So, after approximately 2 weeks of 'winter' we are now experiencing balmy temperatures of 15 degrees C again! I'm confused and so is nature. Songbirds are starting to sing, magpies have started to gather twigs for nests, trees are in bud and butterflies and bumblebees have been seen around. A report of two swallows seen in the area came in this week and people are witnessing mating displays from great crested grebes and…

We are pleased (and a little relieved!) that a beautiful drake smew has decided to grace our presence on the reserve this winter. He's very mobile and has been constantly moving around the different water pits. If you're visiting, please check at the visitor centre to where he has last been seen.

I'd also like to remind our visitors to please stick to the paths when visiting the reserve. Hides and viewpoints allow…

Dungeness can be rather bleak in the winter time, with bare, wide open shingle, grey skies and leafless trees. Some people can't see any beauty in it at all, whereas others can and flock to be here during the quieter winter time. This week has been an exceptional mix of moody skies, frosty ground as well as bright blue sky and blazing sunshine. some cold weather has finally hit us and there's more activity as birds are…

Thinking of buying binoculars or a telescope? 

Whether you know a bit or don't know where to start, come to the RSPB Dungeness Visitor Centre and get some hands on advice from our friendly, knowledgeable team and have the chance to try the products out.

We are holding binocular and telescope events in February and March (dates below)

We stock the RSPB range of binoculars and telescopes, including the top of the range…

We’ve spent a bit of time this month at Lade Pits which is our newest addition to the reserve (taken over from CEMEX in 2015). Removing graffiti from the old railway bridge has been our main job. It’s nowhere near finished as it is a tiresome and labour intensive job, but it's looking a lot better! We’ve also been enhancing the entrance ways to the reserve as well as clearing and widening pathways. In the future we hope…

Whilst we were enjoying the festive season, (most probably staying cosy in our homes, under a blanket and feeling stuffed but saying ‘go on then it’s Christmas’ and helping ourselves to another mince pie) nature outside of our warm brick buildings are living the life and death battle every day.

As we feasted on turkeys (or vegetarian alternatives) this Christmas, our wildlife is hunting and being hunted…

Need a last minute Christmas gift - grab a bargain with our sale offers – reductions on gifts as well as calendars, Christmas crackers, wrapping paper and napkins

The visitor centre and shop at the RSPB Dungeness Nature Reserve is open daily from 10am to 4pm (closed Christmas Day and Boxing Day).

Thinking of buying binoculars or a telescope? 

Whether you know a bit or don't know where to start, come to the RSPB Dungeness Visitor Centre and get some hands on advice from our friendly, knowledgeable team and have the chance to try the products out.

We are holding binocular and telescope events in January (dates below)

As an extra incentive to pop in we have now received in store the new RSPB Harrier binoculars

It'll be my last blog post before Christmas but I'll be back the weekend after to give you an update on what I've missed at the reserve. Bird activity on the reserve has been fairly quiet in recent weeks, northern Europe could do with a good blast of freezing weather to send the ducks down here. Wigeon, pintail and goldeneye numbers are fairly low and we have yet to see a smew here on the reserve which is very…

On Sunday we hosted our third annual Winter Fair here in the Dungeness Visitor Centre. This year it was bigger and better than ever! With local craft and art stalls selling their wares, mulled wine a-plenty, a brilliant raffle with LOTS of prizes and tables for children's activities such as making Christmas cards and bird feeders, there was plenty to do on the day!

Thanks to everyone who came and supported us, bought…

This week, we've barely seen the sun. However, we have had a few good bird sightings to make up for it - particularly today!

Firecrests and goldcrests are everywhere at the moment, often seen in our Discovery Area in the gorse bushes, by the bird feeders in the car park and over in the Willow Trail at the ARC. These tiny and beautiful birds are seen more often this time of year as we get large numbers of winter migrants…

Thinking of buying binoculars or a telescope? 

Whether you know a bit or don't know where to start, come to the RSPB Dungeness Visitor Centre and get some hands on advice from our friendly, knowledgeable team and have the chance to try the products out.

We are holding binocular and telescope events from end of November through to beginning of January (dates below)

We stock the RSPB range of binoculars and telescopes…

Grab a bargain with our Black Friday deals – reductions on gifts as well as calendars, Christmas crackers, wrapping paper and napkins until 4th December 2018

The visitor centre and shop at the RSPB Dungeness Nature Reserve is open daily from 10am to 4pm.

I think we were all a bit shocked by the cold wet weather and freezing wind which has hit us here at Dungeness this week. However, much needed rainfall has helped raise the water levels of the pits and also wet up our fields a bit too. 

Bewick's swans have arrived at Dungeness; a small group of 5 birds have been seen almost daily on the reserve. Bewick's swans spend their summers in Russia, they are the smallest swans…

Yesterday, we had our first sighting of three female smew on Burrowes Pit. Smew is a winter visitor in small numbers from Scandinavia and Russia. Sometimes birds move here from Holland and Denmark to escape freezing weather there and will get to the southern most points of the UK to rest and feed over the winter. Approximately 180 birds winter in the UK and little is known about the bird on their breeding grounds. Dungeness…

Come to the RSPB Dungeness visitor centre, away from the hustle and bustle of the high streets, for your Christmas shopping

The shop in the visitor centre has Christmas cards, wrapping paper, crackers, calendars, decorations and gifts.

The visitor centre at RSPB Dungeness is open from 10am to 4pm

Thinking of buying binoculars or a telescope? 

Whether you know a bit or don't know where to start, come to the RSPB Dungeness Visitor Centre and get some hands on advice from our friendly, knowledgeable team and have the chance to try the products out.

On the weekend of 17^th and 18^th November the Viking Optical rep will also be in attendance.

We stock the RSPB range of binoculars and telescopes, including the top of…

This week's half term has hosted lots of activities for families. We've been hunting for spooky spiders around our trail. Finding newts, snakes and toads in our Discovery Area, mixing up bird feeders in cauldrons and creating monsters from dead plant material.

Thanks to all the families who took part and supported the RSPB over the autumn half term. We had some great feedback so I am really pleased that they…

Thinking of buying binoculars or a telescope? 

Whether you know a bit or don't know where to start, come to the RSPB Dungeness Visitor Centre and get some hands on advice from our friendly, knowledgeable team and have the chance to try the products out.

We are holding events on some Wednesday afternoons and Friday mornings and on one weekend in November/December – our friendly staff and volunteers will be on hand…

I always think myself lucky to live in the south of England where the weather is considerably warmer than the north most of the time. We surely are getting some incredibly warm weather this month and after another week of dry, sunny weather I feel that winter will hit us hard down here at Dungeness!

By now, our summer visitors should have left us but we are still receiving reports of swallows and whitethroats here! We…

So, it's this time of year. Hallow's eve is creeping up fast and a certain autumnal drink is back in a popular coffee shop again. As the pumpkins and squashes ripen in the fields, birds are gorging on autumn berries. After an early abundance of blackberries on the reserve it is hawthorn, blackthorn and sea buckthorn berries that are ripe at the moment.

Which mammal do you think has been feasting on berries here…

Thinking of buying binoculars or a telescope? We are holding an optics event this coming weekend 6^th and 7^th October between 10am and 4pm, so why not pop in to the RSPB Dungeness visitor centre and take a closer look.

Whether you know a bit or don't know where to start, get some hands on advice from our friendly, knowledgeable team and have the chance to try the products out.

We are also holding events on some Wednesday…

Spoonbills are in the genus Platalea, which are large long-legged wading birds. The genus name Platalea derives from Latin and means "broad", referring to the distinctive shape of the bill. They pass through the reserve every spring and autumn on migration to and from their breeding and wintering grounds. We seem to get a small handful each time and this week we had 5 spotted feeding around the reserve for a few days…

Many birds have bid for the bushes as the first (and no doubt last) of the seasons storms hit the UK this week. Is it just me or have the storms only been worse since we started naming them? The north of the country have clearly had the worst luck with the wind but many birds have been hunkering down here out of the gusts. One surprising arrival today was the emergence of a new Egyptian goose family! Having bred and successfully…

There’s definitely a chill in the morning air recently which is a sign that summer is over and autumn is here! Like many humans who jet off for some sun in warmer places during the winter, many birds choose to migrate south too. We have already said goodbye to our cuckoos and turtle doves. Hirundines such as sand martins and swallows are gathering in their large numbers over Dungeness to feed before setting off to Africa…