Blog Archive

Monday 30 January 2012

East Sussex rapid birding!

I had kindly been invited to meet up with some Brazilian friends for Sunday lunch in Sussex.

As Phil and I discussed my year's list, with white-fronted and pink-footed geese missing we realised we just had time to pop to the Pett Levels. A quick trip through the lanes and we were there, two local birders were on the sea wall and pointed the geese out to us straight away. Freezing cold and with 15 minutes to spare we dashed back, changed and were on our way to a lovely lunch.

An unexpected and rather hasty sighting, but good nevertheless.

Tawny owl called as I left.

Saturday 28 January 2012

Big Garden Birdwatch

Spent the day at the local garden centre, inviting members of the public to watch birds, complete the Big Garden Birdwatch, and generally enjoy wildlife encounters.   Lots of birds including greenfinch, chaffinch, house sparrow, dunnock, collared dove, wood pigeon, long-tailed tit, robin, great spotted woodpecker, great tit and blue tit.

Nice surprises were a chiffchaff and a couple of kestrels circling overhead and then completing a courtship dive.  

Not all feathers either - squirrel and foxes visited the site.

Lots of great people, keen to share their wildlife stories.    I ended up tired and freezing cold, but feeling like a day well spent.

Friday 27 January 2012

Oare - an old favourite

After the rain of the previous day, we decided to try Oare where there are some hides if we needed cover.   As it turned out the weather gradually improved and we had a great time.

West Flood
At the jetty area we stopped to enjoy redshank, black-tailed godwit, dunlin, grey plover and common gull - the latter enjoying a view from the top of the poles lining the jetty.

We decided to walk west along the seawall, there were teal, mallard and coot in the pools and greylag on the fields grazing alongside Konik ponies.   On one of the old defence buildings stock doves perched and a rather confused green woodpecker attached itself to the corner of the bulding - I'm sure the brickwork would prove a little hard on the bill - presumably checking for food in the crevices in the mortar.

A female marsh harrier was spotted over Harty and as we scanned for a reported rough-legged buzzard two large white birds landed in a field on the far side of the river.   Under Malcolm's instruction we checked they were not mute swan - he was right, they were spoonbill!  

Avocets, Lapwings and Golden Plover
On the return to the car park we added cormorant, wood pigeon, tufted duck and wigeon.   A flock of greenfinch landed in a bramble bush and as we counted them found a stonechat had joined them.   Skylark, meadow pipit and kestrel added into the mix.  

We returned to the car park to collect lunch which we wanted to have in the hide at the mouth of the creek.   As we walked along the eastern sea wall we heard at least two, possibly three, cetti's warblers.   Over the Isle of Sheppey huge flocks of brent and greylag geese were flying in long skeins as their feeding grounds were covered by the incoming tide.   It continued to push dunlin and black-tailed godwit onto the East Flood.  A turnstone was picking over the seaweed at the high tide line.

West Flood
Bobbing about on the high tide were at least a dozen great-crested grebe, shelduck, and a common seal.   On the East Flood we watched large numbers of godwit and dunlin, lapwing, starling, shoveler, a ruff, a snipe, little grebe and about a dozen pintail.   From the hide by the flood we scoured the scrape for some new species and after careful scrutiny I decided I may have found a little stint - bowing to superior knowledge I waited with baited breath whilst Mr Jennings delivered his verdict!   Success at last, perhaps I am finally learning something about waders.   Or was it just a lucky guess (I leave it to you dear reader to decide - but those who know me will applaud my luck!).

More pintail were found, at least 25 in all, golden plover shared one of the islands with a few grey plover, 57 avocet and some lapwing.   The godwit and dunlin were huddled closely on another island.   As large numbers of waders flew up we saw a peregrine hurtling towards us.  

Shoveler
We had continued to scan Harty and the Isle of Sheppey all day, and our patience was finally rewarded, a couple of female marsh harriers, kestrels, pheasants, and finally a large bird with white on the rump.   With the distance and the grey hazy light, even with the telescope it was hard to tell whether it was a ring-tail or a rough-legged buzzard.   We could have talked ourselves into either.   In any event we enjoyed the sighting, and our knowledge of these two species is increased every time we get the field guide out and debate the issue.

We moved off to the hide behind the West Flood in the hope of better views, but it was not to be.   The greenfinch flock gave us another great viewing, but by now the light was fading and it was time to go home.
Here's to the next time.

Wednesday 25 January 2012

Weekend Away

I spent the weekend with friends near Hungerford and although the hotel left a lot to be desired, we had red kite from the bedroom window - great to see them hanging in the breeze from your bed.

The river in Marlborough had mallard, little grebe and a surprisingly high number of moorhen - at least 35 were present.

Heard a tawny owl near Chislehurst on Monday evening too.   Lovely sound.

Wednesday 18 January 2012

A grey murky day . . . .

As it was a grey, overcast and rather damp morning we decided that some cover may be required.   Our Wednewsday walk therefore took us to Bough Beech Reservoir and Sevenoaks KWT today.

From the causeway at Bough Beech we were surprised to see far more water than on our last visit, and a large number of birds were taking refuge here.   A mixed flock of black-headed, common and herring gull gathered on the left hand side, whilst cormorants, great crested grebes, tufted duck, pochard and wigeon swam around.  

Cryptic Snipe
Large numbers of teal preened in groups alone the shoreline.   The greatest surprise was a group of male and female mandarin duck just visible through the murk - at least 48 were counted, but there could have been more females .   I checked on their background, a rather handsome introduction from China where they are not eaten by humans (contrary to popular belief - apparently their meat tastes awful), but they have suffered habitat destruction in their original land and there are now probably more individuals in feral populations around the world than there are in China.

They are known to court in the autumn and then stay in their pairs throughout the winter, often gathering in large groups - hence our large number today.   If the same partners are still alive through two breeding seasons, they typically re-form old bonds rather than establish new ones. Because of their devotion to one another, they are regarded in China and Japan as a symbol of love, happiness and marital fidelity.  Aaah, sweet

Back to the walk.  We moved off towards the visitor centre (currently only open on Sundays).   Along the road a large group of fieldfares flew over and were seen again later as they fed in an orchard.   Robin and greenfinch were seen by Sally and Irene along one of the garden paths whilst Malcolm and I were watching a song thrush.

Beautiful Reflections
The feeders were positively humming with birds; blue tits and great tits were in far to high numbers to count, constantly flitting from feeder to tree and back again.   A female great-spotted woodpecker clung onto a feeder taking full advantage of her size and ability to remove peanuts.   Nutchatch, marsh tit, chaffinch, goldfinch and starlings were using the seed feeders, with half a dozen female pheasants picking up the bits that fell.

Construction work is being done near the visitor centre with a new ramp to the viewing area and what appears to be a hide overlooking the pond.    I look forward to seeing it when it's open later in the year.

On to Sevenoaks, and time for lunch when we arrived.   As we started our afternoon wander, we bumped into Peter and David, and caught up on recent news.   We decided to go off in search of goosander and bittern.   In opposite directions the goosander won initially, where we also saw several snipe, moorhen, coot, lapwing, gadwall and canada geese.  

At the far end of the reserve we found a robin feeding on crumbs left inside the hide (the flap had been left open to enable access) a fieldfare sat at the top of a tree and a chiffchaff fed on lichen.   As we watched, Irene noticed a water rail running across a gap in the reeds.

From the Willow Hide we had rather scanty views of bittern and kingfisher, but much to Malcolm's delight we caught up with egyptian geese!   This prompted a conversation about the number of species we had seen today which had been introduced or were non-native: surprisngly long when you consider the above.

Saturday 14 January 2012

Shellness and Capel Fleet

The second walk of the year for my local RSPB group was met with an excellent morning of harsh frost coupled with bright sunshine and clear skies.    With a temperature of -0.5 degrees a certain amount of layering was required to ensure we kept warm.

Fields at Shellness
20 of us joined the walk but with a bit of a twist from our usual itinerary.   Earlier in the month Malcolm, Sally, Irene and I had tried a new walk towards fields which the RSPB now own, and where lapland buntings had been reported.   We therefore decided to try this walk - bearing in mind the tide was as far out as it was possible to be, this seemed a good option, and it proved well worthwhile.    The usual wood pigeons sat in the trees with the sun on them bringing out different colours in their plumage and also distorting their size.    A pair of pied wagtail fed along the sea wall.

As we approached the farm track a female marsh harrier appeared in the distance, hunting over the ditch at the far side of the field in front of us.

Reed buntings gave short contact "cheeps" in a nearby bush and house sparrows flitted ahead of us.    Mike spotted a little egret flying away from us across the field, several curlew and herring gull were also joined by lapwings feeding in the field.
A large flock of brent geese were in the same field as our last visit and we checked them for the pale-bellied which I quickly found, as we now know what we are looking for!    Everyone managed good views in the end with a large array of telescopes available.

Further along a large mixed group of starling, golden plover and lapwing flew up in great excitement as first we disturbed them, then a kestrel and a further marsh harrier.   I spotted another harrier had a white patch on the upper tail - a ring-tail hen harrier.

Common Gull
When we had finally arrived in the right area for the lapland buntings it was easy to see lots of birds on the ground feeding but not quite so easy to identify the buntings in with linnet and meadow pipit. A couple of males were found in the group with the beginnings of their black face markings and chestnut nape, and as we watched the group we realised that more of them were buntings than originally thought. The majority being females with the distintive face patterns but little else to aid identification. At least 50 were found in the end.

We retraced our steps as lunch was starting to call us as the main group moved on four of us lagged behind, watching a kestrel on a nearby gate (and in my case taking rather bad photographs of the same). As we stood a water rail walked out from one of the ditches, across the entrance to the field and into a second ditch - a quick but delightful sight.

Back at the sea wall, the tide had come in some way and there were oystercatcher, more curlew, a huge flock of brent geese (who eventually joined those in the field as the tide rose), a couple of sanderling, turnstone, black-headed gull and herring gull. Someone spotted a red-throated diver far out to sea, and as we all tried to get onto it with telescopes, a second was found. A dozen great-crested grebe were swimming along in front of the wind turbines, barely visible as they bobbed with the swell of the tide.

A picnic lunch by the seawall for some and the call of cafes and toilets for others - we were to meet at Capel Fleet Raptor Viewpoint at 2.00 pm:
T697 with friends
For those by the sea, great views of the gulls close up, including an old friend of ours T697 a polish black-headed gull which we first saw as a first winter bird in January 2009. The project team had recently asked if we had any photographs of the bird so it was good to see it and get some reasonable shots for them. Alan spotted a common gull perched on a nearby groyne.


This movie was shot through the scope of a female marsh harrier feeding.   (apologies for the quality)

All too soon it was time to tear ourselves away and move on to Capel Fleet. The viewpoint was busy with not only our group but one from Hertfordshire, and local birders who were probably a bit put out that we were taking over. However we all found a spot to watch and the excitement began immediately with one, two then three short-eared owls hunting over the long grass in the fields, another ring-tail, at least three marsh harriers, kestrel, merlin, peregrine and a barn owl in a nest box completed our raptor list. A great white egret flew in, a pair of green sandpipers moved from ditch to ditch with their call giving them away. Pheasants, red-legged partridge, chaffinch and lesser black-backed gull completed our day's list.

Friday 13 January 2012

A Quick Twitch

I had heard through the grapevine of a long-tailed duck and shag at Chatham dockyard, so it seemed a bit churlish not to go and try to see them.
Long-tailed Duck

Great views of the duck, the shag proved a little more trying.   Diving constantly to prevent any decent 'scope views, but you can't have everything in life.

Thursday 12 January 2012

Bossenden Wood

A new venue for me, a part of the Blean Wood complex near Canterbury, and in winter an excellent opportunity for some woodland birds.
One of the Rides at Bossenden

A beautiful day with clear blue skies, bright sunshine and no wind - how lucky could we be!

Although a small area we managed to make a day of it, examining fresh primose leaves emerging, buds on the trees giving them a red aura, and giving us some excellent "firsts" for 2012.

Trees starting to bud
Highlights were many, including a treecreeper which fed in the angle of a branch, a nuthatch, marsh tit, several coal tit, goldcrests feeding in a holly bush, lesser redpoll surprisingly only a single bird.   A sparrowhawk circled over the wood disturbing large flocks of wood pigeons throughout the day.   Blue and great tit were heard almost constantly with their busy contact calls ringing out as they fed in large flocks.   A flock of at least 12 fieldfare flew overhead, and we had great views of  bullfinch with at least three males showing well, their bright colours enhanced by the sunlight. A family of long-tailed tit joined in.   Several male blackbirds were squabbling, jays scolded and we saw and heard at least three song thrush during the day - a species we saw far less of last year compared to previous years.   

An area of scrub recently cleared
Non-avian species also surprised us with three red admiral butterflies taking advantage of the warm sunshine, and also several hover flies seen.

On the way back to the car a flock of around 30 meadow pipits were feeding in the long grass of the fields.

But the star of the day was seeing a lesser spotted woodpecker,  my first for the UK, and a great delight.   Malcolm saw it first, but it then eluded us for some time until a light tapping noise was heard in the distance.   As I moved towards the direction of the sound, the bird flew directly towards me and landed on a branch just ahead, good (if a little quick) views were had by all before it flew off.
The fields leading to Bossenden Wood

What a brilliant end to a great day.  A beautiful part of Kent and well worth a visit.

Tuesday 10 January 2012

First Resolution Broken!

So four days in and I haven't kept to my wish - to write up these blogs straight away, whilst you remember all those little details - here were are a week later and I can barely remember where I went let alone what I saw - anyway, here goes:
Where did I go for my first Wednesday outing of 2012?   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  The delights of Leysdown, Harty and Capel Fleet on the Isle of Sheppey, of course!

We began at the seawall east of Leysdown where the tide was in but receding.   Although it was windy we decide that sitting in the car was the wimps way.   So we watched from inside for a while!

Spot the pale-bellied Brent
Oystercatchers, turnstone, herring gull, and curlew were seen on the beach and sea.   Behind us on the playing field was a large flock of black-headed and common gull stoically facing into the wind.   Magpies were strutting about.   A kestrel was spotted by Sally on a distant telegraph pole.

We walked along the seawall towards Shellness, cormorants were flying past.   A large number of brent geese were in a nearby field.   My comment of "there must be a pale-bellied in that lot" was met with determination by Malcolm to find one.   Within minutes he had.   A handsome beast, with white side and front which once located, seemed far too easy to identify.   We still managed to lose it a couple of times as we set up the telescope though!   Nearby a reed bunting sang before moving off ahead of us.

Turnstone
Curlew, dunlin, golded plover and grey plover fed along the waterline.   Malcolm was convinced there should be sanderling - happy to repay the debt of the pale-bellied, I spotted one on the beach and we all had great views before a dog walker disturbed it.   A couple of godwits tested our newly acquired identification skills of this species (regularly honed but found wanting I might add).   We discussed and debated, referred to the field guide and decided on a bar-tailed.   The bird flew - proof indeed that we were right - no wing-bar!

We decided to wander along a footpath leading to some fields where there may be lapland bunting.   We found a plaque to the first powered flight made by a briton, several barn owl pellets which Malcolm pulled apart, revealing vole skulls, at least 20 more curlew in the fields and lapwings galore, but no lapland buntings.   A flock of at least 15 chaffinch flew into a tree and gave great views.

As we ate lunch in the car pied wagtails ran around on the sea wall, black-headed gulls came begging for food.

Skulls from Barn Owl Pellet
On the way to Harty we stopped to see red-legged partridge, at Capel fleet there were at least 80 mallard, shelduck and a few teal and on the wires overhead a few corn bunting.   As we watched they flew off to join a large flock which had been perched on a nearby bush.   We watched for a while as the group gathered and then small numbers split off as they chose nearby perches. 

At Harty things were quiet with a lone shelduck, grey heron, a few curlew and redshanks on the mud by the river, a distant marsh harrier flew.   On the way back we spotted a (ring-tail) hen harrier which we watched from the car as it flew low over the field.  

A great end to our first trip of 2012

Sunday 1 January 2012

2012 Begins today!

My first outing of the year to start off my 2012 bird list.   A promising start developed into a very wet grey day, but we were out enjoying the day so nothing lost.

On the beach
We began at Foreness Point near Margate, where our main hope was for purple sandpiper, but first we had the task of finding a mediterranean gull within a mixed gull flock on the beach.   After several attempts and a few false starts we finally tracked the individual down..   Fulmar and gannet were spotted far out to sea, cormorants, and kittiwakes were also seen flying past.   At one stage four divers crossed in front of the distant wind farm, and although probably red-throated, we didn't get a good enough view for definite id.

Purple Sandpiper Habitat (there is one in there)
We walked along the sea-front, scanning the seaweed covered rocks for the purple sandpipers.   We found several curlew, oystercatcher, turnstone and eventually one of our party spotted a small wader along the shoreline, and after further investigation identified it as the bird we were looking for.   Although very active, and hard to see with the plumage blending in so well with the dark weed everyone got good views.   We continued along the beach, with feral pigeons, ring-necked parakeet and pied wagtail seen and/or heard by most folk.

Scanning the sea
On the top of the cliffs we scanned the further beach, but could see nothing new, so returned to our cars and made the short drive to Grove Ferry, where we planned to have lunch.   As we drove it started to rain and by the time we arrived, it was impossible to picnic outside.   After lunch in our respective cars we tried a walk in this part of the Stodmarsh reserve, from the mound we saw a large number of teal, a few wigeon, greylag geese and at least 100 lapwing.   A ruff was mingling in with the geese, but as we tried to get the rest of the group on to it the whole flock took off.

We scoured the sky for the raptor that had put up the birds and a merlin appeared.   It passed over and was seen for a while before flying away into the grey mist.   At this stage we decided to call it a day and made our rather soggy way home.