davidsbirdingdiary: Dungeness 2010

Some of the more unusual birds seen within the Dungeness recording area over the course of the season...

MARCH

Penduline Tit Three birds, seen close to the ARC Hanson hide, were relocated three days later, feeding in the stand of reedmace along the Willow trail. They remained on site till April 4th, when one of the birds could even be heard singing.

Pallid Swift Initially viewed under terrible light conditions, the bird remained on site till the following morning, when people were able to gain satisfactory views and confirm its identity.

Alpine Swift Seen on the final day of the month, as it made its way south along the point and into the power station to roost. The first Dungeness record for almost 20 years! Having failed to show itself to the small crowd, waiting at the power station for its morning departure, it was relocated over ARC, where a handful of fortunate locals managed to connect. Having dipped a bird in Folkestone, that didn't leave its roost till 10:30, I now realise that I should have given the Dungeness bird more time to wake up

APRIL

Purple Heron Britain's first successful nesting pair! It soon became apparent that things were starting to happen, shortly after the arrival of the second bird. Regularly seen together as a pair, it wasn't long before the male was seen collecting nesting material and displaying over the nest site. After a summer of mixed emotions (on more than one occasion thinking that the birds had either failed or deserted the nest) it was a great relief to confirm successful hatching, when the first young bird was seen close to the nest on August 4th. By the end of the season, the birds had managed to successfully fledge two young.

MAY

Whiskered Tern Initially found feeding over the patch (where it stayed for roughly 20 minutes) the bird was relocated over the RSPB reserve, where it could be watched from the causeway feeding over New Diggings. Regularly giving good views, it lingered throughout the morning but disappeared from site late afternoon..

Red-footed Falcon A 1st summer male, which lingered on the RSPB reserve for three days at the beginning of the month.

Bee Eater An unexpected treat, whilst cycling back from the patch late afternoon. Noticing a lone bird sat on the wires I remember thinking to myself "I'm not going to jump to conclusions here, but that looks like a Bee Eater!" In typical Bee Eater fashion, the bird was present for just 15 minutes, and seen by only three birders (several locals arriving just minutes too late) This was my 2nd Dungeness Bee Eater, following a bird seen almost two weeks later (6th June 2008) on almost the same stretch of wire, at the same time of day!

JUNE

Common Rosefinch A frustratingly elusive bird that I found singing in the trapping area June 16th. After hearing it 4 or 5 times I finally managed to locate its position, when it made the brief flight, crossing from one bush to another. It remained on the edge of the Willows for a few seconds (though still largely obscurred, exept for the head) before melting away, never to be seen or heard again!

Marsh Tit Never mind Bee Eaters, unusual Terns or Swifts... For the avid Dungeness lister this was one of the rarest birds of the year! (5th Dunge record) Of all the places it could have chosen, I found it sitting on the power station fence early one morning whilst strolling down to the patch! After a few seconds on the fence, it flew to the scaffolding within the power station complex, for a slightly longer view before dropping to ground and dissapearing. If only it had been a Crested....

JULY

White tailed Plover After a visit to Merseyside (27th - 28th May) and a short hop accross to the Netherlands (May 29th), this striking wader was relocated on the RSPB reserve at Rainham Marshes (July 7th) where it remained for the day, before moving to Slimbridge WWT in Glouctershire 2 days later. Following a 2 day stay at Slimbridge, it was relocated at Dungeness on the afternoon of the 11th, where it remained on the ARC pit untill July 20th. This was the first kent record, and only the 6th to be recorded in Britain, after a bird in 2007, seen in Lancashire and Dumfries and Galloway.

AUGUST

Cattle Egret Now a seemingly annual visitor to Dungeness, one appeared on the reserve on the classic date of August 1st. Hard to believe now, that this used to be a major rarity!

White-winged Black Tern Another regular autumn vagrant that appeared bang on que, with a juvenile being found at the patch on August 15th.

Buff breasted Sandpiper Found the same afternoon as the Tern at the southern end of ARC, this bird lingered till the following day, and provided a welcome Dungeness grip back, having missed the previous autumn bird at Scotney.

Icterine Warbler two birds were present on the 28th, in the gorse between the Observatory and the old lighthouse

Buff breasted Sandpiper When seen in company with a juvenile Ruff (right hand bird) the striking differences in size, structure and even plumage, make it very difficult to understand how the two species can ever be confused! This bird was scarcely bigger than either the Common Sandpiper or Dunlin that accompanied it...

Red backed Shrike One of three birds seen during August, within the Observatory recording area.

SEPTEMBER

Aquatic Warbler One was seen early morning, in the reeds in front of Hanson hide

Glossy Ibis In keeping with last autumns invasion, a flock of 18 birds were seen to fly in off the sea at the fishing boats. They then settled on the RSPB reserve for a couple of days, feeding in the same pools along the entrance track, that held last years birds.

Hoopoe One was present around the fishing boats September 14th

Sabines Gull Three birds flew west on the 23rd, with another individual seen offshore the following day. Seawatching at the fishing boats with Mark Hollingworth, we were both watching the Sabines feeding close inshorehore when a Sooty Shearwater flew through our field of vision, no more than 300 yards out. One of the closest birds I have ever seen off of Dungeness!

Buff breasted Sandpiper Two birds were found at Scotney Sept 28th, increasing to three on October 8th

Spotted Flycatcher An obliging bird feeding around the pines at the water tower pits

Wryneck One of at least 5 recorded during the autumn. This bird gave exceptional views, often down to a matter feet, as it fed on and around the path, between Denge Marsh hide and the viewing ramp.

OCTOBER

Barred Warbler Found on the reserve Oct 2nd, it remained till the following day, regularly giving good views to its admirers. A rare bird in Kent, and the first Dungeness record in about 15 years!

Pallas's Warbler Three records during the autumn: One trapped and ringed (18th) One around the willow trail at ARC (27th) and a second bird in the trapping area on the 31st (self found). After completing a net round of the trapping area with Sam Bayley, we arrived back at the first net, to find a Pallas's with a flock of Long tailed Tits in the Willows surrounding the net. After a couple more brief views, and a short wait, the Pallas's was caught in the net and taken back to the obs were a good number of locals managed to see it in the hand.

Sabines Gull Another bird was watched feeding at the patch on the morning of the 7th

Penduline Tit One on Oct 23rd (ringed) was almost certainly the same bird that had been seeen at the start of the year.

Waxwing A real Dunge rarity! Two birds seen briefly (Oct 24th) were followed the next day by a total of 14, passing through the area in small groups. A rare occurance in itself, what was even more unusual was the remarkably early timing of these arrivals. An axample of its local rarity status can be shown by the bird that I had seen with Dave in November 2008 (his first sighting of a Waxwing at Dungeness in his 20 years as Obs warden!)

Grey Phalarope One on Oct 25th was followed by a second bird (28th - 29th) that gave excellent views, as it fed off the end of the boardwalk just a few meters offshore.

Barred Warbler

"Europeaus" Long tailed Tit Three of these continental birds were present with the Long tailed Tit flock, caught in the same net as the Palas's Warbler.