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Friday 30 November 2012

India day 5 - A "boat" day

This morning I was up at around 5.25 am, on the deck, taking photos of the beautiful sunrise.   With a line of trees along the river bank in the distance, the mist hanging in the air and the sun just starting to break
Sunrise on the Bhramaputra
through, it was a lovely sight.   Peaceful and calm, before the 'storm' of the rest of the boat waking.

The first bird I spotted was an Osprey - the first of several that we saw today, including one eating a fish whilst perched on the sandbank.   White Wagtail and Grey Heron (Humphreys) were calling and Barn Swallow flew in huge numbers following the line of the river feeding low on the insects there.   A White-throated Kingfisher perched on a fallen tree, Greenshank flew along the river and settled tight in on the river edge.   A Sand Martin joined in with the Barn Swallow but I only spotted it once.

Part of our welcoming committee
At around 7.30 am we arrive alongside the Mishing Village of Pecholigaon, where we would get the opportunity to view life by the river.   The whole village (and many from the surrounding areas it appeared) came out to welcome us.   It was strange to be the ones being watched rather than the other way around for a change!

Typical stilted home
Inside the house
Paddyfield Pipit scurried along on the field alongside the river.   Red-collared Dove and Rufous Treepie were also seen.  The villagers were happy to show us around their houses, and share their way of life.   The buildings are all built on stilts to withstand the flooding when the monsoon season comes.   Several people purchased locally made textiles and we gave the children sweets.   The school children were rewarded with extra cakes as well.

Soon we had to return to the boat for breakfast, and to start on our all day journey to the next destination - Kazaranga National Park.

Preparing for our BBQ
We sailed the rest of the morning, had a great lunch and then continued on until around 4 pm.   Thick-knee, Great Cormorant, Pallas's Fish-eagle, Asian Honey-buzzard, Black Stork, Woolly-necked Stork, over 20 Asian Pond-heron and a flock of Curlew were all seen along the way.    We also saw our first Indian Elephant, Water Buffalo (both wild and farmed), and Great Hornbill.

The staff did a great job of moving chairs and tables onto the sandbank and then set up a fire for us to sit around.   We were treated royally by their attentive service and had a great evening.   Richard set up his telescope so that we could look at the moon, stars and planets - the crew especially enjoyed this.

A great evening with lovely BBQ food.

This post dedicated to Alan on what would have been our 33rd Wedding Anniversary x

Thursday 29 November 2012

India Day 4 - the Buddist monastary

Before breakfast several of us were birding from the boat, Rufous Treepie, Paddyfield Pipit, Richard's Pipit, Black Drongo, and a Hoopoe were the first sightings.   Then a couple of White Wagtails turned up, one in the distinctive black plumage which we have come to recognise around us.   Further away Ruddy
Richard's Pipit
Shelduck, Red-wattled Lapwing, and Great Cormorant were feeding.   Common Myna and a White-throated Kingfisher were perched in a nearby tamarisk bush.   Barn Swallow flew past, our first of the trip.   Several Pied Kingfisher used bamboo poles as spotting perches as they looked for fish.

Birds as far as the eye can see
After breakfast we were off on the tender to get into Tata vehicles which were to take us on to the Monastry.  First we stopped at a wetland area where huge numbers of ducks and geese were present.   The sight was breathtaking - thousands of birds covering the whole wetland area and many flying from every direction in the surrounding area.   We encountered a brilliant spectacle which included the following: Coot, Shoveler, Pintail, Gadwall, Garganey, Greylag geese, Green Sandpiper and then some less familiar species for us in Falcated Teal, Intermediate Egret, Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Bronze-winged Jacana, Asian Pond-heron, Lesser Adjutant flew around and a Darter perched up on a bamboo stem drying its wings. We also saw Grey Pansy butterfly.

Spotted Owlet
The Auniati Satira is the oldest Monastry in Assam at 357 years old and also the largest with 400 monks.   The children join between the ages of 5 and 9, when they are offered to the Guru by their parents, the Guru  decides who to accept.    At this young age they are quick to learn the ways of the monastary, the dances and the teachings.   They then live a life of protection in the enclave.   They are not allowed to touch or be touched by anyone else, and they physically flinched away from us as they walked past in case they made any contact by mistake.  When they are older, if they decide to return to life outside they can ask the Guru for permission to see their parents who are able to take them back - again should the Guru approve.

On entering the Monastry grounds you have to remove your shoes and either go barefoot or in socks.   No hats are supposed to be worn although we were told it would not cause offence on this occasion.

In the grounds we were shown a Spotted Owlet, Crimson Sunbird showed up really well with the bright sunlight showing its brilliant colours.   A Black-crowned Night-heron roost was also pointed out in the top of trees overhanging the path.
Inside the temple

We walked around the Temple where monks were saying their prayers.    One chanted and others sat around listening.   Then two drummers started to play.  We watched as we wandered around temple and grounds.   The temple was not at all what I had expected - more like an open concrete barn or converted aircraft hangar.

Eventually it was time to move off to the second part of our cultural visit.   This was to another Monastry the Kamalabari - here we were to see a world-wide travelled group of drummers and dancers.

The drummers were accompanied by cymbal players.   All of them danced in time to the music and a couple of the percussionists sang.   The drumming was an artistic interpretation of movement and dance with very precise hand and arm movements.
Musical entertainment

After this, four young monks (looking surprisingly feminine - to the extent that several members of our party did not believe that they were young men) did a gymnastic display, again to drums and cymbals.

The final part of our visit was a welcome drink of Assam breakfast-type tea, and a ball of rice with cardamon.   Unfortunately we had a breakage which ended with Philip having hot tea over his foot.    I poured my cold water over it to give some relief.

Once again we had to put shoes and socks on as we left, and now being some 45 minutes late we made haste back to the village on the riverside.
MV Manashputra

Once back on board we washed and changed then had lunch.

We sailed off back down river - of course we birded on the way.   Mallard, Great-spotted Eagle, Spot-billed Duck, Wigeon, Northern Lapwing, Pochard, Greenshank, Great Cormorant, White Wagtail, Greylag Geese, Pied Kingfisher, Ruddy Shelduck, Kestrel, a flock of around 15 Red-crested Pochard, showed off their 'David Bowie' haircuts well in the sunlight.

At 3pm we saw the foothills of the Himalayas as we moved towards Piso Lagoan where we moored for the night.

Wednesday 28 November 2012

India Day 3 - Gibbon Sanctuary

Capped Langur
Full of anticipation we were off out at 5.30 am after a cup of tea and biscuits.  We were on the south side of the river near Mariani and heading for the Hollonga Par Gibbon Sanctuary.

Birds were a decided challenge to catch up with and we had many heard-only birds.   Golden-fronted Leafbird was seen at the car park of the sanctuary, with Long-tailed Minivet, Black-hooded Oriole, Pale-chinned Flycatcher and Grey-cheeked Warbler were eventually added to the list, Bronze Drongo was heard only.

Malayan Squirrel
Our guide pointed out a tree stump with several Flameback nest holes.   Then the large casts of earthworms whose owners are 1 metre long were pointed out - sadly we did not see the worms themselves.    Hume's Warbler was difficult to see but we got there in the end.   Next up was a Grey-headed Canary-flycatcher, then first a female then male Ruby-cheeked Sunbird.   A Striated Tit-Babbler called but proved impossible to see.   Common Iora was my next spot, then Abbot's Babbler finally gave himself up.     Blue-bearded Bee-eater sang, Red-breasted Parakeet were calling as they flew overhead, but remained staunchly out of sight.   White-rumped Shama was seen well, and Asian Palm-swift came through in a tight flock, feeding between the trees.   Rosy Minivet and Smokey Warbler completed this part of the list.

Archduke (female)
Butterflies were a great distraction when the birds were not co-operating, with Three-spot Grass-yellow, Great Mormon, female Arch-duke, Great Orange-tip and Popinjay all identified.   Huge cicadas were whistling away, and the two-banded variety were seen well with their diaphragm pumping as they called.   Capped Langurs were the only mammals found, although we did hear Gibbon and Northern Pig-tailed Macaque.   Malayan Squirrel gave us a great show just before we left.

Large-billed Crow
One last stop at a wetland area gleaned us a good haul of birds including Lesser Whistling-duck, Fulvous Whistling-duck, Cattle Egret, Purple Swamphen, Indian Pond-heron, Bronze-winged Jacana and Pheasant-tailed Jacana.   A Shikra flew over our heads at one point, grazing cattle were surrounded by White-vented Myna and Intermediate Heron, Citrine Wagtail and Grey-headed Lapwing completed this part of our day list.

Once back on board the boat, we had lunch and then the captain pulled away from the mooring and finally we were underway.

Birding along the river for the afternoon we found Lesser Whistling-duck, Open-billed Stork, Great Cormorant, Grey-throated Martin, Ruddy Shelduck, Bar-Headed Goose, Peregrine Falcon, Greenshank, Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Pallas's Gull, Spot-billed Duck and our old friends from home, Greylag Geese were the final addition of the day.

We were now on the other side of Majuli Island on the north side of the river.

Tuesday 27 November 2012

India Day 2 - Transfer to Jorhat

Masala Dosa
Up early and after a great breakfast of porridge (for me), Masala Dosa (for Chris) and Assam tea, we were off to the airport.   Amusing sights along the way were signs at road works stating 'accidents bring tears, safety brings cheers', a sign over one building proclaiming it to be the "swastika working ladies refuge".   The buildings were an eclectic mix of very ancient, crumbling but once elegant piles to modern office blocks and everything in between.

Some of the older buildings had been passed down through so many generations no-one actually knows who to pay the rent to, so official squatting is often the norm.

Oo-er Mrs
After a very thorough security check-in and some lengthy handwriting of paperwork we eventually got our Boarding cards.   The next challenge was to get through the actual security for the gate.   Here we not only had to have everything X-rayed but we also had to be individually frisked - the ladies going into the 'ladies frisking booth'.   Trays for our items were numbered and cardboard paddles had been made which we had to carry until we reclaimed our goods from the appropriate tray.    After the all clear the boarding cards and labels on each item had to be stamped and we were not allowed onto the plane without these all being rechecked.   Once on board it all went smoothly with a short stop at Shillong (where a member of airport security came on board and checked that every bag was accounted for and belonged to a person still in
board). Shillong is interesting as it is an area where the estate passes down via the oldest daughter, rather than through the sons.  Finally we were on the last leg of what had been a three day journey.

Arrival at Jorhat was seamless even though some of our bags took a considerable time to come through.    Then we were packed into two minibuses and transferred by some varying standards of roads in the quickly darkening afternoon to the boat.   We passed through areas of rice growing - Assam state grow around  300
Repairing the runway!
different varieties of rice and there are  over 600 grown throughout India.

The MV Manashputra was moored at the side of the River Brahmaputra and with its lights guiding us in, made a rather charming sight.    The nearby village was Neemati.

We settled into our cabins, had a shower and then met on the main deck for a vibrant and colourful cultural demonstration of singing and dancing by local college students.

Our entertainers
After dinner and the first checklist of the trip we were off to an early bed.  The generator switched off around midnight and peace descended until someone started to snore in the cabin next door!

Monday 26 November 2012

India - Day 1 - Kolkata


Having travelled via Dubai overnight, we were all a little jaded by the time we hit Indian soil.   The sights and sounds of Kolkata were vivid and reminded me of the many television series and films which have visited this city in the past.

Downtown Kolkata
The formalities were soon over and we left to go to our overnight accommodation at the Oberoi Grand Hotel.   Outside the airport I spotted a Common Myna, Great White Egret, Black Kite and House Sparrow followed by House Crow.   A Hummingbird Hawk Moth fought with the luggage and passengers to find space to feed on nearby flowers.

Once at the hotel, we were greeted with an extremely sweet apple drink, and once I had changed some money Chris and I went off to find our room.   After a shower and a rest we decided that we should go and sit by the pool in the hope that it would encourage us to stay awake

In the garden more House Crows, Black Kites, House Sparrow and black backed White Wagtail entertained us.   The crows were coming around the sun beds pecking insects. Feral pigeons were on the tiled roof of the hotel.

House Crow
After lunch we were off out for the afternoon starting with a city tour which took us along the Jawahawal  Nehru road, the original esplanade which runs through the old fashionable part of the town.  St. John's Churchyard was our first port of call where we birded in the garden seeing Ring-necked Parakeet (a reminder of home) House Swift and Rufous Treepie.   Jungle Babblers were feeding around the steps of the church.   House Sparrow was another familiar species here.   Five-striped Palm Squirrel were found scampering around on the walls of the buildings adjoining the garden.

Five-striped Palm Squirrel
Off to the River Hugli where we wandered along between the river and the railway line, along a promenade lined with food vendors.   Common Sandpiper, Spotted Dove, White-throated Kingfisher, White Wagtail, yet more House Crow and Black Kite vied for our attention, but the River Dolphin won over all bird species as it showed itself in the nearby waters.  Pied Starlings strutted around on the bank in front of us as they hunted for food.
River Hugli

Victoria park and museum was our final stop, where a large unflattering statue of Queen Victoria stood before the magnificent building.   Little Cormorant, Indian Pond-heron, Black Drongo, and a pair of delightful Oriental Magpie Robin posed on the edge of the lake.   Common and Jungle Myna were also added before we returned to the hotel for dinner and an early night.

Thursday 22 November 2012

Whooper and Glaucous

This week's Wednesday Walk was actually on Thursday as I attended a meeting with the RSPB yesterday, and as I trawled through the various websites looking for potential sites the only area which appealed was Dungeness.   Bravely I suggested it to the rest of the team - knowing that blame would be apportioned if it was the wrong decision.

We started off looking for swans on the marshes near Lydd.   As we drove off the main road Blackbirds and Fieldfare were flying ahead of us, a Sparrowhawk swooped in front of the car, and Redwing joined the Fieldfare feeding in the berry-laden bushes.

Whooper Swan
A Kestrel hovered, and in a field of around 68 Mute Swans, Malcolm spotted our quarry - two Whooper Swans settled in the far side of the field amongst the cabbage crops.   With the wind whipping around us we stood behind the car for some shelter as we watched with binoculars and telescope shaking.

Further along the lanes we found a huge flock of Fieldfare with some Starling and Redwing mixed in.   They were feeding in a field and as we watched from the shelter of the car we realised they were everywhere; in the bushes to the left and right of us, flying in across the fields behind us, and even drinking from a nearby puddle.    We reckoned around 300 Fieldfare, five Redwing and 20 or so Starling.   A couple of Blue Tit fed in nearby bushes.   Nearer the village of Lydd we found Crow and Rook in a field with some Black-headed Gulls and another bush holding several Chaffinch.

Dungeness
On a roll we decided to have a quick drive past Scotney Pits.   Here the wind was whipping the water up into waves which were splashing along the edge of the lakes.   The heavy swell in the water made bird watching difficult, but we found Tufted Duck, Wigeon, more Mute Swan, Little Egret, Greylag Geese, Barnacle Geese, another goose which was mostly hidden behind cows but didn't look right for a Barnacle, Herring Gull, Black-headed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Lapwing, Redshank, Magpie, Coot, Golden Plover, Mallard, Pochard and Brent Geese.

We parked behind another couple of birdwatchers and ended up bumping into them several times throughout the day.  They were scanning for Scaup which had been reported in the area.   Common Crane was another hoped for species, but sadly both eluded us today.

At one point a Bar-headed Goose was seen flying with the Barnacle Geese by the other birders, we all missed it, but on reflection it was probably the goose I had spotted behind the cows earlier.

Onto the Reserve, and with an early start this morning we were already for a comfort stop and refreshment!    A Kestrel shot past us as we drove into the car park.   On the feeders were Blue Tit, Great Tit and Chaffinch.   As we sat in the hide having our lunch (well it was 11.20 am) we watched Shoveler, Goldeneye, Cormorant and Great Crested Grebe.   A Long-tailed Duck had been reported and one potential bird did fly off at one stage, but another for a later day.
Glaucous Gull with beady eye

On the beach Turnstone were battling against the wind on the beach, and gulls seemed to enjoy flying in the strong winds making us feel inadequate as we sheltered between the fishing boats.   Great Crested Grebe were floating in the heavy swell, appearing and disappearing with every wave.   It is amazing that such relatively small birds would choose to be on the sea in such rough weather, why wouldn't they prefer more sheltered waters?

Down by the fishing boats we caught up with our old friend the Glaucous Gull (which coincidentially was Irene's 200th species for the year).   Now in its third winter it is starting to look more like the field guide.   Initially it flew over our heads off the sea, it caught the attention of Malcolm and I as the wings were so white, and the size impressive.   The wind forced the bird behind the boats where it appeared to join the flock of large gulls roosting on the shingle.   Not be to defeated we went off in pursuit and after much checking, walking, checking again, we finally re-found it.   Settled on the ground between several juvenile herring gull with its bill tucked under the wing, one beady eye appeared to be watching us.   When we caught sight of the beak it was pale pink with a black mark near the end.   All round a bulkier bird than the Herring Gulls around it, and with just a hint of the grey which will develop on the wings.   We spent some time watching the bird, until the cold started to make it's presence felt.
Amongst friends

We wanted to go back to the site we visited first thing this morning but just had time to drop in at the Hanson Hide at the ARC Pits reserve.   There were at least three Marsh Harriers seen from the hide, along with great views of a Great White Egret, which emerged from some reeds and then proceeded to fly across our view and away towards Denge Marsh.   Lapwing stood stoically against the wind, with their crests blowing.   On the water huge mixed rafts of Gadwall and Wigeon were joined by Shoveler, and Tufted Duck.   Try as we may, we couldn't make a Scaup out of any of them.    There were also Mute Swan, Cormorant, Coot and several Goldeneye.    Kestrel and Sparrowhawk were also seen near the water tower.

Gadwall
Finally we began the journey home, with a quick detour looking for swans and owls over the marshes.   There were more swans, and we also saw large flocks of Lapwings in the distance being spooked by Marsh Harriers as they flew in to roost.   There were seven Marsh Harriers in the air at one time - a great end to a brilliant day.

Saturday 17 November 2012

Black-necked Grebe

The usual view we were getting today was this:

Eventually, after much patience we were rewarded (rubbish photo belies the views we were getting!):

Fingringhoe Wick and Abberton Reservoir

My local RSPB Group have not been to the two EWT sites since I rejoined them seven years ago.   I have been to both sites recently as they are favourite haunts when I go over to Essex to see Ken and Pam.

The weather forecast was wet and cold, but we were lucky and although there were a couple of showers we managed to be in hides on both occasions.

The Old Jetty
From the visitor centre at Fingringhoe we walked through scrub areas where there were Robin, Chaffinch, Blackbird, Dunnock, Magpie, Carrion Crow, and Great Tit.    I managed to miss the Kingfisher seen by several people at the first pool.   At the first viewpoint overlooking the River Colne we found huge numbers of Avocet in deep water with their bellies submerged - their tails sticking up in the air as their heads dipped into the incoming tide for food.   Also enjoying the plentiful food were Shelduck, Dunlin, Redshank, Grey Plover, Knot, Cormorant, Brent Geese, Teal and Wigeon.

Two birds gave us some interest - they were Common Scoter.   We usually have to console ourselves with rapid and distant fly-pasts at Dungeness so we were delighted to have the time to watch them and debate their identity [for which see later].   Curlew were calling and as I scanned I realised there were probably 40-50 individuals.   Black-tailed Godwit were more distant but in a large almost solid bank of birds further down the river.   Some noticed the odd Bar-tailed, but I was not so diligent.   Sally heard the pipe of an Oystercatcher and within minutes one appeared - flying swiftly from left to right.

Great-crested Grebe, Little Grebe, Black-headed Gull and Great Black-backed Gull were also seen along the river.   Whilst on the marshes Little Egret prodded about in the muddy ditches, some watched a Marsh Harrier hunting - a sight so reminiscent of North Kent.

Common Scoter in the mist
As we moved to the second hide we added Grey Heron and with better views of the Scoter, there began a debate on the possibility of Redhead/Smew.   Out came the books, down when the heads as we trained all the 'scopes on the two sleeping birds.   Opinion was divided, but eventually we persuaded ourselves that our original decision was correct - or was it??

We just had time to walk along the pool to the north of the access lane and explore the two hides there.   We managed to add Moorhen, Mallard, Gadwall, Tufted Duck and Wood Pigeon.   As Roger and I returned to base we spotted a Kestrel, and seeing some more Egrets I decided to scan the fields looking for a Great White which had been reported there in the last few days.   I missed out on the Great White, but I did spot a male Hen Harrier - a delightful sight as it skimmed over the field spooking all the small birds as it went through, even some of the Little Egrets were flushed, brilliant to see.

Curlew
Next stop was Abberton, and from the visitor centre we could see Goldeneye, Tufted Duck and many Great-crested Grebe.   As we moved along the side of the Reservoir we spotted Great and Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Black-headed gull and Pochard.   Two Greylag Geese flew in to join several others sharing a field with a large group of Canada Geese.   Grey Heron and Little Egret were standing along the edge of the water - perfectly still and merging with the landscape.   Cormorants were sharing a narrow sandbank in the middle of the reservoir with Crow, more gulls and a Pied Wagtail.   Half a dozen Lapwing were also added to our list.

Back at the visitor centre some took advantage of the tea and cakes - the rest of us decided to try to find the Black-necked Grebe which had been reported.   On quick scan with the telescope and it was tracked down.   As it constantly dived to feed it was a challenge to get everyone on to it, but I think all those interested did see it eventually, and we were able to leave for home satisfied with our day.   As the sun started to set large numbers of gulls came onto the reserve to roost.
Gull Roost at Abberton

The immense improvements and building works have had an impact on Abberton since my last visit, and it will probably be much improved in a few years when the landscape has recovered and the planting matured.

Wednesday 14 November 2012

Horton Kirby

As Malcolm said today, we know quite a bit about the birds to expect in places like Dungeness and Stodmarsh, but what do we know about the birds on our doorstep?   So this week my Wednesday Crew were off to Horton Kirby on a walk following the banks of the River Darent, and we knew nothing about the birds likely to be in the area.

The River Darent
The one species you always seem to be able to count on are Wood Pigeons and they were out in force, over 70 in the first couple of fields.   A little nearer we had a group of about 8 Long-tailed Tit feeding in the trees over the lane where we had parked the car.   Flocks of Starling were also filling the skies.   Magpie, Rook and Crow joined forces and held the ground territory.   Robin, Wren, Song Thrush and Dunnock were also calling from the hedgerows, the latter confusing us for a while as it gave the single note call which we all recognised but struggled to identify.   Eventually a rather gregarious individual decided to help us out by sitting on a branch nearby, calling and leaving us in no doubt as to it's identity.   The Song Thrush was another pleasing find, having not come across this species for several months, to have heard it last weekend and then again today felt like a real "win".

Fieldfare were perched in a distant tree, several groups of Chaffinch flew over, and we were reminded of the large number of coastal migrants spotted a couple of weeks ago.  The volume today, although smaller was reminiscent of that experience.

Field Maple
Several Blue Tit and a couple of Great Tit called their contact in nearby trees, and a large number of Goldfinch called as they moved from treetop to treetop.  One of the open fields held half a dozen Stock Dove.   Sally spotted a Sparrowhawk chasing a small bird over the nearby field, great to see the two birds in action, but my heart was in my mouth hoping the prey escaped on this one occasion.  

Malcolm spotted a couple of small birds moving ahead of us down a narrow path, they were keeping to the back and middle of the bushes (deep joy!) but eventually one of them peeled off and momentarily showed itself - a Yellowhammer! - this was the best view I had had of the species all year.   The only other opportunity was a rather fleeting glimpse down by the Royal Miliary Canal, so again another "high five" moment for us.

Horton Kirby Viaduct
Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Jay were the next to make it onto the list, the Green Woodpecker was outdone on the call front by a rather noisy group of Ring-necked Parakeet.

At this point the first part of out walk was complete and we were back near the car.   We decided to have our picnic lunch by the Recreation Ground, and enjoyed a rather sheltered sunny spot with a thoughtfully provided bench.

Several Field Maple trees were spotted by Malcolm (boy he was busy today) and one a particular fine specimen with its own swarm of honey bees busying themselves in the late Autumn sunshine.

Country Lane leading to the viaduct
The second half of the walk took us back towards the village.   Although muddy, the walk was pleasant, sadly the lakes to our left were hidden behind fencing and a hedge but we did spot a Great-crested Grebe and a pair of Mallard through the fence.   On the babbling river a moorhen was spooked as we squelched along.   More Long-tailed Tit, Chaffinch, Dunnock, Blue Title, and a Wren were found.   A Black-headed Gull and Herring Gull were attracted by the lakes.   A pair of Blackbird fed on hawthorn berries and another Song Thrush was seen with them.   Nearing the village a House Sparrow was seen with more Chaffinch, Fieldfare and several Redwing.


Saturday 10 November 2012

Oare in the Rain - a photographers nightmare

Today my local RSPB Group had an outdoor meeting at Oare.   The weather was a little uninspiring, and in fact there had been a few texts flying around, just checking that we were going to bother.   Having got up early on a Saturday morning, there was no chance of my staying in!

Lapwing, Teal and a pale godwit
With a light drizzle falling we gathered on the stop of the slipway to see what was around.  With a receding (relatively low) high tide, there were only a few waders within view to start with, but as we watched more appeared to feed on the newly uncovered mud.   Dunlin were in high numbers, probably a couple of hundred, with Curlew, Redshank and Black-tailed Godwit in progressively fewer numbers.   A couple of Ringed Plovers also ran about at the very end of the slipway.  

We decided to walk back along the road as we had seen a lot of movement in the small copse by the cottages.   In the fields by the side of the lane Lapwing stood facing into the rain, Cetti's Warbler sang from its usual perch in the car park.   A small flock of Goldfinch whizzed past feeding on the copious seeds available in the scrub.  
Oare

On the East Flood we found at least 41 Snipe, 20 Common Gull, 9 Pintail (the males looking strikingly handsome in their fresh plumage), several Shoveler and a Ruff.   One bird puzzled us, a very pale Godwit, the head and bill were almost white in the winter sunshine.   Large numbers of Starling flew around us all day, gathering in the fields, and then moving in swirling flocks around the reserve.   Further away there were Mute Swan, Greylag Geese, Grey Heron and Cormorant.   Rook and Crow fed amongst the Lapwing in the field.

After a lengthy scan of the copse we had amassed numerous Blackbird, Redwing, Chaffinch, Robin, Fieldfare, and at least three Song Thrush - a species that has been hard to catch up with this year.   I have only seen them on a few outings and the last one was in May!

Stonechat
As we continued around the Flood a Pheasant flew in and disappeared behind a nearby hedge.   Green Woodpecker called but remained out of view.   The Group stopped for some time enjoying the sight of Stonechat, Reed Bunting, Meadow Pipit, Great Tit and Blue Tit.   A Swallow flew over our heads and continued to give us a glorious fly-past for several minutes as it continued feeding low over the fields around us.

At the sluice we spotted a Kingfisher sitting on a fence post, its beautiful blue back shimmering in the sunlight.   As we watched that a Water Rail walked out of the reeds and proceeded to walk/swim away from us down the water filled ditch.   Another species I have seen infrequently this year.   On the main pool we caught up with the Pintail again and had some lovely views.   We also added Herring Gull, Little Grebe and Coot.   On the Swale we found over 30 Avocet feeding in front of the hide.   As we continued to watch a further group flew in swelling the numbers to around 80.   Several hundred Brent Geese were feeding along the edge of Horse Sands in the River, not near enough to get photographs but a lovely winter sight all the same.   A Great Black-backed Gull did battle with a flatfish which it had found.   The fish was huge in comparison to the mouth of the Gull, but that didn't stop it.  Eventually, after some 20 minutes the fish had been gradually broken up, swallowed and a rather heavy Gull flew off to digest the hefty meal.  

Black-backed Gull with flatfish
Bearded Tit "pinged" from the reedbed and after a bit of patience we finally managed to see two birds.   Many Shelduck and Curlew were feeding alongside the Brent Geese, one Curlew was a rather strange looking leucistic individual.   The head and neck were pretty much the usual colour, but the rest of the plumage was an odd pale creamy-white.  

Nearer Redshank started to gather on the rapidly uncovering mud, with Oystercatcher, more Dunlin and Black-tailed Godwit.   A couple of pipits flew in, but remained too cryptic in the seaweed to be identified.

Leucistic Curlew (in the middle
of the pic right of the Brent Goose)
As we returned to the car the rain started to fall heavily and as we ate our lunch we decided to call it a day and return home.

Despite the weather we had a great morning's bird-watching, but then Oare is always a winner!


This blog is dedicated to the memory of Jeff and Bob.

Wednesday 7 November 2012

In raptures over raptors! (sorry Malcolm)

Swale NNR and Capel Fleet were the venue for my regular Wednesday wander this week.

Just shows why Sally's the best spotter!
We took the journey down the Harty Road slowly, watching the fields as we cruised past.   A flock of Fieldfare were feeding amongst a cabbage crop.   They were hard to see at first, but as we watched more came into view, 25 were counted, but there would have been more out of view.   We stopped at Capel Fleet Viewpoint, and the first bird we saw was a ring-tail Hen Harrier - Wow what a start!   There were two female Marsh Harriers hunting over the nearby fields as well.  At times the two species came together, with the Marsh Harriers taking the higher sky and the Hen Harrier remaining low over the fields and hedges.   Eventually the Hen Harrier moved off towards the Swale and Shellness.

Lunch
Next up were a couple of Common Buzzard circling up in the thermals and gaining height rapidly.   Their presence was realised when a huge flock of Mallard flew up in the distance.   Nearer to the viewpoint there were groups of Starling - both adult and some remaining in partial juvenile plumage.   They were flying from the spoil heap in front of the Viewpoint onto the fields and then to the telegraph wires.   Gradually more and more were seen, there were hundreds, if not thousands, of them.

Magpie, Pied Wagtail, and Linnet were also seen.   In a bush near to the Viewpoint a couple of female Reed Bunting were perched, watchful with the raptors about.  Two Bearded Tits flew into the reeds "pinging" as they arrived.   Red-legged Partridge were identified by Malcolm by their call, but remained unseen.   Over 40 Corn Bunting gathered on the wires, vying with the Starling for position.

Swale NNR
Our birds of prey count was completed by Kestrel, Sparrowhawk and Merlin, the latter momentarily perched on the top of the spoil heap.   The final additions to this part of our day were Stonechat - spotted by Irene - Curlew (seen in the distance with the 'scope), Grey Heron, Carrion Crow, Great Black-backed and Black-headed Gull.

Parking up in the new area assigned by the Barn, we wandered down to Harty Church for Elevenses.   Hard work this birding lark!   In the churchyard there were many Wood Pigeons enjoying the sunshine, along with Robin, Greenfinch, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Goldfinch, Wren and Blackbird.   We could hear Brent Geese on the Swale, and at one stage a large group flew in.   As the tide was out at this time, we hoped to get better views later as birds were pushed up with the tide.

Kestrel
As we entered Swale NNR Little Egret flew overhead with Grey Heron following, both were coming up from the river as the tide started to turn.   Wigeon, Curlew, Lapwing, Dunlin, Grey Plover, Brent Geese, Cormorant and Black-tailed Godwit were along the edge of the river.   Seals were hauled up on the sandbank in the river.

More Bearded Tits were dipping along the top of the reeds, and another Kestrel hovered over the nearby fields.   Meadow Pipit flew up from the fields as we continued along the path.   On one of the nearby pools were a small flock of Mallard.   Further away Shoveler and Teal fed.   In the distant fields were Swans, all Mute as far as we could see, and others flew in as we watched.   Greylag Geese were seen in the distance with the use of the telescope, and a group of pure white farm geese were feeding with some Brent Geese.   We had lunch on the edge of the path,(as the hide has been closed off for safety reasons) hoping that the warmth from the sun would negate the cool breeze - it almost worked - hopefully the hide will be replaced in the near future.

When we returned to the car we noticed that Harty Church was open, so whilst Sally, Irene and I took the opportunity to go into the Church, Malcolm went off to investigate the Turkey Oaks lining the drive.  What for?? Galls of course.   On his way there he did find four Red-legged Partridge in a barn, but they had gone by the time we got there.

Sunset behind the Viewpoint
The Church was delightful, with a peace and calm probably due to the age of the building which had been dated back at least 920 years.   Old timbers are said to be older, and probably part of a lookout structure from when all shipping entered the Thames from the south of Sheppey and the Swale.   We resisted the temptation of the lovely Jams and Chutneys for sale and went off to see if we could find some owls.

On the way back to Capel Fleet Viewpoint we found first one and then a group of about a dozen Red-legged Partridge which brought the girls up to date with Malcolm's previous sighting.   On the Viewpoint it was cold and as the sun began to set behind the new seats our resolve was tested. (Thanks to Sally for the artistic shot above)   With the prospect of a potential owl, we stuck it out for almost an hour, but on this occasion it was not to be.

Three Marsh Harriers coming in to Roost
However, the highlight of the day awaited us as Marsh Harriers started to fly in.   First one or two flew over the reed beds and then dropped in to roost for the night.   Several more came in, at one stage we had five birds flying around.   Most were heading for an area to the left of the Viewpoint, but there were others heading for an area of reed-bed to the right as well.   We tried to keep a count, but as one bird eventually dropped, another arose from the reed-bed again.   They were hesitant and seemed to take forever to finally drop into the roost site, but gradually around 20 birds must have come in.   We had to leave before it was finally dark, but this really had been the spectacle of the day.   A brilliant event to witness; these enigmatic birds gathering for the night made us feel extremely privileged.

Sally's Stonechat
Just to ensure that we maintained our excitement a Merlin shot by, and then along the road a Stonechat perched right opposite the car on a fence post giving Sally the opportunity to capture this great shot.   Thanks Sally.