Fleeting Dunge visit

Waking at 5am, I decided to get up and head for Dungeness. I was undecided whether to seawatch first or look for the Black Winged Stilts reported yesterday, as they would be a Kent tick for me. In the end I made the wrong decision and parked in the ARC car park and walked onto the reserve heading for the hayfields. I did see my first CUCKOO of the year and there were SEDGE WARBLERS and COMMON WHITETHROATS everywhere. I added RAVEN, 4 MED GULLS and several BEARDED TITS but there were no Stilts and in fact no waders at all on the hayfields. Eventually I headed for the sea stopping off on the causeway between ARC and New Diggings, there were good numbers of Terns. Among them was 1 LITTLE TERN, 2 BLACK TERNS and at least 1 ARCTIC TERN with the rest being COMMON TERNS, a really nice stop, before heading off to the sea news came through that the Stilts were back on the hayfield! I met up with Neil, Jan and Paul and enjoyed good views of the BLACK WINGED STILTS (2) plus a WOOD SANDPIPER and LITTLE RINGED PLOVER. In hindsight I could have seawatched for a couple of hours before looking for the Stilts but it was good to be out and about, away from the local patch for a change. A couple of shots from today.....

Sedge Warbler

Common Whitethroat

Common Whitethroat

Black Winged Stilts

 

Another catch-up

It is still a struggle to find new arrivals here at the moment but they are still coming, COMMON WHITETHROATS (75) are now up to 4 and there are now 2 NIGHTINGALES in residence. SWALLOW numbers are also up a bit and finally at the weekend a pair look like they will stay. The best recent bird was on an early weekday walk with Pete, when a LITTLE GREBE (76) was seen being chased by a MOORHEN, it disappeared quickly and I haven't seen it since but it's the first one since 2010.
There were mixed fortunes at the weekend, an early walk Saturday was very quiet and I struggled to get to around 30 species. Yesterday improved with a couple of walks the first new bird for the year was a fine male WHEATEAR (77) which stayed around most of the day and after waiting patiently I managed a couple of pics. There were 87 WOODPIGEON on the fields with good numbers of Corvids and a few STOCK DOVE. Further around the walk a LESSER WHITETHROAT (78) was quietly moving through a mature hedgerow. Several butterflies were on the wing ORANGE TIPS, SMALL TORTS, PEACOCK, SMALL WHITE and the first SPECKLED WOOD of the year.
Still no Cuckoo, Garden Warbler or House Martin but still plenty of time, also no dragonflies yet although at home a couple of Hairy Dragonflies flew through the garden.
A few pics from recent visits.....

Pheasant

This Little Egret dropped by briefly

Yellowhammer

Pleasing to find a spring Wheatear and for the light to be good

The last couple of weeks

It has been hard work inland with nothing changing much, until the last couple of days here, what was pleasing was a singing WILLOW WARBLER (71) that has now been singing in the same spot for around 10 days, it would be great if it found a mate as Willow Warbler hasn't bred here for at least 5 years maybe more. Things changed on Friday 11th when the first NIGHTINGALE (72) sang from one of the favoured spots, soon after hearing it 2 SWALLOWS (73) flew north. The morning was completed by a GREEN SANDPIPER (74) from the hide, a great hour before work!
This morning there were 2 NIGHTINGALES, 2 WILLOW WARBLERS and 13 SWALLOWS flew north in three groups. Otherwise a REED BUNTING was at the lake, the first for some time also seen this morning and not seen for while was a fine male KESTREL, I was starting to think both these birds had deserted the patch as I hadn't seen either of them for almost 2 months! SPARROWHAWK was also good to see after not being seen for a while. Below are a few pics from he last couple of weeks.

Jay

Amorous Jays

Great Tit

Ladybird

Nuthatch

This mornings Sparrowhawk

Calm before the storm?

It's been a fairly quiet time on the patch although to be honest I haven't visited as much as I would like. CHIFFCHAFFS are around in good numbers and the MANDARIN have been seen a few more times after their long absence. The BARNACLE GOOSE (68) that seems to spend most of its time between here and Warrens Pittswood patch has been present on and off over the last week or two. Also a big surprise was the first RED LEGGED PARTRIDGE (69) for at least two years, when a pair flew up from the the field just below the moat, last Wednesday morning. This weekend saw a few LESSER BLACK BACKED GULLS flying south with HERRING GULLS yesterday and today the first BLACKCAP (70) on patch was found close to the west end of the upper lake. Other birds have included KINGFISHER, LITTLE EGRET and 7 BUZZARDS yesterday. Here are a couple of pictures from the last week.

Early morning sun

Linnet

Long Tailed Tit

Yellowhammer

Peacock

Barnacle Goose

Bits and pieces,,

Just a couple of patch visits last week did result in my first MANDARIN (67) for over a year, when a pair flew passed me as I walked up towards the moat. A brief walk at the weekend had a real spring feel with 6 CHIFFCHAFF counted singing around the grounds, there were also again good BUZZARD numbers with 5 seen together.
Also at the weekend Bec and I headed to Elmley, as I hadn't caught up with SHORT EARED OWL this winter, we weren't disappointed, one bird and briefly two were watched from the track to the hides in some really nice light, occasionally coming close enough for a photo or two. Other birds included good numbers of AVOCET and still plenty of WIGEON and TEAL around the reserve. We were constantly accompanied by the sound of displaying LAPWINGS and treated to their fantastic aerial displays. Three MED GULLS called as they flew along the Swale, later two were sat on the far side of the flood. A few MARSH HARRIERS were present as expected, it was nice to see so many LITTLE EGRET along the entrance track some pretty close too.
Other sightings so far this week include CIRL BUNTING, WOODLARK (several), BLACK REDSTART and SERIN these were all seen on a short walk before breakfast this morning as work took me to Bologna, Italy for a couple of days.
Here are a few Elmley photos

Lapwing

Reed Bunting

Short eared Owl

Short eared Owl

Short eared Owl

Short eared Owl

Mute Swan

Redshank

Patch additions

The patch got some more attention over the last few days a singing CHIFFCHAFF on the 7th was nice and my first pic of the wintering WATER RAIL on the same was not great but just got it! Several MISTLE THRUSHES were being very noisy but otherwise just the usual suspects were around.

Just managed a Water Rail pic!

Today I managed a couple of visits firstly this morning there were at least 6 BRIMSTONE butterflies in the wood plus a couple of SMALL TORTOISESHELLS and a COMMA, the CHIFFCHAFF sang again and there were plenty of TREECREEPER, NUTHATCH, LONG TAILED TIT and BLUE TITS there too.

Three LINNETS were the first for a while, lots of WRENS sang and 4 BULLFINCH were in their usual place in the car park.

Not sure what this pic was meant to be but thought I'd post it anyway!

One of several singing Wrens

At last a Bullfinch picture

Peacock on the second visit

Brimstone

The second visit was surprisingly productive, firstly a LITTLE EGRET (64) flew up from the stream and circled over the fields before heading south-east. A few seconds later I heard a 'cronking' noise and a RAVEN (65) flew from somewhere near the stream towards Roundshill Wood. The last record here was 2010 so a very welcome addition to the year list. Several BUZZARDS were again the only raptors of the day. The last addition of the day was a KINGFISHER (66) long overdue it seems and hopefully the first of many records this year and who knows maybe a photograph or two would be nice!

Record of Little Egret, love the way white can look black!

Raven record shot

Patch and brief Dunge visit

A walk on Sunday morning round the patch produced another MEDITERRANEAN GULL with a mixed flock of COMMON and BLACK HEADED. Lots of birds were singing, notably a couple of YELLOWHAMMERS that have been much scarcer this winter, SKYLARK song also filled the air making it feel like things were on the up! Six GREY HERON flew along Digdog Lane and the second six of the day came in the form of COMMON BUZZARDS over Roundshill Wood. In the woods TREECREEPER, NUTHATCH and a couple MARSH TITS were adding to the general buzz of noise, WRENS called from various bits of undergrowth. No new birds for the patch but a nice walk nonetheless.

Treecreeper

Yellowhammer

Grey Herons

The afternoon was spent having a quick look for the Chinese Pond Heron at Hythe but like several I talked to I didn't see it, mind you in just over an hour I would have to have been extremely lucky. A drive back via Dunge produced SMEW, GREAT WHITE EGRET, GLOSSY IBIS and 3 PEREGRINES at various points across Walland Marsh, one of which had just caught something and whizzed by the car with me scrambling to get the lens out of the window!

Glossy Ibis

Great White Egret on Arc

Scrambled Peregrine pic!

I have managed to get out to the patch each morning this week for a short walk, REDWINGS and FIELDFARES have been very noisy in the car park when I arrive and at least 3 BULLFINCH have also been seen there every morning so far, still they remain very camera shy, as do most of the Fieldfare and Redwing. Elsewhere a few REDPOLL are still flying around and the WATER RAIL was seen this morning.
On the way to work this morning 2 MED GULLS were over the fields in the lanes between Staplehurst and Marden and a BLACKCAP was in song again near Marden Station.

Another morning Robin

Redwing