A tale of two songsters - Dungeness May 2026

"Prrrp...prrrp..."

There aren't many bird calls that can illicit such a strong response from the birder than that of a European Bee-eater. They are uncommon enough to be valued, colourful of plumage to the extreme, graceful in flight and are rainbows with wings. Redolent of the Mediterranean and the Middle East they bring glamour and excitement to our ordinary world. So when I heard one call whilst eating an ice-cream and sitting chatting to Dave Bunney I knew that the day had just got a whole lot better - and more were to come! That afternoon (May 24th) we were to be treated to at least four of them flying around the point, giving their position away with calls to then reward us with low fly passes. Two of them decided to hang around Kerton Road Pit for long enough to enable all-comers to feast their eyes upon these apparitions calved from the sun, perching up on wires or sweeping above in the blue skies, feeding and calling, feeding and calling, feeding and calling. Bliss.

The two rarest birds of my stay were passerines that both spent almost a whole day singing to their crowds of admirers. First up was this first-summer male Red-breasted Flycatcher (above, May 21st), found by David Walker shortly after 06.00hrs in the moat that surrounds Dungeness Bird Observatory's building. Even though the bird remained faithful to a small clump of sallows it would stay out of sight for long periods of time, its song the only clue as to it still being present before allowing brief but close views. Its song, a modest jaunty repetition was not showy in the least but had a certain charm. Towards evening, when the birders had melted away, I was able to stand at the base of the large sallow that it favoured and peer into its centre, clear of leaves and watch the bird flitting within its open confines.


Early morning of May 24th saw Jacob Spinks discover a singing Greenish Warbler (above) at the northern end of the trapping area, thankfully on the edge of a run of Sallow and Aspen which allowed close albeit intermittent views. This is a rare species at Dungeness, the last having been 33 years ago, so was hungrily gobbled up by the Dungeness locals, frequently uttering a short, slightly jerky warble which sped up as it was delivered. Like the flycatcher, patience rewarded the observer with close views. A small feeding circuit meant that it was never out of the spotlight for long. Other scarce birds recorded during my stay were 7 Cattle Egrets, 2 White Storks, 4 Honey Buzzards, a Montagu’s Harrier and a singing Golden Oriole.



But it isn’t just the scarce birds that entice the birder to the shingle as there is a great assemblage of breeding species across the reserve and observatory, such as Bittern (top), Avocet (bottom), Little Ringed Plover, Marsh Harrier (middle), Wheatear, Bearded Tit and Black Redstart. Large numbers of Reed Warblers, Sedge Warblers and Reed Buntings populate the reed beds and vegetated wetlands, creating a constant background of song, with a few pairs of Common Tern clinging on as a breeding species, plus the addition of Little Egrets flying in from the Lydd heronry. Low cloud and drizzle on day one were ideal conditions to bring feeding Hobby’s down to hunt among the bushes alongside the water at Hookers with 17 in the air in one scan - the hot weather saw them flee inland to take up summering/breeding grounds. There is never a dull moment. 

But it would be incorrect of me to suggest that rarity does not play its part in my choice of visiting Dungeness in mid-late May. Between 2014-19 I spent at least one, if not two weeks at the observatory during late May in each of those years, putting together quite a good list of the scarce and rare (with 2026 records added for good measure): 4 Black-winged Stilts, 1 Kentish Plover, 6 Honey Buzzards, 1 Black Kite, 3 Montagu's Harriers, 1 Bonaparte's Gull, 2 White-winged Black Terns, 8 Bee-eaters, 1 Hoopoe, 1 Great Reed Warbler, 1 Greenish Warbler, 1 Red-breasted Flycatcher, 1 Red-backed Shrike, 1 Golden Oriole, 1 Rose-coloured Starling and 2 Serins. A tidy return. And, off of the top of my head, I can recall that May 29th 1993 produced a Short-toed Lark, a Sardinian Warbler, a Melodious Warbler and a Red-backed Shrike. Or of May 30th and 31st 1984 when up to four Icterine Warblers appeared across the point. Or when four Golden Orioles were brought down by a mid-morning thunderstorm on May 27th 1985. There will be other examples buried deep in my notebooks.

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