Thursday 30th
A Skylark flying in off the sea was unusual in that there shouldn't be any birds migrating at this time of year and it is not particularly cold enough for hard weather movements. However, there has been a marked increase in Skylark activity in the last few days and are now singing across the golf courses. So perhaps it is an early bird relocating to breeding areas. Meanwhile two Barnacle Geese and 40 White-fronted Geese were on RSPB Worth marshes.
Wednesday 29th
There were still three Tree Sparrows around the hay bales behind the Observatory and farm buildings, and the Cattle Egret flock nearby now numbered four. Two Barnacle Geese and 28 White-fronted Geese were on RSPB Worth marshes near Roaring Gutter.
Tuesday 28th
After truly foul conditions in the morning it cleared and a little exploration. Two Cattle Egrets were still at the Observatory, eight Fulmars were offshore, and just outside our Recording Area at least 22 White-fronted Geese were south of the Chequers.
Monday 27th
A distant 'white-winged' Gull offshore was most likely an Iceland Gull, 11 Kittiwakes also went past. Meanwhile two Cattle Egrets were probing along the Guilford Rd and at least one Caspian Gull was seen at high tide in Pegwell.

Saturday 25th
Most people were away helping out with wader counts across Thanet. Pegwell Bay held the usual good variety and number of birds including two Avocets, 90 Oystercatchers, 107 Golden Plovers, 90 Grey Plovers, 880 Lapwings, 510 Dunlins, 58 Knots, 40 Sanderlings, 72 Bar-tailed Godwits, one Black-tailed Godwit, 180 Curlews, 54 Redshanks, three Snipes, and 14 Turnstones.
Friday 24th
Three Cattle Egrets were at the Observatory first thing in the morning.
Thursday 23rd
A Water Rail was walking along the path between the hides at Restharrow Scrape, which was about the best before Storm Eowyn came through.
Don't forget tonight's presentation will be John Draper talking about Local Nature Photography. He will be focusing on how to use light, his experience of having photos critiqued, and what it taught him to look out for when taking photos to make them better. Come along to the Observatory for a 7:30pm start. You can keep up to date with all the talks planned by clicking HERE.

Wednesday 22nd
After a quiet morning there was an arrival of 42 White-fronted Geese, two Barnacle Geese, and 23 Pochards onto RSPB Worth marshes in the afternoon. A Blackcap at Stonar was the first of the year.
Tuesday 21st
At least three Tree Sparrows were around the hay bales today.
Monday 20th
Two Firecrests were in The Elms, the Cattle Egret at the Observatory, and the Tree Sparrow around the hay bales.
Sunday 19th
A good mix of winter birds with the Cattle Egret still at the Observatory, the White-fronted Goose and Pink-footed Goose still on New Downs, and the Dartford Warbler still in Restharrow Dunes. A Great White Egret was viewable from the Drove and seven Woodcock were recorded on the Green Wall. Best bird of the day was a Tree Sparrow hanging around the hay bales behind the Observatory. Take the track past the Observatory towards Worth, go past the farm, and on the right are some bushes and the hay bales.

Friday 17th
Two Cattle Egrets roamed between the Observatory and the railway line and a Pochard was on Restharrow Scrape. The White-fronted Goose and Pink-footed Goose were in the same spot on New Downs, approx. TR339592, and so were at least 12 Bearded Tits.
Thursday 16th
A flock of 19 White-fronted Geese flew over New Downs and were later relocated on RSPB Worth marshes. A flock of Greylag Geese near New Downs South Pool contained singles of White-fronted and Pink-footed Geese, plus at least 11 Bearded Tits on the pool. Elsewhere on New Downs there was Pintail, two Water Rails, Green Sandpiper, two Grey Wagtails, 58 Pied Wagtails, and six Chiffchaffs. A Snow Bunting was seen from Pegwell Bay again.

Wednesday 15th
Two Firecrests were in the Jubilee Field, a Water Rail in the Haven, and a Grey Wagtail at the Observatory. A Caspian Gull was over at Pegwell Bay whilst a minimum of nine Woodcock were on the Green Wall after dark.
Tuesday 14th
There was a clearout offshore but seven Woodcocks was decent on the Estate and the Dartford Warbler showed well again in Restharrow Dunes.
Monday 13th
Though it was still cold there was much better visibility and a little less ice on the ground. This meant a count of Pegwell Bay could be tried again and this time with success. Four Pintails, two Avocets, nine Black-tailed Godwits, 17 Turnstones, two Caspian Gulls, and two Snow Buntings were the highlights (the latter just about viewable looking at Shellness Point across the Bay). Over 4,500 Cormorants were offshore, a Cattle Egret was seen between the Observatory and the toll booth, and a ringtail Hen Harrier flew through the Whitehouse.

Sunday 12th
An attempted count of Pegwell Bay and the Point was curtailed by the dense fog with just two Avocet viewable on the Garage Pool at Pegwell. Meanwhile ten Yellowhammers were around the hay bales behind the Observatory and farm buildings.

Saturday 11th
Another frozen morning. Coverage on RSPB Worth marshes for WeBS produced totals of 1,450 Wigeons and 1,230 Lapwings, plus seven Water Rails, a Woodcock, and a Water Pipit. The Dartford Warbler was still in Restharrow Dunes.
Friday 10th
A Dartford Warbler was the best on the Estate whilst of note were Humpback Whale and Iceland Gull spotted off of Deal in recent days. Definitely worth keeping an eye out for those in the area.
Thursday 9th
There was massive increase in Cormorants with approximately 2,500 offshore or in Pegwell Bay. Three Woodcocks were on the Estate and two Ravens sailed over, whilst the three White-fronted Geese and Pink-footed Goose re-appeared on RSPB Worth marshes.
Wednesday 8th
Two Woodcocks, a Merlin, a Firecrest, six Siskins, and a flyover Barnacle Goose were seen in cold conditions on the Estate.

Tuesday 7th
The Green Wall provided most of the interest today with two Coal Tits and a single Bearded Tit, plus a small influx of Blackbirds, whilst around 30-40 Pochards was a good tally spread around the various waterbodies of the Recording Area.
Monday 6th
Another windy and squally day. A few flocks of Bar-tailed Godwits and Knots were offshore and the goose flock on RSPB Worth marshes still held three White-fronted Geese, a Barnacle Geese, and a Pink-footed Goose. Three Caspian Gulls and two Yellow-legged Gulls were in the roost at Pegwell Bay.
Note that our Thursday Talks return this week. We have Liz Corry from Wildwood Trust giving us an update on the return of Red-billed Chough to Kent.
Sunday 5th
Adult Yellow-legged and Mediterranean Gulls were in the flooded fields by the entrance toll gate and small numbers of waders moved around offshore.
Saturday 4th
A good mix of wildfowl on New Downs included three Pintails and 19 Pochards, the latter a particularly good count for the area (with double-figures also present on RSPB Worth marshes at present). A Caspian Gull also flew north along the beach.
Friday 3rd
A beautiful day once you had broken the ice off your car. The Dartford Warbler was still at Dickson's Corner (hint, follow the Stonechats and you'll find it) and a Siskin flew north. There were now five Barnacle Geese on RSPB Worth marshes, plus the four White-fronted Geese, and single Pink-footed Goose, as well as seven Canada Geese, two Egyptian Geese, and 360 Greylag Geese. With the four Brent Geese seen offshore it was almost a clean sweep of Goose species. We just need a Tundra Bean Goose to pop in, though they've been particularly scarce in the UK this winter. Two Yellowhammers were around the hay bales behind the Observatory and a healthy tally of 36 Grey Partridges was logged between the Observatory and the Chequers.

Thursday 2nd
Much better conditions today and the goose flocks across RSPB Worth marshes contained four Barnacle Geese, four White-fronted Geese, and one Pink-footed Goose, plus a Great White Egret. Singles of Dartford Warbler and Firecrest were on the Estate.
Wednesday 1st
Happy New Year from everyone at SBBOT. We hope you have a great bird-filled 2025. Unfortunately, the weather did not play ball for all those hoping to kickstart their year-list with either gale force winds or torrential rain to contend with. A few intrepid souls did venture outside and they recorded 300 Cormorants and a Mediterranean Gull offshore, a Little Egret on Restharrow Scrape, and most peculiarly, a flock of 15 Ringed Plovers in the fields by the Worth track.