Saturday 31st December 2005 Ash to Goldstone
8:50-11:05am. Decided on a visit on Shank's Pony to
the butcher's in Goldstone to collect tomorrow's dinner & certainly
nice to get out again after the last couple of day's 'restrictions' (Sales
shopping in Canterbury on Thursday was one!! - not my idea!). Complete
contrast to yesterday, with the temp having risen by some 8ºC &
sunny, but still a stiff breeze. 3 Golden Plover swelled the Lapwing
population in the fields at Cop Street & all took flight as we passed.
A Corn Bunting called from the same field a little further on. Our
well-trodden route over the last few days produced the usual Thrush
species, a couple of Great Spotted Woodpeckers & nice views of
small parties of Goldfinch - spectacular in the sunshine. A Little
Egret flew over Sparrow Castle, otherwise nothing else to cause
great excitement. (Ben Ring)
Saturday 31st December 2005 Ramsgate Harbour
A bright morning saw me pedaling down to the harbour for a session
amongst the gulls. High tide was due at 11.30hrs, yet the central bridge
and sluice were opened at least 2 hours before that! Sadly, there were
very few gulls, in fact there were very few birds around the site. A 1st
winter Shag perched on the wall, allowing close study before flying
off to the marina to feed. Rock Pipits, Pied Wagtails, Turnstones
and Sanderlings were foraging amongst the parked cars and stowed
fishing nets quite indifferent to the human activity going on around them.
As the tide reached its' peak the number of Great Black-backed Gulls,
on the central pontoon in the outer harbour, reached 14 birds with 3
Lesser Black-backs and a handful of "argentatus" Herring
Gulls. The resident flock of Herring Gulls was spread between
the Casino and the storage shed, the vast majority perching on the roofs
allowing me to locate white A3GX. Black-headed Gulls numbered less
than 20, although there were several other groups along the beach, back
towards Winterstoke Steps. Along the same stretch of coast Fulmars
were patrolling the cliff and perched up on their ledges yet, surprisingly
there were none along the road between the harbour and Port entrance. Try
as hard as I might, the birding today was particularly dour. The highlight
occurred when, as I was heading home, I found a Firecrest in
the hawthorns beside the railway line next to the Racing Greyhound!
(Dylan)
Saturday 31st December 2005 Ash Late News
Always
find it interesting in my small postage stamp size garden when it snows
& the last couple of days have 'forced' more Blackbirds, a Song
Thrush, a Rook, & even a Black Headed Gull braved it
to snap up the Christmas excess chucked out for them. Yesterday, an
immature Pied Wagtail came in, which really was unusual, taking
keen interest in some Jacobs Cream Crackers! (Ben Ring)
Friday 30th December 2005 Trip Report
Wilstone Reservoir 29th December 2005 Trip
Report
Friday 30th December 2005 Grove Ferry
A short birding jaunt to Grove Ferry today in cold
south southeasterly winds with heavy non-stop snow from 7.30 onwards.
Birds recorded between 6.45 & 10.00am: -
100
Mute Swans flew out, 12 Marsh Harriers before the snow, 2
Bitterns, 2 Cetti's Warblers 1 Snipe, 1 Woodcock,
5 Fieldfares, 100 Teal, 180 Lapwings, 47 Cormorants
east and 9 Carrion Crows east. (Martyn Wilson, Pete Solly &
Alan Asdown)
Thursday 29th December 2005
Minnis bay & Sea Wall
On the green beside the
carpark were 7 Redwing, 3 Fieldfare and 1 Mistle Thrush,
as we continued along the sea wall observing waders along the shoreline we
recorded good numbers of Oystercatchers, Turnstones, Redshanks, Ring
plovers, Sanderling, Dunlin, Grey Plovers, Black Headed Gulls with the
odd Common Gull and Cormorant on the post along the
shoreline, looking out on the sea small groups of Mallard, Herring
Gulls, Brent Geese, turning round and heading back to the carpark
looking inland over the fields we observed 60+ Lapwings, 9 Golden
Plovers, 60+ Black Headed Gulls, 80+ Mute Swans, 3 Grey
Partridges, 2 Little Egrets, 3 Skylarks, 4 Stonechats,
7 Meadow Pipits, 17 Redwing, 7 Fieldfare, 2 Greenfinch,
3 Reed Buntings, 1 Snipe, 2 Moorhens, 17 House
Sparrows, 150 Starlings 60+ Woodpigeons 1 Kestrel ending
with 1 Robin back in the carpark, (Frank & Gadget)
Wednesday 28th December 2005 Grove Ferry
Birding at Grove Ferry today from 7.15 until
10.45 with frequent snow & cold north easterly winds, birds logged
were:-
1 female Sparrowhawk, 11+ Marsh Harriers (4+ males), 1 Ringtail
Hen Harrier, 2 Kestrels, 9 Snipe, 2 Golden Plovers,
1 male Stonechat, 23 Bearded Tits, 2 Wigeon, 2 Bitterns
(1 being mobbed by a pair of Marsh Harriers), 1 Kingfisher,
96 Fieldfares, 2 Shelduck, 2 Cetti's Warblers, 1 Green
Woodpecker, 5 Robins and 30+ Blackbirds. Plus 91 Cormorants
east, 35 Carrion Crows east, 207 Jackdaws east, 11 Rooks east
and 80 Skylarks east but only 4 Mute Swans seen to leave!
(Martyn Wilson)
Wednesday 28th December 2005 Minnis Bay
There were 32 White-fronted Geese on the fields near the sea wall
between the Riding Stables and Coldharbour this morning. (Tim Hodge)
Wednesday 28th December 2005 Ash &
surrounding villages
Further snow overnight made the local roads quite icy
initially so we decided to take a 'village tour' on foot. Starting at
9:30, we left Ash for Goldstone then on to Westmarsh & Elmstone before
returning home at 1:10pm. We alternated between road & farmland where
possible. Again the rattling call of the Fieldfare was ever-present
& there were numerous Blackbirds & Song Thrushes. We
flushed 7 Common Snipe at Cop St & saw perhaps another 10
individuals on our walk. A Siskin was seen at Sheerwater amongst
the Blue Tits & Chaffinches but still dipped on a Brambling!
Returning towards Ash at Molland Farm we caused 7 Grey Partridge to
take flight from the snow covered stubble field. Then, a real bonus, as a
Short Eared Owl (12:50pm) took flight from the ground, initially
flying away & then turning towards us, gliding past quite close,
affording fantastic views in the sunshine. It disappeared over the
Ash by-pass, heading in the Kingsland Farm direction. A great end to a
lovely walk. (Ben Ring)
Tuesday 27th December 2005 Goldstone Drove
& Ash
10am - 1:15pm. A delayed start as we waited for the
snow to ease then walked from home to part way down Goldstone Drove &
then a meandering route back to Ash. As per yesterday, Thrush species made
up the bulk of birds seen, with even more Fieldfares present in
varying flock sizes up to c300 birds. Redwings more noticeable
today amongst the Fieldfares & good to see more Song
Thrushes; a party of 6 flew from the field at Cop St to the sanctuary
of nearby hedges as we walked along the road. We also flushed 2 Common
Snipe there. The Drove hosted foraging parties of Long Tailed Tits
amongst lesser numbers of Blue & Great Tits. The fields had up
to a hundred distant Gulls, Herring & Black Headed, but without
my scope I could not make out anything else of note. Leaving there we
headed toward Sparrow Castle, sighting a group of 10 Curlew in the
field on our return to Ash a fem Marsh Harrier was seen hunting in
almost the same place near Europa Nursery as yesterday. The only other
raptor we saw was a male Kestrel, looking stunning in the sunshine.
(Ben Ring)
Tuesday 27th December 2005 Westgate Thanet
An hour or so sea watching this morning included a Shag E, 130 Red-throated
Divers E, 2 Little Gulls E, 2 Gannets, 1 Kittiwake,
20 Common Scoter, 14 Wigeon and 5 Teal. (Tim Hodge)
(Boxing day) Monday 26th December
2005 Westgate Thanet
There was a male Blackcap in my garden this morning.
(Tim Hodge)
(Boxing day) Monday 26th December
2005 Harbour & Western Undercliff
A quick look around the harbour this morning noted 3 pied
Wagtails, 3 Rock pipits, 2 Kingfishers, 17+ Turnstones,
gulls made up of Herring Gulls, Black-headed Gulls and 3 Great
Black-backed Gulls, along the western undercliff on the rocks the
waders noted 56, Oystercatchers, 37 Turnstones, 3 Grey
Plover, 7 Curlew, (Gadget)
(Boxing day) Monday 26th December
2005 Ash Levels
9
- 11 am. Took our usual 'Patch' walk this morning, finding it feeling
quite cold in the fairly strong breeze but at least there was a
bit of sunshine. Fieldfares, Starlings, & Lapwings in
the hundreds were the 'major players' with quite a few Blackbirds,
5 Mistle & 2 Song Thrushes also seen. A distant Marsh
Harrier was hunting over the levels towards Pfizer as we watched it
from the Europa Nursery. We scanned the numerous Chaffinches in the
orchards in the hope of a Brambling, without success. A Kingfisher
'piped' its approach as it shot past us at Brooke St Farm & 3 Great
Spotted Woodpecker formed a small group in a treetop a little
further on, before dispersing & after selecting individual trees,
proceeded to give us a drum battle - great stuff! We also noted a single Green
Woodpecker. Not outstanding species- wise but a lovely walk to clear
the cobwebs from yesterday. (Ben Ring)
(Christmas Day) Sunday
25th December 2005 Pegwell Bay
I did a mid afternoon until dusk session today due to excessive boredom.
Bird of the day was a 1st winter Glaucous Gull that flew in from
Sandwich just after 2.00pm and settled on the mud for a while before
flying on toward Ramsgate. The only other new arrivals were a flock of 24 Twite.
Other bits included: 7 Brent, 36 Shelduck,c500 Wigeon,
c120 Mallard, 2500 Golden Plover, 3100 Lapwing, 4 Black-tailed
Godwit, 1 Corn Bunting, 2 Peregrine, 1 Merlin, 1 Sparrowhawk,
1680 Herring Gull, 460 Great BB Gull, c50 Lesser BB Gull
and an adult Yellow-legged Gull. (Phil M)
(Christmas Day) Sunday 25th
December 2005 Grove Ferry
A short birding trip to Grove Ferry
today from 6.30 till 9.00 saw no sign of any Bewick's Swans, Bitterns
or Barn Owls but the following was logged: - 3 Marsh Harriers
(1 male), 3 Kestrels, 1 male Sparrowhawk, 1 Grey Heron,
4 Pintail (3 drakes), 181 Golden Plovers, 1 Cetti's
Warbler, 1 Green Sandpiper, 2 Redshanks, 1 Kingfisher,
12 Ruff, 2 Little Egrets, 3 Reed Buntings, 16 Black
Headed Gulls, 1 Green Woodpecker, 44 Fieldfares, 1 Dunnock,
1 Robin and 3 Chaffinches plus an easterly movement of 97 Cormorants,
50 Carrion Crows, 119 Jackdaws and 21 Rooks also 111 Mute
Swans left for the pastures on the levels! (Martyn Wilson)
We would both like to wish all visitors to Planetthanet.org a peaceful
and happy holiday and hope that 2006 will be all that you wish yourselves
- bird full and trouble free. We thank each and every one of our
visitors to the website for their support and encouragement. Our
hope is that you continue logging on to experience the next
stage in the journey that is Planetthanet! (Gadget & Dylan)
Saturday 24th December 2005 Seaton Gravel Pits
We had a fabulous session at Seaton this morning. Parking by the gateway,
we walked across the meadow to the main pit, noting several groups of Fieldfares
as we went. The main lake held a large variety of waterfowl, which
included 8 Smew (1 ad male & 7 red-heads), 2 Goldeneye
(m & f), plus good numbers of Mallard, Gadwall, Wigeon, Tufted Duck
and Pochard. We did see the odd Canada Goose, 5+ Little
Egret, 1 Grey Wagtail, 2 Cetti's Warbler, 3 Chiffchaff,
several Goldcrest and Green Woodpecker. The light improved
as the morning progressed, allowing a few record images of the drake Goldeneye
to be captured. A Water Rail squealed from within a dense patch of
reeds and we heard a Great Spotted Woodpecker "drumming"
from the small wooded area by the small weir. A very pleasant stroll in
the winter sunshine. (Gadget & Dylan)
Saturday
24th December 2005 Grove
Ferry
Today’s
birding at Grove Ferry from 6.30 till 11.00 started with a Barn Owl
at 6.45 and 2 Bewick's Swans again until 7.25. Also logged 6 Marsh
Harriers (3males), 111 Fieldfares, 2 Shelduck, 1 Grey
Heron, 190 Greylag & 1 hybrid Goose, 242 Golden
Plovers, 3500+ Lapwings, 1 Little Egret, 2 Cetti's
Warblers, 1 Snipe, 4 Pochard, 850+ Teal, 2 Water
Rails, 1 Redshank, 10 Bearded Tits, 1 Kingfisher
and 1 Long Tailed Tit. Also 52 Cormorants east, 78 Carrion
Crows east and 225 Jackdaws east plus 121 Mute Swans
left by 8.30. Also 8-10,000 Starlings left roost.
(Martyn Wilson, Alan
Ashdown & Steve Ashton)
Saturday
24th December 2005 Pegwell Bay
Pretty dull out there today - brightened up by a car tick as I cycled
home...a TVR Sagarris. Awesome thing. The birds included: 4
Black-tailed Godwit, 191 Bar-tailed Godwit, 3600 Lapwing,
c3000 Golden Plover, 190 Grey Plover, 340 Knot, 3 Brent,
610 Wigeon, c100 Mallard, 3 Twite, 1 Corn Bunting,
2 Little Grebe and an adult Yellow-legged Gull. (Phil M)
Friday 23rd December 2005 Minnis Bay and Grenham Bay
A brief look off Minnis Bay and Grenham Bay this morning revealed 126 Great
Crested Grebes, 2 Black-throated Divers, 20 Red-throated
Divers, 4 Eider, 1 Common Scoter, 6 Fulmars and
130 Cormorants. A Peregrine flew over
Westgate
Bay
as I was driving along. If Amy (or anyone else) wants to see the Great
Crested Grebes, it’s best to look from the shelter on the cliff top
at the eastern end of
Grenham
Bay
, usually between low and mid-tide. At high tide they often drift further
out and are harder to see. They are not always stunningly close at
Grenham, but it’s probably the most reliable spot for large numbers,
with usually 200-300 present in an average winter, and sometimes-larger
numbers.
(Tim Hodge)
Friday 23rd December 2005 Grove Ferry
Birding at
Grove Ferry from 6.30 till midday started with: -
Friday 23rd December 2005 Pegwell Bay
A quiet afternoon - mainly due to most of the punters' getting kicked off
by the Rozza's mulling over a crime scene on the Country Park. I sneaked
past
on my bike and steered clear of the area where they were poking around
with their magnifying glasses. To be serious for a second (just a second -
no more) there was something heavy going on - and it wasn’t Terry
Preston! Sorry - I just can’t help me self-gunner! The overall ambiance
reminded me of the halcyon days of the BSE scare of a few years back when
everyone was banned from the area and I had it virtually to myself.
Absolutely lovely it was - lovely! Actual peace and quiet - in Thanet!!
Happy days - happy days. Anyway - back from the realms of dreams...Bird
wise it was still poor, though there was lots of common stuff about. I
didn’t conduct ('conduct' slightly pretentious wot?) extensive counts
but I did take note of: 460 Wigeon, 1 Spotted Redshank, 2100
Lapwing, 5600 Golden Plover, 204 Bar-tailed Godwit, 1
Black-tailed Godwit, 3 Corn Bunting, 3 Twite and
there was a lovely Short-eared Owl hunting off the back of the
Garage
Pools when I left about 3.15ish. (Phil M)
Thursday 22nd December 2005 Grove Ferry &
Collards
A spot of birding at Grove Ferry this morning from
7.30 till 11.40 produced: - 7 Marsh Harriers (3 male 3 female &
1 fem/imm), 2 Kestrels 1 superb male Hen Harrier, and 2 Sparrowhawks,
237 Golden Plovers, 2 Shelduck, 3300+ Lapwings, 1 Cetti's
Warbler, 2 Grey Herons, 10 Snipe, 15 Fieldfares,
5 Redshanks, 1200+ Teal, 1 drake Wigeon, 1 Green
Woodpecker, 1 Bearded Tit, 1 Water Rail, 2 Jays,
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 5 Chaffinches, 246 Greylag
Geese, 1 Canada/Greylag hybrid, 17 Black Headed Gulls, 1
Bittern, 4 Reed Buntings, 19 Blackbirds (1 white
throated female!), 1 Redwing, 2 Mistle Thrushes, 4 Robins,
4 Blue Tits, and 6 Magpies. Not much on the Corvids or
Cormorant front with just 8 Cormorants east, 12 Carrion Crows
east and 87 Jackdaws east plus only 13 Mute Swans left the
reserve this morning, also 7500+ Starlings left roost just before
8.00.
A quick half hour at Collards at 12.10 produced: - 1 female Goldeneye,
2 female Marsh Harriers, 1300 Wigeon, 850 Tufted Ducks and
10 Pintail. (Martyn W)
Thursday
22nd December 2005 White-Ness
A1 Winter Glaucous
Gull loafing around White-Ness this morning. (F Solly)
Wednesday
21st December 2005 Pegwell Bay
Quite peaceful on the people front (which is the main objective these
days) but not much to stir the cockles of the heart bird-wise. Amongst the
stuff I could be bothered to write down were: 1 Little Egret, 760 Wigeon,
260 Mallard, 191 Bar-tailed Godwit, 2 Black-tailed Godwit,
1080 Dunlin, 56
Sanderling, 290 Knot, 1700 Golden Plover, c1000 Lapwing,
1 Peregrine, 1 Sparrowhawk and 2 Corn Bunting. There
were also 2 Little Grebes on the garage pools and 2 Stonechats
across on Shellness Point. (Phil M)
Tuesday 20th December 2005 Ramsgate
Harbour
Another very pleasant morning, made even better when, on arriving at the
harbour, I bumped into Ben Ring. We spent an enjoyable 90, or so, minutes
wandering around the site yet saw very little in reality. A Kingfisher
was seen on a couple of occasions perched on the wooden walkway and marina
wall by the ESL mooring area, below Jacob's Ladder (the steps by the
Seaman's Chapel) A Ringed Plover and a Redshank joined the
immature Shag in the outer harbour behind the laundry block and we
watched a Curlew fly across the ferry turning circle as we retraced
my steps in search of the Shore Lark - unsuccessfully! We walked
along to the Port entrance, but nothing to report other than a pair of Fulmars
high up on a nesting ledge. A couple of Rock Pipits and the
usual assortment of gulls about sums up the session, but at least I
was out in the fresh air in excellent company. (Dylan)
Tuesday 20th December 2005 Foreness & Tesco
(Westwood) Thanet
3 adult and 1 2nd winter Med
Gulls (as usual) on the cliff-top grass at Foreness this morning and a
Dartford Warbler in the cliff-top weeds, and a Long-eared Owl was
hunting in Tesco (Westwood) Car Park yesterday evening. (F Solly)
Monday 19th December 2005 Chambers Wall
I saw a Waxwing along Chambers Wall cross the
railway at the main crossing up on the raised embankment and heading
in a Reculver direction, you come to some trees on the right, the Waxwing
was sitting in one of the trees it then flew off in the direction of Herne
bay, I managed one half decent photo. (Mick Schroepfer)
Monday 19th December 2005 Pegwell Bay
A quick session this afternoon turned up amongst
other things: 2 Peregrine, 1 Sparrowhawk, 4000 Lapwing,
5000 Golden Plover, 1 Spotted Redshank, 1 Mediterranean
Gull, 2 Short-eared Owl and 2 Snow Buntings. (Phil M)
Monday 19th December 2005 Ramsgate Undercliff
A possible Chiffchaff at the base of the cliff wall by the fencing,
enjoying bugs in the sunshine. (Steve Tantop)
Monday 19th December 2005 Ramsgate Harbour
Another glorious December morning so I used my time to look through the
Gulls in the harbour. I think I must be having some kind of withdrawal
symptoms as, although there were very few birds present, due to the state
of the tide, I really enjoyed myself. 120 -ish Herring Gulls -
included white A3GX. It has now become an established member of the flock
and looks set to spend the winter around the harbour. 1 Lesser &
7 Greater Black-backed and 30+ Black-headed Gulls made up
the bulk of the remainder. Turnstones were pecking about the
pontoons and concrete landing stage with 4 Rock Pipits and a
couple of Pied Wagtails. I glimpsed a Kingfisher as it
flashed across the outer harbour headed towards the Lifeboat Station. I
was hoping that there might be a Kittiwake, or two, as I made
my way around to view the Ferry turning circle when my attention was
drawn to a passerine that flew passed and landed further along the wall. I recognised the
call, but daren't believe my luck when I located a smart adult Shore
Lark
perched on the harbour wall. I managed to get just 5 pics before it
flew off across the harbour and appeared to land around the A&P
Shipyard/Casino area. I did try to relocate it about 20 minutes later but
didn't succeed, however, I feel sure that it is still in the vicinity.
Ramsgate Main Beach looks a good bet; I just didn't have the time.
Pedalling home I noted 2 Grey Wagtails and several rafts of Fulmars
sat on the sea just off-shore. Oh yeah, there was a 1st winter Shag fishing
amongst the boats in the marina and my session ended with fabulous views
of a female Sparrowhawk spiralling above West Dumpton Lane.
(Dylan)
Monday 19th December 2005 Returned BTO Ring
Report
Starling
BTO ring number (metal) CL 36586 12th June 2005
Sunday
18th December 2005 Pegwell Bay
I watched the dropping tide from 1.30pm. It was a lovely afternoon spoiled
only by the myriads of badly behaved dog walkers and low flying airplanes.
At least it's given me something to moan about. Bird wise - 3 Short-eared
Owls and the first Snow Buntings of this autumn/winter period
the highlights. There were 2 Short-eared Owls in the 100-acre field
across the
river plus another on the Country park, which had a quick hunt in the salt
marsh near the car park. The Snow Buntings were over on Shellness
point. The counts for today were: 3 Little Egret, 1 Red-Throated
Diver-north, 2 Little Grebe, 5 Great Crested Grebe, 5 Brent,
75 Shelduck, 148 Mallard, 4 Gadwall, 3 Teal,
740 Wigeon, 1 Eider-south, 190 Curlew, 191 Bar-tailed
Godwit, 1500 Golden Plover, 500 Lapwing, 145 Grey
Plover, 1 Ringed Plover, 190 Knot, 2 Stonechat, 2
Corn Bunting and a Peregrine. (Phil M)
Sunday 18th December 2005 Minster Sewage Treatment Plant
A busy schedule meant that I could grab just a couple of hours this
morning. A beautiful, crisp, winter's day with bright sunshine and not a
breath of wind meant that I could discard the "Barbour" but not
the gloves! Parking along Station Approach, I walked across the railway
line and made my way along the footpath. Blackbirds were very
numerous, I recorded 61, but don't claim it to be particularly accurate
count - I am easily distracted. Chaffinches, Blue, Great and Long-tailed
Tits, several Robins, 3 Wrens and 40+ Moorhens (feeding
around the margins of the fields - the dykes being frozen over!) were
noted as I made my way towards the treatment plant. Large flocks of Lapwings
were present on the fields and numbered in the thousands. I also recorded
a few Golden Plover along with single Redshank and Curlew.
The scrub area around the sewage farm held an adult male Blackcap,
4 Yellowhammer, 5 Goldfinch, 4 Chiffchaff, 1 Goldcrest
and a superb Kingfisher, that I flushed from the side of the River
Stour. I had hoped to find a flock of swans in the area, but apart from a
group of 6 immature Mute Swans, I couldn't locate any fields of
oilseed rape that they favour during the cold weather. A cracking walk and
a very pleasing selection of birds in such a small area. (Dylan)
Sunday
18th December 2005 Chamber's Wall & Oyster Farm
I had a walk from Chamber’s Wall over to the Oyster Farm and back this
morning. A few bits included a pair of Goosander flying west, 41 Snow
Buntings feeding together on the beach near Coldharbour and 11 Little
Egrets around the Oyster Farm. Mat Hindle also saw a Goldeneye
and the Black Brant feeding with the Brent Geese down at the
Minnis Bay end.
(Tim Hodge)
Sunday
18th December 2005 Chamber's Wall & Reculver Marshes
Decided,
as it was a nice morning to go and see if the Pink-footed Geese
were still over at Chamber's Wall amongst the Brent Geese, I
located the flock of Geese down by the paddocks, but could not locate the Pink-footed
Geese or the Black Brant, I observed along the way 1 Kestrel,
1 Fieldfare, 2 Mistle Thrushes, 2 Blue Tits, good
numbers of Blackbirds, 3 Stonechats, 2 Reed buntings,
4 Dunnocks, 7 Meadow Pipits a flock of 67 House Sparrows,
17 Golden Plover, 28 Lapwings, 27 Mute Swans, 2 Little
Egrets, 3 Grey Heron, 5 Moorhens,1 Marsh Harrier.
(Gadget)
Saturday 17th December 2005 Dumpton Thanet
Late afternoon I had a Merlin sitting out in
the field behind my house being late afternoon the light was to low for me
to take a photograph, but tomorrow is another day so lets get out there
and see what we can find, enjoy the birds (Gadget)
Saturday 17th December 2005 Grove Ferry
I didn't get out until early afternoon and used my limited time to visit
the reserve at Grove Ferry. A strong north-westerly made the day feel raw,
but the sun was shining allowing decent views across the reedbeds and
pools. The ramp overlooked a deserted scene, just 2 Shelduck and a
handful of Lapwing and Black-headed Gull with a lonely
female Stonechat on the fence. Further along the pathway I arrived
at the "Green" hide to scan the pool and was happily surprised
to see 3 Ruff feeding amongst a group of 6 Redshanks away to
the left of the hide. A small group of Mallards had 5 Teal
and 2 Gadwall in their midst, an immature Water Rail foraged
along the muddy margins at the base of the reeds on the far side
of the pool and a Grey Heron flew in to join the crowd, yet
nothing particularly interesting to write home about! Harrison's Drove was
almost devoid of birdlife. I flushed a female Reed Bunting from the
track and an adult male Marsh Harrier did the same to 3 Common
Snipe, sheltering in the grass around the newly excavated scrape. My
day totals were 7 Marsh Harriers, 1 adult male Hen Harrier,
2 Cetti's Warbler and a few Bearded Tits, calling, unseen
from deep within the reedbeds. 85+ Fieldfares appeared overhead, as
they came into roost in the hawthorns in the paddock and I also noted several
mixed flock of corvids flying west along the valley towards Trenley Park Woods.
At least 135 Jackdaws, 200 Rooks and 110 Carrion Crows were
counted as I made my way around the reserve, the figures are not
particularly accurate, as I was more interested in looking at
other birds around the area. Other bits around the surrounding area
included 1800+ Lapwings, in two large flocks, that were regularly
flushed by the activities of the Marsh Harriers and I noticed a few
Golden Plover were feeding in the meadow besides the ramp, as I walked
back towards the carpark. (Dylan)
Saturday 17th December 2005
Joss Bay
Spent 30 minutes at Joss Bay this afternoon. Did see 15 Grey
Plovers fly north but not much else on the sea. Most of the
action was down on the beach, where I saw c25 Sanderling,
c25 Turnstone, 2 Ringed Plover, 1 Curlew and
2 Pied Wagtails. There were also 44 Curlew
in the field next to the lighthouse. Highlight though was another
colour-ringed bird, a Turnstone this time, left tibia
blue c-ring, right tarsus yellow c-ring. I do wonder if it isn't
maybe missing a ring? It seems to be from a scheme in the
Netherlands (based on internet search), but unfortunately the email
address provided on the euring web site was no longer available.
I've sent the info off to the BTO and will forward when if I get anything
back (Jerry)
Saturday 17th December 2005 Ramsgate Harbour
I was up early so i decided to try a seawatch off the east pier. It was
'el freezo!!' (1 degree above 'el freezerooni' the lowest of all
temperatures known to modern mankind) and I did well to endure an hour -
from first light especially as it was awfully slow. I left at 8.30am
having seen: 15 Red-throated Divers, 16 large Auks, c12 Kittiwakes,
7 Brent Geese, 1 Eider, 3 Common Scoter, 1 Slavonian
Grebe and a couple of Great Crested Grebes - mainly all heading
north. There were 2 1st winter Shags in the harbour - 1 in the
inner and 1 in the outer basin. (Phil M)
Friday
16th December 2005 Pegwell Bay
I arrived on the high tide to make the last high tide Turnstone
count of the year. There were 140 Turnstones plus a bonus Purple
Sandpiper on the high tide roost near the Hoverpad. On arrival in the
Bay there were lots of large Gulls, Wildfowl and large Plovers (many
1000’s) but the only quality thing I could make out amongst the throngs
was a 1st winter Caspian Gull which ended up landing about 500
yards offshore amongst a large group of other Gulls. Bird of the day was a
juvenile Great Northern Diver that spent the afternoon offshore
showing as close as it could possible get at some points. The 3 Twite were
still showing in the normal area 100 yards south of the car park. The
common bird counts included: 1 Little Grebe, 6 Great Crested
Grebe, 2 Brent, 24 Shelduck, 910 Wigeon, 120 Mallard,
1 Teal, 2 Sparrowhawk, 360 Oystercatcher, 150 Bar-tailed
Godwit, 3 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Ringed Plover, 6-7000 Golden
Plover, c5000 Lapwing, 8 Corn
Bunting and 4 Divers passed by offshore. (Phil, Slimothy, Hairy and
Tiddler)
Thursday 15th December 2005 Jacky Bakers Thanet
A Long-eared Owl, Jacky Bakers at dusk (F
Solly)
Thursday 15th December 2005 Chamber's
Wall & Reculver
Marshes
Being
a nice afternoon I decided to go over to Chamber's Wall and have a look
around. In one of the fields 300+Brent Geese and (poor record photos) of
4 Pink-footed Geese - the light was naff! Also recorded 5 Little Egret, 2 Kestrel, 1 Marsh Harrier,28
Snow Buntings, 3 Stonechats, 4 Corn Bunting, and
good number of Oystercatchers, Ring Plover, along the shoreline and
there was a flock of 54 Mute Swans down past Shuart towards Minnis.
(Gadget)
Wednesday 14th December 2005 Oare Marshes Reserve
Had a couple of hours at Oare Marshes this morning seeing the usual mix
including 5 Stonechat, 2 Skylark, c 50 Dunlin,
2 Little Egret, Reed Bunting, 5 Greenfinch,
2 or 3 Marsh Harriers, Grey Heron, Lapwing,
Redshank, 2 Pintail and all the normal
wildfowl. Highlight was the flock of maybe 400 Black-Tailed
Godwits in amongst which was a colour-ringed bird - right tibia lime
green over orange, left tibia dark green over black. A quick search of the
internet showed this bird probably came from Iceland. I emailed off
the details of the bird to the relevant address and within 5 minutes
received the details of the bird's history. It was ringed in Iceland as an
adult female on 23/06/2005.It hasn't been seen before outside Iceland.
(Jerry)
Wednesday
14th December 2005 Ramsgate Harbour & Westcliff
I watched off the east pier between 7.30 and 9.10am and it was 'pants'. I
see'd: 69 Divers, 57 Large Auks, a couple of kittiwakes,
4 flyby Great Crested Grebes plus another dozen or so sitting
offshore, 4 Common Scoter, a handful of Kittiwakes and there
appeared to be a bit of Fulmer movement first thing with at least
40 birds flying north past the Harbour. There were 2 1st winter Shags
in the harbour and naff all save a single Great Crested Grebe
offshore and a few Mipits off the Westcliff.
(Phil M)
Wednesday
14th December Grove Ferry
I
had a run out to Grove Ferry today, there were good number of Lapwings
1000+ but not much else from the ramp, as I walk towards the green hide I
had 1
Cetti's Warbler calling, 1 Marsh Harriers over the reedbeds,
from within the hide 3 Redshank, 1Tufted 1 Cormorant
and 14 Mallard on the way back to the car I had 4 Mistle
Thrushes, 7 Blackbirds, in the field to the right and 2 Robin
1 Great Tit in the carpark. (Gadget)
Tuesday 13th December 2005 Minnis Bay
Quieter on the sea today. I watched with
Marc Heath
from 08:00 for a couple of hours and saw a Red-necked Grebe, 40 Red-throated
Divers E, 45 Guillemots E, 3 Shelduck W, 11 Wigeon
W, 8 Great Crested Grebes, 22 Common Scoter and 27 Teal.
Marc also saw a Slavonian Grebe offshore before I arrived. (Tim
Hodge)
Monday 12th December 2005 Minnis Bay
Quite a lot on the sea this morning between 08:00 and 11:00, including: -
2 Puffins E. 1 Sooty Shearwater W, 2 Velvet Scoters E
, 810 Guillemots E, 188 Red-throated Divers E, 14 Gannets
, 17 Kittiwakes E, 27 Great Crested Grebes E, 1 Red-breasted
Merganser W, 4 Wigeon E, 9 Common Scoters, 126 Cormorants
, 34 Gadwall (Tim
Hodge)
Monday
12th December 2005 Ramsgate Harbour & West-Cliff
I sea watched off the east pier at Ramsgate between 7.30 and 9.30am.It was
slow but some of the birds were very close in which made up for the lack
of activity. The only quality thing I saw was a Pomarine Skua which
flew south at 8.55 and sub-quality was made up of a Black-throated
Diver and a flock of 5 flyby Purple Sandpipers. Other stuff
included 26 Red-throated
Diver, 71 large Auk, 31 Gannet, 9 Brent, 30 Common
Scoter, 1 Eider plus 20+ Kittiwakes flew in behind a
ferry and there were 2 Kingfishers flying about off the west pier.
I couldn’t find any Shag’s around the harbour and there was
naff all along the promenade/west cliff as is usual. (Phil M)
Sunday 11th December 2005 Chamber's
Wall & Reculver
Marshes
A
beautiful crisp morning, so I headed off back to Chamber's Wall for
another foray around the Reculver Marshes. No sign of the Waxwing,
or Snow Buntings as I wandered around, although Chris, Anne &
Matt did find the Snow Buntings later in the morning. There were 6 Red-throated
Divers off of Coldharbour and I added 5 Great Crested Grebes,
37 Wigeon, 9 Gadwall, 1 Shelduck, 1 Common
& 1 Velvet Scoter (female - not male, as I had earlier reported
to Tim, sorry mate!) to my list as I walked along the seawall towards
the riding stables. Quite a few passerines around the area. Reed
Bunting, Greenfinch, Meadow Pipit, House Sparrow, 5 Stonechat, 1
Brambling, 7 Chaffinch, 15+ Goldfinch, 3 Fieldfare and a small trickle
of Siskin (Tim Hodge reported 56 west in little over 30
minutes at the railway crossing) were all seen and I had distant views of
a Marsh Harrier being mobbed by a Carrion Crow over by
Shuart. A ring-tailed Hen Harrier flew across the field besides the
Wantsum as I headed back to the car. A very pleasant session in the winter
sunshine. (Dylan)
Saturday 10th December 2005 Hooded Merganser at Chilham
Hi all, I
spent a pleasant couple of hours at Chilham this morning watching and
drawing the Hooded merganser swimming, preening, feeding and
eventually flying strongly around the lake. Having confidently asserted
that I thought it was a first winter male I found as time passed that i
began to have a few misgivings, not least because in my experience of
captive birds I expected it to show something of a paler eye. When
it finally gave views at closer range in good light the iris was clearly a
deep reddish brown, which comparison with the literature supports the view
the bird is an adult and likely to be female!! So I am a bit confused and
if I told you I was confident about it being a male then I have sort of
changed my mind a bit, sorry!! Is it too much to hope that it will stay
around until spring? I would dearly love to find out the answer to this
puzzle. I have no real opinion as to its origins or status; it's
simply a very nice little bird. Good birding (Norman Mccanch)
Saturday 10th December 2005 Chamber's
Wall to Coldharbour
Having spent an excellent morning at Chilham, Gadget & I headed over
to the Reculver Marshes. We parked in the fishermen's carpark and walked
along the track to the seawall over at Coldharbour Lagoon. I think
that the underlying reason for us going there was the hope of a few pics
and a chance of a Rough-legged Buzzard, oh! And plus the weather
was wonderful. Nothing out of the ordinary to report on our way across to
the seawall. A female Kestrel perched in a stunted Hawthorn,
besides the Wantsum, and a Reed Bunting posed briefly in a bush
besides the track, but it was quite un-eventful. Arriving at the seawall
we could see large numbers of ducks gathered in flocks on the glassy sea. Gadwall,
Shoveler, Teal, Wigeon and Mallard were all-present and I
spotted Red - throated Diver and Great Crested Grebe a
little further out. We made a check of the Brent Geese
along the shoreline, but failed to locate the Black Brant. However,
we managed to locate a nice flock of 31 Snow Bunting and bump into
Don Wilkes who informed us that we has just walked past a very confiding Waxwing
that he had been photographing by the railway crossing. We retraced
our steps, seeing a smart pair of Stonechats along the way. As
predicted, the Waxwing was still present, feeding on Rose-hips and
drinking in a puddle by the sluice system on the seaward side of the
railway line. We spent quite a while recording some stunning images of
this bird before the setting sun dictated we headed back to Dumpton.
(Dylan & Gadget)
Saturday 10th December 2005 Mid - Kent Fisheries Lake, Chilham
As I have spent the passed week in the confines of the Sericol Inks
training area so it was great to get out for a session
"twitching" the Hooded Merganser at Chilham. Frank
provided the wheels and Gadget sat in for the ride, we sallied forth
in good spirits, to Chilham. The Hooded Merganser behaved
impeccably, very active and wary. The consensus of opinion, amongst the
birders present, is that the bird is a 1st winter male.
(Norman McCanch is willing to bet a shilling on this fact - we bumped into
him as he was completing a dodgy field sketch - get a digital camera you
cheap skate!) As I had never been to the venue before, I happily wandered
about the area logging many other species. The supporting cast to the
"star turn" included good numbers of Siskins along with
several Kingfishers, Long-tailed Tits, Goldcrest, 1 Great
Spotted Woodpecker and the usual waterfowl associated with the pits
along the Stour Valley. It is a fabulous bit of habitat and a smart little
duck, basically "you pays your money and takes your chance" Go, have
a look and make up your own mind - simple as that! (Dylan - Frank &
Gadget)
Saturday 10th December 2005 Reculver
A Great Northern Diver was feeding on the sea between Reculver and
Coldharbour this morning, although it spent most of the time underwater.
Other bits included 31 Snow Buntings plus about three hundred duck
offshore, comprising Shoveler, Shelduck, Gadwall, Teal, Mallard and
Wigeon. Apparently the Black Brant was also still present.
(Tim Hodge)
Friday
9th December 2005 Pegwell Bay
I watched the incoming afternoon tide in glorious weather. There were lots
of Gulls, Ducks and especially Plovers on view with 10,000+ Lapwings
and 6500 Golden Plovers showing between the Bay and Sandwich. There
was
a Short-eared Owl hunting the area near the garage pools also 3 Twite,
the over wintering Sandwich Tern, a Ruff and 3 Little
Grebes amongst the everyday winter birds. The other counts were: 1 Little
Egret, 4 Divers
(north), 3 Little Grebe, c100 Bar-tailed Godwit, 970 Dunlin,
3 Brent, 9 Shelduck, 50 Teal, 740 Wigeon, 150 Mallard,
1 Stonechat, 2 Sparrowhawk
30 Pied Wagtail (south to roost), 1420 Herring Gull and 1220
Common Gulls. (Phil M)
Thursday 8th December 2005 Pegwell Bay
I spent a couple of hours on the incoming tide this afternoon. Amongst the
1000's of Gulls on view I managed to come across 4-6 Yellow-legged
Gulls and a very large 'yellow-legged' Argentatus Herring Gull.
The common bird counts turned up: 1 Little Egret, 4 Brent, 5
Shelduck, 186 Mallard, 650 Wigeon, 22 Teal, 1 Peregrine,
1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Corn Bunting, 3400 Lapwing, 161
Grey Plover, 4030 Golden Plover, 1 Black-tailed Godwit,
147 Bar-tailed Godwit, 1 Spotted Redshank, 1120 Dunlin,
4+ Yellow-legged Gull (perhaps 5-6?), 1000+ Herring Gull,
198 Lesser BB Gull, 630 Great BB Gull, 350 Common Gull
and 2 Divers sp. south. The Little Grebe was till on the
garage pools when I left. (Phil M)
Thursday 8th December 2005 Minnis Bay
I did think about going to Reculver to see if I could se the Rough-legged
Buzzard seen there yesterday evening, but in the end opted for an
hour’s sea watch at
Minnis
Bay
. Not a huge amount going on, so a Puffin that flew east fairly
close inshore was a distinct bonus. Other bits included 42 Red-throated
Divers E, 48 Common Scoter sitting offshore, 97 Cormorants
roosting on the sandbanks, 2 Kittiwakes E, 2 Guillemots E, 4
Great Crested Grebes and 3 Fulmars.
(Tim Hodge)
Wednesday
7th December 2005 Pegwell Bay
We watched the afternoon incoming tide (Slim, John Veal and I) which was
very-very quiet once again. The highlights of the trip were a Little
Grebe in the garage pools, an adult Mediterranean Gull and a
male Hen Harrier hunting across in the 100-acre field. There were
very few Golden Plovers on the mud (only 1) though there were c2000
flying about at distance over
towards Sandwich Bay. The common bird counts turned up:1 Peregrine,
4 Divers (north), 192 Mallard, 460 Wigeon, 3 Shoveler,
4 Gadwall, c12 Teal, 1 Grey Heron, 1 Little Egret,
890 Dunlin, 58 Sanderling, 210 Knot, 2 Black-tailed
Godwit, 144 Bar-tailed Godwit, 150 Grey Plover, 2500 Lapwing,
c30 Snipe and 170 Curlew. (Phil M)
Wednesday 7th December 2005 Chilham TR078536
Frank
and myself left Ramsgate, late morning, and headed out over to Chilham as
neither of us had ever seen a Hooded Merganser before! On arriving
at the carpark we made a our way down the path and soon
meet up with other birders who were looking out across the lake. On
the far side we observed the Hooded
Merganser (female/1st-winter - type) and managed a few record images.
The only other birds noted, on and around the lake, were good
numbers of Tufted Duck & Coot, one
Scaup, Shoveler, Mallard, Mute Swan, Cormorant, Black-headed Gull
and some Moorhens, around the fringes. Along the path Robin,
Blue & Great Tits, whilst in the carpark Siskin &
Redpoll were in the tops of the trees. (Frank & Gadget)
Tuesday 6th December 2005
Ringed recovery report
Great
Black-backed Gull (JU0Z) 28th November 2005
Tuesday 6th December 2005 Stodmarsh & Grove
Ferry
Took
the circular walk around the reserve, starting at Stodmarsh end, between
8:10 - 11:40 this morning. Although overcast to start the sun did emerge
around 10:30, the temp 5-7oC,with a very light breeze. Not a great deal to
report save for the fact there was absolutely _no birds_ to be seen from
the Ramp (due to some 'environmental treatment' spraying going on).
This meant that some 100 or so Teal were present at the Turf Hide
(a Bittern was reported at around 10:15 from there). As to where
the Ramp's normal 'residents' decided to take up temporary quarters was
anyone's guess but my thought that it would be either the Harrison’s
Drove or from the Marsh Hide was woefully inaccurate - again neither
viewing points produced any birds (tell a lie, the Marsh Hide had 3 Black
Headed Gulls which promptly took off when I opened the Hide's
window!). At various times on my walk, large 'clouds' of several hundred Lapwing
shifted around the skies, obviously feeling displaced by the 'works'
going on. I was pleased to find a flock of some 30 Siskin on my way
out from Stodmarsh towards Grove & again a similar number feeding on
the ground with a assortment of other Finches & Tits, on my
return by the nature trail. A handful of Common Redpoll amongst
them. I also noted a pair of Bullfinch, which showed briefly. Fieldfares
& Redwings were present but not in any great numbers, the Thrush
fraternity being largely of the Blackbird variety - perhaps the
fact the berries were thin on the ground was a relevant factor.
Raptor-wise it was very quiet, with just 2 single Marsh Harriers (M
& f) & 2 Kestrels.
I therefore struggled to get 43 species & to emphasis how quiet it was
I didn't see a single Greylag Goose!! (Ben Ring)
Tuesday
6th December 2005 Ramsgate Harbour & Pegwell Bay
I popped down in the morning to see if there were any Divers passing
through off the east pier on the light northerly wind. I only stayed for
45 minutes as it was a bit slow. I saw 56 Red-throated Divers plus
a handful of Auks and a single Kittiwake plus there was an
adult Shag sitting on the western breakwater in almost exactly the
same spot I saw one about 2 weeks ago. Probably the same bird as it is
showing a slight crest, as was the one on the last sighting. The western
undercliff was deadly though there were lots of birds out on the mud at
the mouth of Pegwell though nothing
of any note. In the early afternoon I went back to watch the incoming tide
which was once again reasonably uneventful. The highlights were: 2 Black-T
Godwit, 1 adult Yellow-Legged Gull and a boat flushed a further
26 Red-throated Divers up out of the bay which included a rather
close flock of 14 birds. Pete Forrest had 4 Twite across on
Shellness point plus I had a couple of flight views of a flock of 13 birds
which were last seen flying across the salt marsh which eventually landed
over on the riverbank at about 2.00pm or thereabouts. The common bird
counts turned up: 1 Sparrowhawk, 20 Rock Pipits, 7 Corn
Bunting, 220 Great BB Gull, c30 Lesser BB Gull, 740 Herring
Gull, 7 Great Crested Grebe, 100 Curlew, 580 Oystercatcher,
180 Knot, 100 Bar-T Godwit, 1200 Lapwing, 330 Golden
Plover, 140 Grey Plover, 42 Sanderling, 870 Dunlin,
25 Snipe, 190 Redshank, 380 Wigeon, 2 Gadwall,
132 Mallard, 21 Teal and 2 Shoveler. (Phil M)
Monday 5th December 2005 Dumpton Thanet
An
exhausted Quail was found by a member of the general public at
Dumpton this morning, Id confirmed by S Mount. (F Solly)
Sunday 4th December 2005 Herne Bay Downs
An obliging male Dartford Warbler was calling and singing
occasionally on Herne Bay Downs today. (Tim Hodge)
Thursday 1st December 2005 Ramsgate Harbour
A very short session around the harbour resulted in the following
sightings - 5 Shag (4 1st winter & 1 ad), 2 Kingfisher,
270+ Herring Gull - including 45+ "argentatus"
Northern Herring Gulls, 4 Lesser Black-back, 31 Greater
Black-back, 23 Black-headed and a lone adult Kittiwake.
At least 7 Rock Pipits around the harbour with 50+ Turnstone and
6 Sanderling. On my way home there was a Firecrest,
in the Holme Oaks opposite Newland's School, in Ramsgate Cemetery. (Dylan)
Thursday 1st December 2005 Ramsgate Cemetery
Decided to have a look around the Cemetery after
lunch good numbers of Blackbirds though out the Cemetery, Magpies,
Carrion Crows, and Herring Gulls also plentiful only 2 Green
Woodpeckers, 1 Jay, 7 Rose-ringed Parakeets, then over
in the south west corner I came across a mixed group of Tits 3 Blue, 2
Great, 5 Long-tailed also within the group was 3 Goldcrest.
(Gadget)
