Dungeness Nature Reserve Bulletin

1 June 2008

Bird news (May 2008)

With ten species of raptor and 23 species of wader recorded it wasn’t a bad month, although passerine sightings were a little disappointing.

Highlights during the first week were provided by a ring ouzel and common buzzard on 4th and a purple heron and black kite on 6th. The 7th produced an even more unusual sighting in the shape of a rough-legged buzzard. Only the 7th record for the reserve, it was also the first May record. Hobby numbers increased throughout the month with a maximum of 15 seen on 27th, mostly in the Denge Marsh area but also over the pits near Boulderwall Farm. Other raptors to cause a stir were single red kites (13th and 23rd) and an osprey (15th).

A wood sandpiper was spotted on 13th and a curlew sandpiper was at the ARC pit on 19th. A spoonbill was also at the ARC pit that day and a pair of garganey gave excellent views from the viewing screen. Single Temminck’s stints were seen on 12th and 17th and little stints on 22nd and 26th. A few lucky folk who had been at the viewing screen watching the Temminck’s stint on 12th were also treated to a brief sighting of a bee-eater flying over the bushes on the opposite side of the track. There was a second sighting of spoonbill on 26th, from Makepeace hide, and there was much excitement when a black-winged stilt turned up on Denge Marsh on 28th. This latter bird remained in the area into the following day although it was rather elusive.

Spoonbill - photograph by David Roche (all rights reserved)

Amongst our resident species the highlight of the month was provided by the fledging of our first tree sparrows of the year, with three youngsters being seen near Boulderwall Farm on 26th.

Tree sparrow - photograph by David Roche (all rights reserved)

Management news

Monitoring work on our breeding birds has continued throughout the month. Early indications are that lapwings have not fared well! We have tracked the fortunes of nearly twenty individual nests, from egg laying, through incubation and to hatching. About a third of these nests produced young, the others being lost to either mammalian or avian predators. Unfortunately, we suspect many young chicks have also been lost due to the cold and wet weather, which has not been ideal for youngsters at such a vulnerable stage.

The cattle are back on the reserve for the summer and autumn and this has meant replacing and renewing some fences and gates -jobs that our regular volunteers have undertaken with gusto (it makes a change from cutting willows!)

Lapwing - photograph by Phil Beraet (all rights reserved)

RSPB Dungeness Nature Reserve

Tel: 01797 320588

mail: dungeness@rspb.org.uk