News Regarding the Pegwell
Bay's Observation Hide
Wednesday 29th April 2009 Pegwell Bay
I went
down just after 6.00 and endured it until 9.30 when I
decided to give up! It was hard going once again - the
clifftop was dead as was the hoverport, Stonelees,
Country Park and mud flat!! Good eh? I did hear a
Cetti's Warbler once again (I heard the same one
yesterday) calling from the normal area in the ditch
near the cycle path or one the other side of the road
(?) plus a Garden Warbler was singing it's little heart
out in Stonelees. The only other stuff I made note of
was 50 Lesser Black-backed Gull,12 Sandwich Tern,1
Common Tern,1 Little Tern,4 Little Egret,2 Avocet,c30
Sanderling,c20 Dunlin,7 Bar-tailed Godwit and 8
Whimbrel. Yesterday was slightly better as I came across
a cracking male Redstart and a Tree Pipit on the cliff
top plus I had nice views of a Swift and a Hobby. I
hadn't been down since Sunday morning as I've been down
with the flu. (Phil M)
Wednesday 29th April 2009 Stodmarsh/Grove
A very
enjoyable walk around Stodmarsh/Grove in mostly warm
sunshine this morning, with all the regular Warbler
species in fine voice (no sound of Grasshopper though) 2
Greenshank seen from the Marsh Hide & 2
Nightingale competed either side of the river at the
Grove end, at least 3 Cuckoos on the reserve, a
Spoonbill flew high over me as I stood on the
Lampen wall & headed on towards Grove. Just 3 Hobby
seen over the main lake & probably a dozen Common
Tern vying for position on the raft in the middle, a
Turtle Dove purred while I negotiated the nature
trail but try as I might I couldn't see it! (Ben Ring)
Wednesday 29th April 2009 North Foreland and Foreness
Counted at least five Whitethroats along the
cliff-top between North Foreland and Foreness today,
including a very showy pair occupying a bush not far
from the Fayreness hotel - and conveniently right in
front of one of the benches, making for a very good
photo opportunity (see attached). Otherwise, it was
pretty quiet; Linnet numbers seemed down on
previous weeks, and no sign of any Wheatears. (Mark
Kilner)
Wednesday 29th April 2009
Minster Marshes
I spent a very pleasant 90 minutes
around the "fishermen's car park" checking the area for
newly arrived migrants. Still no sign of Ring Ouzel,
Wheatear or Hobby, yet Yellow Wagtail,
Sedge & Reed Warbler,
Blackcap, Chiffchaff
and Common Whitethroat were present in
reasonable numbers. Two Nightingale
were still singing in the area, what a wonderful sound
they make! Plenty of activity amongst the resident
species and the sunshine made it so much better. Back
home by 18.00hrs, the United v's Gooners game just has
to be better than the dross served up by Barca & Chelsea
yesterday. (Dylan)
Monday 27th April 2009 North
Foreland & Foreness
2 Whitethroats holding
territory and a Chiffchaff, Overhead 1 Yellow
Wagtail and a Coal Tit, At Foreness 4
Wheatears and a few Swallows moving through
plus 1 more Whitethroat, Very quiet. (Simon
Mount)
Monday 27th April 2009 Clifftop walk down into
Pegwell
I got an early 06-00hrs start and walked along the
cliffs down into Pegwell Bay, hoping the overnight rain
might have tempted a few migrants down, but not much
seemed to be around. By the time I got to the country
park the bushes were alive with Blackcaps,
Whitethroats and Linnets. The only other
birds of note were four separate Lesser Whitethroats,
two in Stonelees and two on the way back to the car park
along the coastal path. No sign of the Yellowlegs and
very little else visible out in the bay, despite a good
scan with the scope. Oh well, better luck next time. An
interesting side-note might be the latest word from the
warden about what they plan to do with the vandalised
hide - apparently, seeing as the glass was smashed
they're going to put shutters in to replace the damaged
window slots...one wonders why they didn't do that in
the first place.
(Richard Jermy)
Sunday 26th April 2009 North
Foreland
A flock of 3 Little Egrets
heading south and a trickle of Swallows overhead
heading north made me think a few birds were moving. I
then saw a couple of Whitethroats, 2 Yellow
Wagtails, 1 Wheatear and a Coal Tit
heading north along the clifftop. After that, just 1
Hobby in off the sea that went straight through
inland, (Simon Mount)
Saturday 25th April 2009 Pegwell Bay
I very
nearly didn't even go out today but after getting up
early to block up my moth traps I decided to have a
quick look before the F1 qualifying came on TV. I got
down about 6.10 and after cycling around the top end of
my little route and Stonelees where I hardly even got
off my bike - though I did notice a Pale Bellied
Brent off the sunken garden out on the mud very
little other than 1 Turtle Dove, 2 Yellow
Wagtails and 6 flyover Siskin were noted - I
eventually ended up having a look out on the mud flat
from the country park. Almost immediately I noticed a
Lesser Yellowlegs feeding near to a pair of
Greenshank off the end of Shellness point. I sent
out a few texts and settled in to take a better look as
it looked reasonably settled as it waded around on the
edge of the river mouth. About ten minutes later as I
was answering another text I became aware that the birds
were flying about over the mudflat as a Hen Harrier
had flown downriver and put everything up. The
Yellowlegs had flown and I could hear Greenshanks
calling upriver halfway between shellness and Stonelees.
I walked out to the river but there wasn't any sign of
the bird but I was sure the group of birds hadn't gone
too far. I went back to the country park and stayed
until 10.40 but didn't get on the bird again though a
distant flock of 10 Greenshanks flying s/west
upriver (at 9.00am) appeared to have a smaller bird in
their midst which may have been the Yellowlegs? There
was so much row going on down Pegwell today that I'm
sure it must have cleared off as the birds were put to
flight on lots of occasions by the Coastguard Plane, a
pair of microlites flying around over shellness and the
golf course and last but not least a couple of amazingly
loud rallies of what sounded like machine gun fire or
fireworks which frightened every bird for miles? The sky
was filled with birds all the way across between Pegwell
and Sandwich. It sounded like the backdrop from a war
film! If the bird was about in the general area I think
I would have seen it flying about? There were a few
other new waders on the tide and the Pale-bellied
Brent showed up again in the southern end of the bay
before I left. My counts for the day included 8 Brent
Geese,1 Eider, 3 Common Scoter -south,
3 Little Egret, 1 Avocet, 88 Bar-tailed
Godwit,1 Bar-tailed Godwit, c20 Greenshank,
4 Turnstone, 16 Dunlin, 13 Whimbrel,
10 Ringed Plover, 2 Little Ringed Plover,
2 Knot,1 Peregrine, 3 Sandwich Tern,
20 Swallow and 2 Sand Martin. There was
very little around the bushes once again. (Phil M)
Saturday 25th April 2009
12 hrs non-motorised listing
Just got back after spending 12
hours cycling around Thanet, I didn't quite manage to
reach my target of 100 species, I finished with 97! It
was great fun, highlights included 5 Garden
Warbler, 15+ Yellow Wagtail, 1
Turtle Dove, 2 Cuckoo,
Avocet, Pale-bellied Brent
Goose, 3 Common Sandpiper and
Common Buzzard. I'll post a full report
in the next couple of days. (Dylan)
Saturday 25th April 2009
North Foreland
The change in wind direction and
a bit of warmth got some raptors moving. After having 2
Hobbies before 11:00hrs, I then saw 5 Common
Buzzards in the next hour heading West or South, All
birds were very high up as seems to have been the
pattern this spring, As Dave Mairs said earlier in the
week ".who needs Falsterbo?". A few Swallows
heading north overhead. (Simon
Mount)
Saturday 25th April 2009
Clifftop at Pegwell
A quick look along the clifftop at
Pegwell this morning produced a female Wheatear
and 2 Blue-headed Wagtails in the paddocks (both
males).
(Scott)
Friday 24th April 2009 Pegwell Bay
I
started off at 6.15 with a quick scoot around the
virtually bird free zone known locally as the hover pad.
During a wander around my second destination - the cliff
top - I bumped into little Craigy Sammels (Daisy to his
mates) and we had an hour or so wandering around looking
at nothing as the irritating wind blew around our
lugholes. To say the birding was dull would be an
understatement - we did see a flyover Yellow Wagtail
and a Whimbrel plus heard a couple of Lesser
Whitethroats. I left him to wander home while I went
down to take my normal route around the Country Park and
Stonelees. I may as well have not even bothered checking
the bushes though there were a few waders out on the mud
flat. I also flushed a Green Sandpiper down near
Stonelees too. My notes for the day included 3 Brent
Geese, 2 Little Egret, 6 Whimbrel, 48
Bar-tailed Godwit, 10 Black-tailed Godwit,
7 Dunlin, 4 Grey Plover, 1 Common
Sandpiper and 2 Greenshank. (Phil M)
Friday 24th April 2004 Newland's Farm
I recorded my first Cuckoo,
of the year, when one flew across the cycle path as I
came home from work this afternoon. This is only my 2nd
record for the farm since 2001. I am attempting a 12
hour (04.00 - 16.00hrs), non-motorized, day list within
Thanet tomorrow trying for 100 species - should be fun!
(Dylan)
Thursday 23rd April 2009
North Foreland
At 10:30hrs a Common Buzzard
heading WSW. Then at 11:10hrs a superb male Hen
Harrier slowly heading South offshore. It was flying
low over the sea about 300 yards offshore, having come
round from Foreness. Despite being mobbed by a couple of
gulls, it maintained the same direction. There were no
Spring migrants to mention, very quiet indeed.
(Simon Mount)
Thursday 23rd April 2009 Pegwell Bay
Well,
after Phil's report I doubt you'll give me the time of
day - what a snitch!! As he's listed all the good ones
(?!) (Well, he did point them out to me so he's entitled
I reckon), I can only briefly confirm that thing's were
decidedly unlively this morning as I visited both the
Country Park & Stonelees between 06:40 & 09:25hrs one
Lesser Whitethroat near the site of the old hide &
one trying to out-sing a Willow Warbler in
Stonelees (2 there) near 'the ruin'. Common Whitethroat
numbers are building & shortly I guess the Willows will
give up trying to compete in song. A single Sedge
Warbler by the salt marsh & a Seal near the river
mouth. (Ben Ring)
Thursday 23rd April 2009 Pegwell Bay
Well
the long awaited southerly arrived at long last and of
course there was naff all about!! It was surprisingly
quiet today - I watched between 06.00 and 12.00hrs and
only came across 2 new Lesser Whitethroat,1
flyover Redpoll,1 Wheatear, c10 Swallow,
2 Sand Martin, 31 Bar-tailed Godwit, 7
Whimbrel plus a flock of 5 Jay and 22
Jackdaw flying south!! Ben Ring showed up again. He
told me that in his opinion Gadget is a tediously boring
- hideously ugly techno midget. I tried to argue with
him at first but after a long drawn out discussion I
came to the honest opinion that Ben was right all along.
(Phil M)
Thursday 23rd April 2009 Dumpton Gap Thanet
Saw a
male Hen Harrier whilst out walking the dog along
Dumpton Gap 11.25hrs It was a little way out to sea,
heading towards Dover. (John C)
Thursday 23rd April 2009 Ramsgate Harbour
A half
hour look early on produced 2 Brent Geese and 6
Common Scoter North, a Common Sandpiper
calling plus 1 Rock Pipit and 3 Turnstone (Nick
Lever)
Wednesday 22nd April Ramsgate
Town Centre
A Common Buzzard high over
the town centre at 13:05hrs headed SW. (Simon Mount)
Wednesday 22nd April St Peters Thanet
A lazy afternoon in the garden saw
a fly-over by 7 Swallows, 1 Common Buzzard,
3 Sparrowhawks, 2 Hobby and a Cormorant
(John C)
Wednesday 22nd April St Margarets Bay
Having
missed the Black Kite in the vicinity of Wallets Court
by a few minutes this morning on the drive to St M, I
arrived at the cliff top with the finesse of a rhino &
managed to 'encourage' a Peregrine to fly off its
nearby cliff face perch, never to be seen again!
Undeterred, I settled down for a couple of hours or so
watching sea & sky for excitement. Linnets busied
themselves cheerily in the nearby bushes & Corn
Bunting, Skylark & Meadow Pipit could all be heard.
Several tiny groups of 3 Swallows flew NE from my
position during the morning (unless it was the same
birds flying in circles!) Similarly, small pockets of
Goldfinch flew past NE. A single Cormorant
flew west & a group of a dozen large waders flew east
but way out to sea - I hazard they were Curlew.
Otherwise, the gulls present were as expected save for a
distant familiar call alerting me to a flock of some 30
Kittiwake on the sea. A Common Whitethroat
sang it's scratchy song behind me & was joined briefly
by a Lesser Whitethroat before the latter flew
off to skulk behind the monument. (Ben Ring)
Wednesday 22nd April 2009
Pegwell Bay
A
gruelling near six hour session at Peggers from 06.30hrs
this morning turned up the following bits: 3 Little
Egret,1 Greylag, 3 Brent Geese, 4
Common Scoter south,7 Whimbrel, 17 Dunlin,
14 Bar-tailed Godwit, 1 Green Sandpiper, 1
Greenshank, 1 Knot, 4 Grey Plover,
2 Turnstone, 4+ Sparrowhawk, 5+ Marsh
Harrier (3 migrants north) 1 Peregrine, 1
Hobby, 14 Sandwich Tern, 31 Swallow, 5
Sand Martin, 1 House Martin, 1 Swift,
2 Wheatear, 1 Whinchat, 1 Yellow
Wagtail, 1 Cuckoo, 4 Siskin and a
Partridge in a pear tree. (Phil M)
Wednesday 22nd April 2009 Nr Westgate Traffic Lights
At 12:10 p.m. the local gulls gave
away the presence of a Red Kite circling over my
garden, which after a couple of minutes gained height
and drifted off West towards St Nicholas, followed
immediately afterwards by a female Sparrowhawk
heading the same way. (Chris Solly)
Tuesday 21st April 2009 Margate Cemetery
I went
up the cemetery for an hour and a half this afternoon.
There wasn't much going on in the cemetery in fact the
only 'migranty things' I could find were a singing
Blackcap and a Willow/Chiffchaff. It was just
so peaceful up there - not what I'm used to being a
staunch Pegwellite. There was a Wheatear in the
horse paddocks plus at around 2 o'clock two large
raptors flew into view over the fields well south of the
cemetery - one was a Common Buzzard and the other
was a ring-tail Hen Harrier. They both went
generally n/west after a bit of a fly about (Phil M)
Tuesday 21st April 2009 Grove Ferry
A
quick visit from 9.45 to 10.45 produced 2 reeling
Grasshopper Warblers, 1 Nightingale, 1
Lesser Whitethroat, 3 Common Whitethroats,1 Willow
Warbler, 3 Reed Warbler numerous Sedge
Warbler and several Cetti’s from the ramp
there was a pair of Marsh Harriers, 1
Greenshank and 1 Little Ringed Plover, (Nick
Lever)
Tuesday 21st April 2009 Pegwell Bay
I
arrived at 6.50 and proceeded to take my normal route
around all the normal spots. Once again it was
disappointing with very few passerines of any note other
than the hoards of Whitethroats singing here
there and everywhere. I did come across a few bits of
interest but it was hard work - they included 3 Coal
Tits making their way west - initially quite high
overhead from the hoverport where they landed and made
their way southwest along the tree line plus 4
Redwing, 2 singing Corn Buntings, a new
Sedge Warbler and at least 4 Lesser Whitethroats.
Overhead at least 4 Tree Pipits, 26 Swallows
and 1 Sand Martin made their way northwards. I
also saw a Common Buzzard whilst I was wandering
through Stonelees - it flew n/west at 8.30am which is
quite early on in the day if indeed it was a migrant. I
watched the tide on and off throughout the morning
whilst I did a bit of raptor watching - there were 8
Bar-tailed Godwit, 12 Dunlin, 5 Whimbrel
and 1 Avocet on the tide but no migrant raptors
were seen before I left at 11.00.The best sighting of
the day was a rare first ever super duper encounter with
one Benjamin Ring - I thought he only existed in cyber
space? An ugly brute in the flesh but harmless enough it
would seem? I bumped into Ben and Anthony Jolly as they
sought out the rarely seen Spindle-legged Buzzard Finch
Tit that had been reported as lurking somewhere near the
bird-hide earlier on in the day. We all wandered around
to try and catch sight of it but it eluded us
unfortunately. I did pop down yesterday evening to have
a look at the tide. I stopped off on the hover port to
see if any Wheatears had dropped in during the afternoon
- there were no Wheatears but I did flush a
Grasshopper Warbler from the low scrub round near
the aluminium steps. The evening tide was dull but it
was a nice evening all in all. Mick Shrimpfarmer turned
up and we waffled on well into the early evening about
nothing in particular. Birds present included 4
Little Egret, 4 Brent Geese, 105 Shelduck,
30 Sanderling, 12 Bar-tailed Godwit, 12
Whimbrel and 1 Greenshank. (Phil M)
Monday 20th April 2009 North
Foreland
A brief look round the area this
morning, I saw a few Siskins and Linnets
heading North along with 2 parties of Jackdaws
and Carrion Crows. One Yellow Wagtail and
a few Swallows drifting inland. The best thing
was a large female Sparrowhawk I flushed from the
cliff edge by the sewage works. It lazily headed due
East out to sea disappearing towards the horizon without
altering course. (Simon Mount)
Monday 20th April 2009 Minster Marshes
I spent a couple of hours wandering around the marsh,
mid afternoon. Migrant numbers remain low, with several
common species still absent from my year-list!
Sedge & Reed Warbler,
Common & Lesser Whitethroat,
Chiffchaff, Blackcap,
Swallow and Nightingale
were all recorded as I searched around the fishermen's
car park whilst an alarm call by a Yellow
Wagtail alerted me to the 1st summer female
Merlin that flashed across the adjacent
field. (Dylan)
Monday
20th April 2009 North Foreland Area
I, too,
ventured over to North Foreland in a bid to twitch the
Hawfinch. Sadly, nothing doing, but while there (about
10.30am) the gulls went crazy and, sure enough, one, and
then a second, Marsh Harrier appeared overhead. The
first bird had a decidedly tattered tail that could have
proved a kite-trap for the unwaryŠ at the same time as these
crackers were delighting me a pair of Sparrowhawks
was in view throughout. Who needs Falsterbo, I thought, not
for the first time in this extraordinary place. (Dave
M)
Monday
20th April 2009 Pegwell Bay
A fairly
cold morning with a little bit more vismig going on today. A
four and a half hour 'mooch' around the area from about
6.00am turned up: 1 Red-throated Diver, 5 Brent
Geese, 68 Shelduck, 1 Eider, 2 Teal,
1 Red-breasted Merganser, 3 Little Egret, 50
Dunlin, 3 Sanderling, 1 Knot, 2 Grey
Plover, 1 Turnstone, 40 Curlew, 17
Whimbrel, 19 Bar-tailed Godwit, 6 Greenshank,
90 Oystercatcher, 2 Sandwich Tern, 4
Sparrowhawk, 1 Peregrine, 150 Wood Pigeon
n/west, 1 Turtle Dove, 3 Fieldfare, 3
Yellow Wagtail, 1 Tree Pipit, 30 Whitethroat,
3 Lesser Whitethroat, 3 Willow Warbler plus
200 Swallow, 10 Sand Martin, c100 Linnet,
c40 Goldfinch, 7 Siskin and 1 Corn Bunting
all north. (Phil M)
Sunday 19th April 2009 Pegwell area
I had a few hours, this morning, braving the NE wind, hoards
of dog walkers and joggers that were sharing the facilities
of the area. I parked by the Sir Stanley Gray and walked to
Stonelees and back, via the hover pad. Migrants were very
much at a premium with Common &
Lesser Whitethroat, Chiffchaff,
Willow Warbler,
Blackcap and Wheatear being
recorded en route, in numbers that could be counted on one
hand! A few Swallows battled into the stiff
breeze whilst out on the mud there were 6
Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 13 Whimbrel,
30+ Sandwich & 2 Arctic Terns.
Bar-tailed Godwit, Eider,
Grey Plover and a pair of Grey
Partridge were the best of the rest. Apparently the
hide has been closed due to vandalism (as Phil reported a
couple of days ago) Quite what effect it will have on the
Thanet birders is a bit of a mystery - we don't have a key
to get into the metal box as we aren't considered important
enough - we just bird the area 12 months a year and have
been doing so since Dennis M. Batchelor inspired a
generation of his pupils to take an interest in the natural
history of the Isle of Thanet. Quite what he'd make of
those KWT, petty minded, jobs-worth's who don't consider the
efforts of Phil, Francis, et al, sufficient to justify
access to their precious hide is probably unprintable! Think
on. (Dylan)
Saturday 18th April 2009 North
Foreland area
Thanks to Simon Mount & Francis; who
alerted us to the presence of a female Hawfinch
which was feeding in gardens in the North Foreland area. We
arrived in the vicinity just after 11.00hrs and located the bird
after a short wait. It was very mobile but, kept returning to a
small group of sycamores, besides a footpath. Whilst we were
waiting to get a decent photo, we noted a pair of Mistle
Thrush and several "continental" Coal Tit
in the adjacent gardens (Gadget & Dylan)
Saturday
18th April 2009 Sandwich Bay Ancient Highway area
A walk around
the Ancient Highway area this morning produced, amongst others,
2 Common Whitethroat, 2 Sedge Warblers, 2 Grey
Partridge, 3 Swallow, a male Wheatear (Sailing
Club area) A Common Sandpiper was briefly present when I
called in at the Restharrow Hide & at last I caught up with a
Firecrest at 'Little Elms'. (Ben Ring)
Saturday 18th April 2009 North
Foreland
The Hawfinch was still present 1st
thing this morning. In the bushes 1 Willow Warbler, 1
Whitethroat, 3 Chiffchaffs and a Coal Tit.
Overhead a few Swallows trickling off the sea and
Linnets heading North along the clifftop and 1 Brambling.
A flock of 9 Crows headed out to sea. I looked over the
sea for a while and saw a few Gannets and Common
Scoter heading down the Channel plus 2 Divers. (Simon Mount)
Saturday
18th April 2009 Pegwell Bay
There were 3
Ring Ouzel on the cliff top at dawn - otherwise the only
stuff I took note of were 1 Wheatear, 1 White Wagtail,
8 Willow Warbler and 3 Lesser Whitethroats on the
grounded passerine front. I walked the whole area and had two
looks at the mud before I left at 9.00am seeing 2 Brent Geese,
1 Wigeon, 4 Teal, 1 Red-breasted Merganser,
3 Bar-tailed Godwit, 15 Ringed Plover, 6
Lapwing, 9 Grey Plover, 1 Avocet, 60 Dunlin,
5 Greenshank, 4 Whimbrel plus a few Terns started
to arrive just as I was preparing to leave there were 32
Sandwich Tern and 14 Common Terns present when I
packed up but no doubt there were many more on their way. Other
extra added bits included 5 Sand Martin, 17 Swallows
and 3 flyover Mediterranean Gulls. (Phil M)
Friday 17th
April 2009 Pegwell Bay
This afternoon
between 2.00 and 4.30pm we saw: 200 Sandwich Tern, 1
Common Tern, 50 Swallow, 3 Sand Martin, 4
Avocet, 30+ Ringed Plover, 9 Greenshank, 12
Wheatear, 1 Tree Pipit etc. The Kentish did show
briefly twice between about 3.00 and 3.30 but couldn't be seen
as high tide approached. It had obviously flown off - it was
getting a bit flighty this afternoon anyway. (Phil M)
Friday 17th
April 2009 North Foreland
A very brief look in the area today was
only noteworthy due to again seeing a Hawfinch. It was
present in the same area and seemed to be hanging around, so I
presume the same bird as the one on 6th April. (Simon Mount)
Friday 17th
April 2009 Pegwell Bay
I arrived just
after 6.00am and headed straight down onto the hoverpad to see
whether any waders had dropped in given the rain overnight. I
wasn't to be disappointed as I flushed a Common Sandpiper
and at least 3 Green Sandpipers from the sea wall and
pools just off the hoverpad apron even before I'd got off my
bike and set my telescope up. The mud was peppered with birds as
the tide was only just dropping - I immediately scanned through
a close flock of 60+ Common Terns which held at least 8
Arctic Terns probably more plus quite a few small flocks
of waders and wildfowl were scattered about. After a quick
shufty to see if there was anything unusual amongst the stuff on
show (there wasn't) I packed up and headed off to the country
park to view the mud flat from there. On arrival it was apparent
the bird hide had been vandalised within and inch of its life!
It looked like a bad car crash in Beirut after a period of heavy
shelling! Steve Ray showed up quite early with the key to the
hide and after shifting a million small shards of shattered
glass we sat in the hide chatting and taking in the
entertainment. Anyway - there were still lots of waders arriving
- in fact the movement carried on for most of the morning with
the odd small flock of stuff still flying in until well after
10.00am.I stayed until 11.10 - my counts/notes being: 4+
Gannet, 4 Little Egret, 4 Grey Heron, 32
Brent Geese, 112 Shelduck, 3 Wigeon, 3
Gadwall, 28 Teal, 5 Red-breasted Merganser, 7
Avocet, 43 Whimbrel, 120 Curlew, 53
Bar-tailed Godwit, 14 Greenshank, 36 Knot, 50
Sanderling, 350 Dunlin, 16 Turnstone, 31
Grey Plover, 11 Ringed Plover, 1 male Kentish
Plover, 40 Sandwich Tern, 70 Common Tern etc.
The counts were hard to do today as birds were coming and going
- no doubt there were quite a few more birds I ignored? Ian
Hodgson also spotted a Little Tern at some time during
the morning. There were also quite a few Swallows moving through
as the morning progressed – I counted over 100 Swallows
and 3 Sand Martin heading north over the mud. I couldn't
be bothered to wander around the soggy bushes today.
(Phil M)
Friday 17th April 2009 Preston Area &
Newnham Valley
A loop from Preston church over to Preston
Marshes and the Newnham Valley in gloomy, drizzly weather
produced another two Ring Ouzels, a Cuckoo, 8
Yellow Wagtails, 1 Curlew, 1 Marsh Harrier, 10
Swallows, 1 Kingfisher, 7 Sedge Warblers, 4
Cetti’s Warblers, 1 Little Egret and a flyover
Mediterranean Gull. (Tim H)
Thursday 16th April 2009 Monkton/Gore
Street Area & Westmarsh Area
A morning walk in the Monkton/Gore Street
area included 3 Nightingales, 3 Wheatears, 1
Ring Ouzel, 1 Reed Warbler, 3 Corn Buntings, 3
Whitethroats, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 4 pairs of
Little Grebes and 21 Tufted Ducks, whilst an
afternoon visit to Westmarsh (on the southern Ash Levels east of
Preston) produced 2 Ring Ouzels, 1 Green Sandpiper,
1 Shoveler, 14 Tufted Ducks, 2 pairs of Little
Grebes and an assortment of the commoner resident and
migrant species. (Tim H)
Thursday
16th April 2009 Pegwell Bay
I went back
down in the afternoon to have a look at the incoming tide. A
nice arrival of Whimbrel kept me amused as a few flocks
arrived from way offshore. The biggest flock was 19 birds and
the total count was at least 48 birds. There were also 4
Brent Geese, 82 Shelduck, 3 Greenshank etc
plus 4 Swallows and a Yellow Wagtail flew over.
(Phil M)
Thursday
16th April 2009 North Foreland
At North Foreland this morning 2 Coal
Tits, a singing Firecrest, 3 Chiffchaffs, 4
Swallows and singles of Lesser Whitethroat, Yellow
Wagtail and Tree Pipit, a Little Egret that
was circling around high up and calling, eventually went off NW
with 19 Jackdaws. 2 Grey Herons came along the
coast and headed west. I then went to Foreness where I did not
see a single Spring migrant. (Simon Mount)
Thursday
16th April 2009 Pegwell Bay
Another early
morning session in lovely birding conditions turned up a few
bits and pieces including 3 Brent Geese, 7 Little
Egret, 1 Spoonbill, 2 Whimbrel, 1
Greenshank, 1 Ruff, 45 Sandwich Tern, 1
Ring Ouzel, 2 Wheatear, 1 Sedge Warbler, c8
Willow Warbler plus lots of Whitethroats and
Blackcaps which were all over the place. Overhead it was
almost as bleak as it's been for the duration though I did get 2
flocks of Siskin adding up to 50 birds as well as 4
flyover Brambling and 6 Redpoll but hardly
anything else showed after a ten minute spell of vismig which
ended as quick as it started. Other stuff included 'the'
Wigeon and 'the' Eider, 1 Diver specie south, 8
Dunlin, 5 Grey Plover, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 6
Sanderling, 1 Lapwing, 7 Swallow and 1
Kittiwake. (Phil M)
Wednesday
15th April 2009 Monkton Thanet
Splendid house
tick today courtesy of a male Ring Ouzel from the little
un's bedroom window. (Dave M)
Wednesday
15th April 2009 Pegwell Bay
I went down
this morning and had a quick scoot around the bushes. Once again
there wasn't much going on. Other than the normal common
Phyloscopus and Sylvia Warblers the only migrants I came across
were singles of Yellow Wagtail and Wheatear plus 5
Swallows. The weather was manky so viewing the mud flat
was from the country park but I could make out a few bits from
the sunken garden which included 5 Sandwich Terns and 2
Brent Geese. An attack of boredom in the afternoon
saw me going back down for the incoming tide. Hardly any new
birds showed up - there were 2 Little Egret, 1 Wigeon,
1 Gadwall, 1 Eider, 12 Sandwich Tern, 8
Dunlin, 2 Grey Plover, 2 Knot and a
Bar-tailed Godwit, (Phil M)
Tuesday14th April 2009 Monkton Thanet
Area
I did a two hour BTO Atlas visit in the
Monkton village/Sheriff’s Court area this morning, in still,
warm and pleasant conditions. A few bits included a Hobby,
2 Ring Ouzels, 7 Corn Buntings, 2 Marsh
Harriers, 2 Little Owls, 3 Sparrowhawks, 2
Whitethroats, 2 Yellow Wagtails, 4 Green
Woodpeckers, 1 Grey Partridge, 1 Swallow, 1
Reed Bunting, 2 Yellowhammers, 4 Chiffchaffs
and 5 Blackcaps. (Tim H)
Tuesday 14th April 2009 Pegwell Bay
I went down
twice today - once in the morning for vismig (ha ha hilarious
eh!!) then again after dinner for the incoming tide. My efforts
were rewarded with flight views of a Hawfinch that flew
in from the north onto the country park then flew low inland
after what looked like a brief attempt to land in the White
Poplar stand alongside the cycle path. Otherwise it was quiet
other than for another small influx of common warblers. Overhead
all I saw were 6 Swallow, 3 Yellow Wagtail, 1
Grey Wagtail, 40 Linnets, 1 Tree Pipit and a
handful of Meadow Pipits. Other 'bits' included 3
Little Egret, 9 Brent Geese, 108 Shelduck,
1 Wigeon, 1 Eider, 4 Grey Plover, 1
Ringed Plover, 4 Knot, 4 Bar-tailed Godwit,
180 Oystercatcher, 65 Curlew, 55 Redshank,
4 Dunlin etc. (Phil M)
Monday 13th April 2009 Pegwell
Bay
With Dumpton shrouded in a thick cloak of
mist, this afternoon, I headed down to Pegwell which bathed in
glorious sunshine! Parking at the garage, I walked the sea wall
to Stonelees. Blackcap, Willow Warbler,
Common Whitethroat and Chiffchaff
were present in good numbers whilst out in the bay
Oystercatcher, Redshank and
Curlew provided the bulk of wader records. 190 - ish
Sandwich Terns had 3 Common Terns
in their midst. Other bits of note included 1 Brent,
1 Knot, Grey Plover and a
surprise winter plumage Red - throated Diver
bobbing around on the sea. (Dylan)
Monday 13th April 2009 North Foreland
Gave the area a good inspection early this
morning, the totals as follows:- 5 Blackcaps, 7
Chiffchaffs, 3 Willow Warblers, 2 Yellow Wagtails,
2 Swallows and singles of Lesser Whitethroat,
Fieldfare and Black Redstart. Overhead there were a
few Siskins and Meadow Pipits moving. I had
distant views of what appeared to be 4 Pink-footed Geese
heading from inland, NW out to sea. The sea mist got colder and
lower after that. (Simon Mount)
Monday 13th April 2009 Minster
Marshes
A few hours, early morning, allowed me to
catch up with some spring migrants that had so far eluded me. 3
Willow Warbler, 3 Lesser Whitethroat,
1 Nightingale and a Reed Warbler
were all new for the year. 20+ Sedge Warbler
and 13 Common Whitethroat were spread out
around the area with Yellow Wagtail
and Swallow the only other migrants noted.
Gadwall, Linnet, Reed
Bunting, Skylark and Meadow
Pipit added a bit of variety with a Little Owl
calling from within the water treatment compound being a notable
occurrence. (Dylan)
Monday 13th
April 2009 Pegwell Bay
Very quiet
this morning on the birding front. I walked the entire area
between 06.30 to 09.30hrs seeing very little other than a few
grounded Warblers plus a Tree Pipit and 10 Siskins
flying over. Things that made it into my notepad were 2
Little Egret, 1 Wigeon, 2 Sedge Warbler, 6
Chiffchaff, 5 Willow Warbler, 8 Whitethroat
and I counted 24 singing Blackcaps during my little walk
too. (Phil M)
Saturday
11th April 2009 Pegwell Bay
A scattering
of common migrants were seen this morning. I arrived at 6.30 and
left at 9.00 as the tide was miles out and there was nothing
going on overhead as has been the norm this past couple of
weeks. My wander around the area turned up 1 Little Egret,
3 Whitethroat, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 14 singing
Blackcaps, 1 Willow Warbler, c6 Chiffchaff and
there was a burst of song from a Nightingale in
Stonelees which showed briefly as it flew from bush to bush.
(Phil M)
Saturday
11th April 2009 Mocketts Wood
Thanet
I had a brief
walk through Mocketts Wood St Peters Broadstairs Thanet this
morning and saw a lovely sighting of Willow Warbler and a
male Blackcap (S Moulder)
Friday 10th
April 2009 Sandwich Bay Area
Having made
the calamitous career move of not getting a 'job' with the civil
service, I was forced into work today. Happily, however, I was
able to pop into Sandwich Bay on the way, where I dallied a
while at the Little Elms. A couple of calls drew my attention to
a bird flying to a tree-top which turned out to be a Hawfinch.
It soon flew on, but a short while later two more flew out, I
think, from the 'Big Elms' - note the local familiarity. These
flew north-west (ish), giving fine flight views as they did so.
Whether or not the first bird was one of these two I don't know.
Hence a day count of two-three. (Dave Mairs)
Friday 10th
April 2009 Pegwell Bay
I watched
between 7.00 and 11.00 marching around every path and bush in my
quest for peace and quiet (ha ha) and birdies! The cliff top was
devoid of life as was the hover port first thing but on the way
down to the country park I thought I'd pop back in to see if any
Wheatears had arrived (they hadn't) but there were at least 5
Blackcaps - 4 of them new arrivals - there hadn't been a
note out of them earlier on. There was also a Whitethroat
singing from the area thick Sea Buckthorn, near the bridge.
There were quite a few of both species scattered around the
country park too - the day total was at least 12 Blackcap
and 5 Whitethroat even though there wasn't much else
grounded other than a single male Wheatear and a female
Ring Ouzel which landed at the top of a tree on the
country park before flying off inland. Overhead there were a few
Swallows (8), 5 Redwing, 6+ Siskin, 1
Brambling and a nice Blue-headed Wagtail went low
n/west. A group of 5 migrant Jays flew south too. I ended
off during the last hour or so watching the tide coming in
seeing:1 Mute Swan, 2 Greylag, 1 Wigeon, 1
Eider, 4 Dunlin, 2 Whimbrel, 1
Black-tailed Godwit, 8 Sandwich Tern, 3 Little
Egret and 2 Peregrine. (Phil M)
Friday 10th April 2009 North
Foreland to Foreness
An early morning jaunt, along the coast,
provided my first Wheatear (4) of the year
along with an imm Marsh Harrier, over N.
Foreland GC, 1 Chiffchaff and 3 Grey
Heron in/off. The highlight came in the form of a flock
of 17 Coal Tits that I found in the hedgerow
besides the 17th fairway. Very vocal, they provided some nice
photo opportunities before they set off towards the N. Foreland
estate. (Dylan)
Thursday
9th April 2009 Stodmarsh NNR & Grove Ferry
Plenty of
birdsong mid morning till lunchtime, with a handful of
Blackcap heard around the reserve. One or 2 Reed Warblers
braved a sing-along with the seemingly more numerous Sedge
Warblers. Chiffchaff seem plentiful, as do the Cetti’s,
Just 2 Swallows seen around the Ramp. Went noticeably
quieter after 1 ish. (Ben Ring)
Thursday 9th April 2009 Foreness Area
We went for a
short walk this afternoon up to the pumping station, bit
quiet not a lot about but on the way back to the car we had one
of those moments. Caroline said "Can you remember that (albino)
Starling we saw last year? I said "What, like that one"
And there it was on the mini golf range. (Mick S)
Thursday
9th April 2009 Pegwell Bay
I trudged
around every path this morning and in over two and a half hours
of wandering around I didn't come across a single new grounded
migrant! The conditions looked okay for today too so I was
doubly surprised. The incoming tide wasn't much better either.
The only things I wrote in my notepad between 07.10hrs and
11.00hrs were 2 Little Egret, 1 Brent, 1 Eider,
1 Wigeon, 102 Shelduck, 4 Dunlin, 1
Bar-tailed Godwit, 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 2
Peregrine, 1 Merlin, 14 Sandwich Tern, 10
Swallow, 1 Willow Warbler, 1 Blackcap, c6
Chiffchaff and 1 Corn Bunting. A Brambling
flew south over the country park as I walked back to pick up my
bike but that was it. (Phil M)
Wednesday
8th April 2009 Pegwell Bay
I experienced
all four seasons in one day today! I was up early and couldn't
be bothered to wait for the rain to stop - I hung on until 07.30
- that was the best I could do. On arrival the cliff top area
was completely blown out with relentless drizzle - I checked the
more sheltered spots on the farm but much of the area was
bird-less. Other than 2 Chiffchaffs all I came across
between there and the hover-pad where 2 Coal Tits in one
of the coastguard cottage gardens and 14 Grey Partridge
plus 5 Siskins and 2 Redwing overhead. This wasted
an hour before going down to find a sheltered spot to watch the
incoming tide. I watched the mud until the sun broke through at
about 10.00hrs seeing 3 Brent Geese, 94 Shelduck,1
Wigeon, 1 Eider, 3 Grey Plover, 1
Bar-tailed Godwit, 3 Black-tailed Godwit, 23 Knot,
4 Dunlin, 3 Sanderling, 145 Oystercatcher,
115 Curlew, 2 1st summer Mediterranean Gulls and
180 Sandwich Terns. I also saw a Stint flying
about in the bay which landed out of view in the salt marsh
which I think was a Temminck's? It certainly looked like one
even though I only saw it in flight - it is a bit early in the
year perhaps? When the sun broke through a flurry of hirundines
started to show - I saw 21 Swallows, 3 House Martins
and 1 Sand Martin in the next hour. Also on the move were
3 Yellow Wagtails, a few Meadow Pipits and Finches
plus 730 Wood Pigeons went s/west. I had a walk around
Stonelees and the country park before I left at 12.00hrs seeing
1 female Redstart in Stonelees, 2 Willow Warbler,
c10 Chiffchaff, 3 Blackcap, 1 Whitethroat
plus I heard a Cuckoo calling in Stonelees as I locked my
bike up near the gate. It must have moved off as I couldn't see
it during my little charge around all the paths. I don't think
I've ever come across one so early in the year before? (Phil M)
Wednesday 8th April 2009 Westbrook
Thanet
Had a brief look offshore but only a couple
of Gannets one Fulmar and a Swallow,
counted 2000 Herring Gull mainly sub adults and a couple
of Wheatears on the cliff top. (Chris Solly)
Tuesday 7th April 2009 North Foreland
A few Siskins and Bramblings
moving this morning, I also saw 4 Coal Tits high up
heading NW, and 1 Common Buzzard heading SW at
10:40hrs(Simon Mount)
Tuesday 7th
April 2009 Pegwell Bay
I watched from
just before 7.00 until just gone 11.30 today taking in the
awesome splendour of Pegwell in between bouts of abusive kids
mouthing off at me for the fourth day running - vandalising the
new hide and my fragile brain, interspersed with the never
ending hazard of badly behaved dog walkers. It's no fun -
especially during the school holidays. Anyway - I did get
another rare bird today when during an unexpected raptor fest I
spotted a Black Kite as it appeared from the south
heading west inland before heading off n/west. The weather
didn't 'look' any good for raptors today but between 9.10 and
10.20 I saw at least 3 Common Buzzards, (maybe 5?) 2
separate migrant Marsh Harriers and the Kite. Luckily the
movement coincided with the incoming tide or else I would have
been looking around the bushes and missed it altogether. The
other migrants today were: 4 Brent Geese, 1
Red-breasted Merganser, 1 Whimbrel, 1 Black-tailed
Godwit, 27 Sandwich Tern, and 10 Fieldfare -
west,1 Sand Martin,12 Swallow,15+ Chiffchaff,
7 Willow Warbler, 3 Blackcap, 1 Yellow Wagtail,
1 Tree Pipit, 60 Linnet, 25 Siskin and 30
Meadow Pipits. (Phil M)
Monday 6th
April 2009 Foreness Area
Found a
solitary Wheatear at Foreness this afternoon. Also saw
three Stock Doves and lots of Linnets and
Meadow Pipits feeding and displaying in and around the pitch
& putt area. (Mark Kilner)
Monday 6th April 2009 North Foreland
The morning started very well with a
Hawfinch before 07:00. It was at the top of a tree calling
loudly for 4 minutes before heading south along the coast. Then
I did not see anything of note for the next 1 1/2 hours until I
came across some warblers moving through. I saw 5 Willow
Warblers and 5 Chiffchaffs also overhead a
Brambling and some Siskin heading north. (Simon
Mount)
Monday 6th
April 2009 Pegwell Bay
I walked much
of the area between 7.15 and 11.00am.There were hardly any
grounded passerines and very little overhead early other than a
few Linnets and Meadow Pipits. I watched the tide
coming in which was a bit better as a few new birds had shown up
which included a pair of Garganey which landed on the sea
briefly just offshore. I've never seen them out in the bay
during the spring before so I was quite pleased. A few other
'migranty bits' included 7 Brent Geese,1 Wigeon,7
Teal,1 Little Ringed Plover, 2 Golden Plover,
3 Lapwing, 2 Black-tailed Godwit,1 Greenshank,
7 Sandwich Tern and a pair of flyover Mediterranean
Gulls which came in from over the country park. A few birds
did start to move later on in the morning - I saw 8 Swallows,
2 Yellow Wagtails and 7 Redwing before I left.
Other stuff seen included 82 Shelduck, 1 Eider, 4
Goldcrest, 4 Ringed Plover, and 4 Grey Plover,
2 Bar-tailed Godwit, 11 Dunlin, 9 Sanderling,
135 Oystercatcher and 2 thingamy's. (Phil M)
Monday 6th
April 2009 Sandwich Bay & St Margarets
A quick check
at 6:45am & the Scaup was quickly located in front of the
hide - again the bird kept its distance & the mist ensured my
couple of image attempts were worse than 'record shots'! A walk
around the Elms for possible migrants only produced a single
Chiffchaff. On to St Margarets & a prolonged sit & stomp
about the cliff top near the Blue Bird tea rooms only produced 2
Swallows hirundine-wise. A number of singing Corn
Bunting & a couple of displaying Meadow Pipits were
accompanied by frequent small flocks of Linnet seemingly
in no hurry to go anywhere, five Great Crested Grebe
remained offshore for a good 2 hours & the only time the gulls
'kicked off' was when a Peregrine flew through. (Ben
Ring)
Monday 6th
April 2009 Pegwell Bay Area
A brief look
along the cliff this morning produced a Red-legged Partridge
in the sunken garden and 2 pairs of Grey Partridge in the
horse paddocks. A couple of Redwing were heard and there
were 8 Sanderling and 15 Dunlin along the tide
line (Nick Lever)
Sunday 5th April 2009 Restharrow
Scrape SBBOT
A run over to the Restharrow Scrape to see
if the drake Scaup was still about, Steve Ashton was already in
place within the hide and the Scaup was showing well
although a bit distant for photographs, 2 Redshank were
around the fringes and Tufted Ducks, Shovels, Shelducks,
Moorhens, Teal, Gadwall, Coots and Lapwings, 2
Sand Martins and a Swallow flew over the Scrape with
the highway holding Corn Buntings and Linnets. (Gadget)
Sunday 5th April 2009 Dungeness Area
Several Willow Warblers to be heard
& seen on the RSPB reserve & also picked up my first 2 Sedge
Warblers of the year there, a distant Wheatear was
also noted, En route to the Obs area a single Martin sp was seen
but unable to formally ID - the only hirundine of the day, the
human traffic did little to upset the birds around the obs area,
with Linnets engaged in courtship 'chases', Meadow
Pipits displaying & singles of both Black & Common
Redstart recorded. (Ben Ring)
Saturday 4th April 2009 Kingsgate
Area
A few birds on the way to/from the
Kingsgate moff trap suggested that the area was probably worth
doing - I couldn't be bothered. The 'bits' that I saw were; 1
Woodcock, 1 Short-eared Owl, 3 Willow Wblrs, 7
Chiffchaff, 1 Firecrest, 1 Wheatear, 4
Common Redstarts (3 stunning males), 1 Ring Ouzel and
7 Fieldfare (F Solly)
Saturday
4th April 2009 Newington Thanet
2 Common
Buzzards flew south over the estate at 15.40 this afternoon,
One of them was a right scabby old thing - missing Secondary’s
and at least 1 primary, It was scruffier than Gadget on a
birding trip to Sandwich Bay ... well perhaps not?? I've got
room to talk eh? (Phil M)
Saturday
4th April 2009 Pegwell Bay
I went down at
first light as I had to be back home for 9.00am.There were a few
Crests scattered around the area with 10+ Goldcrest and a
nice Firecrest which I spotted moving along the cliff top
first thing. Otherwise newly arrived grounded passerines were
down to a few Redwing (5) and very little else. Overhead
I did pick up 37 Meadow Pipits moving n/west, 4 Siskin,
2 Yellow Wagtails heading north plus a handful of
Linnets. The high tide was nicely viewable early on - I saw
a 4 Brent Geese, 91 Shelduck, 1 Eider,
3 Wigeon, 6 Gadwall, 1 Avocet, 11 Grey
Plover, 12 Bar-tailed Godwit and 55 Sandwich Terns
which seemed to just be arriving when I left. A Merlin
flew in off the sea towards Shellness at one point too.
(Phil M)
Friday 3rd
April 2009 Pegwell Bay
I couldn't
face going down this morning and fully intended to have the day
off. However an unwanted visitor had me leaving the house on an
impromptu visit to Pegwell - I needed to escape! 1 minute after
arriving I received a text message off Ian at Sandwich
Observatory reporting a Great White Egret which had flown
over the Obs 10 minutes prior. I set up my telescope and stayed
on the hover pad for over half an hour but saw nothing of the
Egret and decided to head off to the country park. On arrival I
was quite pleased to find 2 Wheatear on the sea wall –
soon after 2 more turned up. Out on the mud there were 34
Brent Geese, 1 Spotted Redshank and 3
Whimbrel and out on the sea I could just about make out an
Eider and 6 Wigeon through the mist. Anyway at
14.15 I spotted the Great White Egret flying high west
inland - I had completely given up on seeing it. It disappeared
into the gloom probably heading into the Stour Valley assuming
that an Egret specie I saw about half an hour later flying
s/east wasn't it once again? Views were too poor given the mist
and distance added to the fact that it was dropping down and
flying behind the bushes on the country park giving only brief
views. I stayed until 4.00pm seeing 2 Swallows north, 1
Marsh Harrier and 1 Water Pipit. I went back down
in the evening for three quarters of an hour to see if any
Sandwich Terns had showed up on the incoming tide but there was
a massive flock of none! There were a few more newly arrived
waders and Ducks which included 78 Shelduck, 8
Shoveler, 6 Gadwall, 33 Dunlin and 82
Sanderling. Another Wheatear moved north between
Shellness and the salt marsh and 3 more Swallows stopped
briefly to feed over the garage pools as we left. (Phil M)
Friday 3rd
April 2009 Ramsgate
Today a Chiffchaff was
calling from a backyard between St. George's Road and St.
Andrew's Road, Ramsgate. (Marianne and Steve Harper)
Friday 3rd April 2009 Newlands Field
Track
I went for a short walk this evening along
the footpath by the playing fields leading to the old rose
garden and amongst the usual inhabitants was a flock of 10
Fieldfare with a single Mistle Thrush in tow. (Mick
S)
Friday 3rd April 2009 Minster Marshes Thanet
I managed to grab 90 minutes, this afternoon, to have a wander
around the fishermen's car park area. Thick mist had covered
Thanet for the entire day, but sun was forecast for the
afternoon and I was hopeful that there might be a few migrants
around. A few Chiffchaff were to be expected,
the 80+ Fieldfare and 7 Redwing
were not! Swallows numbered 50+ and I saw my
first 3 Yellow Wagtails of the year. A
Sedge Warbler called from a reeded ditch whilst 2 pairs
of Gadwall were chasing about the skies.
(Dylan)
I went down at
first light and headed for the shoreline to catch the back end of
the dropping tide in the hopes of seeing some Avocets. Though the
weather looked pretty good for an arrival none were seen. There
wasn't much at all out on the mud - c120 Oystercatcher, c150
Curlew, 3 Grey Plover, 5 Bar-tailed Godwit and
6 Dunlin was about it. A Long-eared Owl was flushed by
an early morning dog-walker and myself from the bushes on the
country park. Migrants were virtually non-existent today a single
Swallow coasting it northwards and 3 Siskin flying south
over Stonelees was the best it got before I left at 8.45.The only
other notes I took were of 6 singing Chiffchaff scattered
across the whole area and there were 100+ Turnstone flying
along the undercliff. (Phil M)
A gentle walk
around the Sandwich Bay area, starting at the Obs, failed to produce
much in the way of migrants. Plenty of Linnets around & a
single Sand Martin was seen briefly from the Restharrow Hide.
The drake Garganey was present but stubbornly remained asleep
on the far side of the scrape. Three Goldcrest sightings were
all I could muster at The Elms. (Ben Ring)
I walked much of
the area between 06.45 and 09.15hrs this morning - giving up early
due to the horrible stiff wind. Hardly anything was going on
overhead in the clear skies though spirits were raised by the sight
of a stunning male Ring Ouzel in the horse paddocks on the
cliff top first thing. It was nice to see 7 Fieldfare in the
same area too. Other than a single Redwing in the coastguards
cottage gardens plus 3 more in Stone Lees, a singing Blackcap
on the hover port and a White Wagtail on Pfizer’s playing
field it was dead as a dodo on the new arrival front. There was a
Tree Sparrow on the hover port near to where I saw one yesterday
and a scattering of Chiffchaffs - very little on the mud - 2
Little Egret, 3 Bar-tailed Godwit etc. (Phil M)
Pastures new for
me as I took a long overdue trip to the woods near Eastling (Pett
Dane) & was rewarded with 3 Hawfinch sitting quietly in the
treetops. A Common Buzzard was seen from a clearing in Barn
Wood. On to Oare Marshes where a migrant in the form of a
Wheatear showed on the west flood. Five Bearded Tits
'pinged' by the sea wall hide. (Ben Ring)
A three and a half
hour walk around the entire area this morning turned up:1 Little
Egret, 31 Shelduck, 2 Red-breasted Mergansers, 17
Dunlin, 1 Hen Harrier, 1 Marsh Harrier, 2
Peregrine, 2 Sandwich Tern, 9 Chiffchaff, 1
Willow Warbler, 2 Coal Tit, 3 White Wagtail, 2
Sand Martin, 1 Tree Sparrow, 4 Siskin etc.
Surprise of the day came when scanning the sampher I picked up a
distant Barn Owl flying along the bank on the opposite side
of the river. More surprising as it was 10.50! I would assume it had
been flushed from it's roost by something or other? (Phil M)
A gentle stroll around the ''old'' original
patch for an hour this morning between 09.30-10.30hrs was very
pleasant in the early spring sunshine, most of the commoner species
present and singing well, migrants coming in the form of single
Chiffchaff and Blackcap with a
nice mobile flock of 7 Coal Tits which are always
cracking to see as coastal migrants. However at 10.15am i heard a
distant call, me thinking that something was mimicking, and then i
heard it again but much closer this time, i still believed it to be
a Great Tit, then again but the bird was in flight; i then clamped
eyes on it, a Waxwing smart! But unfortunately it
carried on flying west. Only my second record for the site, the
first was back in the big winter of 95/96!
(Craig Sammels)
