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.

Kentish Plover - Ross Newham

Two Honey Buzzards flew in at Langdon Hole on the 26th. Quails continued to be heard across the county, with some 12 singing males reported this week, making it one of the best years in recent times.

Honey Buzzard - Jamie Partridge

Autumn migration has already started, with a couple of Hen Harriers seen, a handful of returning Wood Sandpipers, for instance at Oare and Stodmarsh, and an early migrating family group of Common Redstarts seen at North Foreland on the 30th.

Sea-watching was quiet.

The unofficial Kent year list stands at 259 at the end of June, two more than this time last year. We had some excellent additions in June, like Zitting Cisticola, Squacco Heron, Kentish Plover, Red-necked Phalarope and Cory Shearwater. July has already started off with a new bird, what else can we add, hopefully the returning Bonaparte's Gull. Good luck.

Peter Eerdmans

(Thanks to all the observers who posted their records on the KOS Sightings website, BirdGuides, eBird and/or the main Kent Birding WhatsApp groups, Thursday-to-Thursday. Apologies for any omissions. If anyone has any photos they think may be useful for the weekly, please send to me by Wednesday. All records of rarities are still subject to official confirmation by the relevant rarities committees)