Kent Ornithological Society 
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- Peter Eerdmans
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Whooper Swans – Richard Hanman
The best bird of the week was a Long-billed Dowitcher at Worth Marsh found by one of the locals. Unfortunately it flew off relatively soon towards private land. Hopefully it can be refound in the area in coming days. If accepted this would be the 23rd for Kent and the first since 2018.
As the great run over recent weeks of rare and scarce song birds started to slow, the focus shifted to winter birding. Several more Whooper Swans entered the county, with up to six on Sheppey, two past North Foreland, one at Reculver and two at Walland Marsh. A Bean Goose sp flew past Sandwich on the 28th, a female-type Long-tailed Duck was on the South Swale on the 27th, while singles of Goldeneye and Goosander started to arrive. There were several Slavonian Grebes around, with 2-3 on the North Coast/Swale and one at Dungeness RSPB.
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- Peter Eerdmans
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Red-flanked Bluetail - Adrian Webb
An excellent week of autumn birding in Kent. The bird of the week was a 1st winter Red-flanked Bluetail which was first seen on the 18th at Margate Cementery. It was elusive, but with patience showed well at times throughout the week. This is only the 10th record for Kent. It was also an amazing week for rare and scare 'Phylloscopus' warblers, headlined by a Radde's Warbler that was found on the morning of the 17th at King George VI Memorial Park, Ramsgate. It performed better than last week's bird at Reculver, showing off and on till about mid-afternoon to assembled birders. A Hume's Warbler at Bockhill was also a great find on the 17th. There have only been 21 previous records of this species in the county. An amazing four Pallas's warbler were seen this week (at Dungeness, Margate Cementery, King George VI Park and Warden Point), while some 20 Yellow-browed Warblers were seen, primarily in the east of the county. The final 'Phyllo' of note, was Siberian Chiffchaff with one seen at Kingsdown and one caught and ringed at Dungeness.
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- Peter Eerdmans
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Richard's Pipit - Brendan Ryan
Reculver was the place to be this week! On the 13th, one of the local birders discovered a Radde's Warbler at the Old Caravan Park. It showed well and was calling, but only briefly. Only one other observer managed a brief glimps, but after that the bird could unfortunately not be refound. There have been 28 records of Radde's Warbler in Kent, with the previous one in November 2021 at South Foreland. The next day a Richard's Pipit was seen, also at the Old Caravan Park, with amazingly a Red-breasted Flycatcher in the same spot as well on the afternoon of the 16th. A Wryneck was also in the area on the 14th (at Chamber's Wall), while Reculver also joined in with the increase of Yellow-browed Warblers around the county, with 2-3 in the area. Reculver certainly hit a purple patch this week, what else can be found there this autumn?
Overall at least 15 Yellow-browed Warblers were reported over the week, with most in the north-east of the county, especially Margate and Ramsgate. A Great Grey Shrike was a good find at Worth Marsh where it was present from the 14th.
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- Peter Eerdmans
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Pallid Harrier - Matt Hindle
The best bird of the week was again a juvenile Pallid Harrier. Perhaps it was the same bird that was seen at Dungeness and South Foreland last week, but one was discovered on the North coast this time, in the Chambers Wall/Shuart area on the 6th. It lingered till the 7th offering good views throughout the day, and then was reported on the 8th at Oare. The third Red-breasted Flycatcher of the autumn was found at Pegwell Bay on the 8th, while a Marsh Warbler trapped and ringed at Reculver on the 8th was another good bird.
As numbers of Wigeon, Teal and Brent Geese built up around the county, there were already a couple of interesting sightings of scarcer winter wildfowl. A group of 8 Whooper Swans at Northward Hill on the 6th were early. Relative to recent years this was also a good count for this species. A single Pink-footed Goose at Dungeness on the 7th was also an indicator of winter approaching.
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- Peter Eerdmans
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Pallid Harrier - Jamie Partridge
This week saw the second Big Kent Migration Day on the 28th. As birders flocked to the different coastal sites to join in the activities, several nice birds were found. The Sandwich/Worth area did particularly well, with a fly by Red-rumped Swallow during an early morning Viz-mig (visual migration) session, plus a second (or same) later in the day at Worth, the discovery of a Red-necked Phalarope on Lydden Flood which stayed the remainder of the week, and a White-tailed Eagle that flew over, and was seen at several other spots around the county. On migration day also 1000s of Swallows and Martins streamed over Dungeness, while at Samphire Hoe a nice male Ring Ouzel was on show.
Nothing says autumn as much as the sound of a calling Yellow-browed Warbler. On the 27th around 8 were reported across the county, with two staying multiple days in the Margate cementery where there were also a couple of Redstarts and Pied Flycatchers. The rarest bird of the week, however, was a juvenile Pallid Harrier which flew north over the Dungeness trapping area on the 1st, and then was seen at Langdon Cliffs/South Foreland later that day. A Red-breasted Flyctacher was seen briefly but well at Worth Marshes on the 29th, and then another at Dungeness NNR on the 1st and 2nd.
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This weekend sees the second Big Kent Migration Day organised by the KOS and partners.
Please submit your sightings and join in the actitvities at Sandwich Bay, Samphire Hoe and Dungeness on Sunday the 28th!
Kentish Plover - Mark Chidwick
The best find of the week was a 1st winter Kentish Plover at Seasalter on the afternoon of the 20th. Another good bird, and very difficult to see in Kent, was a Corncrake at Margate on the 22nd. It was only reported a couple of days later as a photo surfaced of a juvenile at a backdoor on Turner Street. Two Hooded Crows were seen at Greatstone. The warmer weather and lighter winds on the 20th created excellent conditions for migration. There were good numbers of Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps at coastal locations, but the number of hirundines stood out, with over 20,000 recorded at Dungeness (1010 Sand Martins, 14,500 Swallows and 4750 House Martins). The first Ring Ouzels of the season appeared on the 25th at Langdon (6) and Samphire Hoe (4), while the first Yellow-browed Warbler was seen at Kingsgate on the 24th.
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Red-footed Falcon - Terry Laws
This week saw some typical September scarcities as well as lots of action from sea-watches. A beautiful 2nd calendar year male Red-footed Falcon at Elmley was one of the key highlights. It showed very well from the 14th, often with a Hobby, allowing for some great pictures. A Red-rumped Swallow that hung around for only a brief period at North Foreland on the 14th was another good bird. Neither bird was new for the Kent year-list though, but a Red-necked Phalarope that was on the beach at Greatstone on the 19th before being flushed by dog-walkers was a first for the year.
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Montagu's Harrier - Graham Parry
The main event over the week was a massive influx of Glossy Ibis. Last week's single bird was a precursor to dozens of Glossy Ibis arriving in the county. Seen at over 10 different locations and often in sizeable groups, the total might well number over 50 individuals, with 21 flying in off the sea at Dungeness the biggest group. There were plenty of other scarce birds around. A juvenile Montagu's Harrier which was seen on the afternoon of the 8th at Dungeness was the best of the bunch. Dungeness in any case did well for scarce migratory birds this week, with two Red-backed Shrikes at the same time in the area on the 9th, with one still around on the 11th. A Wryneck was seen on and off all week in a patch of gorse near the Dungeness trapping area. Also in the area this week were a Nightjar for two nights, a fly-over Dotterel and a Pectoral Sandpiper at the ARC the morning of the 11th.
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- Peter Eerdmans
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Spotted Crake - Nigel Jarman
Bird of the week was a very showy Spotted Crake at New Downs South Pool near Sandwich. It was discovered in the evening of the 29th and was nearly in constant view the remainder of the week as it was feeding on the mud, offering stunning views of what is often a difficult species to connect with. A Glossy Ibis, a surprisingly scarce bird in Kent this year, flew over Bough Beech on the 4th. The three Dotterels continued to perform in the subble fields near St Margeret's at Cliffe. At times they could be difficult to find, but often enough they showed beautifully. The Stone-curlew at Cliffe also remained all week, although this one stayed more distantly at the far end of Flamingo Pool.
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- Peter Eerdmans
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Eurasian Dotterel - Nigel Jarman
The rarest bird of the week was an adult male Sardinian Warbler, which was seen on the 25th on Graveney Marshes. Unfortunately it only showed relatively briefly to a single observer in the early morning. It was seen eating berries in a bush and then flew off strongly towards the West. It could not be refound. If accepted it will only be the 8th record of this species in Kent. The Zitting Cisticola at Galloways moved on and wasn't seen this week. Birders looking for it on the 22nd were rewarded though with a Dotterel which was seen and heard calling as it flew overhead. This was the first for this year in Kent, but was followed quickly with a second over Weddington the next day, and then an adult and two juveniles in a field near St Margarets at Cliffe on the 28th. As hoped, the Stone Curlew remained at Cliffe, but was only seen on the afternoon of the 22nd and 28th.