Thursday 22nd
Three Curlew Sandpipers and two Little Stints were in Pegwell Bay today. A pair of Sandwich Terns zipped around Restharrow Scrape, two Red Kites flew over the Observatory, and three Sand Martins were on Prince's Golf Course. At dusk a Nightjar was hawking around the Chequers/Greenacres area.
Wednesday 21st
Overcast and cool conditions in the morning gave us a few drops of rain, the rarest sighting of the spring so far. Over in Pegwell Bay there was a Little Stint among 83 Ringed Plovers and 35 Sanderlings on the high tide. Mid-morning an Osprey flew south slowly over the Observatory.
On this day in 2009 a female Citrine Wagtail graced Restharrow Scrape briefly. Luckily an observer got a quick photo before it disappeared. A few other blasts-from-the-past coming this week include Little Bittern on 23rd May 1964 and Broad-billed Sandpiper on 31st May 1984. Anyone of these would be nice to appear again!
Tuesday 20th
Another Temminck's Stint was on RSPB Worth marshes, our sixth of spring, along with a brief ringtail Hen Harrier.
Monday 19th
A leisurely wander on the Green Wall produced two Whimbrels, Mediterranean Gull, 19 Reed Warblers, Greenfinch, and 42 Linnets. A Cuckoo was on the Estate and there was an increase in Tufted Ducks on Restharrow Scrape. Garden Warbler and Yellowhammer were on New Downs.
Sunday 18th
Singles of Spoonbill and Great White Egret were on RSPB Worth marshes. Two Black Swans also popped in.
Saturday 17th
The day started well with a Bittern flying north over RSPB Worth marshes and Worth village. Eight Black-tailed Godwits and a Grey Plover dropped into the pools. Singles of Garganey, Pintail, Wigeon, and Pochard were also seen, raising hopes for successful breeding this year. At least 12 Whimbrels were around Prince's Golf Course and the Point. In the evening a Black-winged Stilt was on New Downs.
Friday 16th
The run of good birds continued with today's highlights being a Honey-buzzard which went over the Chequers and off inland, followed subsequently by a BEE-EATER around the Mary Bax area before heading north over the Estate.
Thursday 15th
There was no sign of yesterday's star bird. Three Garganey and two Barnacle Geese were on RSPB Worth marshes and an unseasonal Grey Wagtail flew over the Estate. In the late evening a Quail sang from just north of the Chequers.
Wednesday 14th
Two Barnacle Geese headed north over the Green Wall in the morning and a flock of five Wood Sandpipers were on RSPB Worth marshes. Then, in the afternoon, a WHISKERED TERN was seen on Worth. Unfortunately, it only stayed a few minutes and was seen flying off west and north. Perhaps to New Downs or Pegwell Bay? This is a new species for the Sandwich Bay area which is surprising considering the available water, so well overdue.
Please note that there has been an uptick in the number of reports of dead birds recently as Avian Flu cases rise. There has been at least one confirmed positive case at Sandwich Bay in the last few weeks. Please continue to report all sightings of dead birds for possible testing for avian influenza. Go to https://www.gov.uk/guidance/report-dead-wild-birds.
Monday 12th
A Garden Warbler sang on the Estate, a White Stork briefly came in over Royal Cinque Ports Golf Course from the south only to head back that way, and a Red Kite headed north over.
Sunday 11th
Another day, another Osprey. Our fourth of May soared north over RSPB Worth marshes. Pegwell Bay hit back with a very smart male KENTISH PLOVER and a Nightingale in the Country Park.
Saturday 10th
A good selection of waders including two Bar-tailed Godwits, 16 Ringed Plovers, Ruff, Greenshank, two Grey Plovers, five Wood Sandpipers, and a Common Sandpiper were on RSPB Worth marshes early on. Two Fieldfares were notable as then, as the temperatures rose, an Osprey appeared followed by male RED-FOOTED FALCON. Continuing the site's purple patch a TEMMINCK'S STINT dropped onto the main flash in the evening.
Friday 9th
Unfortunately, there was no sign of yesterday's Western Bonelli's Warbler. A flock of nine Common Sandpipers on Restharrow Scrape was notable. A female Whinchat on RSPB Worth marshes was only our second of spring whilst a late Fieldfare was unusual. A an Osprey flew over later in the morning.
Thursday 8th
A WESTERN BONELLI'S WARBLER was found singing in the Oasis mid-morning. The bird was very mobile and extremely hard to see in the foliage. It gradually moved south through the Estate to North Road before doubling back and settling around the Oasis again. The separation of Western and Eastern Bonelli's Warbler is difficult and cannot reliably be done on plumage alone, and even the song is challenging without analysis of sonograms. The call, however, is much different and the soft 'wheep' notes were eventually heard after a few hours to conclusively attribute it to Western. This will be our third record after birds in 1967 and 2017. Two TEMMINCK'S STINTS were also reported from Pegwell Bay.
Wednesday 7th
RSPB Worth marshes' purple patch continued with a brief GOLDEN ORIOLE early on.
Our schedule of evening walks is now live on the website to book. Next week we will be at Pegwell Bay to look through the variety of wildfowl, waders, and terns. It's a great time to look for Kentish Plover and other scarcities. Click HERE to see details and tickets.
Tuesday 6th
Our second TEMMINCK'S STINT of spring was on RSPB Worth marshes and a Nightingale along the Worth track.
Monday 5th
There was excellent coverage across the area and some good birds on offer (despite the rain, cold, and increasing wind). A female RED-FOOTED FALCON was the highlight. The bird flew south just offshore and was probably our first ever record from a seawatch! An Osprey headed north over RSPB Worth marshes early on and was seen subsequently over the New Downs area. Also on Worth was a Black-tailed Godwit, a late Golden Plover, ten Ringed Plovers, two Turtle Doves, around 100 Swifts, and a Yellowhammer. Two Common Terns, 29 Ringed Plovers, and a Garden Warbler were in Pegwell whilst three Common Scoters, a Great Skua, and two Arctic Terns were offshore. New Downs provided Great Crested Grebe, three Greenshanks, a Green Sandpiper, a Nightingale, and 100 Swallows. Singles of Bar-tailed Godwit and Common Sandpiper remained on Restharrow Scrape and in the afternoon a Hooded Crow was seen in the asparagus fields on the Estate. The latter was our first record since April 2014. Also of note were around 30 Whimbrels spread across all parts of the Recording Area.
Sunday 4th
A HOOPOE flew over RSPB Worth marshes. There were 24 Whimbrels moving around and at least 75 Swifts were of note among large flocks of hirundines. A flock of three Tufted Ducks on the sea in Pegwell Bay was also notable.
Saturday 3rd
Mid-morning a female RED-FOOTED FALCON was seen on RSPB Worth marshes drifting towards Roaring Gutter. Soon after keen observers then picked out a fine male which continued to be seen intermittently throughout the day. Whilst watching the skies for the falcons there was also a noticeable passage of Red Kites. At least 40 were seen over the marshes in the morning with another 120 also seen heading our way from Deal after midday!
Friday 2nd
Two Egyptian Geese, a Barnacle Goose, a Pochard, two Bar-tailed Godwits, and a White Wagtail were on Restharrow Scrape. Two Nightingales were singing on the Sampher, a Tree Pipit was along the north edge of Prince's Golf Course, and a Stonechat fledgling was seen (all from the Kent Coastal Path). Over on RSPB Worth marshes 28 Black-tailed Godwits dropped in, there were at least two Great White Egrets, and a singing Garden Warbler was along the edge of the Great Wood. Another 15 Red Kites came through the area.
Thursday 1st
A Jay headed south very high over the Observatory in the morning, an unusual species to be moving at this time of year. Later in the afternoon an Osprey was tracked from South Foreland and flew over RSPB Worth marshes, and not long after a Hen Harrier also appeared over the reserve. At least 18 Red Kites also flew through during the day and one Wood Sandpiper was still on the marsh.
