Kent Ornithological Society 
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- Peter Eerdmans
- Weekly highlights
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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- Peter Eerdmans
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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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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.
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Zitting Cisticola - Phil Chantler
Best bird of the week was a Zitting Cisticola discovered at Bockhill on the morning of the 11th. It was singing and showing well for 1.5 hours before flying off north. Formally still a mega, this being only the 8th record for Kent, it is becoming more regular, with four records in the past two years. Will it become a breeding bird in Kent in the near future?
With strong westerly winds on the 6th, sea-watching was good. Dungeness recorded 324 Manx Shearwater, 8 Balearic Shearwater, two Puffin and two Arctic Skua that day. Other watch-points around the Kent coast had to do with less, but small numbers of Balearic and Manx Shearwater were seen, while two late Merganser were at Foreness. Sea-watching was quieter later in the week, but a Common Quail flying in off the sea at Dungeness on he 9th was an unusual surprise. Further Common Quails were heard singing at Elmley and, again, at Bockhill. Other highlights included a Bee-eater heard over Bockhill on the 11th, the Red-footed Falcon still at Worth on the 5th and a Golden Oriole reported from Pegwell on the 7th.
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- Peter Eerdmans
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Red-necked Phalarope - Tim Bates
After an absence of 10 years, a second Greenish Warbler for the spring was a nice surprise. It was found on the 3rd at Langdon Hole and seen on-and-off during the day. Another good bird was a beautiful female Red-necked Phalarope at Cliffe Pools on the 1st. Unfortunately it was only seen by a single observer and could not be refound the next day. An Icterine Warbler was found singing at Bockhill on the 29th. A significant movement of Red Kites on the 31st along the east and north coast was another highlight. At some locations 150 could be counted in a relative short period of time. This movement is an annual event and seems to involve wandering sub-adult birds from the UK population. The day before there was a more modest movement, but it included a Black Kite which was seen throughout the morning in the South Foreland/Bockhill area.
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- Peter Eerdmans
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Greenish Warbler - Terry Laws
The warm weather and calm easterly winds brought many scarce birds to Kent. The best was a Greenish Warbler in the Trapping Area at Dungeness on the 24th. It was singing and showing well throughout the day. This is the 27th record for Kent and, surprisingly, only the first since 2016. There was a very nice support cast throughout the week. One of the highlights was a mini-influx of Golden Orioles, with 7 heard/seen in total across the county, including two singing males together at North Foreland. There were also several Bee-eaters, with two a few hours at Dungeness on the 24th the most accessible, but others included a group of 12 over St Mary's Bay on the 26th, four over Worth Marshes on the 23rd and a single at Bockhill. A female Montague's Harrier spent an afternoon at Dungeness on the 27th.
In general it paid to look skywards as several other good birds were only seen flying over: a nice immature male Montague's Harrier over Blean Woods on the 25th, a Hoopoe over Tenderden on the 26th, a Red-rumped Swallow over Langdon Hole on the 25th and a female Red-footed Falcon out to sea at North Foreland on the 27th.
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Red-breasted Flycatcher - Peter Eerdmans
As warmer weather finally arrived on the 21st, so did some good birds! Best of the bunch was a singing Red-breasted Flycatcher in the Moat at Dungeness which showed well throughout the day. This species is seen almost annually in Kent, but spring records in particular remain rare. Other good birds on the 21st included single Bee-eaters over Bockhill and South Foreland, a Purple Heron at Stodmarsh, a male Golden Oriole at North Foreland and a Honey Buzzard flying along the coast in the northeast of the county.
There was also some encouraging news from the WeBS survey in the Medway. While the 2025 breeding season was disastrous for gulls and terns, and the recent April survey showed very small numbers, in May there were good size colonies found across the islands with 30 Little Terns, 320 Mediterranean Gulls and 100 Sandwich Terns.
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A little reminder that this Sunday - May 17th - there is the KOS Open Day at Dungeness RSPB Reserve 10.00am - 4.00pm - Join Us!
Red-backed Shrike - Nigel Jarman
A lovely male Red-backed Shrike at Hope Point, Bockhill, was the highlight of the week. It showed well throughout the day on the 10th. A Savi’s Warbler was discovered on the 9th at Lampden Wall, Stodmarsh. It can be heard singing, but due to it being in reeds behind bushes it is very unlikely to be seen (please remember this is considered a potential rare breeding bird). Further highlights were a group of three Temminck's Stints at Dungeness RSPB on the 9th and 10th, a Golden Oriole signing at North Foreland on the 12th and a Red-footed Falcon still at Worth in the early part of the week.
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- Peter Eerdmans
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Iberian Chiffchaff - Peter Eerdmans
As to be expected in early May, it was a busy week in terms of scarce birds! The best bird of the week was an Iberian Chiffchaff found singing in the trapping area at Dungeness in the early morning of the 4th. It settled at the top of Long Pits where it sang all day and showed well occasionally. This is only the 7th record for Kent. Another very good find was a Gull-billed Tern, seen and photographed by a single observer past North Foreland on the 30th. Several Red-footed Falcon were seen during the week, a 1st summer female was on show at Stodmarsh on the 1st, one flew over North foreland on the 2nd, while a female was at Worth from the 3rd. Temminck's Stints were at Dungeness (on the 2nd and 3rd) and at Worth Marshes on the 2nd. An European Bee-eater flew over Pegwell Bay on the 2nd, while a Black-crowned Night Heron was sound recorded during the middle of the night over Bishopstone Glen. A Hoopoe spent a couple of days in an, unfortunately, undisclosed site near Rochester. A single Glossy Ibis was at Dungeness on the 2nd, while seven flew over the ARC on the 7th.