The day just got better and better

The day had an ominous start; broken alarm clock, damaged window blinds, temporarily lost credit cards, a chipped windscreen - none of that heralded the greatest of days, but hopefully Dungeness had other ideas!

Wigeon

As we drove past the ARC pits I spotted a Great White Egret by the side of the road and we stopped to watch it for a while.   Nothing else was in evidence at this end of the pool so we moved on towards the lighthouse.   The gulls were not in their usual spot so we continued to the beach, passing a healthy population of House Sparrow on the way.

A blustery wind coming off the sea at Dungeness Power Station blew my telescope over - perhaps I should have stayed in bed after all?   Still, we had made the effort to stand in the full force of the wind to watch birds and watch them we would!

Malcolm spotted a Red-throated Diver skimming the surface of the water.   Kittiwake flew through in huge numbers - 600 were counted yesterday - all moving in a westerly direction.   There was probably the largest number of gulls I have ever seen over the patch today.   Mainly Herring Gull, but Black-headed, and Great Black-backed were also present.   We counted over 20 auks, but only Malcolm managed to get on one long enough for identification; a Razorbill.  [having checked some photos - I think that is what I saw too]   Several Cormorants also flew to the West, some of them coming right over our heads.

Redshank

By the fishing boats we found a couple of groups of gulls, and scanned from the car for our old friend the Glaucous Gull.   No sign at the first stop, but at the second we sent Malcolm out for a recce whilst we ladies viewed from the shelter of the car.   I found a potential bird so we donned our coats and joined Himself out in the wind.   Sure enough, we had found it.   Not the most handsome of birds, but he's getting there - almost adult now.

Fields flooded

After a picnic lunch at the Reserve (with Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Blue Tit, Great Tit and Moorhen by the feeders; Green Woodpecker calling in the distance) we were off to try the hides.   Goldeneye, Tufted Duck, Coot, Mute Swan, Gadwall, Shoveler, Pintail and Great Crested Grebe were on the water.   A Dunnock fed just in front of Firth Hide and whilst we watched that Sally spotted our first Chiffchaff of the year.   Marsh Harrier, Wigeon, Pintail, Lapwing, Golden Plover, Canada Geese and Fieldfare completed this part of our day.

Red-crested Pochard and Wigeon

On the way to the Hanson Hide we stopped to look for Tree Sparrow and found a flock of about 25 - none seemed to have the blue colour-rings which are being used locally to study the species.   From the Hide we could see more Wigeon, Gadwall, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Coot, Marsh Harrier, Red-crested Pochard, Little Egret and Smew.

On the way home a Kestrel was seen on a telegraph cable.

A quick twitch

After missing the opportunity of good weather yesterday, myself and the three Musketeers decided to pop to the Isle of Sheppey to see if we could "twitch" the Common Crane which had been there for several days.

Mediterranean Gull with Black-headed Gull

The added excitement to the pot was the chance to see the former home of Malcolm's family.   We got that bit over first so that we could concentrate on the bird watching.   A short stroll from the house and from the promenade at Sheerness we found a large flock of gulls, with Common, Black-headed, Herring and Mediterranean - our first of 2013.   One of the Herring Gull had a red ring on the left leg, but all the colour-ring schemes I have seen appear to have letters on them and this was not evident from the distance we were at, or from the photos.

Turnstone and Sanderling fed along the high tide line below the concrete sea wall.

Photo of the day - Snow Bunting!

We moved off to Barton Point.  This is an area that the rest of them had visited last year, but was a new site for me.   Here we had heard there may be Snow Bunting and Twite.   Within seconds of arriving on the shingle ridge the birds were in front of us.   We had hasty views from the 'scope as a dog walker approached the area.   The Twite were flushed and eight flew across the road and far over the country park on the other side of the road.    The Snow Bunting stood their ground and gradually moved nearer to us so that we could enjoy great views.   Lovely birds and they always cheer me with their beautiful plumage.

We counted 67 Ringed Plover, 5 Great-crested Grebe, and watched the gulls for possible Mediterranean Gull.   Further along the shingle the others spotted the Twite again and we had great views.

A hot drink was required so we stopped off at the cafe nearby and enjoyed the wood-burner, tea and birding from the windows.   A huge flock of Oystercatcher (or maybe Lapwing - sorry bit of an insider joke) were roosting on the far bank of the lake, Cormorant, Little Grebe, Tufted Duck, Turnstone and Pied Wagtail were seen here.

Twite

Moving on we ended up at Capel Fleet.   Before we had even reached the Viewpoint a generous birdwatcher stopped to point us in the direction of the Cranes.  They were very distant, but definitely what we had come to see.   At one point several of them flew up, did a rather elegant circuit and then landed back next to their companions.   Marsh Harriers appeared in ever direction.  At one stage I saw three females in one telescope view.   A couple of males and several more females further away probably gave us a total of 10 or 11 for the day.   I spotted a Ring-tail but couldn't get anyone else onto it.   Malcolm also saw a male Hen Harrier.

As I scanned the area near the Cranes, I spotted a large flock of White-fronted Geese, the bright white on their faces was catching the light - giving the only hint as to their identity - they were a long way off!

Common Cranes

Huge numbers of Mute Swan were in the nearby fields with one group totalling over 80.   Back in the Crane area a group of three Bewick Swans were discovered by Malcolm later he also found a Great White Egret, which we all saw as it flew away from us.  Fieldfare, Chaffinch, Little Egret, Black-headed Gull, Greater Black-backed Gull, Common Gull and Kestrel were seen by members of the group.

Red-legged Partridge were highlighted by Sally, and Corn Bunting sang from their usual roost sight along the road - a large tangle of brambles.

A lovely day out with some great birds.

Rainbows . . .

Irene leads the Rainbows

Probably not quite what would be expected of me these Rainbows were children - the pre-Brownies group - aged between 5-7.   We had met one of their supporters at one of our Garden Centre events last year so popped along to talk to them about birds in general and the Big Garden Birdwatch in particular.

'Watch with Malcolm'

Malcolm showed some slides of birds they may find in their garden - they were surprisingly knowledgeable - and then Sally Irene and I helped them to cut out, colour and decorate birds.   Whilst they did this we discussed birds generally and various aspects of their make up.   This included feathers, colours, feet and beaks!

With a short film and session on the Big Garden Birdwatch our hour was over - another successful project.

Ravens over Ranscombe

Snow at Ranscombe

As the weather was still cold and snow lay on the ground we decided to try a local walk again this week.  We started off at Cobham, near the Mausoleum.Blue Tit and Great Tit were the most numerous birds we encountered at first, along with some Crows and a couple of Green Woodpecker.  Blackbird "chucked" away deep in the brambles, Collared Dove, Wood Pigeon and Jackdaw were disturbed as we walked through the woods.   On the ground several Blackbird and Redwing were feeding in the soft leaf litter, and as we enjoyed them a Song Thrush came into view.

All morning we had encountered large numbers of Crow, Jackdaw and we were delighted to add a group of four Ravens.  Flying overhead with their "cronk" giving them away.   We had great views of them including the tail shape.

Long-tailed Tit

On our return to the car we came across a flock of eleven Long-tailed Tits, a couple of Goldcrest and most exciting, a Marsh Tit.   It was only seen for a few seconds, but the distinctive call confirmed our identification.

We called in at Shorne Country Park for lunch.   We bumped into Julie, and had a chat as we warmed up.   She had seen a large group of Siskin, and many Fieldfare.   We were charged with finding them before we left.

We managed to catch up with several Fieldfare, the Siskin eluded us, but we did get great close views of a group of Long-tailed Tits.

Tawny Owl Heaven

Just spent a very snowy weekend in Northamptonshire.   We (8 friends and I) stayed at a brilliant hotel called Hellidon Spa and Golf Course.  

Treecreeper

Having braved the snow on the journey up there, we were relieved not to need a car for the rest of the weekend.   With a huge golf course which was totally unplayable we were lucky to have a great playground to enjoy long snowy walks, plenty of bird and nature watching, snowball fights and making snow angels.   Fantastic icicles developed outside my bedroom window, hanging from the eaves above.

Snow covered fields

I found two Treecreeper, six Long-tailed Tits, a Robin, Dunnock, Blackbird and Fieldfare within minutes - just outside the hotel reception.   We saw Muntjac Deer, Fox, Rabbit and Roe Deer tracks and spotted a Stoat as we walked to the local village.

Tawny Owl was heard every evening and morning, calling on and off through the night.   It was lovely to lie in bed with the window open and just enjoy the call.

Smart Post Box

With large numbers of Redwing, Fieldfare, Rook, Crow, Jackdaw and Woodpigeon making up the majority of sightings, a lone Cormorant was an interesting addition as it fed in the lake viewable from the dining-room.

Hellidon is a delightful village with cottages built of local stone and in a traditional style, some are thatched.   Several post boxes were seen, including a rather smart black one.

All in all a great weekend, with the Owl being my highlight by far.

Freezing Fog . . .

As the weather forecast was cold, grey and rather misty, we decided that a local trip with the option of a warming cafe were the order of the day.

Mist at Riverside

We started off at the Motney (eastern) end of Riverside Country Park.   The tide was at its lowest but there were still a few birds braving the mud near the path.   Redshank, Lapwing, Teal and Black-headed Gull were the nearest on the shore, with a Collared Dove also feeding in the seaweed.

On the bushes along the path there were Blackbird, Chaffinch, Wood Pigeon, Robin, Crown and a couple of Dunnock.

As we moved along towards Motney (in a vain effort to keep warm) we saw Dunlin, Mallard and Pintail.   It was obvious that there were plenty of birds out in the river, but all shrouded in fog.

Frost on Teasel

Many Blackbird and Robin were seen flitting about as we wandered along, many of them in the leeward side of the shrubs, presumably gaining a little shelter from the biting wind which was whipping in from the river.   A couple of Wren chased around, whilst Magpie, Greenfinch, Dunnock, and Goldcrest were also encountered.

On the river Shelduck, Shoveler, Curlew, Common Gull, Herring Gull, Wigeon and Avocet also came into view as the fog swirled around.   In the distance a Little Owl screeched - we did go looking for it but nothing was seen or heard again.   In a nearby field there were over a dozen Blackbirds feeding with a Song Thrush and Chaffinch joining in.

"THE" Sunlight!

Next stop was supposed to be mid-morning coffee, but we had (as usual) taken longer than expected and it was lunch time.   After warming lunches and cups of tea we were soon back out and heading west along the river towards Gillingham.

Once again, Wood Pigeon and Collared Dove were gathered in large groups high in the tree tops - fluffed out against the cold.   The most numerous birds were Blackbird, Dunnock (with Irene and Malcolm finding six in one place lined up on a fence), and most pleasingly Song Thrush.   Having seen very few during last year, it has been great to see and hear so many in the last couple of weeks.   Such delightful birds.

Probably only a tenth of the wader roost at Cliffe

The usual gull roost at the car park were scanned for Mediterranean Gull, but we had to content ourselves with Black-headed Gulls on this occasion.   On our return journey we noticed that they they were joined by eight Turnstone.   A Jay flew into the top of a nearby tree and managed to camouflage itself rather successfully.

Sunset at Cliffe

We continued through the Meadows, with Blackbird, Robin, Dunnock and Song Thrush all around us.   I can't explain quite how thrilling it was to be totally surrounded by so many of these birds, all going about their business feeding up on anything they could find in the semi-frozen soggy ground.

As we reached the path along the shore the tide was coming in and with it a change in the wind direction which seemed to have cleared the fog.   The sun even poked through the clouds and we almost saw blue sky.

Teal were close into the shore as were Avocet, two Black-tailed Godwit, Ringed Plover, Grey Plover, Oystercatcher, Common Gull, Dunlin, more Redshank, three Red-breasted Merganser.

Robin

Not to be beaten by the cold we gave ourselves more punishment by taking a late afternoon stroll at Cliffe.   Once again the first birds spotted were Wood Pigeon, closely followed by Robin, Blackbird and Collared Dove.   On the pools Pochard (probably around 40), Tufted Duck (45+), Little Grebe (c 38), Coot (40+),  Great Crested Grebe (9), Grey Heron (2), Little Egret (7), Wigeon (30+), Pintail (15), Shoveler (28), Black-headed Gull, Greylag Geese.

The islands in Radar Pool have been strimmed and large numbers of waders were roosting on them, the sunlight showing them off to great effect.   Here were around 1270 Black-tailed Godwit, over 300 Dunlin, 150 Redshank, 19 Great Black-backed Gull, three Goldeneye, many Lapwing, and Shelduck, a distant Greenshank, and around a dozen Linnet.

Finally the -2.5 degree temperature got through the socks and gloves and we had to give in to the winter cold, but all in all another great day out.

Warley Place

I managed a quick dash over to Essex to see Ken and Pam last week, and we got out for a walk at one of their local sites run by Essex Wildlife Trust.

Nuthatch

Although small it was an ideal opportunity for Ken and I to try out some photography under less than ideal lighting conditions.   I tried out my white balance!   The results weren't exactly earth-shattering, but I had a great time.

Judge the finished photos for yourself on my Flickr photostream.

Mist and Rain

Song Thrush in the mist!

My Wednesday walk this week was with friends to Sevenoaks KWT reserve.   We started off in our usual direction, along the side of the largest lake, taking in the hides along the way.   The first thing we all noticed was that Great Tit were singing - I had heard one the day before, and realised that it had been some time since I had registered the song.

Song Thrush were also calling, another lovely song that we hear all too rarely these days.   Malcolm and Sally found at least four during the day.   On the water there were large numbers of Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Tufted Duck, Pochard, Mallard, Cormorant, Great-crested Grebe (later we saw two displaying), Little Grebe.   Irene spotted a Goosander swimming along at the back of the lake, and we all managed to see it before it disappeared from view.

Robins on the reserve seem particularly gregarious, presumably because of the number of people willing to offer them food.   One even flew to Sally's hand when she offered some (of Malcolm's) mid-morning snack.

Siskin impersonating leaves

We found a huge flock of small birds feeding high in the trees, as we watched we realised there were far more than we originally thought.   Thirty, forty, gradually more gathered until we had over 100 feeding greedily above us.   Hardly making a sound, they gave a small twitter as they moved from tree to tree but apart from that they were only interested in alder seeds.   We found two Great Spotted Woodpecker calling and displaying in the treetops, then a third flew away from us.

After a very welcome lunch break with a warming cup of tea courtesy of KWT catering, we were off again, this time towards the Willow Hide.

Gadwall

More Robins, Chaffinch and views of the lake, at one point the sun came out and bathed the scene in bright light - it didn't last long unfortunately.   On this lake we found more ducks enjoying a rather more protected area, Gadwall and Shoveler were added to the list, along with Egyptian Geese and Stock Dove.   As we wandered towards the fields at the end of the path, three Ring-Necked Parakeet flew over, then I spotted first one and then a second Treecreeper.   Over the fields there were more Greylag and Crows.   Jackdaws flew overhead giving themselves away ages before they appeared with their distinctive call.    I spotted Fieldfare in the top of a nearby tree, and as I got one of them in the telescope, a Green Woodpecker's head appeared from behind a branch.   Irene spotted Redwing feeding under some trees at the edge of the field, and we counted 16 in all.  Chaffinch and other small birds were also flitting about, but were impossible to keep up with at such a distance.

On the way back to the Centre we looked in vain for Kingfisher,

Shellness and Capel Fleet

The first outing of the New Year for our local RSPB Group was to Shellness.

Stonechat

21 of us met up near Leysdown as the tide fell exposing large expanses of mud.   Distant waders were identified through the misty morning light, and we soon had a list with Turnstone, Dunlin, Sanderling, Common Gull, Black-headed Gull, Knot, and Oystercatcher on it.   Further out to sea there were Cormorant and a couple of Divers which we identified as Red-throated.   Large flocks of Mallard were swimming offshore and Brent Geese were gathered along the tideline.   Curlews were calling their evocative song.

Huge flocks of Lapwing swooped over the nearby fields as Crow and Wood Pigeon added to the confusion.  In the trees near Muswell Manor I found Brambling in with Greenfinch, Goldfinch and Chaffinch.   Unfortunately, most of the group had continued along the seawall, so only a few of us were able to enjoy this beautiful species initially.   A Stonechat perched on nearby brambles, with a Wren scolding below it.

Marsh Harrier were seen at some distance with a Common Buzzard, Ring-tail and Little Egret all in the same binocular vision.   We also saw Sparrowhawk and Kestrel to add to our raptor list.

Brambling

At our lunch stop I found Pintail mixed in with the Mallard and a further diver was finally identified as Great Northern.

Waxwing

En route to Capel Fleet we discussed previous sightings of Red-legged Partridge in the area, within seconds Malcolm saw something high in the trees, they were Waxwings.   We turned around and parked on the verge opposite the birds so that we could have a good look at them.   As we watched another bird watcher turned up.   We phoned a couple of the others to get the message to those ahead of us at Capel, and within minutes several had arrived to enjoy the sight.

As parking was at a premium, we moved off to the Viewing mound.   Here another Ring-tail, several more Marsh Harriers, a couple of extremely pale Buzzard and another Kestrel were seen.   Corn Bunting were lined up along a telegraph wire.

Moorhen and Coot were the final additions for the day.

Waxwings

Having been away for two weeks I had work to do at home, but a telephone call from Malcolm brought me to my senses and I was soon grabbing my bins and camera and dashing out of the house.

Waxwings

Within minutes Irene was screeching to a halt outside and within seconds we were off in search of our quarry. . . . . . . . Waxwings!

There in my local park, not 10 minutes from home were a group of around 40 of these beautiful birds.   Sally had been keeping an eye on them to make sure they didn't fly off unseen.   The group were perched in slender saplings next to a busy dog-walking path with four-legged beasts chasing around below them and children running and screeching.   Luckily most folk were totally unaware of their presence and the birds were dropping to the ground, feeding on berries and fruit, then returning to the safety of their high perches.

Fantastic to see, and I soon had the telescope set up.   Once the four of us had enjoyed good views (and I had taken some photographs) we started to show them to passers-by.  

New Year Extravaganza!

Sunrise on 1st Jan

This New Year's Day could possibly be the most memorable day of my birding year and it's only just the beginning.   I know you must think that I am mad/ sad/ stupid/ daft/ whatever adjective . . . . but before you judge, read on.

I was invited to join a rather hallowed group of birdwatchers who take part in a one day bird race each January 1st.   Although I was rather out of my geographic comfort zone of Kent, I was in the excellent hands of Phil and Nigel who have held the Hampshire Record for the past few years, so it was with great anticipation that I awoke at 5 am to don the wet and cold weather gear required.   Starting in the vicinity of Nigels home we tried to hear Tawny Owl, but despite our encouragement the birds would not call.   We drove off to try for Barn Owl and Little Owl, again no results for our day's list.  At this stage I started to think that perhaps I was an unlucky mascot, and should slink off into the undergrowth, but my companions were kind and no fingers were pointed yet!

Next stop was heathland, yomping through soggy ground, at some stages up to our mid-calves in freezing cold water.   It was still not daylight but a bright moon and Nigel's torch lit the way.   I got caught out a couple of times when muddy pools tried to trip me, but we made good progress as quietly as possible.

Land of the Woodcock

First a Woodcock and then a Snipe were found, their eyes shining brightly in the torchlight.   We kept our disturbance to a minimum and moved swiftly on, looking for Jack Snipe - one bird flew up as we wandered along, but only Phil saw it (a minimum of two from three have to confirm sightings) and we were unable to make an id.   Stopping at a local pond we peered into the darkness looking (unsuccessfully) for Mandarin Duck, with Nigel once again in charge of the torch - a surreal experience.

As the sun started to come up we stopped at a wooded clearing where Hawfinch were coming out of their known roost, several perched up well, so I had my best views ever of this species.   This was a time to stand and enjoy the surroundings as the woodland birds woke up.   Treecreeper, Goldcrest, Chaffinch, Blackbird, Siskin, Robin, Wren and Song Thrush were all calling before daylight.   Next stop was the New Forest where we added Dartford Warbler, Hen Harrier (male) and the others saw Great Grey Shrike (my one regrettable miss of the day!)

By now I had no idea where we were, and just went along with the flow of the day.   All the sites we visited were well known to my companions and had been chosen to give us the maximum chance of the widest range of birds - good preparation is the key to a successful day!

Hen Harrier territory

Water birds were next with waders and wildfowl rapidly adding to our day's tally.   A quick coffee stop as we overlooked salt marshes gave us Curlew, Redshank, Dunlin, Avocet, Golden Plover and several varieties of duck.

Near the coast we stopped for more pool scanning, Canada Geese, Greylag, large numbers of Lapwing, Starling, Black and Bar-tailed Godwit, Turnstone, Spotted Redshank and Ruff were all gradually increasing our numbers.   Cetti's Warbler called from a nearby bush.

Sea watching over a quick lunch added Red-throated, Black-throated and Great-Northern Divers.   Goosanders, Mergansers, Little, Great-crested and Slavonian Grebe, Cormorant, Shag.   Gulls were not overlooked with Common, Herring, Black-Headed, Greater and Lesser Black-Backed, and a Yellow-legged seen.   A flock of Brent Geese were examined closely for colour-rings and one bird did have some which were noted and have been reported in. (Red and Black rings both with 'V's on them).   After wading through a rather deep trench of water we were back at the car - this had been parked up along the seawall in several inches of sea-water!

The day continued in similar vein, with Kingfisher, Sparrowhawk and Bewick's Swan being found behind an industrial estate on flooded ground.

As the sun started to set and the light fade we were at a local reserve looking for Bittern - within seconds of our arrival at the hide we had all seen the bird and were off again, racing against the time and light to find our last few species.

'V''V'

After our owling disappointments at the start of the day Nigel was keen to try again, so we revisited the first site of the day.   After a wander down a muddy farm track and through a farm yard we stood on a bridge over a swollen river.   A fisherman stood on the opposite side of the bank and behind him a Barn Owl flew in his direction.   Totally unaware of what was approaching the man continued to watch his fishing line.  The three of us watched, in awe as the bird passed him and then continued along the river towards us.  We all stood completely still, hardly breathing as the bird came closer still.   As it passed it veered around us and continued beyond and away back across the fields.

We retraced our steps to the car, passing several old collapsing barns.   We stopped to scan the tops of the farm buildings around us, and finally Nigel spotted the bird sitting on a gable end - not quite as enigmatic as the Barn Owl but cute and gorgeous.

By now the light was fading fast and we decided that it was time to return home with our 120 list.

Of course, that wasn't the end of the day - we couldn't resist trying for the Tawny Owl one last time.   Once again the stubborn bird eluded us, but not for long.

Perched Peregrine

Sitting in the hot tub (yes, I know it all sounds very decadent, but we needed to soothe those aching limbs somehow and the beer wasn't working that well!) first we heard Tawny Owl and then as I looked up, I caught sight of a wing flapping as the Owl moved position in the tree above us.   It had probably been sitting there all along.   So 121 species in a day (122 if you count Phils Jack Snipe, which we obviously didn't) - beating my previous best of 108 which was at Minsmere in May 1991.

Sunset and Floods

An exciting day out, and perhaps now you can see why it could be the most memorable day of my birding year already.   Thanks must go to Nigel and Sandy for inviting me to stay and Nigel and Phil for putting up with my rather amateur birding skills on the day

. . . . . . . . . . . . wonder if there are any Waxwings about?