Kent Ornithological Society 
KOS Field Trip - Saturday 7th June 2025
Ray O’Reilly - KOS Field Trip Organiser writes:-
‘We held our June 2025 KOS Field Outing on Saturday the 7th and facing a gloomy weather forecast we chose a trip to Dungeness.
The rain showers took place mostly in the morning and the wind picked up during the afternoon; however it was a good day for non-avian wildlife too which included several Four-spotted Chasers,(Dragonflies) a Grey Seal, a Harbour Porpoise and a tame Red Fox looking for scraps.
(We also identified many plants as Dungeness was in bloom.)
We began our birding walk to the Hanson Hide with a Cuckoo plus some Bearded Tits and Sedge Warblers feeding right in front of the hide and giving us all excellent views. Several Greenfinch were enjoyed and Reed Buntings were singing out in the open.
Many birds had young, including a pair of Red-crested Pochards and our sighting of their ducklings could be the first record of them breeding in the Dungeness area? Due to the low cloud Common Swift, Barn Swallow, Sand Martin and House Martins were all hawking low over the water. A pair of Little Ringed Plover were picked out among their more numerous cousins.
The main part of the reserve gave us Great White Egrets, breeding Common Gulls and some superb red-chested Linnets.
Hooker's Pit provided a memorable spectacle of 17 Hobbys on view at once, including a flock of 13 together. A Sanderling and two Little Gulls - see picture - were added to the daily total of 78 species. It was a grand day!
KOS Members please look here for new dates for the second half of the year that will be published shortly and t hanks to Richard Hanman for the Little Gull image.’
Ray O'Reilly