Thankfully, the weekend brightened up for us after a few weeks of rain, wind and constant dark skies! It was definitely nice to see the sun shine again down here at Dungeness!
Butterflies and bees reveled in the sunshine, dancing around the remaining wildflowers to sip the juicy nectar. There was also a celebrity sighting down on Dungeness point on Tuesday with an Acadian flycatcher arriving in Britain from North America. It’s the first one ever to be seen in Britain! Hundreds of twitchers flocked to it but it did not hang about for too long, and hasn't been seen since. Lucky you if you were down there and able to spot it!
Bird sighting highlights on the reserve this week:
Egyptian goose – seven on Denge Marsh on 24th
Black necked grebe – two at ARC on the 24th
Little Egret – on Burrowes Pit on 27th
Cattle egret – fields near Boulderwall farm on 27th
Great white egret –5 on Burrowes pit on 27th
Bittern – at Scott hide 25th
Peregrine – over ARC on 26th
Hobby – over Denge Marsh on 21st
Spoon bill – Over Burrows Pit on 25th
Golden plover – flock alongside access track on 27th
Spotted redshank – Burrowes pit on 21st
Snipe – Burrowes pit on 21st
Swallow – Burrowes pit on 26th
Sand martin – Burrowes pit on 21st
Kingfisher – on Burrowes pit on 26th
Wheatear – on return trail on 27th
Yellow wagtail – Denge marsh on 21st
Siskin – Denge marsh on 25th
Bearded tit – Denge Marsh on 25th
Hopefully we will have a few more sunny days ahead of us. Coming up on the weekend we have binocular and telescope demonstrations. If you are in the area or are in need of a new set of binoculars, we have a knowledgeable representative to let you try out our range of binoculars and telescopes to help you choose the right ones for you.
We also have a guided walk here on the 7th October between 10.30am-1pm for all those who are interested in seeing Dungeness' amazing wildlife and learning how to identify them too. Check our website (www.rspb.org.uk/dungeness) for more details of the event and how to book.