8th May

Still very quiet. A Mediterranean Gull and two Arctic Skuas were the best to be seen offshore. Passage migrants on the land were virtually non-existent.

Two Porpoises and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.

7th May

Calm and cloudy again this morning but still barely any migrants to be seen. Just one Arctic Skua was of note offshore.

Eight Porpoises and two Grey Seals were feeding offshore.

A Variable Damselfly and a few Red-eyed Damselflies were seen at the Long Pits. A Geotomus petiti shieldbug was found in the Moat.

6th May

Calm and overcast conditions this morning seemed to promise much but actually delivered very little. The morning seawatch saw just a Great Skua, a Pomarine Skua and three Arctic Skuas of note while a Turtle Dove and a Firecrest were of note on the land.

Singles of Porpoise and Grey Seal were feeding offshore.

5th May

The clear highlight of the day was a Short-toed Treecreeper in the garden of Southview Cottage. It was very elusive during the morning but eventually showed very well in the late afternoon/evening. Migrants on the land were otherwise much the same as in recent days with a few Swallows passing through and a handful of Lesser Whitethroats and just four Willow Warblers in the bushes. Seawatching was also quieter today but still produced five Pomarine Skuas along with singles of Velvet Scoter, Black Tern, Great Skua and Black-throated Diver and three Manx Shearwaters of note.

Short-toed Treecreeper Certhia brachydactyla   Dungeness   5th May 2023

Two Porpoises and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.

A Brimstone butterfly was an unusual record whilst there was a significant arrival of Painted Lady's, Red Admirals and Silver Y's during the day.

4th May

All eyes were on the sea today where 12.5hrs of coverage was achieved. The obvious highlights were an excellent total of 54 Pomarine Skuas along with 14 Velvet Scoters, a party of four Avocets, 124 Knot, six Little Terns, 23 Arctic Skuas and a Black-throated Diver. A good variety of other species were seen including 111 Brent Geese, six Shovelers, three Gadwall, three Pintail, ten Teal, 427 Common Scoters, nine Red-breasted Mergansers, 43 Grey Plover, 48 Ringed Plovers, 82 Whimbrel and a Black Tern. Terns in general remain in remarkably short supply though. Four Swifts and 36 Swallows came in and a Whinchat was seen around the Old Lighthouse.

Six Porpoises and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.

3rd May

Another cold and windy day with just a trickle of birds east offshore but very little on the land. Several watches during the day totaling 5.5hrs produced just 12 Shelduck, 15 Shoveler, six Teal, 32 Whimbrel and two Black-throated Diver of note. A Little Ringed Plover and a Greenshank flew over the area and ten Lesser Whitethroats were seen in the bushes.

Two Porpoises were feeding offshore.

2nd May

A very quiet day. Over 4.5hrs of seawatching produced just three Red-breasted Mergansers, 40 Whimbrel, 108 Bar-tailed Godwits and two Arctic Skuas of note. Very quiet on the land.

A Porpoise was seen offshore.

1st May

A small arrival of migrants occurred this morning but with just ten Willow Warblers, five Lesser Whitethroats, a Whinchat, two Yellow Wagtails and a Redpoll of note. Seawatching was very poor. 

A Porpoise was seen offshore.

A  search of the Moat eventually produced one of our rarest shieldbugs - Geotomus petiti.

Geotomus petiti   Dungeness   1st May 2023

30th Apr

Most of the interest today was offshore where birds were passing throughout the day but with a noticeable increase in numbers in the evening. Eight hours of watching produced 2 Whimbrel, two Knot, nine Little Terns, 64 Arctic Terns, four Black Terns, a Great Skua, four Pomarine Skuas and 22 Arctic Skuas and a Black-throated Diver. A second-winter Yellow-legged Gull was also feeding at the fishing boats. A White Stork flew over the Point again but grounded migrants were pretty scarce. 

Two Porpoises were seen offshore.

Elsewhere, two superb Black-winged Stilts were feeding in the flooded hayfields at Dengemarsh.

Black-winged Stilts Himantopus himantopus   Dengemarsh, RSPB   30th April 2023

29th Apr

With a very light SW wind and overcast skies this morning there was first small arrival of migrants in what seems like ages. At least 30 Willow Warblers, six Chiffchaffs, 15 Blackcaps, two Garden Warblers, six Lesser Whitethroats and a Redstart were scattered across the Point. There was also some significant passage overhead with a White Stork (of unknown origin but likely to be a Knepp bird) along with at least 16 Buzzards, 30 Swallows, a Yellow Wagtail and a Siskin. A Hooded Crow was also seen on the beach. Passage offshore was fairly limited but did include seven Whimbrel, three Arctic Skuas and a Black-throated Diver.

The rare beetle Hister quadrimaculata was found in the Moat.

Hister quadrimaculata   Dungeness   29th April 2023