RSPB Dungeness with the East Grinstead RSPB Local Group

Sunday 25th February 2024

RSPB Dungeness

What a turnout from our members!  Despite a "dodgy" weather forecast 20 members made the long journey down to the south coast at Dungeness in Kent.  Things worked out well in the end - the rain didn't arrive till mid afternoon by which time we had finished our visit and were heading home.  The rewards were good, a species count of 57 including some rarities. 

 The highlights included the following:-

• There were 2 Great Northern Divers on the site and we eventually located both - a great northern diver on Burrowes, seen from Dennis's hide, and the other one plus a Black-throated Diver from the ARC Hanson hide.

Great Northern Diver and Black-throated Diver - courtesy of Alison Playle

• However the stars of the show were the Goldeneye - with at least 3 drakes and 2 ducks.

Courtesy of Andrew Burns

• We heard the Cetti’s warbler calling many times and today we were afforded a rare glimpse of the bird as it flitted around the reeds in front of us.  Unfortunately it was too quick for our cameras.

• That wasn't the case for the single bearded reedling that we saw briefly on the grit tray opposite the viewing ramp; this time Alison, with her lightning-quick reflexes got a record shot of the bird.

Courtesy of Alison Playle

We got some spectacular flight photographs of birds we would normally see mainly on or in the water

Great White Egret - courtesy of Phil Aylen

Shoveler - courtesy of Patrick Sullivan

Gadwall - courtesy of Patrick Sullivan

• These birds you would expect to get flight views in the main.

Marsh Harrier - courtesy of Patrick Sullivan

Raven - courtesy of Phil Aylen

Aborted Seawatch

By mid-afternoon the weather was closing in on us and most people decided to head home.  4 of us decided to continue birding and drove round to the power station for a short seawatch from the side of the hide.  However our plans were scuppered completely as soon as we arrived at the hide.

Steve and Andrew spotted a beached dolphin that was being attacked by gulls and they immediately ran to the rescue whilst Suzanne and I tried, unsuccessfully, to ring the staff at the bird observatory for help.  The dolphin was barely alive but between them Steve and Andrew managed to scare off the gulls and roll the dolphin into the water.  Unfortunately the tide washed the dolphin ashore again and again.  In the end we were able to get the dolphin to float 15-20 metres into deep water and it was still alive.  At that point we could do no more.  The prognosis for the dolphin was not good but at least it now had a chance to live.

Back at the hide we had little appetite for further birding and we decided to leave.

 

A dramatic end to the visit!

I managed to add 2 more birds to my year list - Stock Doves were feeding in the fields on Denge Marsh and we saw several Gannets flying low over the waves on the sea.

2024 species count=128