United Kingdom Ramsar wetland
Dungeness, Romney Marsh and Rye Bay
349 bird species recorded; the most from April to May and from September to October.
Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX IT Services GmbH (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data), CC BY 4.0, with relief shading from Copernicus WorldDEM-30
This month here
194 species in January.187 species in February.206 species in March.250 species in April.261 species in May.214 species in June.196 species in July.248 species in August.252 species in September.251 species in October.234 species in November.185 species in December.
The birds you are most likely to see in the month you choose, those that come for the season first. It opens on today's month.
VU
NT
VU
NTNT
NT
VU
NT
NT
NTNT
NTVU
NT
NT
VUVUNT
- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
349 species, counted.
Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).
- 349Speciesrecorded more than once
- 186Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 17ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 277,027Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 18Raptors
- 5Owls
- 49Waders
- 51Gulls & seabirds
- 50Ducks & geese
- 17Herons, ibises & grebes
- 3Storks & cranes
- 1Flamingos
- 127Songbirds
- 28Other birds
From open records (eBird and others, through GBIF, licensed for any use). More birdwatchers mean more records: a quiet place may have more birds than it shows.
The checklist
All 349 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors18 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Western Marsh HarrierCircus aeruginosus
- Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
- Common BuzzardButeo buteo
- Eurasian SparrowhawkAccipiter nisus
- European HobbyFalco subbuteo
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- MerlinFalco columbarius
- Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Red KiteMilvus milvus
- European Honey-buzzardPernis apivorus
- Black KiteMilvus migrans
- Red-footed FalconFalco vespertinusVU
- Pallid HarrierCircus macrourusNT
- Rough-legged BuzzardButeo lagopus
- Montagu's HarrierCircus pygargus
- White-tailed EagleHaliaeetus albicilla
- Harris's HawkParabuteo unicinctus
Owls5 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Little OwlAthene noctua
- Western Barn OwlTyto alba
- Short-eared OwlAsio flammeus
- Long-eared OwlAsio otus
- Tawny OwlStrix aluco
Waders49 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Northern LapwingVanellus vanellusNT
- Eurasian OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegusNT
- DunlinCalidris alpinaNT
- Common Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticula
- RedshankTringa totanus
- Eurasian CurlewNumenius arquataNT
- European Golden PloverPluvialis apricaria
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- RuffCalidris pugnax
- Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaNT
- Common SnipeGallinago gallinago
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
- Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
- Bar-tailed godwitLimosa lapponicaNT
- Pied AvocetRecurvirostra avosetta
- Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
- Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
- Red KnotCalidris canutusNT
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- Green SandpiperTringa ochropus
- Little StintCalidris minuta
- Wood SandpiperTringa glareola
- Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaVU
- Spotted RedshankTringa erythropus
- Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotos
- Eurasian WoodcockScolopax rusticola
- Grey (Red) PhalaropePhalaropus fulicarius
- Kentish PloverCharadrius alexandrinus
- Temminck's StintCalidris temminckii
- Purple SandpiperCalidris maritima
- Jack SnipeLymnocryptes minimus
- White-tailed LapwingVanellus leucurus
- Little ringed ploverCharadrius dubius
- Red-necked PhalaropePhalaropus lobatus
- Collared PratincoleGlareola pratincola
- Baird's SandpiperCalidris bairdii
- Least SandpiperCalidris minutillaNT
- Spur-winged LapwingVanellus spinosus
- Buff-breasted SandpiperCalidris subruficollisVU
- Eurasian DotterelCharadrius morinellus
- Marsh SandpiperTringa stagnatilis
- American golden ploverPluvialis dominica
- Oriental PratincoleGlareola maldivarum
- Lesser yellowlegsTringa flavipesVU
- Semipalmated SandpiperCalidris pusillaNT
- Long-billed dowitcherLimnodromus scolopaceusNT
- White-rumped SandpiperCalidris fuscicollisVU
- Black-winged StiltHimantopus himantopus
- Eurasian Stone-curlewBurhinus oedicnemus
Gulls & seabirds51 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
- European Herring GullLarus argentatus
- Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
- Great Black-backed GullLarus marinus
- Common GullLarus canus
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalus
- Northern gannetMorus bassanus
- Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensis
- Black-legged kittiwakeRissa tridactylaVU
- Red-throated LoonGavia stellata
- Arctic SkuaStercorarius parasiticus
- Little GullHydrocoloeus minutus
- Common MurreUria aalge
- Black TernChlidonias niger
- FulmarFulmarus glacialis
- Arctic TernSterna paradisaea
- Pomarine SkuaStercorarius pomarinus
- Little TernSternula albifrons
- Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellis
- Great skuaStercorarius skua
- RazorbillAlca torda
- Black-throated DiverGavia arctica
- Pontic gullLarus cachinnans
- Common LoonGavia immer
- Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreus
- Roseate TernSterna dougallii
- Manx ShearwaterPuffinus puffinus
- Balearic shearwaterPuffinus mauretanicusCR
- Sooty shearwaterPuffinus griseus
- Iceland GullLarus glaucoides
- White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterus
- Sabine's GullXema sabini
- Long-tailed SkuaStercorarius longicaudus
- Little AukAlle alle
- Gull-billed TernGelochelidon nilotica
- Leach's Storm PetrelOceanodroma leucorhoaVU
- Audouin's GullIchthyaetus audouinii
- Atlantic PuffinFratercula arcticaVU
- European Storm-PetrelHydrobates pelagicus
- Laughing GullLeucophaeus atricilla
- Whiskered TernChlidonias hybrida
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
- Yellow-billed DiverGavia adamsiiNT
- Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensis
- Black GuillemotCepphus grylle
- Great shearwaterPuffinus gravis
- Slender-billed GullChroicocephalus genei
- American Herring GullLarus smithsonianus
- Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphia
- Black-browed AlbatrossThalassarche melanophris
Ducks & geese50 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Tufted DuckAythya fuligula
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Mute SwanCygnus olor
- Greylag GooseAnser anser
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- Common PochardAythya ferinaVU
- GadwallMareca strepera
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
- Canada GooseBranta canadensis
- Eurasian WigeonMareca penelope
- Common ShelduckTadorna tadorna
- Egyptian GooseAlopochen aegyptiaca
- Common ScoterMelanitta nigra
- Common GoldeneyeBucephala clangula
- Brent GooseBranta bernicla
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- SmewMergellus albellus
- GarganeySpatula querquedula
- Ruddy DuckOxyura jamaicensis
- Barnacle GooseBranta leucopsis
- GoosanderMergus merganser
- Long-tailed duckClangula hyemalisVU
- Red-breasted MerganserMergus serrator
- Bewick's SwanCygnus columbianus
- Greater ScaupAythya marila
- Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifrons
- Whooper SwanCygnus cygnus
- Common EiderSomateria mollissimaNT
- Velvet scoterMelanitta fuscaVU
- Red-crested pochardNetta rufina
- Ring-necked DuckAythya collaris
- Tundra Bean GooseAnser serrirostris
- Black swanCygnus atratus
- Snow gooseAnser caerulescens
- Pink-footed GooseAnser brachyrhynchus
- Lesser ScaupAythya affinis
- CanvasbackAythya valisineria
- Taiga Bean GooseAnser fabalis
- Bar-headed GooseAnser indicus
- Ferruginous DuckAythya nyrocaNT
- Mandarin DuckAix galericulata
- Ruddy ShelduckTadorna ferruginea
- Red-breasted GooseBranta ruficollisVU
- American WigeonMareca americana
- Surf ScoterMelanitta perspicillata
- King EiderSomateria spectabilis
- Green-winged tealAnas carolinensis
- Emperor GooseAnser canagicus
- White-headed duckOxyura leucocephala
- Hooded MerganserLophodytes cucullatus
Herons, ibises & grebes17 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatus
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Eurasian BitternBotaurus stellaris
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
- Eared GrebePodiceps nigricollis
- Horned GrebePodiceps auritusVU
- Red-necked GrebePodiceps grisegena
- Eurasian SpoonbillPlatalea leucorodia
- ShagPhalacrocorax aristotelis
- Purple heronArdea purpurea
- Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
- Squacco HeronArdeola ralloides
Storks & cranes3 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- White StorkCiconia ciconia
- Common CraneGrus grus
- Black storkCiconia nigra
Flamingos1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Greater FlamingoPhoenicopterus roseus
Songbirds127 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Carrion CrowCorvus corone
- Eurasian MagpiePica pica
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- White WagtailMotacilla alba
- Common LinnetLinaria cannabina
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Great titParus major
- Eurasian ChaffinchFringilla coelebs
- European RobinErithacus rubecula
- Eurasian Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus
- Common Reed BuntingEmberiza schoeniclus
- Common ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita
- Cetti's WarblerCettia cetti
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- DunnockPrunella modularis
- Eurasian BlackbirdTurdus merula
- Meadow PipitAnthus pratensis
- Eurasian WrenTroglodytes troglodytes
- European StonechatSaxicola rubicola
- WhitethroatSylvia communis
- Western JackdawColoeus monedula
- Northern WheatearOenanthe oenanthe
- European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis
- Sedge WarblerAcrocephalus schoenobaenus
- RookCorvus frugilegus
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- SkylarkAlauda arvensis
- Western Yellow WagtailMotacilla flava
- Eurasian Reed WarblerAcrocephalus scirpaceus
- European GreenfinchChloris chloris
- Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilus
- Black RedstartPhoenicurus ochruros
- Common House MartinDelichon urbicum
- BlackcapSylvia atricapilla
- Lesser whitethroatSylvia curruca
- GoldcrestRegulus regulus
- Common FirecrestRegulus ignicapilla
- Bearded ReedlingPanurus biarmicus
- Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanus
- Song ThrushTurdus philomelos
- Eurasian SiskinSpinus spinus
- WhinchatSaxicola rubetra
- Northern RavenCorvus corax
- RedwingTurdus iliacus
- Corn BuntingEmberiza calandra
- YellowhammerEmberiza citrinella
- Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea
- FieldfareTurdus pilaris
- Common RedstartPhoenicurus phoenicurus
- Mistle ThrushTurdus viscivorus
- Spotted FlycatcherMuscicapa striata
- Garden WarblerSylvia borin
- Common RedpollAcanthis flammea
- Ring OuzelTurdus torquatus
- Tree PipitAnthus trivialis
- BramblingFringilla montifringilla
- European Pied FlycatcherFicedula hypoleuca
- Eurasian JayGarrulus glandarius
- European Rock PipitAnthus petrosus
- European SerinSerinus serinus
- Common NightingaleLuscinia megarhynchos
- Coal TitPeriparus ater
- Water PipitAnthus spinoletta
- Yellow-browed WarblerPhylloscopus inornatus
- WoodlarkLullula arborea
- Short-toed treecreeperCerthia brachydactyla
- Eurasian Penduline TitRemiz pendulinus
- Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalis
- Melodious WarblerHippolais polyglotta
- Common Grasshopper WarblerLocustella naevia
- BullfinchPyrrhula pyrrhula
- Pallas's Leaf WarblerPhylloscopus proregulus
- Eurasian Golden OrioleOriolus oriolus
- Red-backed ShrikeLanius collurio
- Crested larkGalerida cristata
- Wood WarblerPhylloscopus sibillatrix
- Lapland LongspurCalcarius lapponicus
- Woodchat ShrikeLanius senatorNT
- Hume’s leaf-warblerPhylloscopus humei
- TwiteLinaria flavirostris
- Acadian FlycatcherEmpidonax virescens
- Dusky warblerPhylloscopus fuscatus
- Common crossbillLoxia curvirostra
- Red-breasted flycatcherFicedula parva
- Icterine warblerHippolais icterina
- Shore LarkEremophila alpestris
- BluethroatLuscinia svecica
- Rosy StarlingPastor roseus
- Eurasian TreecreeperCerthia familiaris
- Hooded CrowCorvus cornix
- Tawny PipitAnthus campestris
- Ortolan buntingEmberiza hortulana
- Common RosefinchCarpodacus erythrinus
- Junco hyemalisJunco hyemalis
- Thrush NightingaleLuscinia luscinia
- Barred WarblerSylvia nisoria
- HawfinchCoccothraustes coccothraustes
- Sardinian WarblerCurruca melanocephala
- Trumpeter FinchBucanetes githagineus
- Eurasian NuthatchSitta europaea
- Isabelline ShrikeLanius isabellinus
- Western Bonelli's WarblerPhylloscopus bonelli
- Booted WarblerIduna caligata
- Marsh TitPoecile palustris
- Radde’s warblerPhylloscopus schwarzi
- Iberian ChiffchaffPhylloscopus ibericus
- Bohemian WaxwingBombycilla garrulus
- Blyth’s Reed WarblerAcrocephalus dumetorum
- Lanius excubitorLanius excubitor
- Siberian stonechatSaxicola maurus
- Greater Short-toed LarkCalandrella brachydactyla
- Desert wheatearOenanthe deserti
- Great Reed WarblerAcrocephalus arundinaceus
- Red-flanked BluetailTarsiger cyanurus
- Dartford WarblerSylvia undata
- Greenish WarblerPhylloscopus trochiloides
- Rufous-tailed ShrikeLanius phoenicuroides
- Richard's PipitAnthus richardi
- Western Subalpine WarblerCurruca iberiae
- Little BuntingEmberiza pusilla
- Marsh warblerAcrocephalus palustris
- Black-headed buntingEmberiza melanocephala
- Aquatic WarblerAcrocephalus paludicolaVU
- Paddyfield WarblerAcrocephalus agricola
- Sunda Zebra FinchTaeniopygia guttata
- Stejneger's StonechatSaxicola stejnegeri
- Eastern Subalpine WarblerCurruca cantillans
Other birds28 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- CootFulica atra
- Common Wood PigeonColumba palumbus
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Stock DoveColumba oenas
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- European SwiftApus apus
- Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
- Green WoodpeckerPicus viridis
- Common CuckooCuculus canorus
- Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus
- Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major
- Common KingfisherAlcedo atthis
- European Water RailRallus aquaticus
- Red-legged PartridgeAlectoris rufaNT
- European Turtle DoveStreptopelia turturVU
- Grey PartridgePerdix perdix
- WryneckJynx torquilla
- Eurasian HoopoeUpupa epops
- Rose-ringed ParakeetPsittacula krameri
- European NightjarCaprimulgus europaeus
- Great spotted cuckooClamator glandarius
- Pallid SwiftApus pallidus
- Lesser Spotted WoodpeckerDryobates minor
- Common QuailCoturnix coturnix
- Alpine SwiftTachymarptis melba
- Spotted CrakePorzana porzana
- Porzana parvaPorzana parva
- Bee-eaterMerops apiaster
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species from April to May and from September to October.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan8°/5°77 mm
- Feb7°/5°61 mm
- Mar9°/5°53 mm
- Apr11°/7°40 mm
- May14°/10°51 mm
- Jun17°/13°52 mm
- Jul19°/15°57 mm
- Aug20°/16°66 mm
- Sep18°/14°52 mm
- Oct15°/12°84 mm
- Nov12°/9°90 mm
- Dec9°/6°87 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Dungeness, Romney Marsh and Rye Bay.
Conservation area in southeast England
Dungeness, Romney Marsh and Rye Bay is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in United Kingdom.
349 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 277,027 open records.
The most recorded are the Lesser Black-backed Gull, the Great Cormorant and the European Herring Gull.
104 species come for the summer, 78 for the winter and 4 only pass through.
17 are threatened worldwide, including Common Pochard, Black-legged kittiwake and Horned Grebe.
The most species are recorded from April to May and from September to October.
Get there and watch
- Romney Sands Holiday Parkcampsite · 2.0 km · 18 within 10 km
- Ploversplace to stay · 1.5 km · 23 within 10 km
- Lyddnearest town · 2.9 km in a straight line
- London Southend Airport (SEN)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 72 km in a straight lineCar hire at LGW airport (London)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
Plan the visit
A guided walk, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
From above
The place and its surroundings.
The satellite image of the 6 × 6 km around the place, with the bird hides, towers and trails that OpenStreetMap shows.
Around, in OpenStreetMap
- 8bird hides within 6 kmViewing Screen, Hanson ARC Hide, Dennis's Hide and 5 more
- 1marked trails within 4 kmKing Charles III England Coast Path: Camber to Folkestone
- 2visitor centres within 6 kmReception
- 11viewpoints within 5 kmSea View, Hanson ARC Hide, Denge Marsh hide and 8 more
- 66car parks within 3 km
- 6restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- 18campsites within 10 kmRomney Sands Holiday Park, Herons Park, New Romney Caravan Park and 15 more
- 23places to stay within 10 kmPlovers, Castaways B&B, White horses cottage B&B and 20 more
- observation towers within 6 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.
In our other atlases
Around Dungeness, Romney Marsh and Rye Bay.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas3 mountains within 25 kmTolsford Hill · 20 kmCheriton Hill188 m · 23 kmSugar Loaf Hill · 24 km
Coastya1 beaches within 10 kmDenge Beach · 3.4 km
Lakeyas1 lakes within 15 kmBurnthouse Pen0.4 km² · 5.9 km
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Other places nearby.
Dungeness, Romney Marsh and Rye Bay
United Kingdom
- 90Birdyas Score
- 349Species
- 186Migrants
- 17Threatened
Abberton Reservoir
United Kingdom · 98 km
- 88Birdyas Score
- 261Species
- 122Migrants
- 14Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q5315110) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 277,027 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology) |
| See these records | gbif.org |
| Species | GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons |
| Altitude | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Temperature and rain | NASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2) |
| What is around | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Sister atlases | Peakyas, Islandyas, Coastya, Lakeyas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers, canyons, caves, dark skies, viewpoints, birdwatching or forests?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, in seven languages.
beaches
Find your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit lakes
Every lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Visit mountains
Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit 
waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Visit 
islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Visit 
rivers
Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit 
caves
Every cave with its real depth and length: the rock above, the temperature inside all year, and how to visit.Visit 
dark skies
Where the night is still dark: the sky of every place, the Milky Way month by month, the Moon, eclipses and auroras.Visit 
viewpoints
Every viewpoint with its real 360° panorama: the peaks you can name, how far you see and where the sun sets.Coming soonVisit 
birdwatching
Every bird sanctuary and wetland with the species recorded month by month: who is resident, who comes for the summer, who only passes through.You are here
forests
Every forest with its land-cover rings, what grows and lives in it, and the best months to walk it.Coming soonVisit