Pallid Harrier - Nathan Hammonds

The Big Kent Bird Migration Day on the 27th offered informative walks, talks and interesting ringing demonstrations to its participants, but the number of scarce birds found was less than hoped. Decent amounts of Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps migrated through the participating sites, with a quite elusive Yellow-browed Warbler in the Lighthouse garden and Dungeness the only real sighting of note (there were a dozen further 'Yellow-broweds' during the week with one found roosting at night during a moth survey at Swalecliffe). The best bird of the week was actually belated news from the previous week, on the 24th a harrier was photographed at Stodmarsh by several observers independently. It took some back and forth, but the next day it was identified from the photos as an immature female Pallid Harrier. Unfortunately it could not be found again. A male Red-footed Falcon that briefly landed with prey at Bough Beech on the 26th was another good record. Two Lapland Bunting flew west at Reculver on the 30th, while the first Ring Ouzel of the season was at Dungeness on the 30th, with further records at Bockhill, Abbott's Cliff and Margate the next day.

Yellow-browed Warbler - Andy Taylor

The juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper remained all week at Dungeness, whereas further wader migration tailed off with only three Curlew Sandpiper and one Spotted Redshank reported. Common Redstarts were seen at Samphire Hoe on the 27th and at Foreness and Bockhill on the 1st, with still a couple of Pied Flycatchers and Grasshopper Warblers reported from coastal locations as well. An Osprey was seen fishing in the Swale on the 26th and the 1st, while a couple of Short-eared Owls and a Hen Harrier were seen flying in off the sea.

Sea-watching highlights included two Red-necked Grebes at Reculver on the 30th, a Long-tailed Skua at Tankerton on the 28th, a Pomarine Skua at Minnis Bay on the 26th, 19 Little Gull past North Foreland on the 25th, two Velvet Scoters at New Hythe on the 30th and again good numbers of Balearic Shearwater past Dungeness (with 148 on the 30th!), with lower numbers elsewhere.

The unofficial Kent year list stands at 277 species at the end of September, one ahead compared to last year. We added a somewhat modest number of species to the list during the month: Brown Booby, Western Bonelli's Warbler, Pallid Harrier, Dotterel, Grey Phalarope and Lapland Bunting. What will October bring? Good luck!

Peter Eerdmans

(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)