Red-breasted Flycatcher - Peter Eerdmans

As warmer weather finally arrived on the 21st, so did some good birds! Best of the bunch was a singing Red-breasted Flycatcher in the Moat at Dungeness which showed well throughout the day. This species is seen almost annually in Kent, but spring records in particular remain rare. Other good birds on the 21st included single Bee-eaters over Bockhill and South Foreland, a Purple Heron at Stodmarsh, a male Golden Oriole at North Foreland and a Honey Buzzard flying along the coast in the northeast of the county. 

There was also some encouraging news from the WeBS survey in the Medway. While the 2025 breeding season was disastrous for gulls and terns, and the recent April survey showed very small numbers, in May there were good size colonies found across the islands with 30 Little Terns, 320 Mediterranean Gulls and 100 Sandwich Terns.

Little Tern - Bob Knight

Further highlights included a female Serin with a group Chaffinches on the 17th and 18th at North Foreland, another Golden Oriole heard briefly there on the 17th, an adult Purple Heron at Higham Marshes on the 16th and a Common Quail heard singing near Bockhill between the 15th and 17th, while two Quail were heard near Sandwich. The Savi's Warbler continued to sing at Stodmarsh. A Curlew Sandpiper was at Pegwell Bay on the 15th, while three Little Gulls and a Caspian Gull were on show at Restharrow Scrape, Sandwich Bay on the 17th. The Common Crane was seen again at Seasalter.

Sea-watching was very quiet with a few Manx Shearwaters and one Pomarine Skua past Dungeness (on the 18th) the only sightings worth mentioning.

In terms of summer migrants, the first Honey Buzzard flew in off the sea at North Foreland on the 17th, Nightjars returned to their Kent breeding grounds and the first Spotted Flycatcher of the year was seen at Dungeness on the 15th. 

Serin - John Carnell

With warm weather and easterly winds forecast for the next few days, it could be an exciting week for scarce and rare birds. Good luck.

Peter Eerdmans

Honey Buzzard - John Carnell

(Thanks to all the observers who posted their records on the KOS Sightings website, BirdGuides, eBird and/or the main Kent Birding WhatsApp groups, Thursday-to-Thursday. Apologies for any omissions. If anyone has any photos they think may be useful for the weekly, please send to me by Wednesday. All records of rarities are still subject to official confirmation by the relevant rarities committees)