Today’s bin lorry stuck down a residents track on Dungeness….

First batch of Goose Barnacles this autumn on a glass bottle washed up on Dungeness today while doing the rubbish

Two Pallas’s Warblers (1 Trapping Area and one at Old Lighthouse) and two Yellow-browed Warblers in Trapping Area this morning - Dungeness Woodlark, Woodcock, Dartford Warblers, crests, finches etc Couldn’t clinch an ID on an Acro - which hopefully might be around tomorrow #Kentbirding

My highlights on Dungeness today included Catching up and having a chat with @westcoastbirds.bsky.social after decades Enjoying Martin’s Crimson Speckled behind The Sanctuary First sarnie of the autumn on the bonfire…

The Littlestone garden moth traps held another Gem, (one yesterday), 2 Turnips, Silver Y, 2 Rush Veneers (noctuella) and 26 Rusty-dot Pearls (ferrugalis) (SE Kent) No ‘marquee moth’ but a good migrant night for the garden #mothsmatter @migrantmothuk.bsky.social

New #GBRedList for vascular plants is published today by a team led by @bsbibotany.bsky.social with partners @naturalengland.bsky.social @ukceh.bsky.social @naturescot.bsky.social @natreswales.bsky.social @nhm-london.bsky.social @plantlifeintl.bsky.social @rbgkew.bsky.social @thebotanics.bsky.social

The Littlestone garden moth traps held a Gem and 14 Rusty-dot Pearls (ferrugalis) (SE Kent) The Gem was the first since August and only the 4th for the year in the garden #mothsmatter @migrantmothuk.bsky.social

#RareBirdsUK #KentBirding @birdguides.bsky.social @rarebirder.bsky.social

Pallas’s Warbler 300m down from Springfield Bridge towards Gully from Dengemarsh Road at 11.50 - Dungeness BOC pic from Martin

The Dungeness wider recording area 2025 total is now 239sp by end of Oct New birds in no particular order - Pallid Harrier, Pallas’s and Yellow-browed Warblers, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Little Auk, Whooper Swan, Black Guillemot and Twite A record breaking year for species total now #KentBirding

The October rainfall total for Littlestone, Romney Marsh, SE Kent was 79mm An average month I guess For comparison September - 134mm August total - 19.5mm July total - 130mm

Pleasant three hour seawatch from fishing boats, Dungeness with good company Little Auk west at 09.46 the highlight Great-northern Diver, 3 Bonxies, 2 Sooty Shearwaters, Little Gull and thousands of auks - with everything heading west #kentbirding

The Littlestone (SE Kent) garden actinic produced only a handful of moths last night Highlight was (a slightly darker than normal and fresh) - Bordered Straw This is the first one for the garden since mid August #mothsmatter @migrantmothuk.bsky.social

Bumped into this mint fresh Small Copper on Dungeness NNR, Kent this morning and I reckon it has to be a fourth generation I have only seen a few in the last month and the earlier broods/peaks were weeks early compared to previous years @savebutterflies.bsky.social #ukbutterflies

A quick walk through parts of the Trapping Area, Dungeness on checks late afternoon Woodcock, 2 Firecrests (another one on Point) plus Hummingbird Hawk moth Rainfall totals around 45-50mm in last week and watertable rising Flytipped rubbish - car tyres and a toilet today - cue the jokes…. 🤦

Littlestone garden actinic trap (SE Kent) First Oak Rustic of the autumn and a ‘double scoop’ of MdJ (Six ferrugalis - Rusty dot Pearl) #mothsmatter

Another video with no bird to actually see….. The Dungeness Trapping Area this morning with 2 Yellow-browed Warblers - with one calling in the background in this video #kentbirding

Enjoyed a lunchtime visit to the bottom of Dengemarsh Gully, Dungeness for a gorgeous Pallas’s Warbler found by Stephen Message… Even I was able to capture the bird in a wonderful ‘habitat shot’ and the classic ‘hovering yellow rump’ shot 🫣 #kentbirding #rarebirdsuk

A pleasant day off which I still ended up on Dungeness looking for a birthday rarity Yellow-browed Warbler, Short-eared Owl, Woodlark, Ring Ouzel and assortment of finches and thrushes over Great sunrise, cooked breakfast at lunchtime and then I slowed down with a mid afternoon snooze #kentbirding

My first ‘single scoop’ of the autumn Merveille du Jour Double garden actinic, Littlestone, SE Kent #mothsmatter

Jogging along in the Littlestone garden actinic moth trap…. Green-brindled Crescent and Feathered Ranunculus new for the year with their hints of green Dark Sword Grass, Delicate, 5 ferrugalis (Rusty-dot Pearl) and Clancy’s Rustic the padders… (SE Kent) @migrantmothuk.bsky.social #mothsmatter

Been running the double actinic moth trap in the Littlestone garden (SE Kent) for the last 10 days for very little return…. A mint fresh Blair’s Mocha this morning which has only become a little bit regular in the last two years #mothsmatter

Have not been into the Lydd MOD Ranges on the Kent/Sussex border for several weeks now A gentle stroll on a grey but still afternoon Flushed a Short-eared Owl off the Green Wall (Midrips) which went out to sea and then headed towards Rye Harbour 2 Merlins, 13 Shelduck, 4 Mallards and 2 Curlew…..

Today I supervised a fashion shoot on Dungeness all day…

Oh lawdy...!!! White-throated Needletail showing a bit well here at Bempton RSPB reserve @rarebirder.bsky.social @birdguides.bsky.social

Taken the lawnmower way out to the Pilot Path, Dungeness today for its annual mow This is to help the Autumn Ladies Tresses as there are no sheep or goats to do the munching Moved a Large Conehead out the way - which is my first of the year @bsbibotany.bsky.social @kentfieldclub.bsky.social

After a few nights off due to stormy conditions I ran the double actinic in the Littlestone garden, SE Kent Small selection of moths with the only scribble I made was my first Clancy’s Rustic of the year #teammoth

Common Dodder is still clinging on (quite literally) as autumn gallops on. This flowering plant is on Broom and remains a rare plant in Kent. Although it is quite widespread across the shingle ridges of Dungeness NNR, SE Kent @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social #wildflowerhour

Like pulling the plug of a bathtub: an incredible mass of #glacier ice disappearing at Griesgletscher (🇨🇭/🇮🇹) in one century. It felt emotional to visit the exact same spot @swisstopo cartographers chose in 1919. The view was so different. Simply unbelievable!! @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social

A sense of personal achievement being the first in the seawatch hide, Dungeness and nobody over the boats either this morning… 1 Balearic Shearwater, 2 Arctic Skuas and a Black Tern the highlights c500 Sandwich Terns, c150 Kittiwakes, 300 Gannets went west but had dried up by 9am #kentbirding

Showing much better on the south side of the garden for the last 30mins to 14.55 at least to a small group of birders… An improvement from earlier…

Dave Bunney has just found a Red-breasted Flycatcher in his garden(South View), Dungeness lunchtime View from track/NessCafe trailer Feeding in base of conifers #kentbirding #UKrarebirds

The Dungeness wider recording area 2025 total moves up to 231 species by end of September New birds were Red-necked and Grey Phalarope, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, American Golden Plover, Glossy Ibis, Red-backed Shrikes, Storm and Leach’s Petrels Keep smiling #kentbirding

The September rainfall total for Littlestone, Romney Marsh, SE Kent was 134mm It becomes the wettest month so far this year. For comparison August total - 19.5mm July total - 130mm @metjam.co.uk

It was the last day of the last week of the butterfly transect on Dungeness Numbers of butterflies have declined sharply through Aug and Sep due to drought and then unsettled weather with broods smaller and finishing earlier Small Coppers remain the most numerous @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Jacob and Charlotte found a Wryneck this lunchtime along the Teasel Bank, The Desert, Dungeness I was passing a few mins later and snapped this shot on my phone - a classic Wryneck #kentbirding #repostawryneck

Sheep’s-bit (Jasione montana) is still flashing its blue flowers across the old vegetated shingle ridges at Dungeness It is on the Kent Rare Plant Register and is only found across the shingle at Dungeness/Hythe in the County #wildflowerhour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Red-hemp Nettle (Galeopsis angustifolia) is having a late flush - from the September rain following the summer drought across Dungeness Some careful scrub works along a path have helped the plant at one of our monitoring sites #wildflowerhour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Dungeness Spotted Flycatcher, Firecrest, Redpoll, Brambling in the Trapping Area 60 Siskin over 50+ Chiffchaffs and smaller numbers of Blackcap Merlin hunting the Point Thousands of hirundines moving South East out to sea this morning #kentbirdmigrationday

My early morning wander around Dengemarsh Gully, Dungeness produced a Firecrest, Whinchat, a good sprinkle of Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps plus Merlin Springfield Bridge - Glossy Ibis flew around as did a Bittern Cheeky look at The Pines, Water Tower before home produced another Bittern #kentbirding

Another bird video from me - but without a bird in it - just a small group of Crossbills flying over ‘chipping’ in the Trapping Area, Dungeness this morning

Late morning update from Dungeness Point Osprey out to sea 4 Crossbills (part of a flock of 7), 100+ Siskins Whinchat, Lesser Whitethroat, Firecrest and 3 Goldcrests Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps a good spread in the Trapping Area #kentbirding

Even on a quieter day for visitors on Dungeness - there is always one A couple which thought they could drive closer to the sea to have their picnic 🤦

UK is well on course for losing Willow Tit, Spotted Flycatcher & Wood Warbler as breeding species in our lifetime. Wood Warbler already virtually gone from England. I think Willow Tit would be first extinction of a resident bird since Capercaillie in 1700s or White-tailed Eagle in 1918. #ornithology

The ‘Lifeboat Pool’ - Dungeness

6/ Upland bird populations have fallen by 11% in the UK since 1994. Upland specialists - the species characteristic of open moorland, such as Curlew, Dotterel and Wheatear - have shown the steepest declines, by 21% since 1994.

5/ The UK Seabird Indicator, comprising 13 species, has declined by 37% since 1986. Showing a shallow decline since 2000, the index has taken a sharper downward turn in the last five years which likely reflects the impact of Avian Flu. #Seabirds

4/The UK Breeding Wetland Bird Index of 26 species has declined by 10% since 1975. Birds of wet grasslands show declines of almost 50% & birds of fast-flowing streams by 11%. However, birds of reedbeds increased by 40% & birds of standing/slow waters are up by 6% after an increase and then decline.

3/ UK woodland birds are down 32% since 1970 & 3% in the last five years. Specialists, such as long-distance migrants Spotted Flycatcher & Wood Warbler, show steep declines, along with Willow & Marsh Tit. While Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Nuthatch & Great Spotted Woodpecker numbers have more than doubled.

2/ Farmland bird populations declined by 62% since 1970 & by 11% in just the last five years. Specialists like Turtle Dove, Tree Sparrow, Grey Partridge, Corn Bunting & Starling are down by more than 80% since 1970. Generalist species such as Woodpigeon, Jackdaw & Goldfinch have more than doubled.