White-tailed Eagle – Terry Laws

An Icterine Warbler found singing at North Foreland on the morning of the 30^th was the best bird of the week. Unfortunately only a portion of the local birders connected with the bird as it could not be refound later in the morning.

Further highlights included more of the species we have been enjoying over the past few weeks with a Black Kite flying over Seasalter and later Elmley on the 1^st, a pair of Red-footed Falcons at Stodmarsh on the 30^th and a Bee-eater over Thanet on the 1^st. A White-tailed Eagle from the Isle of Wight reintroduction program was at Elmley on the 3^rd and 4^th.  Continuing with the raptor theme, several Honey Buzzards entered the county, mostly over Dover, but singles were also seen at Hope Point and Seasalter. At Oare there were four Curlew Sandpipers on the morning of the 3^rd. A Quail, the first recorded for the year, was flushed from a garden near Sandwich Bay on the 31^st, while a Ruddy Shelduck was seen at Cliffe on the 4^th.

Seawatching picked up a bit on the stronger south westerly winds on the 3^rd, with 19 Manx Shearwaters, 10 Arctic Skuas and a female Long-tailed Duck past Dungeness, while a Puffin flew past North Foreland that same day.

The Kent year list stands at 255 at the end of May, with 21 species added over the month. There were no less than five ‘British Birds Rarity Committee’ species found during May: Western & Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler, Kentish Plover, Black-headed Bunting and Whiskered Tern. With winds more south-westerly, it may be tougher going to add birds, but this is the time of year when rarities do turn up. Good luck.

Peter Eerdmans

Honey Buzzard – Jamie Partridge

(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)