Since my last post 2 more Winter Moths have appeared but nothing else in the trap. At Dungeness yesterday we ticked off the target species: the Long-tailed Duck and Slavonian Grebe were still on the Lade south lake, the Glaucous Gull showed well near the Fishing Boats, at least 2 Bewick's Swans were near Cockles Bridge, and the Long-eared Owl could just about be seen at the Dipping Pond on the reserve. Also noted were 2 Great White Egrets, Peregrine, and 10 Goosander on Burrow's Pit.

Glaucous Gull (1st Winter)

 Goosanders with Pochard and a Shoveler

No moths to report but yesterday at Ramsgate Harbour the juv. Iceland Gull was coming to bread.

Over the last few days slightly milder weather has produced 2 new species of moth for the year: the Winter Moth and December Moth. I expect that with colder weather on the way that may be it for the year now. Lots of wintering thrushes around with good numbers of Redwings on the neighbour's holly trees for several days.

 Redwing

 December Moth

 Winter Moth

No moths to report since my last post and no moths new for the year at all during November. A couple of vists to Dungeness have not produced a great deal new either. Last Thursday we saw a Bittern in flight over the ARC pit, plus a Great White Egret there, the Cattle Egret with the cows near Boulderwall Farm, with a couple of Little Egrets and Grey Herons around the reserve making 5 Heron species in the day. Gull numbers have increased with 2 Scandinavian Herring Gulls on Thursday and a couple of Caspian Gulls the previous week on the RSPB reserve.

 Scandinavian Herring Gull

 Caspian Gull

 

Cold nights have meant little in the trap this month. Snow Buntings have returned to Reculver and other places for the winter.

Snow Buntings

We've reached the end of another month in which 13 new species for the year appeared in the moth trap. So 375 species have been trapped this year. Between 50 and 100 Fieldfares were by the Sportsman Inn at Seasalter late on Monday afternoon, and at Dungeness today a Merlin showed well chasing a Goldfinch at the Fishing Boats. In the afternoon a Little Owl was at Scotney Farm along with 30 Egyptian Geese. A feral Barnacle Goose was beside the track.

Little Owl

 Fieldfare

 Barnacle Goose

 

At Dungeness yesterday it remained overcast but very mild and calm all day. We got off to a good start with a Dartford Warbler near the screen hide on the ARC Pit, and a Yellow-browed Warbler calling loudly for quite a while in the bushes behind this hide. Unfortunately we never actually saw it. There were Goldcrests everywhere but we failed to find a Firecrest. On the reserve the Cattle Egret showed well with cows near Cook's Pool, and around 13 Great White Egrets were seen around the reverve.In the moth trap Dark Chestnut was new for the year, while this morning a Scarce Bordered Straw was only my 4th ever record and the 2nd of the year.

 Scarce Bordered Straw

Dark Chestnut

Mandarin Ducks

Spent another fine but very windy day at Dungeness on Friday. Again it was a bit of a struggle but highlights were Pomarine and Arctic Skuas at the fishing boats, and a Cattle Egret with cattle near Boulderwall farmhouse. Around 9 Great White Egrets were seen. In the moth trap since my last post Red-line Quaker was new for the year and the tortrix Acleris schalleriana was new for the garden, bringing the all-time garden total to 599.

Cattle Egret

 Red-line Quaker

Acleris schalleriana

Since my last post the mild weather has produced a reasonable number of moths, including: Large Wainscot and Blair's Shoulder-Knot, both new for the year. A second Vestal of the Autumn was of the usual colour form.

Large Wainscot

 Blair's Shoulder-Knot

 The Vestal

Milder nights have still produced disappointing moth numbers. However, The Brick and Green-brindled Crescent have been new for the year, and the second Merveille du Jour was found on the shed. A lot of Honey Fungus has appeared on our Birch stump-the picture represents about 10% of it.

The Brick

 Green-brindled Crescent

Honey Fungus

A very pleasant day at Dunge yesterday weatherwise but almost devoid of interesting birds. The Red-necked Grebe was still on the ARC pit, a few Black Redstarts were around the power station, and there were 11+ Great White Egrets around the RSPB reserve. The only new moth species for the autumn since my last post was a Yellow-line Quaker this morning.

 Little and Great White Egrets on the ARC Pit

Yellow-line Quaker

 Barred Sallow

Spent a bright and breezy day at Dungeness yesterday but struggled to find much new. However, on the ARC pit when I arrived there were 8 Great White Egrets, and at the end of the day I finally caught up with long-staying Red-necked Grebe there. In the trap recently a Barred Sallow and this morning my first Merveille du Jour for 2 years.

Merveille du Jour

 

Red-necked Grebe

 Barred Sallow

Oare Marshes NR attracted a crowd yesterday to see the Wilson's Phalarope, for what I believe is this american species 1st appearance there. A Black-necked Grebe also showed well on Faversham Creek, as did the long-staying Long-billed Dowitcher. This morning there was only 8 moths after another cold night, but Feathered Thorn was new for the year.

Wilson's Phalarope (with Teal)

 Black-necked Grebe

 Feathered Thorn

We've reached the end of another month which, although the weather has been very changeable, has produced a few interesting moth records. Yesterday morning there were 2 species new for the year: Frosted Orange and my 4th ever record of the Vestal. This migrant species is normally yellow but this one was bright pink, a known colour variation which may indicate local breeding. Also yesterday afternoon I went over to Bishopstone to see a very confiding Lapland Bunting.

Lapland Bunting

 The Vestal

 Frosted Orange

This morning I was invited to see the very rare Fisher's Estuarine Moth, a species which turns up in a garden moth trap in Tankerton. Also I had 22 species this morning in my garden, of which The Mallow was new for the year.

Fisher's Estuarine Moth

The Mallow

 

It was very mild last night with heavy rain forecast but I thought I'd put out the trap, and was rewarded with my first Clifden Nonpareil in the garden. It was a rather battered individual which I have tidied up with a bit of photoshopping. Garden list now 598.

Clifden Nonpareil

 

Moth numbers have picked up with a few milder nights. Best record was my 2nd ever Brindled Green, the first since 2006. Also the first Feathered Ranunculus and Acleris sparsana of the year. Today I noticed a bug on the kitchen window which proved to be a Western Conifer Seed Bug-an introduced american species. Today at Oare I counted 13 Little Stints, a Curlew Sandpiper with the Long-billed Dowitcher showing well again.

Brindled Green

Feathered Ranunculus

 Western Conifer Seed Bug

A run of cold nights had kept moth numbers very low since my last post with just a few Lunar Underwings and a single Black Rustic new for the year.

Lunar Underwing

Black Rustic

Moth trap numbers have fallen sharply but I was pleased to see my first Feathered Gothic for 4 years. Today I had another day at Dungeness in challenging weather-namely gale force winds all day. There were around 6 Great White Egrets on the ARC pit and we again managed a fairly distant view of the Osprey from the reserve but not much else. So a message that there were Grey Phalaropes at the Fishing Boats had to be followed up and we enjoyed a prolonged close view of one-my first for 2 years.

Grey Phalarope

 Grey Phalarope

 Feathered Gothic