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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.

Pallid harrier
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. 

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!

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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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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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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. 

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Zitting Cisticola - Barry Wright

An excellent week of birding in Kent, with one mega and lots of scarcities. The KOS Day at Dungeness on the 17th attracted a good number of birders to the area, one of which found a Zitting Cisticola at Galloways! With one earlier in the year at Foreness and an obliging male in Suffolk in recent weeks, one might get a bit complacent, but this is only the 7th for Kent and the 12th for the UK. The Galloways bird was singing on and off for the remainder of the week. A juvenile White-winged Tern showing well on the lake at Leeds Castle the afternoon of the 18th was another good bird (with further sightings of what looked like a different bird, but did confusingly look like a Black Tern in the area, at Oare on the 19th and 20th). Another good find was a pale Icterine Warbler in the Moat at Dungeness also on the 18th in the afternoon.

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White Stork - Mark Chidwick

There was plenty of good early autumn migration in the past week. A very impressive find was a fly-over Greater Short-toed Lark over Foundation Farm near Marden on the 11th. It was heard and seen for about 15 seconds, at an inland location no-less. This is only the 12th record for Kent of the species and the first since 2011. Hopefully the wait for a twitcheable bird won't be another 14 years. Another good migrant was a Wryneck at Walmer Beach on the 13th. There were plenty of other migrant song birds around with decent numbers of Willow Warblers, Tree Pipits, Grasshopper Warblers, Redstarts, Pied Flycatchers and Whinchats.

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Large shearwater sp - Martin Casemore

Sea-watching improved, but not all sightings could be confirmed. Most excitingly a large shearwater was seen past Dungeness on the 2nd. Despite being photographed, it was too far to identify to species level. A Gull-billed Tern was reported past Graveney Marshes  on the 3rd, while the regulars at North Foreland saw a distant adult Long-tailed Skua fly by on the 4th. Also past North Foreland a Sooty Shearwater on the 5th. Further sea-watch highlights included a Black-throated Diver past Deal and 17 Black Tern past Oare. 

Last week's Pectoral Sandpiper remained all week at Dungeness, but the White-rumped Sandpiper at Oare was only seen till the 1st.

Weekly highlights

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