Sightings June 2009

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1st Another very quiet day with a Hobby and three Mediterranean Gulls being the best on offer.
2nd Gull numbers increased considerably today and included nine Mediterranean Gulls and a Little Gull feeding at the Patch. Two Hobbies were seen at the Long Pits in the evening.
3rd Very quiet in the Observatory area with just five Mediterranean Gulls at the Patch of note.

All the days interest was on the RSPB Reserve where an Oriental Pratincole was found in late morning at the Hookers pit. It spent the rest of the day here and over Dengemarsh, often resting out of sight, but eventually most observers had good views of it on the ground as well as in flight. Not surprisingly, this is the first Dungeness record but is the second Kent record. 

4th Two Roseate Terns, a Little Gull and 17 Mediterranean Gulls at the Patch were the only noteworthy birds.
5th The Patch was the most productive area today with a Roseate Tern along with 36 Mediterranean Gulls, a first-summer Little Gull and a second-summer Yellow-legged Gull.

A Hobby, 114 Swifts, two Blackcaps and four Corn Buntings were seen on the land.
6th The Patch continues to provide most of the interest with a Roseate Tern and five Black Terns of note along with a first-summer Little Gull and 36 Mediterranean Gulls.
7th Another quiet day with all the interest at the Patch where the Roseate Tern was seen again on a couple of occasions and 16 Mediterranean Gulls and a first-summer Little Gull were also noted.
8th A Buzzard flew over the area and at least 16 Mediterranean Gulls and a Little Gull were feeding at the Patch. A Turtle Dove was also seen in the trapping area.
9th Two Roseate Terns were seen at the Patch along with seven Mediterranean Gulls and a Black Tern. A Little Egret flew over the area.
10th Very quiet. Just three Mediterranean Gulls and a Little Gull were seen at the Patch.
11th It was extremely quiet with a couple of Hobbies being the only highlight.
12th Still very quiet. Three Mediterranean Gulls were seen at the Patch and a Turtle Dove was seen in the trapping area.
13th A Little Ringed Plover and eight Sand Martins (the first of the autumn?) flew over and an adult Mediterranean Gull was seen at the Patch.
14th A Hobby and a first-summer Mediterranean Gull were the only notable birds.
15th A party of four adult Roseate Terns visited the Patch during the morning along with three Mediterranean Gulls. A Hobby was seen at the northern end of the estate.
16th Five Mediterranean Gulls and two Roseate Terns were at the Patch.
17th Two Mediterranean Gulls were seen at the Patch.
18th An adult Mediterranean Gull and a Roseate Tern were seen at the Patch.
19th Five Hobbies were feeding over the area and an adult Mediterranean Gull, a Roseate Tern and two Arctic Terns were feeding at the Patch. A very tame Alexandrine Parakeet was also seen near the Old Lighthouse.
20th Seven Mediterranean Gulls and a Roseate Tern were feeding at the Patch and 140 Swifts flew over. The Alexandrine Parakeet was seen near the Old Lighthouse again.
21st Four Mediterranean Gulls were feeding at the Patch and a Hobby was also seen.
22nd A Buzzard flew over the area and two adult Mediterranean Gulls were feeding at the Patch.
23rd Two Roseate Terns, a Black Tern and three adult Mediterranean Gulls were feeding at the Patch during the day.
24th A Roseate Tern and two adult Mediterranean Gulls were feeding at the Patch during the day and a Hobby flew over the area.
25th Nine Mediterranean Gulls were seen during the day and a party of four Black Terns were feeding offshore in the evening.
26th Two Mediterranean Gulls and a Black Tern were feeding at the Patch whilst three Cuckoos and 300 Swifts and a Yellow Wagtail were seen over the land.
27th At least seven Mediterranean Gulls were seen during the day and a Roseate Tern was feeding at the Patch, a Kingfisher was seen at the Long Pits and 11 Sand Martins passed through.
28th Five adult Mediterranean Gulls were feeding at the Patch and 38 Sand Martins passed through.
29th Four Mediterranean Gulls were seen during the day.
30th An increasingly foggy day. Little to be seen except for ten Mediterranean Gulls at the Patch.