Kent Ornithological Society 
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- Peter Eerdmans
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White-winged Tern - Barry Wright
There were plenty of scarce birds to enjoy this week in Kent. A moulting adult White-winged Tern was found on the 15th at Stodmarsh and stayed in the area all week, at times showing really well. Then the next day another White-winged Tern was discovered, this time a juvenile at Dungeness, coinciding with the KOS Family Bird Day there. It too stayed for multiple days and could be viewed from the Firth viewpoint. Other scarce birds were a Stone-curlew seen only briefly at Pegwell Bay on the 15th, an at time elusive juvenile Purple Heron at Stodmarsh also from the 15th and a juvenile Red-backed Shrike at Worth from the 17th.
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- Peter Eerdmans
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Montagu's Harrier - Barry Wright
A male Montagu's Harrier was discovered at Galloways in the Dungeness area on the morning of the 8th. It stayed in the area for most of the day, but unfortunately spent most of its time in West Sussex after the inital sighting. Another good bird, also at Dungeness, was a Roseate Tern which was roosting with Sandwich Terns on the beach off the Lifeboat Station on the 7th. As often, it only stayed briefly.
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- Peter Eerdmans
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Cory's Shearwater - Kenton Evans
Bird of the week was a Cory's Shearwater that flew past Foreness Point on the 31st. In general sea-watching has been very quiet during July, so this was a very nice reward for the locals persisting with their (near) daily seawatches. It flew east in its typical leisurely fashion, allowing for some photos to be taken clinching the identification. At Oare the White-rumped Sandpiper continued to frequent the small channel of water left in the middle of the East Flood, while the Bonaparte's gull could be found in the vicinity or on the mudflat east of the slipway. One birder had a red-letter day at Sandwich Bay on the 5th: first he saw a Black Kite fly-over and then later, with a group of birders, had a Red-rumped Swallow over the Quay. The second Pectoral Sandpiper of the year was found at Cliffe Pools on the 5th and was still there on the 6th although it could be elusive.
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- Peter Eerdmans
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White-rumped Sandpiper - Peter Eerdmans
Another intriguing raptor sighting this week following last week's possible Long-legged Buzzard. On the 24th a falcon with dark upper wing, a barred, almost sandy-coloured tail, powerful, long wings and a 'contrasty' underwing was seen coming off the sea at North Foreland, pointing to an Eleonora's Falcon. Unfortunately the sighting was only brief and no photos were obtained. There has only been one accepted record of Eleonora's Falcon in Kent, the widely watched individual at Worth in May 2022. A more cooperative albeit distant bird was an adult White-rumped Sandpiper discovered at Oare Marshes in the early morning of the 29th. It was still present throughout the day on the 30th. It seems likely this is a returning bird, as last year there was one from 28-30 July at Oare. Although near-annual in recent years, it remains a rare wader for Kent.
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- Peter Eerdmans
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Gull-billed Tern - Peter Eerdmans
A very interesting week in Kent birding. Bird of the week was an adult Gull-billed Tern discovered at the ARC, Dungeness, around midday on the 17th. Unfortunately it was only present for a few minutes before flying off to the south-east corner of the ARC, where it could not be refound. The bird was wearing a white colour ring, which indicates it comes from a German ringing scheme. While still a BBRC-submission species, it is getting more regular in recent years, with this being the second for Kent this year. The Gull-billed Tern could have easily been eclipsed by a much rarer bird this week, but a possible Long-legged Buzzard seen for 5 minutes over Worth Marshes on the 19th could not be confirmed. Long wings and shape alerted the observer, but unfortunately no photos were obtained. This would be a new bird for Kent. The Bonaparte's Gull remained at Oare, where a Long-tailed Skua fly over was a nice surprise on the 17th.
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- Peter Eerdmans
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American Golden Plover (with Bonaparte's Gull) - Nigel Jarman
As hoped, a rare wader turned up this week. A beautiful summer-plumaged American Golden Plover was discovered at Oare Marshes in the morning of the 14th. It stayed for a few hours, and, remarkably, could be seen together with the other North American vagrant at Oare, the Bonaparte's Gull. There have been less than a dozen records of American Golden Plover in Kent, although it has become more regular in recent years. Another good bird this week was a Caspian Tern at Stodmarsh, also on the 14th. It stayed only briefly.
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- Peter Eerdmans
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Bonaparte’s Gull - Terry Laws
Main news over the week was the return of the Bonaparte's Gull at Oare on the 4th. Returning for its fifteenth summer, it surely will trigger the now annual pilgrimage by many birders to its favourite mudflat just north of the causeway. Caspian Tern is seen annually in Kent but in recent years has often been difficult to connect with. It was therefore a welcome change as last week's bird at Dungeness extended its stay into this week, having been seen last on the 5th.
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- Peter Eerdmans
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Caspian Tern - Ross Newham
Bird of the week was a beautiful Caspian Tern that was discovered at Dungeness RSPB on the 1st and was still there on the 2nd. On the 1st there was also a group of seven Bee-eaters that flew over Dungeness with three seen flying over Ashford later. Another excellent bird, again in the Dungeness area, was a Kentish Plover on the 30th at Lade beach.
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Mediterranean Gull - Bob Knight
Given the time of year and the hot weather, birding always was going to be tougher. A few scarce birds remained or resurfaced. The Red-footed Falcon was once again seen at Worth Marshes on the 22nd and 25th. It seems to have been in the area for weeks now, but is seen only very occasionally. There is a similar pattern for the female Serin at North Foreland which was reported again this week, but only on the 20th. Further highlights were a Ruddy Shelduck at Motley Hill on the 23rd, two Spotted Redshank at Otter Creek and a Honey Buzzard over Walmer. This week three Quails were heard at Bockhill, two near Canterbury and one flushed at North Foreland.
The June Medway Gull and Tern survey was encouraging recording 40 Sandwich Terns, 20 Little Terns and 420 Meditarannean Gulls in active colonies. Still below the numbers from a few years ago, but much better than last year.
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- Peter Eerdmans
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Squacco Heron - Russ Blackman
An excellent week with several good records. Bird of the week was a lovely first summer Squacco Heron at Dungeness on the 16th. It was flushed from Long Pits early morning, where it was refound midday before it relocated to ARC where it showed well for the rest of the day. This is the 11th record for Kent (the majority having been at Dungeness, with the previous record in 2017). There were further good birds seen. Another Zitting Cisticola (or perhaps it was the bird from last week relocating north?) was seen and heard early morning at Foreness on the 12th, in the exact same spot as last year's bird. Unfortunately it moved on quickly. Another good record was a distant Cory's Shearwater past North Foreland on the 12th. It was identified based on jizz and flight pattern. If accepted, it will be the 9th record this century for this species. A Black-crowned Night-heron was seen at Westbere Marshes in the evening of the 13th, it was seen in the half-dark and heard calling before flying off towards Collard's Lake.