STEVE ASHTON'S WILDLIFE GALLERY

May 2008

A Day at Dungeness.

As I have to work Saturday, I decided on a day at Dungeness today, visiting the RSPB reserve, along with a quick visit to the ARC Pit, and I also spent quite a bit of time around the trapping area, in the Moat outside of the Dungeness Obs. Unlike East Kent, which I learned on my return home that it had been raining on and off during the day, the Dungeness area was blessed with warm sunshine, making for a pleasant and comfortable day out. In all, 61 species were noted throughout the day, I must be getting serious as I found the need to stop on the way and purchase a notebook, to list my day’s total. Am I now a lister. First port of call was the entrance track to the RSPB reserve, where Common Whitethroat seemed to be every where, and along with a Male Wheatear, gave me an early opportunity to test my new camera and lens. The Wheatear was the first of 12 I counted through the day, with more seen, but I had given up counting by then. On to the Moat around the Obs centre at Dunge, where the previously mentioned Wheatears seemed to be every where, and I also counted 2 Black Redstarts, and a Female Whinchat was picking over the ground by the Trapping area. I heard of a Black Kite being seen over Dungeness, but try as I did, I never connected with the bird. The Arc Pit was fairly quiet, but did bolster the day list a little with some of the common wild fowl, and 4 Goldfinches were seen as I entered the RSPB Reserve. Highlight here for me was 10 Whimbrel, feeding in a meadow to the back of the reserve, with 4 Black-tailed Godwit in amongst them. 8 Yellow Wagtails were seen, and a few photo’s were obtained, a rarity sighting for me this year. A Common Sandpiper was noted, 4 Dunlin, and what I am sure was a Grey Plover, it certainly looked like it, but my scope was in the car, and I only had bins. I left the reserve at half past four, and on the way home it dawned on me that all day and I did not manage to see or hear a Robin. I really should of got 62. A great day in lovely Spring like weather.


Day List. Common Whitethroat, Oystercatcher, Cormorant, Greylag Geese, Magpie, Starling, Wheatear, Common Gull, Redshank, Mallard, Blackhead Gull, Swallow, Mute Swan, Pied Wagtail, Black Redstart, Hobby, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Sedge Warbler, Great Black Back Gull, Coot, Dunnock, Jackdaw, Red Legged Partridge, Herring Gull, Tufted Duck, Canada Geese, Common Tern, Pochard, Wood Pigeon, Linnet, Whinchat, Carrion Crow, Kestrel, Blackbird, Goldfinch, Great Crested Grebe, Shell Duck, Reed Bunting, Blue Tit, Lapwing, Meadow Pipit, Swift, Moorhen, Grey Plover, Cuckoo, Little Grebe, Lesser Black Back Gull, Yellow Wagtail, Shoveller, Marsh Harrier, Great Tit, Grey Heron, Gadwall, Common Sandpiper, Dunlin, Cetti’s Warbler, Whimbrel, Black-tail Godwit, Sand Martin, Greenfinch.