Dungeness Nature Reserve Bulletin

1 March 2008

Bird news (February 2008)

Red-throated divers were seen on three occasions during the month. Up to three Slavonian grebes could be found around the site with the most reliable being the one that has spent most of the winter on the New Excavations. Single bitterns were again seen by a lucky few either from the Hooker’s pits viewpoint or the ARC hide.

Bewick’s swans dropped in occasionally with a maximum of 30 seen on the 11th. Two tundra bean geese appeared on the 19th and remained in the Denge Marsh area until the 24th. Barnacle geese present from mid-month were considered to be wild birds and not part of the local feral flock.

Numbers of smew and goosander slowly dwindled as the month progressed but males and females of both species could still be found at the month’s end.

Marsh harriers continued to delight on most days but there were only two sightings of hen harrier.

The noisy cries of oystercatchers returned to the reserve on the 3rd and several pairs were present as we entered March. For me this is always the first sign of the changing season although for one local birder the sight of a swallow at Jury’s Gap on 14th February probably fulfilled the same function.

Unusual gulls provided some interest throughout the month. These included two different glaucous gulls, up to three Caspian gulls and four yellow-legged gulls, a little gull on the 3rd and a Mediterranean gull on the 9th.

Passerines of note included rock pipit on two dates, two water pipits from 18th to 23rd, Dartford warbler mid-month, fieldfares (10th and 11th) and the first white wagtail of the year (29th). On still days bearded tits put on a fine performance near the Hooker’s pits viewpoint with twenty plus birds seen on the 13th.

Management news

A lot of the work we carry out on the reserve is not always immediately obvious to visitors. One such piece of work was removing a shingle causeway on the New Excavations to open up the area and prevent it being too ‘compartmentalised’. Also, it will stop predators having easy access through the middle of the area and has created some additional reedy margins, ideal for reed-nesting birds and (hopefully) for feeding bitterns! The satellite view below shows the causeway before removal – some other causeways have already gone and these show as reed fringes, but there are still more to come out.

Also this month we have continued to remove Juncus from around more lake margins – the whole area to the right of the access track from Boulderwall Farm to the first right-angled bend and right up to the footpath to Lydd is now much more ‘lapwing friendly’ and should ensure they feel less threatened and ‘hemmed in’. Some of the lakes really did look like they had a hedge around them!

And yes, the goats have gone! They have been reunited with their friends at a Kent Wildlife Trust site near Chilham.

RSPB Dungeness Nature Reserve

Tel: 01797 320588

mail: dungeness@rspb.org.uk