Dungeness is a dry shingle beach jutting out into the English Channel at Britain's most south-easterly point. Bird watching, wildlife migration and bio-diversity have been at the centre of casual and professional observations for over a century and the Observatory celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2002.

Birdwatching at Dungeness can be excellent at any time and the Observatory remains open for most of the year. Dungeness is an important migration point, acting as a staging post for both British and Continental landbird migrants, and its position also makes it well situated for the observation of seabird passage.

There are two hides on the beach at Dungeness. The eastern hide is used mainly for observing up and down Channel movement of seabirds whilst the western hide is sited to overlook the warm-water outfalls (the Patch) of the Dungeness Power Stations.