15th Oct

After the riches of yesterday it was always likely to be a quieter day which turned out to be the case. Having said that there were still plenty of birds to be seen. Grounded migrants included another brief Yellow-browed Warbler, three Blackcaps, two Firecrests, 25 Goldcrests, seven Ring Ouzels, 40 Blackbirds, 12 Redwings, 20 Song Thrush, ten Black Redstarts and a Wheatear while migrants passing over included two Buzzards, a Woodlark, 15 Swallows, four Grey Wagtails, eight Rock Pipits, 500 Chaffinches, a Brambling, 345 Redpolls, seven Crossbills, 3400 Goldfinches and 64 Siskins. The sea was fairly slow but 330 Brent Geese, 18 Shelduck, 47 Wigeon, 11 Teal, an Eider, seven Mediterranean Gulls, 60 Sandwich Terns and six Arctic Skuas were of note from three hours of watching.

Singles of Grey Seal and Porpoise were feeding offshore.

14th Oct

What a day!!. It began with a few grounded migrants around the Point and a decent enough early morning seawatch but really came to life from late morning when a treecreeper seen earlier in the day was relocated at the Old Lighthouse. It then gave decent views and plumage details along with several calls allowed it to be identified as a Short-toed Treecreeper. Remarkably this was our fourth individual of the year following on from three different birds during the spring. However, this was then relegated to almost an also ran when a superb Red-flanked Bluetail was found in a small line of gorse bushes between the railway station car park and the Polish War Memorial. There have already been 21 individuals recorded in Britain this autumn so it is an exceptional year for this species but despite being dropped as a "BB Rarity" it is still a major and very exiting find. It is in fact a new species for the Observatory with the only previous Dungeness record being at Dengemarsh Road on 6th November 2010.

Other migrants of note during the day included a Woodcock, a Merlin, two late Sand Martins, 20 Chiffchaffs, five Firecrests, 60 Goldcrests, nine Ring Ouzels, 35 Fieldfares, 25 Song Thrushes, five Grey Wagtails, six Rock Pipits, 80 Redpolls, 1600 Goldfinches and ten Siskins. The morning seawatch produced 128 Wigeon, a Pintail, a Pochard, two Red-breasted Mergansers, a Great White Egret, six Little Gulls, 94 Sandwich Terns and four Arctic Skua. A first-winter Caspian Gull was also roosting with the other gulls at the Point until it was flushed by day visitors.

Short-toed Treecreeper Certhia brachydactyla   Dungeness   14t October 2020
This bird never showed out in the open but between them these images show all the salient features 

Red-flanked Bluetail Tarsiger cyanurus   Dungeness   14th October 2020

Three Porpoises and three Grey Seals were feeding offshore.

13th Oct

Most of the days interest was offshore where the highlight was a Grey Phalarope seen off the fishing boats on a couple of occasions. Other decent totals and species included 1283 Brent Geese, five Wigeon, a Pochard, two Velvet Scoters, a Little Egret, three Mediterranean Gulls, six Great Skuas, five Arctic Skuas and 88 Razorbills.

Weather conditions also looked good for a few land birds but it was actually fairly slow going with just 36 Chiffchaffs, four Fieldfares, 20 Song Thrushes, 36 Redwings, a Wheatear and ten Siskin of note.

The Nocmig recorder was deployed last night with the period between 2200hrs and 0400hrs producing 796 Redwing calls along with 13 Fieldfares, 87 Song Thrushes and 13 Blackbirds. A lone Dunlin was the only other call noted.

At least eight Porpoises and two Grey Seals were feeding offshore and a Brown Hare was seen alongside the road this evening.

12th Oct

A quiet day for grounded migrants but with a decent number of birds passing overhead and much better seawatching than of late. 

Migrants on the land included two Snipe, a Woodlark, 150 Swallows, 17 Chiffchaffs, two Ring Ouzels, 45 Redwings, three Grey Wagtails, three Rock Pipits, four Bramblings, 62 Redpolls, 25 Crossbills, 16 Siskins and 26 Reed Buntings.

Six hours of seawatching produced 569 Brent Geese and one Pale-bellied Brent Goose, 309 Wigeon, 12 Pintail, a Sooty Shearwater, three Mediterranean Gulls and three Arctic Skuas.

Two Porpoises were feeding offshore.

Elsewhere, the American Golden Plover first seen on 6th October was refound in the afternoon on one of the islands on Burrowes Pit on the RSPB Reserve

11th Oct

The day started fairly quietly but from mid-morning large numbers of thrushes began to arrive and head NW through and over the area. Redwings dominated proceedings with at least 2200 birds counted along with six Sparrowhawks, a Buzzard, five Great Spotted Woodpeckers, a Merlin, 25 Blackbirds, ten Fieldfares, 35 Song Thrushes, a Mistle Thrush, four Grey Wagtails, two Rock Pipits, 250 Chaffinches, three Bramblings, 70 Redpolls, five Crossbills, 170 Goldfinches, 30 Siskins and 20 Reed Buntings.

Brambling Fringilla montifringilla    Dungeness   11th October 2020

Grounded migrants included 40 Chiffchaffs and another Dartford Warbler in the Desert.

The sea remained quiet with just 80 Kittiwakes, two Mediterranean Gulls, a Great Skua, four Arctic Skuas and 57 Razorbills (plus 318 unidentified auks).

Eight Porpoises and two Grey Seals were seen in the calm conditions.

After finding a large colony of Mottled Shieldbugs on the Point the species was finally added to the Observatory garden list and a Clouded Yellow was seen in the Moat.

10th Oct

Although numbers were not high there was a decent variety of migrants passing overhead which included 500 Swallows, two Grey Wagtails, 40 Pied Wagtails, seven Rock Pipits, a Brambling, 40 Redpolls, 150 Goldfinch and 25 Siskins. A Yellow Wagtail also dropped in and was caught in the Crow Trap.

Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava flavissima   Dungeness   10th October 2020

It was very quite for grounded migrants though with just 15 Chiffchaffs and six Blackcaps of note along with a Dartford Warbler seen near the Britannia Inn.

Two Mediterranean Gulls, a Great Skua and five Arctic Skuas were the best the sea could offer.

Three Porpoises and two Grey Seals were feeding offshore. 

Thirty Mottled Shieldbugs were found.

9th Oct

Another decent morning with clear skies inducing  a large visible migration and good numbers of birds on the land. Highlights of the birds passing overhead included two Egyptian Geese, two Woodlarks, 57 Skylarks, 4500 Swallows, 28 Tree Sparrows, five Yellow Wagtails, nine Grey Wagtails, a Tree and five Rock Pipits, 270 Redpolls, nine Crossbills, 126 Siskins and 34 Reed Buntings. The best of the grounded migrants were 115 Chiffchaffs, a late Reed Warbler, 12 Blackcaps, 12 Song Thrushes, singles of Redstart and Whinchat and eight Wheatears. A couple of watches of the sea during the afternoon produced four Mediterranean Gulls and eight Arctic Skuas. 

Two Porpoises and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore and a Brown Hare was seen on the land.

Three Clouded Yellows were seen during the day and the best of a reasonable catch of moths was a Palpita vitrealis.

8th Oct

A wet and windy day meant plenty of seawatching where the two main highlights of the day were noted in the form of a Leach's Petrel and a Pale-bellied Brent Goose. Two Gadwall, a Mediterranean Gull, a Yellow-legged Gull, 385 Sandwich Terns, a Great Skua and 32 Arctic Skuas were also of note.

Hard going on the land with just a Short-eared Owl, 37 Chiffchaffs and a Firecrest of note along with 500 Swallows and a Grey Wagtail passing through.

Seven Porpoises and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore. 

7th Oct

Most of the days interest was in birds passing overhead although the highlight was another brief Yellow-browed Warbler at the Long Pits. A Short-eared Owl was seen at the Lifeboat Station and a Wood Lark also flew over. Other visible migrants included 37 Skylarks, 305 Swallows, 327 House Martins, two Mistle Thrushes, four Tree Sparrows, 12 Grey Wagtails, 375 Meadow Pipits, a Tree Pipit, three Rock Pipits, seven Bramblings, 250 Redpolls, 1390 Goldfinches, 256 Siskins and 14 Reed Buntings. Grounded migrants included 65 Chiffchaffs, 15 Blackcaps, five Firecrests, a Whinchat and three Wheatears.

Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros   Dungeness   7th October 2020
This bird was originally ringed here as a locally-bred juvenile in August 2019.

The best of the seawatching were just two Mediterranean Gulls and five Arctic Skuas.

A Grey Seal was seen offshore.

6th Oct

Another decent morning for visible migration but numbers of ground migrants were fairly low and the sea remains very quiet. Highlights of the day included a Little Tern, three Arctic Skuas, a Kingfisher, 36 Chiffchaffs, three Firecrests, a Redstart, a Whinchat, 160 Pied/alba Wagtails, 350 Meadow Pipits, two Rock Pipits, a Brambling, 75 Redpolls, 700 Goldfinches and 100 Siskins. 

A Grey Seal was feeding offshore.