Last updated: 4th October.
4th – 2 Whinchats at Abbotscliffe, where a Great Spotted Woodpecker, a Reed Bunting, 3 Jays and 170 Swallows flew west (Ian Roberts). 2 Firecrests at Enbrook Park (Martin Whybrow). 3 Stonechats at Seapoint car park, Seabrook, where 52 Swallow flew east (Paul Howe). A Redshank and 4 Turnstone at Folkestone Harbour (Steve Wood). A Wheatear and 4 Black Redstarts at Samphire Hoe (Barry Woolhouse).
A Radford’s Flame Shoulder, a Dark Sword-grass, an Olive-tree Pearl, a Rush Veneer, 2 Delicates, 3 Scarce Bordered Straws and 3 Rusty-dot Pearls at Seabrook (Paul Howe). 2 Scarce Bordered Straws, 2 Dark Sword-grass, 2 Rusty-dot Pearls and 4 Delicates at Hythe, where the Sallow was new for the year (Ian Roberts).
3rd – An Osprey flew east at Seabrook (Paul Howe). At least 140 Brent Geese flew east at Hythe/Seabrook (Glenn Tutton/Paul Howe). 36 Swallows flew east at Folkestone Leas (Adam Marek). An escaped Harris’s Hawk at junction 11 of the M20 (Steve Wood).
A Radford’s Flame Shoulder, an Olive-tree Pearl, a Rush Veneer, 2 Dark Sword-grass, 4 Scarce Bordered Straws, 7 Rusty-dot Pearls and 10 Delicates at Hythe, where Barred Sallow was new for the year (Ian Roberts). Merveille du Jour at Cheriton was new for the year (Brian Harper). A Rusty-dot Pearl, a Delicate, 2 September Thorns, 3 Radford’s Flame Shoulders, 5 Olive-tree Pearls and 7 Scarce Bordered Straws at Seabrook (Paul Howe).
2nd – A Tree Pipit, a Yellow Wagtail, a Reed Bunting, a Hobby, 2 Whinchats, 5 Sand Martins and 48 Swallows at Abbotscliffe, where a Great Spotted Woodpecker, a Mistle Thrush, a Grey Wagtail, 10 Siskins, 44 Meadow Pipits and 50 Linnets flew over (Mark Kennett). A Firecrest and 3 Siskins at Creteway Down (Brian Harper).
2 Radford’s Flame Shoulders, 3 September Thorns, 4 Rusty-dot Pearls, 7 Delicates, 10 Scarce Bordered Straws and 11 Olive-tree Pearls at Seabrook (Paul Howe).
1st – A Redshank and a Kingfisher at Folkestone Harbour (Steve Wood).
A September Thorn, a Radford’s Flame Shoulder, a Delicate and 4 Scarce Bordered Straws at Seabrook (Paul Howe).
September
30th – A near-adult (probably 4CY) Yellow-legged Gull at Folkestone Harbour (Steve Wood). An adult Little Gull, 8 Common Scoter, 21 Brent Geese and 60+ Sandwich Terns flew past Princes Parade (Chris Gillard).
29th – A Great Skua, a Shelduck, a Red-throated Diver, 7 Arctic Skuas, 55 Brent Geese and 154 Gannets flew past Samphire Hoe, also a Black Redstart and 5 Little Egrets there (Mark Kennett). 12+ Chiffchaffs at Cheriton (Sarah Piper).
28th – A Rusty-dot Pearl and 3 Scarce Bordered Straws at Seabrook (Paul Howe).
27th – An Arctic Skua and 4 Sandwich Terns off Battery Point (Chris Gillard). 2 Little Egrets at Folkestone Leas (Adam Marek). 15+ Chiffchaffs at Port Lympne, where 60 Canada Geese flew over (Pete Coleman). Large numbers of House Martins heading west today (several observers).
26th – An Arctic Skua at Folkestone Leas (Owain Jones). A Spotted Flycatcher, 2 Firecrests and 4 Chiffchaffs at Crete Road West (Chris Gillard).
A Radford’s Flame Shoulder, 2 Delicate, 2 Rusty-dot Pearls and 6 Olive-tree Pearls at Seabrook (Paul Howe).
25th – A Red-throated Diver, 5 Little Egrets, 22 Chiffchaffs and 40 Linnets at Samphire Hoe (Mark Kennett).
An Euchromius ocellea (Necklace Veneer), a Musotima nitidalis (Golden-brown Fern Moth), a Pearly Underwing, a Rush Veneer, 4 Dark Sword-grass, 9 Delicates, 10 Rusty-dot Pearls, 11 Scarce Bordered Straws and 28 Olive-tree Pearls (Ian Roberts). 2 Clifden Nonpareils, a Rusty-dot Pearl, 4 Scarce Bordered Straws, 6 Delicate and 7 Olive-tree Pearls at Seabrook, where Brindled Green was new for the year (Paul Howe). An Euchromius ocellea, a Radford’s Flame Shoulder, a Gem, a Convolvulus Hawk-moth, a Dark Sword-grass, 2 Rush Veneers, 10 Small Mottled Willows, 20 Rusty-dot Pearls, 22 Olive-tree Pearls, 22 Scarce Bordered Straws and 29 Delicates at Samphire Hoe (Tony Rouse). Beaded Chestnut at Cheriton was new for the year (Brian Harper). The Euchromius ocellea were the second and third area records.
24th – A Small Mottled Willow, a Rusty-dot Pearl and 3 Scarce Bordered Straws at Seabrook (Paul Howe). A Dark Sword-grass, 4 Delicates, 5 Scarce Bordered Straws, 5 Rusty-dot Pearls and 22 Olive-tree Pearls at Hythe (Ian Roberts).
23rd – A Muostima nitidalis (Golden-brown Fern Moth), a Hummingbird Hawk-moth, a Delicate, an Olive-tree Pearl and 2 Rusty-dot Pearls at Seabrook (Paul Howe). 2 Scarce Bordered Straws, 2 Dark Sword-grass, 7 Rusty-dot Pearls, 9 Delicates and 20 Olive-tree Pearls at Hythe (Ian Roberts).
22nd – A Tree Pipit, a Wheatear and a Yellow Wagtail at Abbotscliffe (Mark Kennett). 7 Brent Geese flew east at Folkestone Harbour (Elliot Ranford). 36 Sand Martins flew east at Seabrook (Paul Howe).
The first area record of Acroclita subsequana (Coast Spurge Bell) at Hythe, also 2 Delicates, 7 Olive-tree Pearls and 17 Rusty-dot Pearls there, whilst Blair’s Shoulder-knot was new for the year. Feathered Brindle and Autumnal Rustic at Hythe Ranges were also new for the year (Ian Roberts). The second area record of Dialectica scalariella (Echium Slender) at Cheriton, also a Rush Veneer, a Delicate, 2 Olive-tree Pearls and 16 Rusty-dot Pearls there, whilst Black Rustic was new for the year (Brian Harper). An Olive-tree Pearl, a Delicate and 11 Rusty-dot Pearls at Seabrook, where Black Rustic and Large Wainscot were new for the year (Paul Howe).
21st – 17 Wheatears at Hythe Ranges (Sean McMinn). 13 Siskins, 34 Sandwich Terns and 271 Swallows flew east at Seabrook (Paul Howe).
A Rush Veneer, 4 Olive-tree Pearls and 17 Rusty-dot Pearls at Hythe, whilst Large Thorn at Pedlinge was new for the year (Ian Roberts). An Olive-tree Pearl and 5 Rusty-dot Pearls at Seabrook (Paul Howe). A Red-eared Terrapin at the Hythe Canal (Mike Fitch).
20th – An Osprey at West Hythe (Steve Wood). 6 Grey Herons flew west at Hythe (Glenn Tutton). 13 Brent Geese and 1,219 Swallows flew east at Seabrook (Paul Howe).
The seventh area record of Ni Moth, a Small Mottled Willow, 5 Delicates, 5 Rusty-dot Pearls and 6 Olive-tree Pearls at Hythe (Ian Roberts). A Small Mottled Willow, an Olive-tree Pearl and 11 Rusty-dot Pearls at Seabrook (Paul Howe).
19th – A Green Sandpiper, 18 House Martins and 133 Swallows flew over Seabrook (Paul Howe). 2 Brent Geese flew past Hythe (Glenn Tutton). 2 Firecrests at Enbrook Park (Mike Fitch).
A Delicate, 3 Rusty-dot Pearls and 5 Olive-tree Pearls at Hythe, whilst Pink-barred Sallow at Gibbin’s Brook was new for the year (Ian Roberts). 2 Delicates and 10 Rusty-dot Pearls at Seabrook (Paul Howe).
18th – The first 3 Brent Geese of the autumn, 11 Teal and 24 Common Scoter flew east at Hythe (Glenn Tutton). 2 Yellow Wagtails flew west at Abbotscliffe (Mark Kennett).
A Delicate, 2 Olive-tree Pearls and 4 Rusty-dot Pearls at Hythe (Ian Roberts). 4 Rusty-dot Pearls at Seabrook (Paul Howe).
17th – 4 Shelducks and 27 Common Scoter flew east past Hythe (Glenn Tutton). A Hobby flew over Lympne Castle (Steve Wood).
2 Olive-tree Pearls and 8 Rusty-dot Pearls at Seabrook, where Lunar Underwing was new for the year (Paul Howe). A Dark Sword-grass, 2 Delicates, 3 Olive-tree Pearls and 8 Rusty-dot Pearls at Hythe (Ian Roberts).
16th – c.60 Common Scoters off Hythe Ranges (Glenn Tutton). A Hobby at Botolph’s Bridge (Steve Wood).
An Olive-tree Pearl and 6 Rusty-dot Pearls at Seabrook (Paul Howe). An Olive-tree Pearl, 2 Rusty-dot Pearls and 3 Delicate at Hythe. 2 Delicates at the Aldergate Bridge, where Feathered Gothic and Orange Sallow were new for the year (Brian Harper / Ian Roberts).
15th – An Olive-tree Pearl at Seabrook (Paul Howe).
14th – A Tree Sparrow at Hythe Ranges, where 3 Yellow Wagtails and 9 Sand Martins flew west (Ian Roberts).
A Convolvulus Hawk-moth and a Delicate at Hythe (Ian Roberts). A Delicate at Seabrook (Paul Howe). 23 Red Admirals at Hythe (Phil Sharp).
13th – A Yellow Wagtail, 4 Wheatears, 9 Sand Martins, 17 Chiffchaffs and c.300 House Martins at Abbotscliffe (Mark Kennett). A Hobby and 3 Spotted Flycatchers at Lympne (Phil Sharp). 3 Whinchats at Beachborough Lakes, 2 Whinchats at Abbots Court Farm, a Spotted Flycatcher at Bluehouse Wood and a Redstart and 2 Whinchats Redstart in the field beside nearby Jenkins’ Rough (Brian Harper).
A Scarce Bordered Straw at Hythe (Ian Roberts).
12th – An Osprey at the Aldergate Bridge and 10 Sandwich Terns at Folkestone Harbour (Steve Wood). A Garden Warbler, a Tree Pipit, a Whinchat, 3 Wheatears and 23 Chiffchaffs at Abbotscliffe, where 300 House Martins flew west (Mark Kennett). A Spotted Flycatcher at Creteway Down and a Golden Plover and a Wheatear at Hope Farm (Brian Harper). 2 Firecrests and 4 Spotted Flycatchers north of Sugarloaf Hill and a Hobby and 40+ House Martins at Copt Point (Dale Gibson). An adult Hobby at Folks’ Wood and a juvenile at Lympne (Phil Sharp). 183 Gannets fishing off Seabrook, where an Oystercatcher and 26 House Martins flew west (Paul Howe).
A Scarce Bordered Straw and 2 Rusty-dot Pearls at Seabrook (Paul Howe). A Convolvulus Hawk-moth at Park Farm, Folkestone (C J Page).
11th – A Wood Warbler at Scene Wood (Brian Harper). 181 House Martins flew west at Seabrook (Paul Howe).
A Scarce Bordered Straw, a Dark Sword-grass and a Rusty-dot Pearl at Seabrook (Paul Howe).
10th – 8 Oystercatchers flew east at Hythe (Glenn Tutton).
The first Pearly Underwing of the year, 2 Scarce Bordered Straws, 2 Dark Sword-grass, 3 Olive-tree Pearls, 4 Delicates, 4 Rusty-dot Pearls and 5 Rush Veneers at Hythe (Ian Roberts). A Convolvulus Hawk-moth and a Scarce Bordered Straw at Seabrook (Paul Howe). A Scarce Bordered Straw at the Golden Valley (Chris Gillard).
9th – A Whinchat and a Wheatear at Abbotscliffe, where a Tree Pipit flew over (Mark Kennett). A Hobby and 100+ House Martins at Lympne (Phil Sharp). 2 Wheatears at the Hythe Imperial golf course (Brian Harper). 6 Sandwich Terns flew west at Seabrook (Paul Howe).
A Dark Sword-grass, 4 Scarce Bordered Straws, 5 Rusty-dot Pearls, 6 Delicates and 6 Olive-tree Pearls at Hythe (Ian Roberts).
8th – 2 Whinchats and 4 Little Egrets at Samphire Hoe, where a Yellow Wagtail and 3 Oystercatchers flew west and 74 Gannets flew east (Mark Kennett).
A Latticed Heath, an Olive-tree Pearl and 2 Four-spotted Footman at Seabrook, where Lesser Treble-bar was new for the year (Paul Howe). A Dark Sword-grass, a Delicate, 4 Rusty-dot Pearls and 11 Olive-tree Pearls at Hythe, where Red Underwing was new for the year (Ian Roberts).
7th – A Pied Flycatcher at Frogholt (Brian Harper). 8 Egyptian Geese on the sea off Hythe and a Wheatear at Hythe Ranges (Glenn Tutton / Ian Roberts). A Curlew, 2 Whinchats, 3 Wheatears and 5 Grey Wagtails at Samphire Hoe (Martin Collins).
A Dark Sword-grass, a Delicate and a Rusty-dot Pearl at Hythe Ranges, where Hedge Rustic and Agriphila latistria (White-streak Grass-veneer) were new for the year and a Delicate, a Rusty-dot Pearl and 5 Olive-tree Pearls at Hythe (Ian Roberts). A Golden Twin-spot, a Rusty-dot Pearl, 2 Olive-tree Pearls and 4 Four-spotted Footman at Seabrook (Paul Howe).
6th – A Spotted Flycatcher, a Whinchat, 2 Redstarts, 4 Wheatears, 4 Lesser Whitethroats and 6 Yellow Wagtails at Abbotscliffe (Mark Kennett). A Kingfisher at Folkestone Harbour (Jenny-Louise Read).
A Delicate, 3 Rusty-dot Pearls, 5 Four-spotted Footman and 7 Olive-tree Pearls at Seabrook (Paul Howe). A Dark Sword-grass, 3 Delicates, 3 Rusty-dot Pearls and 16 Olive-tree Pearls at Hythe (Ian Roberts).
5th – A Porter’s Rustic, a Delicate and an Olive-tree Pearl at Seabrook (Paul Howe). A Delicate, 4 Rusty-dot Pearls and 9 Olive-tree Pearls at Hythe, where Feathered Ranunculus was new for the year (Ian Roberts).
4th – A Tree Sparrow, a Reed Warbler, 2 Wheatears, 5 Lesser Whitethroats and 11 Blackcaps at Abbotscliffe and 2 Whinchats and 9 Wheatears at Church Hougham (Mark Kennett). 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers flew east at Seabrook (Paul Howe).
Celypha rufana (Lakes Marble) at Cheriton (Brian Harper) and Grass Emerald at Seabrook (Paul Howe) were new for the year, also a Delicate, a Cydia amplana (Vagrant Piercer), a Rush Veneer and 2 Olive-tree Pearls at the latter site. A Blair’s Mocha, a Golden Twin-spot, a Rush Veneer, 2 Rusty-dot Pearls, 7 Delicates and 12 Olive-tree Pearls at Hythe (Ian Roberts).
3rd – A Common Sandpiper at Hythe (Ian Roberts).
The second British record of Minsmere Crimson Underwing at Cheriton was the tenth new macro moth for the area this year (Brian Harper). A Passenger found by day at Folkestone Downs (Ian Hunter). A Pale-shouldered Cloud, a Delicate, 2 Rusty-dot Pearls, 3 Scarce Bordered Straws and 17 Olive-tree Pearls at Hythe (Ian Roberts). Plodia interpunctella (Indian Meal Moth) at Seabrook (Chris Turnbull) and Convolvulus Hawk-moth at Cheriton (Alan Want) were new for the year. 2 Willow Emerald Damselflies and 3 Southern Hawkers at Hythe (Glenn Tutton).
2nd – 2 Arctic Skuas, 15 Common Scoters and 32 Sandwich Terns flew west past Samphire Hoe, where a Whinchat, a Little Egret and 2 Black Redstarts were present.
Beautiful Marbled and Porter’s Rustic at Samphire Hoe were new for the year, where other migrants included Golden Twin-spot, Dark Sword-grass, Olive-tree Pearl, Rusty-dot Pearl and Rush Veneer (Tony Rouse). Single Latticed Heaths at Hythe and Seabrook were new for the year, whilst other migrants included a Golden Twin-spot, a Delicate, 8 Rusty-dot Pearls and 9 Olive-tree Pearls at Hythe (Ian Roberts) and a Delicate, an Olive-tree Pearl and a Great Green Bush-cricket at Seabrook (Paul Howe).
1st – A Pied Flycatcher at Abbotscliffe (Mike Fitch). 2 Oystercatchers, 4 Wigeon and 35 Gannets flew east at Samphire Hoe and a Little Egret and 3 Yellow Wagtails flew west (Mark Kennett).
A Golden Twin-spot, a Rusty-dot Pearl, 3 Delicates and 8 Olive-tree Pearls at Hythe (Ian Roberts). A Rusty-dot Pearl and 2 Olive-tree Pearls at Seabrook (Paul Howe).
January to August 2024 sightings have been archived – click on the links for the reviews of bird sightings and lepidoptera sightings in 2024 to date.
For the reviews of sightings in 2023 and earlier years visit the “Annual Reports” section.
This website is maintained by Ian Roberts. For enquiries or to report sightings please contact me at ian_rober@yahoo.co.uk.