Eight Porpoises and two Grey Seals were feeding offshore.
The first Brown Argus butterfly of the year was seen.
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| Brown Argus Aricia agestis Dungeness 8th May 2020 |
8th May
A calm, warm day produced a few raptors including a Red Kite, a Marsh Harrier, 13 Buzzards and a Merlin but very little yet again in the way of grounded migrants. Seawatching was very slow in terms of numbers but a Greenshank was heard and a party of five Pomarine Skuas was seen in the morning.
Eight Porpoises and two Grey Seals were feeding offshore.
The first Brown Argus butterfly of the year was seen.
Eight Porpoises and two Grey Seals were feeding offshore.
The first Brown Argus butterfly of the year was seen.
7th May
Another day lacking common migrants but still with some notable birds overhead including a party of four Red Kites, three Buzzards and a Bee-eater as well as a Spotted Flycatcher and two Siskins. Many hours of seawatching produced the highlights of 13 Pomarine Skuas along with a Shag, 21 Fulmars, 13 Sanderlings, four Great Skuas, five Arctic Skuas, 13 Mediterranean Gulls, 229 Sandwich Terns, 727 Common Tern, a flock of 13 Arctic Terns and eight Little Terns.
Six Porpoise and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.
Two Terrapins were seen at the Long Pits.
Insects of note included our third Hister quadrimculatus (a beetle) of the year, a Denticulated Leatherbug and at least 54 examples of the (formerly rare) shieldbug Geotomus (petiti.?)
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| Red Kite Milvus milvus Dungeness 7th May 2020 |
Two Terrapins were seen at the Long Pits.
Insects of note included our third Hister quadrimculatus (a beetle) of the year, a Denticulated Leatherbug and at least 54 examples of the (formerly rare) shieldbug Geotomus (petiti.?)
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| Hister quadrimaculatus Dungeness 7th May 2020 |
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| Geotomus species 44 live specimens Dungeness 7th May 2020 |
6th May
There was still a stiff easterly wind blowing today but was showing signs of dropping by the evening. Grounded migrants remain almost non-existent but a bit of overhead passage included 29 Swallows, six Yellow Wagtail and a Tree Pipit. The morning seawatch was also very slow but passage picked up a bit in the evening with two Pomarine Skuas and eight Arctic Skuas of note.
Two Porpoises and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.
Butterflies included five Grizzled Skippers and the first Common Blues of the year and two Variable Damselflies were seen at the Long Pits..
Another Nomad Bee, Nomada fabriciana was caught in front of the Observatory and looks like it might be a new species for Dungeness. Two male Grey-backed Mining-bees Andrena vaga were found at the Sycamore in the trapping area.
The first few plants of Heath Speedwell are starting to flower at their only site on Dungeness.
Two Porpoises and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.
Butterflies included five Grizzled Skippers and the first Common Blues of the year and two Variable Damselflies were seen at the Long Pits..
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| Grizzled Skipper Pyrgus malvae Dungeness 6th May 2020 |
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| Nomada fabriciana Dungeness 6th May 2020 |
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| Heath Speedwell Veronica officinalis Dungeness 6th May 2020 |
5th May
A cold and very windy day with a single Pomarine Skua being the only bird of note.
A Common Seal and a Porpoise were feeding offshore.
One Grizzled Skipper and two Variable Damselflies were seen at the Long Pits.
A Common Seal and a Porpoise were feeding offshore.
One Grizzled Skipper and two Variable Damselflies were seen at the Long Pits.
4th May
A calm, cloudy morning produced a handful of migrants including a Turtle Dove, 13 Swifts, ten House Martins and a Spotted Flycatcher but these were upstaged in mid-morning by a flighty Bee-eater which then spent 30 minutes or so in the area before heading off NW. Seawatching was slow with just 16 Sanderlings and two Arctic Skuas of note. In the evening 300 Common Terns, three Arctic Terns and a Black Tern were feeding at the Patch.
A Brown Hare was seen.
Butterflies seen included three Grizzled Skippers and six Geotomus shieldbugs were found in the moat.
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| Bee-eater Merops apiaster Dungeness 4th May 2020 |
Butterflies seen included three Grizzled Skippers and six Geotomus shieldbugs were found in the moat.
3rd May
A calm, overcast morning which felt good but failed to deliver on the land with hardly a new migrant to be found other than a Hobby and two Sedge Warblers. The morning seawatch was also fairly slow going but picked up considerably in the afternoon with final day totals of three Gadwall, 15 Whimbrel, five Curlew, 91 Dunlin, two Mediterranean Gulls, seven Little Terns, over 2500 Common and 650 "commic" Terns, 173 Arctic Terns, singles of Black Tern, Pomarine and Great Skuas and three Arctic Skuas and the highlight of a Roseate Tern.
Four Porpoises and singles of Grey and Common Seal were feeding offshore.
Four Porpoises and singles of Grey and Common Seal were feeding offshore.
2nd May
There was a small arrival of migrants today with a Hobby, 23 Swifts, 14 Willow Warblers, a Garden Warbler, three Sedge Warblers, a Siskin and the first Spotted Flycatcher of the year. More unusual was a Great White Egret which came in off the sea at the 640Kv Converter Station and six Buzzards which also flew over. The sea was very quiet with what few there were moving west apart from one Arctic Skua.
Butterflies seen today included our first Painted Lady and Small Heath of the year along with six Grizzled Skippers.
The warmer weather also brought a few dragonflies out with first sightings of Red-eyed, Variable, Azure, Common Blue and Blue-tailed Damselflies and also a Hairy Dragonfly.
One Geotomus sp shieldbug was found in the Moat along with a single Brassica Bug.
Butterflies seen today included our first Painted Lady and Small Heath of the year along with six Grizzled Skippers.
The warmer weather also brought a few dragonflies out with first sightings of Red-eyed, Variable, Azure, Common Blue and Blue-tailed Damselflies and also a Hairy Dragonfly.
One Geotomus sp shieldbug was found in the Moat along with a single Brassica Bug.
1st May
A day of strong westerly winds and frequent thundery downpours of heavy rain and hail. Very quiet for migrants in the difficult conditions with just three Willow Warblers and a Sedge Warbler of any interest at all on the land and a Great Skua and three Arctic Skuas offshore this morning.
30th Apr
A cold, wet and windy day. Most of the coverage involved seawatching where three Eiders, 397 Common Scoters, a Black-throated Diver, 12 Manx Shearwaters, three Mediterranean Gulls, nine Great Skuas, three Pomarine Skuas and 16 Arctic Skuas of note were seen.
Very little coverage of the land.
Very little coverage of the land.
29th Apr
A decent drop of rain in the early hours resulted in a small arrival of migrants on the land with the best being a Redstart, a Garden Warbler, two Sedge Warblers and 15 Willow Warblers. There was also a fair bit of movement offshore at various times during the day with three Eiders, a Great Northern Diver, two Manx Shearwaters, three Little Terns, 13 Great Skuas and seven Arctic Skuas of note while a second calendar year Caspian Gull was seen at the Patch along with three Yellow-legged Gulls.
However, the ornithological event of the day (actually night) passed unseen and unheard but was recorded as "NocMig"on the Audiomoth device. Five hours worth of recording produced some incredible totals including 21 calls (probably six individuals) of Little Ringed Plover, 82 Grey Plovers, 244 Whimbrel, 80 Bar-tailed Godwits, 458 Dunlin, 273 Redshank, two Greenshank, 64 (probably 49 individuals) Common Sandpipers, a remarkable 94 calls (probably 41 individuals) of Wood Sandpiper, 15 Green Sandpipers, two series of Little Gull calls and 54 Tree Pipit calls although possibly relating to just four individuals. There are also a good number of unidentified calls which I shall listen to and look at again over the next few days.
On the insect front my hands and knees searching of the Moat produced another example of the rare beetle Hister quadrimaculatus and two Geotomus (petiti) shieldbugs.
However, the ornithological event of the day (actually night) passed unseen and unheard but was recorded as "NocMig"on the Audiomoth device. Five hours worth of recording produced some incredible totals including 21 calls (probably six individuals) of Little Ringed Plover, 82 Grey Plovers, 244 Whimbrel, 80 Bar-tailed Godwits, 458 Dunlin, 273 Redshank, two Greenshank, 64 (probably 49 individuals) Common Sandpipers, a remarkable 94 calls (probably 41 individuals) of Wood Sandpiper, 15 Green Sandpipers, two series of Little Gull calls and 54 Tree Pipit calls although possibly relating to just four individuals. There are also a good number of unidentified calls which I shall listen to and look at again over the next few days.
On the insect front my hands and knees searching of the Moat produced another example of the rare beetle Hister quadrimaculatus and two Geotomus (petiti) shieldbugs.
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| Hister quadrimaculatus Dungeness 29th April 2020 |
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