Ploddingbirder

@ploddingbirder.bsky.social

Mainly Dungeness birds and moths, sea watching.

Dungeness: With a strong WSW wind and some drizzle sea watching was the order of the day.The first autumn movement of Brent Geese c700 birds & 130 Wigeon. 7 Balearic Shearwaters, a few Arctic Skuas & c800 Gannets.

Dungeness: Not a bad day at the fishing boats today, 140 Balearic Shearwaters, 2 Sooty Shearwaters, Arctic Skuas, Little Gulls and more. Full details on Trektellen. I missed the Sunfish taking a long breakfast break.

Dungeness: This Wood Mouse by the track to Hanson appeared to have deformed back legs, it was only able to shuffle along, falling on its side every couple of feet, it did seem to be feeding OK. Somehow I don't think it will be long before something has it for a snack.

Wood Mouse with deformed back leg

I eventually found the American Golden Plover at Jurys Gap, East Sussex this morning in the ploughed field with c350 Golden Plover. At The Midrips, East Sussex there were no waders on the pools despite it being high tide, a Dartford Warbler was feeding among the sea defence rocks there.

An American Golden Plover (centre) with Golden Plover in a ploughed fieldA Dartford Warbler feeding among sea defence rocks.

A rather distant American Golden Plover in a flock of c250 Euro Golden Plovers in the Ploughed Field immediately west of the old sand pit at Jury’s Gap, East Sussex late this morning. Image taken from the cycle track.

An American Golden Plover with Euro Golden Plovers in a ploughed field.

On September 16th 1982 I estimated a total of 250,000 Swallows roosted at Barton on Humber with 70,000 still on 29th: tonight 44 years on there was not one! With Spurn Migfest lacking Mig it is obvious we are heading for the precipice like the proverbial lemmings but 99% of Britains don’t care:

Just another day at a drizzly Dungeness. Western Bonelli's Warbler courtesy of Tom Rosas, another White-winged Black Tern, the juvenile Red-necked Phalarope being dive bombed by one other many Sand Martins over the lake, 1 of several Black Terns that passed the fishing boats this afternoon.

Western Bonelli's Warbler high in a SallowJuvenile White Winged Tern hawking over the lake in the drizzleJuvenile Red-necked Phalarope swimming on the lake and ducking as a Sand Martin flies over.Juvenile Black Tern migrating West past the fishing boats

Dungeness at its very best today, it wasn't just about the sea today. There was several 1,000s of House Martins around The Point. A super Short-eared Owl in The Desert. Several Whinchats around the peninsula. The Red-necked Phalarope was still on the reserve today.

House Martins around the observatory aerial.Short-eared OwlWhinchat in a Rose Hip bush.Red-necked Phalarope