Lots of birds are passing through the reserve now as they head off back to warmer climates to spend the winter. I think the chillier weather in recent weeks has produced a flurry of birds desperate for some warmer nights!

This photo was taken this week by local birdwatcher Martin Casemore showing our Hirundines (swallows, sand martins etc.) lining up on the power lines ready to head off over the Channel. Now is one of the best times to visit the reserve and see these beautiful birds in large numbers before they disappear from our country for the next 6 months. 

Swallow - Graham Parry

There are lots of waders with us at the moment including 200 plus Golden plovers, Grey plovers, Knots, Little stints and over 500 Oystercatchers which roosted on the new islands on Burrowes Pit last weekend. A Pectoral sandpiper also made a reappearance yesterday too. 

We are extremely lucky to have an Osprey stay with us for the last week or so. It has been seen fishing at Denge Marsh and surrounding lakes. Some lucky visitors have had fantastic views of it dropping to catch fish and flying very close to the hides. 

Osprey on the reserve by Graham Parry

We are also seeing larger numbers of Herons, Kingfishers and Great white egrets as they stay with us during the winter. Cattle egrets visited us last week, hanging out with the cows as usual:

Cattle egret in breeding plumage - Graham Parry

And we were also delighted to host a Red-necked grebe on Burrowes Pit for a couple of days too!

Red-necked grebe - Martin Casemore

So Dungeness really is the place to visit if you wish to see a whole range of beautiful birds! We have plenty of bird walks coming up over the next few months so please do check them out here