Merry Christmas & Happy New Year. (Gadget)
Tuesday 27th December 2011 River Stour at
Cut End Area
5 Coots, 7 Moorhens, 1 Water Rail,
2 Little Grebes, 9 Mallard, 3 Cormorants 1
Marsh Harrier, 2 Kestrels, 1 Sparrow-hark, 40+
Fieldfare, 5 Redwings, 7 Blackbirds, 2 Reed Buntings,
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 5 Blue Tits, 4 Great Tits,
9 Long-tailed Tits, 9 Chaffinches, 11 Goldfinches, 3
Robins, 7 House Sparrows, 1 Wren, 5 Goldcrest, 2
Treecreeper's, and 1 Cetti's Warbler. (Gadget)
Friday 23rd December 2011 Pegwell Bay
I watched from high tide until the tide dropped
in overcast weather with the occasional light rain shower blown in on the
stiff s/west wind. There were lots of birds but it was pretty dull to be
honest - I just couldn't get into it today. Of note were 17 Gannets
hanging around 500 yards offshore, 80+ Cormorants (attracted to the
same area as the Gannets), 1 Common Scoter - south, 1 adult
Caspian Gull, 3 Yellow Legged Gulls (one adult with dislocated
right leg) and a Water Pipit. Other 'bits' seen included 1 Diver
- south, 6 Greylag, 25 Brent, 25 Shelduck, 100
Mallard, 200 Wigeon, 90 Teal, 3 Pintail, 2500
Lapwing, 2500 Golden Plover, 177 Grey Plover, 19 Ringed
Plover, 270 Knot, 720 Dunlin, 84 Sanderling, 182
Bar-tailed Godwit and 1 Merlin. (Phil M)
Thursday 22nd December 2011 Pegwell Bay
I watched from 14.45 until darkness today. The
tide, being high at 21.30 was miles out and all I took any note of were 36
Shelduck, 350 Wigeon, 70 Teal, 4 Shoveler, 195
Curlew, 5800 Lapwing, 3030 Golden Plover, 2
Peregrine, 4600 Herring Gull, 1000 Common Gull, 500
Black Headed Gull, 12 Meadow Pipits - south to roost and 300
Starlings - north to roost. (Phil M)
Thursday 22nd December 2011 Dumpton Gap
Took a walk along the
beach from Ramsgate to Dumpton Gap. Offshore I spotted a flock of 5 Brent
Geese closely followed by what I think was a Peregrine Falcon
that headed back inshore over towards the cliffs at Dumpton. Also just
visible was 4 Great Crested Grebe. No sign of the Black Redstart that
you can normally see but I did get good views of a flock of Linnet
feeding on the cliffs. There are now upwards of 16 Fulmars roosting
on the cliff tops. Video at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tws-RxFb3v8
(Keith Ross))
Thursday 22nd December 2011
Pegwell Bay
Just this past Tuesday while biding from the County Park hide I saw a
distant Peregrine Falcon roosting out on the Sand Bar at the
River Stour to the SE. At around about noon, there was also 1000's of
Lapwing, Golden Plover and about 6 Knot seen out on the exposed
mudflats. (Rob Hewitt)
Wednesday 21st December 2011 Pegwell Bay
I popped down for the dropping tide this morning.
The bay was loaded with birds and as soon as the gloom cleared offshore good
numbers of Divers were seen heading south. The most frustrating sighting of
the morning was a small Grebe species seen swimming around on the other side
of Shellness but it was a bit too distant for an identification - it was one
or the other of the small black and white Grebes. The only other bits of
note were a Marsh Harrier and a/the Water Pipit which was hanging around in
the usual spot. Good numbers of Linnets were present too - the
Country Park flock is somewhere in the 300 range and the road works flock up
opposite the farm was around 70 birds too. My notes for the morning were:
272 Diver species - south, 1 small black and white Grebe
offshore from 10.45, 2 Great Crested Grebe, 46 Cormorant, 45
Brent, 26 Shelduck, 210 Mallard, 125 Teal, 3
Shoveler, 310 Wigeon, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Sparrowhawk,
6320 Lapwing, 3640 Golden Plover, 206 Grey Plover, 31
Ringed Plover, 207 Bar-tailed Godwit, 325 Knot, 220
Great Black Backed Gull, 50 Meadow Pipit, 1 Water Pipit, 2
Redwing, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 2
Goldcrest, 20 Chaffinch, 30 Goldfinch and 370+ Linnets.
(Phil M)
Wednesday 21st December 2011 Dumpton area
Birding while I was walking and working in the Dumpton Area the field
between Dumpton Park Drive and Salisbury Avenue I saw an inland Lesser
Black-backed Gull. This field has had a few Common Gulls (5) with
good numbers of Herring Gulls (30), but this was the first Lesser
Black-backed Gull. Blackbirds (10) in gardens seem abundant and
perhaps in pairs, as are Woodpigeon, Collard Dove, with one or two
Robin. (Robert Hewitt)
Monday 19th December 2011 Pegwell Bay
I popped down the bay for a couple of hours this
afternoon - it was dull and dingy and the weather wasn't much cop either.
Birds of note included 2 Goldeneye, singles of Sparrowhawk,
Merlin and Peregrine and a Short Eared Owl was active for
quite a while before the drizzle became constant mid to late afternoon.
Other bits included 2 Little Egret, 81 Shelduck, 180
Mallard, 440 Wigeon, 290 Teal, 90 Curlew, 100
Bar-tailed Godwit, 1700 Lapwing, 2780 Golden Plover, 10
Snipe, 830 Dunlin, 1500 Herring Gull, 650 Common Gull,
15 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 100 Great Black-backed Gull, 20+
Rock Pipit and 2 Goldcrest. (Phil M)
Wednesday 14th December 2011 Pegwell Bay
I popped down this morning to have a look at the
incoming tide, there wasn't too much going on apart from the expected though
I did see a Water Pipit which was hanging around the scrape before
getting flushed off as the tide rose. The rest of my notes were: 3 Divers
- south, 1 Little Grebe, 4 Great Crested Grebe, 30+
Cormorant, 5 Grey Heron, 1 Brent, 15 Shelduck, 120
Mallard, 530 Wigeon, 4 Shoveler, 2 Common Scoter
- south, 1 Merlin, 1 Sparrowhawk, 450 Oystercatcher, 80
Curlew, the Whimbrel, 146 Bar-tailed Godwit, 50
Redshank, 5610 Lapwing, 2120 Golden Plover, 130 Grey
Plover, 430 Knot, 560 Dunlin, 80 Sanderling, 2
Snipe, 2 adult Yellow Legged Gulls and 1 Goldcrest. (Phil
M)
Tuesday 13th December 2011 King George VI Park
During my run along the under-cliff this morning I saw a Black
Redstart on the cliff below King George VI Park. (Nick Lever)
Monday
12th December 2011 Pyson's Road Area
At least
one Brambling among the Chaffinches (I only saw one, there
could well have been more) in the trees in the footpath that runs between
the Pyson's Road industrial estate and The Silvers estate this afternoon.
(David Cooper)
Sunday 11th December 2011 Chalk hill
Area
Late Chiffchaff feeding furiously in
my rose arch and Red-hot Pokers this morning.11dec 9am . Seem to have lots
of Chaffinches feeding on my sunflower feeders they have decided to
stay for some weeks. I never had chaffinches until spring migration and been
here for 33 years . Speculate they might be the ones that called in the bad
winter of last year. I never get any Starlings in garden now at all. I live
very near the mobile masts at Chalk hill and wonder if the electromagnetic
field of the microwaves upsets them? (Marconi)
Saturday 10th December 2011 Queens Mansions Thanet
As I walked past Louisa Bay yesterday at 14.20 a juvenile Barn
Swallow was feeding in front of the Queens Mansions. Perhaps my latest?
(Brian Short)
Saturday 10th December 2011 Monkton
A Common Buzzard was sitting atop a bush by the A299 as we passed
by this morning. (Nick Lever)
Friday 9th December 2011 Oare Marshes
Beautiful morning after yesterdays winds, walked the
sea walls either side of the road, at the southern end just past the sea
hide came across this very obliging Great White Egret, my brother and
I spent 20 minutes watching it. Along the wall path towards the Sheppey
bridge there were flocks of Reed Buntings, with plenty of Rock
Pipits, Skylarks and possible a few Twite. (Don Wilks)
Friday 9th December 2011 Pegwell Bay
I watched from about 10.20 - 12.45 today, there
wasn't too much going on: My notes included 8 Diver species south and
1 present offshore, 2 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Little Grebe -
garage pool, 21 Brent, 12 Shelduck, 80 Mallard, 250
Wigeon, 120 Teal, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Hen Harrier,
c1500 Lapwing, c 1500 Golden Plover, the Whimbrel,
c150 Bar Tailed Godwit, 2 large Auks - south, 20 Skylark,
4 Redwing and 1 Fieldfare. (Phil M)
Thursday 8th December 2011 Joss Bay
Wednesday lunchtime at Joss Bay I saw a single
Swallow flying West. I think that's the latest I've ever seen around
these parts. (John Carnell)
Monday 5th December 2011 Ramsgate to
Dumpton Gap
Took a walk along the beach from Ramsgate to
Dumpton Gap. Noticed that the Fulmars were back on the cliff tops.
Also around was a Black Redstart, Rock Pipit, Pied Wagtails
and Turnstone. When I arrived a Louisa Bay i spotted a large black
duck offshore. I think it was a (female) Eider Duck which was later joined by a
Great Crested Grebe. Video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYouRnXnAPY (Keith Ross)
Saturday 3rd December 2011 Pegwell Bay
I watched from 2.30 until 4.15 today - the mud
flat was once again packed with birds and the weather was quite nice too,
out of the cool west wind anyway. Bits of note included 2 - 3 Short Eared
Owls and an adult Caspian Gull (probably a female as it was quite
small for a Casper?) and as I was packing up I saw a Hirundine species
flitting about over the Country Park but when trying to get telescope views
for a positive identity lost the bird entirely. The Whimbrel was
still showing plus a Merlin and 2 separate Sparrowhawks were
hassling the waders out on the mud on and off. A few other counts included 1
Little Grebe (garage pool), 51 Cormorant, 4 Grey Heron,
4 Little Egret, 10 Brent, 130 Mallard, 220 Wigeon,
3 Teal, 2810 Golden Plover, 5600 Lapwing, 151
Bar-tailed Godwit, 1 adult Yellow Legged Gull, 340 Great Black
Backed Gulls and 32 Lesser Black Backed Gulls. (Phil M)
Saturday 3rd December 2011 Foreness Area
The Snow Buntings were at Foreness this morning,
just east of the pumping station. Managed to count 13, although they were
extremely flighty and gradually disappeared West towards Walpole Bay. May
have been explained by a Kestrel that was perched on the cliffs
nearby. (John Slade)
Friday 2nd December 2011 Pegwell Bay
A nice two and a bit hours were spent from mid
afternoon until dusk watching the incoming tide today. The mud flat was
covered in birds which were sporadically sent skywards by a marauding
Merlin on a few occasions and then later on a Peregrine which
made a kill (I think a Golden Plover?) but very much top of the pile were
two Owls seen flying around in broad daylight, firstly a Barn Owl
which was seen on a few occasions from 14.55 then about 3.30 a Long Eared
Owl flew along the river bank and landed before having another quick fly
off over the bank near the Samphire. The Long Eared Owl was my first and the
last area sighting since early on in 2009 though no doubt others must have
been overlooked. There were lots of Plovers on the mud on arrival - 9630
Lapwing and 2020 Golden Plover provided quite a spectacle and
quite a few Ducks were flushed into view out of the river at one point.
Other bits and pieces seen included 5 Divers and 5 Common Scoter
flying north offshore, 1 Little Grebe in the main bay and a Marsh
Harrier. Some random counts taken included 5 Little Egret, 4
Grey Heron, 16 Shelduck, 270 Mallard, 480 Wigeon,
115 Teal, 220 Grey Plover, 140 Bar-tailed Godwit, 90
Redshank, 200 Knot, 530 Dunlin, 71 Sanderling,
the Whimbrel (known locally as Wilf), 160 Curlew, 1
Yellow Legged Gull and 47 Meadow Pipits flew south to roost.
(Phil M)
Friday
2nd December 2011 Botany Bay
There were at least 12 Snow Bunting on the dunes
on the north end of Botany today. I could hear a few more calling beneath
the cliff as i watched the main flock feeding, so there may have been a few
more in total. (John Carnell)
