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| 1st | A
noticeable increase in migrants this morning.
Grounded migrants included nine Blackbirds,
43 Song Thrushes, three Blackcaps,
78 Chiffchaffs and three Firecrests
whilst overhead passage included four Sparrowhawks,
a Buzzard and two Hobbies, 535 House
Martins, single Yellow Wagtail and Grey
Wagtail, 25 Tree Sparrows, 22 Chaffinches,
15 Goldfinches and 33 Reed Buntings.
Two Ravens also flew over in the afternoon.
The party of five Glossy Ibis spent most of the day at ARC. |
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| 2nd | Another
good scattering of birds around this morning with
numbers provided by 65 Song Thrushes and 41
Chiffchaffs along with a Redstart, a
Reed Warbler and our first Ring Ouzel
of the autumn of note. Five Marsh Harriers,
70 Swallows, four Grey Wagtails, two
Siskins and 25 Reed Buntings also
flew over.
Very quiet ashore with just three Mediterranean Gulls of interest. |
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| 3rd | A
very windy day with most of the limited interest
being offshore where a Manx Shearwater, two
Velvet Scoters, 11 Arctic Skuas, two
Great Skuas, two Mediterranean Gulls
and an Arctic Tern were seen in over five
hours off watching.
The party of five Glossy Ibis where seen at ARC throughout the day. |
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| 4th | A
much calmer day but still very few birds to be
seen. Of note offshore were a single Sooty
Shearwater and three of both Arctic and
Great Skuas. A second-winter Caspian
Gull was seen at the Patch in the evening and
two adult Yellow-legged Gulls were roosting
at the fishing boats.
The best on offer on the land was a Buzzard, 120 Swallows, eight Long-tailed Tits, 55 Goldfinches and 22 Reed Buntings. The five Glossy Ibis spent most of the day at Dengemarsh. |
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| 5th | Rain
overnight and throughout the day grounded a few
migrants including a Reed Warbler, 18 Blackcaps
and 60 Chiffchaffs and a Hobby was
also seen.
There was also a westerly trickle of birds offshore with 12 Arctic Skuas and 12 Great Skuas during the day. A Little Gull, a first-winter Mediterranean Gull and an adult Arctic Tern were feeding offshore. |
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| 6th | A
return to wet and windy weather resulted in a
mainly easterly movement of birds offshore.
Quality was provided by five Sooty Shearwaters,
two Manx Shearwaters, 13 Arctic Skuas
and seven Great Skuas whilst numbers were
provided by 750 Gannets.
A few migrants in the bushes included three Blackcaps and a Lesser Whitethroat and 280 Swallows and 360 Meadow Pipits flew over. Three Glossy Ibis were seen at Dengemarsh. |
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| 7th | The
first large autumn movement of finches occurred
during the morning with 760 Goldfinches and
870 Linnets flying south along with 460 Swallows,
190 House Martins, 55 "Alba"
Wagtails, 340 Meadow Pipits, just nine Siskins
and 50 Reed Buntings. There were also small
numbers of grounded migrants including two Blackcaps
and 32 Chiffchaffs.
Seawatching during the morning produced just an adult Great Northern Diver and two Great Skuas of note and singles of Little Gull, Mediterranean Gull and Yellow-legged Gull and a juvenile Arctic Tern were feeding offshore. |
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| 8th | Heavy
overnight rain grounded a handful of migrants
including two Wheatears, two Ring Ouzels,
a Mistle Thrush, two Whitethroats,
nine Blackcaps and 32 Chiffchaffs.
There was also a decent visible migration during
the morning with a Woodlark, 44 Skylarks,
120 Swallows, five Rock Pipits, 60
"alba" Wagtails, 28 Chaffinches,
520 Goldfinches, 29 Siskins, 430 Linnets
and 109 Reed Buntings passing through.
Three Merlins were also seen.
It was still very quiet offshore with just a few Brent Geese moving through and two Arctic Skuas, a first-winter Mediterranean Gull, an adult Little Gull, two Yellow-legged Gulls, 60 Sandwich Terns and two juvenile Arctic Terns feeding offshore. |
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| 9th | A
strong easterly wind this morning produced a large
arrival of Firecrests with at least 25 in
the area and a scattering of other migrants
including a Woodlark, 50 Robins, two
Redwings, a Reed Warbler, seven Blackcaps
and 45 Chiffchaffs. Overhead passage was
lighter than the previous two days but 700 Swallows,
160 Meadow Pipits, a Rock Pipit,
four Bramblings and 400 Goldfinches
were of note.
The sea remains fairly quiet except for a steady movement of Brent Geese flying west along with a trickle of other duck including the first three Red-breasted Mergansers of the autumn. A handful of Arctic Skuas and 50 Sandwich Terns seemed to be lingering offshore rather than moving through. |
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| 10th | Singles
of both Marsh Harrier and Buzzard
and two Hobbies flew over and two Glossy
Ibis came from the RSPB Reserve and headed
east in the afternoon. On the passerine front, a Wood
Lark, 22 Skylarks, 280 Swallows,
230 House Martins, a Tree Pipit, two
Rock Pipits, a Fieldfare, 11 Redwings,
55 Chaffinches, six Bramblings, a Crossbill
and 115 Reed Bunting flew over whilst
grounded migrants included 50 Robins, a Whinchat,
six Ring Ouzels, 60 Chiffchaffs and
five Firecrests.
A Red-necked Grebe flew east offshore. Three Glossy Ibis were seen at various sites around the RSPB Reserve. |
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| 11th | Activity
was dominated by visible migration with two Rock
Pipits, six Grey Wagtails, 178 Chaffinches,
13 Bramblings, 1000 Goldfinches, 93 Siskins,
46 Redpolls, 11 Crossbills and 80 Reed
Buntings passing over whilst grounded migrants
included a Redstart, three Wheatears,
nine Ring Ouzels and 50 Chiffchaffs.
At sea, 167 Brent Geese, five Arctic Skuas, two Great Skuas and 62 Sandwich Terns flew west and a first-winter Caspian Gull was roosting near the New Lighthouse in the evening. A first-winter Arctic Tern was also feeding offshore. Two Glossy Ibis were still showing at the ARC Pit on the RSPB Reserve and a Cattle Egret was found at Caldicot Lane just north of Lydd and gave excellent views at times.
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| 12th | Generally
quiet in the bushes but a trickle of birds passing
overhead included a Hobby, two Woodlarks,
six Ring Ouzels, ten Redwings, 12 Tree
Sparrows, 135 Goldfinches, 25 Siskins,
a Crossbill and 25 Reed Buntings.
The regular first-winter Arctic Tern and two Little Gulls were feeding offshore where 520 Brent Geese also flew east during the day. Two Glossy Ibis were still showing at the ARC Pit and the Cattle Egret moved to the RSPB Reserve in the morning but was not seen later in the day. |
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| 13th |
An excellent days birding with plenty of interest. The highlight was a first-winter Red-breasted Flycatcher trapped at first light but it was not seen again after its release. Most of the remaining interest was provided by birds flying overhead with a party of three Cranes heading out to sea, a Buzzard, two Woodlarks, 11 Grey Wagtails, eight Rock Pipits, two Ravens and two Lapland Buntings. Good numbers of grounded migrants also included two Ring Ouzels, 115 Blackbirds, 95 Song Thrushes, 80 Redwings, three Blackcaps, 15 Chiffchaffs, 20 Bramblings, 47 Siskins and 32 Redpolls.
The Cattle Egret was showing well at Dengemarsh in the sheep field to the south of Springfield Bridge and two Glossy Ibis were seen at ARC. |
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| 14th | There
was a steady movement of birds overhead and Brent
Goose and ducks at sea during the first few hours
of daylight. Notable offshore were totals of 1350 Brent
Geese, 300 Wigeon and 47 Teal
and a Little Egret also passed by.
Most of the migrants on the land were flying over with five Grey Wagtails, a Fieldfare, 25 Song Thrushes, 7000 Starlings, 130 Chaffinches, four Bramblings, 500 Goldfinches, 500 Siskins, 15 Redpolls and 20 Reed Buntings. A Ring Ouzel was one of the few migrants in the bushes. The Cattle Egret was showing well at Dengemarsh in the sheep field to the south of Springfield Bridge and a Glossy Ibis was seen at ARC. |
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| 15th | Fairly
quiet on the land with grounded migrants including
12 Chiffchaffs, five Goldcrests and
three Firecrests whilst 105 Swallows,
four Rock Pipits, 14 Bramblings, 12 Redpolls
and 16 Reed Buntings flew over.
At sea, 420 Brent Geese flew west, a first-winter Yellow-legged Gull was feeding at the fishing boats and a first-winter Arctic Tern was at the Patch. The Cattle Egret and a Glossy Ibis were showing well at Dengemarsh and were joined by a Great White Egret. |
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| 16th | There
were a few migrants in the area including our
first Short-eared Owl of the year along
with a Marsh Harrier, a Ring Ouzel,
two Fieldfares and 85 Redwings. A Grey
Wagtail, 13 Swallows, three Bramblings,
600 Goldfinches, eight Redpolls and
20 Reed Buntings also flew
through.
A Great Skua, nine Little Gulls and an adult Mediterranean Gull were seen offshore. |
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| 17th | A
fairly quiet day on both land and sea. There was a
first-winter Caspian Gull at the Patch in
the evening along with an adult Little Gull
and a first-winter Mediterranean Gull and
the juvenile Arctic Tern was still feeding
offshore. The only birds of note passing offshore
were singles of Black-throated Diver, Velvet
Scoter and Great Skua and a party of
five Pintail also flew west.
There was a small overhead passage which included 16 Swallows, three Rock Pipits, three Grey Wagtails, 720 Starlings, 35 Tree Sparrows, 40 Redpolls and 23 Reed Buntings. Grounded migrants were few and far between but included a Wheatear and 12 Song Thrushes. The Cattle Egret and Great White Egret. were still showing well at Dengemarsh and the Glossy Ibis was seen at ARC. |
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| 18th | Clear
skies and cold weather meant that what little
interest there was was overhead with a Wood
Lark and a Lapland Bunting of
particular note and small numbers of Sky Larks,
pipits and finches, including 13 Bramblings,
and Reed Buntings passing through.
The Cattle Egret, Great White Egret. and two Glossy Ibis were showing well at Dengemarsh and were joined by a Stone-curlew (in the same field as the one favoured by the Cattle Egret). Two Ravens were also in the area. |
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| 19th | Very
quiet despite a heavy cloud cover and a freshening
south to south-east wind.
A Grey Wagtail and 13 Redpolls were the only notable birds on the land whilst an adult Little Gull, an adult Yellow-legged Gull and a juvenile Arctic Tern lingered offshore and two Great Skuas flew east. The Cattle Egret, Great White Egret and two Glossy Ibis were all seen at Dengemarsh during the morning but unfortunately the sheep have now been removed the field favoured by the Cattle Egret. |
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| 20th | Another
disappointing day despite strong southerly winds.
The best the sea could offer was just two Arctic
Skuas east and two Great Skuas west and
two Little Gulls and a juvenile Arctic
Tern at the Patch.
The only migrants of note on the land were ten Chiffchaffs and seven Firecrests. The Cattle Egret, Great White Egret and Glossy Ibis were all seen on the Reserve again. |
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| 21st | Fresh,
but dropping south-easterly winds and rain for
most of the day brought a small arrival of
migrants into the bushes with 14 Firecrests,
50 Blackbirds, a Ring Ouzel, a Fieldfare,
two Blackcaps and 13 Chiffchaffs
being the pick of the bunch whilst overhead, 750 Goldfinches,
200 Siskins, 100 Redpolls and a Crossbill
were of note.
Despite the seemingly ideal weather conditions the sea remains extremely quiet. Three hours watching from first light producing just two Velvet Scoters, three Red-breasted Mergansers and a Great Skua of note. Three Little Gulls and two Common Terns were feeding at the Patch. The Cattle Egret, Great White Egret, two Glossy Ibis and Stone Curlew were all seen on the Reserve again. |
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| 22nd | Strong
south-easterly winds at first resulted in a small
movement of birds offshore and a steady movement
of inches overhead during the morning. Of note
offshore were two Black-throated Divers,
400 Gannets, two Velvet Scoters,
three Great Skuas, 13 Little Gulls,
two Mediterranean Gulls and three Sandwich
Terns.
Overhead passge was dominated by Goldfinches with at least 1440 passing through along with 40 Skylarks, 68 Swallows, two Rock Pipits, three Bramblings, 170 Redpolls and 24 Reed Buntings. Grounded migrants were few and far between but they did include eight Firecrests. |
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| 23rd | Grounded
migrants were scarce again today but they did
include a Short-eared Owl and six Firecrests
whilst a second-winter Caspian Gull was also
seen in the gull roost on the Point in the
afternoon. There was a reasonable overhead passage
during the morning with 86 Skylarks, a Rock
Pipit, 1240 Starlings, a Brambling,
600 Goldfinches. 13 Siskins, 140 Redpolls,
five Crossbills and 106 Reed Buntings.
The RSPB Reserve continues to hold a Cattle Egret, Great White Egret and two Glossy Ibis and a Dusky Warbler was found at the ARC Pit although this remained very hard to see throughout the day. |
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| 24th | Another
miserable day of wet weather which produced a
handful of grounded migrants including a Ring
Ouzel, 18 Song Thrushes, 12 Redwings,
a Cetti's Warbler in the moat, 20 Chiffchaffs
and seven Firecrests whilst migrants
passing overhead included 12 Swallows, 110 Goldfinches
and 145 Redpolls.
It was quiet offshore with a few Gannets and Kittiwakes flying west along with five Mediterranean Gulls, a Little Gull and nine Sandwich Terns. The RSPB Reserve continues to hold a Cattle Egret, Great White Egret and a Glossy Ibis and the Dusky Warbler was still at the ARC Pit but remains very hard to see. |
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| 25th | Still
pretty quiet with just ten Swallows, a
Rock Pipit, 70 Goldfinches and 35 Redpolls
overhead, five Firecrests in the bushes and
a Common Tern still feeding at the Patch.
The RSPB Reserve continues to hold a Cattle Egret, Great White Egret and two Glossy Ibis and the Dusky Warbler was still at the ARC Pit but remains very hard to see. In addition, a Penduline Tit dropped into the reeds near the viewing ramp at Hookers but was not seen afterwards. |
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| 26th | Very
little to be seen in the bushes with just five Firecrests
of interest. Passage overhead was also light
except for good numbers of pigeons with 350 Wood
Pigeons, 48 Stock Doves and ten Collared
Doves arriving. Other bits and pieces included
25 Skylarks, nine Swallows, 45 Jackdaws,
13 Tree Sparrows, a Brambling and
36 Redpolls.
A Mediterranean Gull and Sandwich Tern were seen offshore. The Cattle Egret, Great White Egret and Glossy Ibis continue to be seen on the RSPB Reserve. |
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| 27th | What
seemed like decent conditions for an arrival of
migrants failed to produce anything very much with
just a latish Wheatear, a Fieldfare,
five Chiffchaffs and a Firecrest of
note on the ground. A trickle of birds overhead
included five Swallows, a Rock Pipit,
three Grey Wagtails, 400 Starlings,
11 Redpolls and 16 Reed Buntings.
Offshore, singles of Black-throated Diver, Velvet
Scoter and Great Skua flew west and two
Mediterranean Gulls, a Little Gull,
two Sandwich Terns and a Common Tern
were feeding.
The Cattle Egret, Great White Egret and Glossy Ibis continue to be seen on the RSPB Reserve. |
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| 28th | Two
Wood Larks flew over the area in
mid-morning and 5000 Starlings arrived but
it was otherwise another quiet day with very
little in the way of grounded migrants and a few
bits passing overhead including three Rock
Pipits, two Bramblings, 32 Siskins,
70 Redpolls and 27Reed Buntings.
The Great White Egret and two Glossy Ibis were seen at Dengemarsh. |
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| 29th | A
Wood Lark and a Bullfinch were the
highlights of another very quiet day despite
seemingly ideal conditions. Two Mediterranean
Gulls and a Common Tern were feeding
offshore.
The Great White Egret and two Glossy Ibis were seen at Dengemarsh. |
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| 30th | A
Firecrest was seen in the trapping area, 38
Siskins and 50 Redpolls flew over
and 11 Pintails flew west.
The Great White Egret and two Glossy Ibis were seen at Dengemarsh. |
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| 31st | A
Wood Lark, 15 Chaffinch and 36 Redpolls
flew over the area and a Firecrest was seen
in the bushes.
Five Red-breasted Mergansers and a Black-throated Diver flew west offshore. The Great White Egret and two Glossy Ibis were seen at Dengemarsh. |
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