SCP (Scoters, Little Gulls, swallow etc)

SCP March 20th: easterlies (due east, slight se), bright, milder. Sea watch 06:30-10:30 with Steve S & George H: productive session with decent totals and variety (east): C. Scoter 827, DB Brent 230, Shoveler 61, Shelduck 3, Pintail 7, Avocet 1, Little Gull 19, Sarnies 18, Arctic Skua, Mute Swan (west/unusual at SCP), Cormorant 5 (in off), and some waders (curlew, grey plover) etc. An early, and first of the season, Swallow in off. Lepidoptera: a Brimstone on the wing near Knowles Farm. 

Luccombe Down March 21st: overcast, ESE. Brief visit/7am: Black Redstart (fem type, calling), and c40 Starlings east. 

Wheatear (male) and a Yellow Wagtail sp (heard only) over on March 25th (foggy morning/conditions then clear); latter could well have been Blue-headed given the south coast influx including two at Brading Marsh on 24th. 

Blackcap - Nansen Hill - March 23rd

WT Eagle (mobbed by Herring Gulls) - Haddon's Pits

Green Tiger Beetle - Luccombe Down - March 31st

Harrier (St Cath's)

March 18th: SCP sea watch with George H (06:30-09:30). Breezy Easterlies (due east), bright. 

Moving east: 91 Common scoter, 54 DB Brents, 14 LBBs etc. A Marsh Harrier (in off), initially picked up a fair way out at sea, made land at 09:13; a cracking adult male to boot! 

Watershoot Bay/Rocken End - looking West - where the Marsh Harrier arrived.

SCP (Skua, Velvets etc)

Wheelers Bay Ventnor: (fem type) Black Redstart on March 5th. 

SCP (St Cath's):

Sat March 8th: morning sea watch with George H [06:40-08:50]. Easterlies (ESE). Given it's early March, there was enough to keep us interested with a few highlights: an Arctic Skua east (by date early in the season), as well as three Velvet Scoters (with a scoter flock), a mixture of ducks (100+ scoter, Pintail, teal etc). LBB gulls. In off mipits etc. Number-wise somewhat paltry compared to Dunge?! but enjoyable all the same.  

Sun March 9th: similar conditions (easterlies): SCP [06:40-09:35] with George (then Ollie): slow going, but some things moving eastwards: C.Scoter 26, LBB 10, Shoveler 7E, RTD 12E/2on, Common Gull 13, etc. Mipits in-off c60, a few alba/pied wags including a good candidate for White Wagtail (coasting low and east). My first singing Chiffchaff. 

Ventnor: Hummingbird hawk-moth on March 10th (and chiff calling over Leeson Road).  

SCP

Looking west - nr Atherfield Point

Mind boggling Pintail numbers!!! Full totals ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/fqG5Avaug1

— Dungeness Bird Observatory (@DungenessBO) March 7, 2025