With clear skies and warm sun we've had a full week of beautiful weather here at Dungeness, this is very unusual as the weather is always so changeable. Speaking of change, we've had a new till system installed in our shop which is very exciting and will hopefully be more efficient for us and our customers! Please be patient whilst we get to grips with it.
A view from the visitor centre
Remember, remember the 5th November. Please check your bonfires for hibernating or sleeping animals such as hedgehogs, newts, toads and frogs. Ideally, do not create your bonfire until the day of lighting. Alternatively, please move the bonfire pile to a different area or carefully poke under your bonfire with a blunt stick and listen for noises of wildlife underneath. When lighting your bonfire, only light it from one end so it gives a chance for anything that may still be under there to escape from the flames. Wildlife rescue centres really do see a lot of suffering wildlife this time of year. Please visit www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk or www.sttiggywinkles.org.uk for more information.
Hedgehog - Ben Andrew
In other news, a Dotterel was spotted from Hanson hide at the ARC yesterday and today. Dotterels are a red listed species and a member of the plover family. They are found in high parts of Scotland and are rarely seen except on migration. We've been very lucky to have this lovely bird stop on our reserve during it's passage which just shows how important Dungeness is as a rest stop for migrant birds before their arduous journey south.
Spot the Dotterel amongst the Golden Plover! Photo by Martin Casemore
The clocks have gone back now, but this gives us a chance to photograph some wonderful sunsets whilst working on the reserve and capture the beauty of the reserve as it is lit by moonlight. Evening primroses are still flowering and their flowers shine like a beacon in the dark. These are an important food source for our moths at this time of year when other nectar rich plants have died off.
Sunset at Dungeness - Gareth Brookfield
Bird sightings this week:
Pintail, goldeneye, black-necked grebe, great white egret, merlin, peregrine, sparrowhawk, avocet, curlew sandpiper, dunlin, 200 golden plover, black-tailed godwit, ring ouzel, swallow, stonechat, bearded tit, redpoll, goldcrest, kingfisher.