sea. 

Fire Bug Pyrrhocoris apterus   Dungeness   2nd August 2021

Elsewhere, the clear highlight of the day was a Caspian Tern which was present at Dengemarsh for five minutes this afternoon before flying off in a NW direction.

1st Aug

The best of the morning seawatch were three Balearic Shearwaters along with 305 Gannets, 53 Kittiwakes, a Mediterranean Gull and an Arctic Skua. There was a small arrival of migrants on the land with 13 Willow Warblers of note.

Five Small Red-eyed Damselflies were seen at the Long Pits.

The moth traps at the Observatory produced the pyralid Gymnancyla canella, a Sussex Emerald and a Langmaid's Yellow Underwing but the best moth came from additional traps set in the trapping area in the form of the rare migrant pyralid Loxostege sticticalis. 

31st July

There was a very small arrival of migrants on the land this morning involving just three Willow Warblers and singles of Sedge and Garden Warbler along with 14 Sand Martins overhead.

Seawatching was also hard work but six Whimbrel, 14 Sanderling, 12 Dunlin, two Mediterranean Gulls, four juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls and two Arctic Skuas were eventually noted. A Wood Sandpiper flew over the Observatory calling as it went not long after dark.

Three Porpoises and two Grey Seals were feeding offshore and a Badger came into the Observatory garden for a feed.

Three Clouded Yellows were seen.

A search for orthoptera produced a singing male Great Green Bush-cricket at the northern end of the Long Pits whilst eight Sickle-bearing Bush-crickets nymphs and four Tree Cricket nymphs were found in the more usual location. A couple of Common Groundhoppers were also found.

Ten Bishop's Mitre Shieldbugs were also found at the northern end of the estate 

30th July

A day of strong to near-gale force westerly winds meant that most of the interest was offshore and where 9.25 hrs of observation included an excellent total of 21 Balearic Shearwaters. Other notable birds were 107 Common Scoters, 475 Gannets, 13 Whimbrel, 17 Mediterranean Gulls, a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull, two Little Terns and four Arctic Skuas.

The only birds of note on the land was a large movement of 1500 Swifts head south and west over the area during the worst of the weather.

Four Porpoises and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore and a Badger came into the garden just after midnight.

One Sussex Emerald was trapped overnight.

A Cattle Egret was seen with the cattle in the fields between Boulderwall Farm and Hookers Pit.