Sunday 8 May 2011

Dungeness Sea Watch and RSPB reserve

Dungeness sea watch 6 am to 9.30 am then 1.30 pm to 3 pm , all birds moving east unless otherwise stated :

Pomarine Skua          15 light phase  2 dark phase

Common Tern           50 +

Arctic Tern                 1

Sandwich Tern            50+

Little Tern                   8

Black Tern                  2

" Commic Tern "         100 +

Fulmar                         1

Gannet                         100 +

Great Crested Grebe     10 + on the sea

Common Scoter            80  east and west

Shoveler                        2

Kittiwake                        1

Bar Tailed Godwit          3

Sanderling                       9 east  2 west

Oystercatcher                 8

Turnstone                       2

Dunlin                             1

Redshank                        5

Auk Sp.                          1 west

Swallow                          6 in off

Not huge numbers of birds moving although the main target bird Pomarine Skua was seen very well with most birds quite close in and their " spoons " were easily seen .

A quick visit to the Rspb reserve was less productive with very little seen , highlights being a showy Cettis warbler and a Booming Bittern was good to hear , also several Common Whitesthroats gave themselves up to the camera .



                                                                Common Whitethroat.

I also had a look over the ARC pits and  picked out a Black Tern being harassed by a Lapwing , not else of note was seen here , although a smart Little Egret and a Grey plover was nice to see .  I also saw  4 Common Swifts flying overhead which was a welcome year tick .