Dungeness is warming up again, after some strong winds and cooler weather over the past two weeks, we have had some much calmer, dryer and warmish days.

Our mining bees are back!  Dungeness has one of only two of the Andrena Vaga colonies in the UK. They can be seen busily zipping about all over the bank just before Dennis' hide on a sunny afternoon. They can easily be observed from the path, try not to disturb them as they work!

Andrena Vaga (mining bees) and a tiger beetle - Graham Parry

There were reports of twenty common buzzard over the entrance to the track earlier this week, and the bittern are booming and have been sighted from the viewing ramp and over at ARC.

We have had an abundance of water pipits seen over at Hayfield, 18 reported sightings on Thursday, and the Denge Marsh area and six today. 

Water Pipit - B Thorton

There have also been several pairs of Garganey ducks seen on the reserve in the last couple of days. A small dabbling duck which breeds mostly in wetlands, flooded grasslands and marshes across Europe and Eastern Asia, a migratory bird spending winter months in areas from Central Africa to Indonesia And Australasia. The very handsome adult male Garganey has a brown head and breast with a distinctive broad white stripe or crescent over the brown eye. Its upperparts are dark brown with pale feather edges with loose black and white scapulars covering the green speculum, a light greyish flanks and belly with grey beak and legs. The female is very similar to a female Teal but paler with a white throat.

Garganey - Richard Brooks (RSPB images)

We had a lovely treat today as we sat eating our lunch in the visitor centre - a beautiful weasel scurried along the big picture windows from right to left - it was fast!

Weasel - Graham Parry