Sunday 31st
A Red Kite and 160 Swifts were recorded over the Estate and 120 Mediterranean Gulls were on the beach by Sandilands. Singles of Treecreeper and Garden Warbler were caught by the ringing team. The former was our first record of the year and the latter the first for the autumn. Ten Willow Warblers were also present and a Tawny Owl was glimpsed in the early hours. Over on Worth marshes there was a Cattle Egret, Great White Egret, and a Garganey.
Saturday 30th
The Garganey was still on Worth but there was no sign of the Pectoral Sandpiper. A brood of Grey Partridges were on New Downs, plus 24 Grey Herons again, and 74 Redshanks and a Whimbrel. A Curlew Sandpiper was in Pegwell Bay.
Friday 29th
A Temminck's Stint was reported on Restharrow Scrape in the morning. In the evening a mixed group of waders on Worth contained nine Green Sandpipers, one Wood Sandpiper, and the (elusive) Pectoral Sandpiper. A Garganey was also present.
Thursday 28th
A midday wander along Prince's Beach produced 59 Sanderlings and nine Ringed Plovers. Along the Kent Coastal Path there was a family of Stonechats, a fly-over Whimbrel, and our first Grasshopper Warbler of the autumn. In the evening a Pectoral Sandpiper was discovered on Worth marshes, along with one Wood, one Common, and five Green Sandpipers.
Wednesday 27th
Two Snipes, a Greenshank, two Green Sandpipers, two Common Sandpipers, two Sand Martins, and a Yellow Wagtail on Restharrow Scrape. Over on Worth marshes there was quite a bit of activity with Great White Egret, Spoonbill, and Cattle Egret the highlights.
A Purple Heron was reported from Pegwell Bay. If anyone knows anything about the record please get in touch at warden@sbbot.org.uk.
Tuesday 26th
There were four Avocets, 90 Lapwings, two Black-tailed Godwits, two Curlews, 143 Redshanks, 12 Greenshanks, one Green Sandpiper, and 42 Common Sandpipers on New Downs at high tide. In the fields there were 25 Mediterranean Gulls and a high count of 24 Grey Herons.
Monday 25th
The two Roseate Terns were still present in Pegwell Bay among 160 Sandwich Terns and 80 Mediterranean Gulls. A Pochard, a Kingfisher, two Common Sandpipers, and three Green Sandpipers were the highlights on Worth marshes.
Sunday 24th
Two Roseate Terns were a nice discovery on the evening tide in Pegwell Bay. A juvenile Cuckoo was on Royal St George's Golf Course and our first Willow Warbler of the autumn.
Wednesday 20th
Heavy rain overnight dropped in a good variety of waders. A flock of 96 Greenshanks in Pegwell Bay was an exceptional count. There were also four Whimbrels and a Little Stint present. Two Wood Sandpipers, one Greenshank, two Green Sandpipers, and one Common Sandpiper were on Worth marshes, along with the Great White Egret. Three Little Ringed Plovers, two Common Sandpipers, and one Redshank were on Restharrow Scrape. Two Sand Martins, a Marsh Harrier, and 22 Greenshanks flew over the Estate and a fresh juvenile Red Kite was mobile around the area.
Tuesday 19th
On the hottest temperatures ever recorded at Sandwich Bay (and the UK) little time was spent in the field. An early start on New Downs before it got too hot saw a large gathering of Grey Herons and Little Egrets on the pools. A Great White Egret was on Worth marshes along with a Little Ringed Plover, and in the evening two Garganeys dropped in. A Curlew Sandpiper was in Pegwell Bay.
Sunday 17th
A hot day but there was a little wader action. Snipe, Redshank, and two Common Sandpipers were on Worth marshes and one Green Sandpiper and two Common Sandpipers were recorded overnight at Stonar.
Saturday 16th
Two different Great White Egrets dropped in and out of Worth marshes over the course of the day and a count of 80 House Sparrows on the Green Wall was notable.
Friday 15th
A good selection of waders throughout the Recording Area today. On New Downs, a moulting male Ruff was present with two Little Ringed Plovers, two Green Sandpipers, one Common Sandpiper, and 32 Lapwing. Worth and Restharrow Scrape both also had singles of Common Sandpiper with three Green Sandpipers also present on the former. In Pegwell, 257 Curlews, two Whimbrels, three Bar-tailed Godwits, 320 Oystercatchers, and a Common Sandpiper were recorded at high tide. Along the Point, a Ringed Plover and a summer-plumaged Sanderling were flocking together. In the early evening, a BLACK KITE flew over Restharrow Scrape being mobbed by a Marsh Harrier.
Thursday 14th
A covey of 18 Grey Partridge flushed on the Estate was a surprise in the morning. A juvenile Water Rail was seen on Restharrow Scrape. Over on Worth, another Water Rail, two Green Sandpipers, two Redshanks, and a Hobby were notable.
Wednesday 13th
Four Sand Martins over Worth and five Teals were reported in what was a very quiet day.
Tuesday 12th
A humid and very hot day. An Osprey flew over Pegwell early morning. On Worth marshes, a Curlew, five Teals, five Shovelers, and a Green Sandpiper were a sign of the changing seasons.
Monday 11th
It was worth being out early to avoid the heat this morning. Worth held most of the action of the day with a Hobby, male Marsh Harrier, Red Kite, 70+ Swifts, 50+ Swallows, and four Sand Martins recorded.
Sunday 10th
A quiet day around the recording area. A pair of Sand Martins were over Restharrow Scrape and a flock of 32 Swallows was over Worth in the late evening.
Saturday 9th
The heatwave continues. Six Mediterranean Gulls were on Restharrow Scrape and on Worth, a Great White Egret and four Shoveler were present.
Friday 8th
The sun and heat returned and by mid-morning, the temperature was already soaring. A Cuckoo flew south over the Estate in the morning, 15 Sand Martins were mixing in with the House Martins over Restharrow Scrape and a/the juvenile Peregrine flew over the Elms, hotly pursued by one of the resident Kestrels. A Turtle Dove was present on Worth along with an eclipse Garganey and at least 52 Sand Martins.
Peregrine by M. Simm
Thursday 7th
An overcast morning with the wind picking up. Singles of Curlew flew over the Estate and the Green Wall, a pair of Yellow Wagtails flew over the Royal St George's Golf Course, and eight Swifts were feeding around the sheltered side of the Oasis with some Swallows.
Wednesday 6th
Another hot day with cloud settling during the mid-afternoon. A good selection of Waders were present on New Downs with three Green Sandpipers, ten Common Sandpipers, two Greenshanks, two Redshanks, and 25 Lapwings. A Water Rail was also present. Over on Worth, a Spoonbill flew in a circle over the Great Wood before eventually heading off in the direction of New Downs/Pegwell. A juvenile Peregrine and two Marsh Harriers were also seen. On the Estate, the Golden Plover remained in the field, though it clearly wasn't enjoying the heat as it hunkered down for a large portion of the day.
In Pegwell, Sandwich Tern numbers have increased with 74 birds recorded. 89 Curlews, 162 Oystercatchers, 22 Little Egrets and seven Sand Martins were also notable counts.
Marsh Harrier by J. Lang
Tuesday 5th
A Golden Plover in full summer plumage was amongst a Lapwing flock in the field by Restharrow Scrape. A Yellow Wagtail was also present on the Scrape.
Monday 4th
Things were relatively quiet in the heat today. Three Coal Tits and a Goldcrest were present on the Green Wall. A flock of eight Sand Martins were over the fields by the Worth Track and a Hobby was on Worth. On Restharrow Scrape, the number of Tufted Duck chicks has increased rapidly with the total number of young birds exceeding thirty with still some eggs to hatch.
Sunday 3rd
A pair of Hobbies and a pair of Sand Martins were present over the Estate during the day. Three Redshanks dropped in to Restharrow Scrape and a Common Sandpiper was on Prince's Golf Course in the evening.
Sand Martin by J. Lang
Saturday 2nd
A flurry of Sand Martins passing through today heralded the approaching autumn. A flock of 12 were present on Worth and at Restharrow Scrape, and 17 dropped by to provide a mixture of hirundines with the resident Swallows and House Martins. A male Marsh Harrier was quartering over Restharrow Dunes, a juvenile Pochard and Shoveler were on Muddy Pool, and offshore three Sandwich Terns were flying south. A Yellow Wagtail was present on Restharrow Scrape in the afternoon.
Friday 1st
A sunny start today with the wind picking up in strength as it went on bringing the clouds and some light rain in. On Worth, singles of Greenshank and Snipe were present, a Wood Sandpiper was on the Muddy Pool, and a Honey-buzzard drifted over in the late afternoon. Interestingly, on the Estate, an unseasonal Redwing was found in the Haven by the Ringing Team. This bird wasn't showing any signs of breeding so whether it was a bird that lingered through the spring in the area or was passing through is unclear.