Tuesday 27th February 2007 Rye & Walland
Marsh
The weekend was spent in
Rye
, with trips around the harbour reserve and the marsh. The first
sighting was in the dark of the evening, with a Barn Owl sitting on
a post by the road by a canal, illuminated by the headlights as we passed.
I persuaded my wife to turn around for another view, and we watched its
wheeling flight, as it returned to its post. The
Rye
Harbour
reserve was notable only for a Black-necked Grebe, and some Mediterranean
Gulls in breeding plumage looking very smart – they noisily showed
off their different calls, against the cacophony of the Black-headed
Gulls. Ruddy Ducks provided some entertainment, with the males
displaying constantly. Offshore were two large rafts of Common
Scoter. Finally, we drove across the marsh from the Woolpack Inn
towards Lydd to track down a flock of a dozen Tree Sparrows that
I’d seen a few weeks ago. They were still there by a barn in the middle
of nowhere, with a small flock of Yellowhammers. A Marsh
Harrier slowly quartered the fields, in this strange lonely place.
(Steve Coates)
Monday
26th February 2007 Broadstairs to Winterstoke Steps
A very casual walk along the coastal path today.
Birds seen included 11 Purple Sandpiper, 14 Great
Crested Grebe, 1 Red-throated Diver, 3 Pied
Wagtail plus the regular mix of Turnstone & Oystercatcher
along the shoreline with good numbers of Fulmar patrolling
the chalk cliffs. (Dylan)
Sunday
25th February 2007 Minnis Bay to Coldharbour Lagoon
I parked, at Minnis Bay, just after 06.30hrs and took
a stroll along the seawall to Coldharbour Lagoon. Dawn was bright enough,
yet the forecast rain didn't take long to materialize! Sanderling,
Turnstone, Oystercatcher, Redshank,
Ringed and Grey Plover were noted
as I walked along the cycle track. Reed Bunting and Meadow
Pipit were very numerous along the path and ditches that run
parallel with the seawall. Coldharbour Lagoon held a lone Little
Egret, 2 Little Grebe and 3 Shelduck.
Walking a little further west, I managed to locate 2 Shore Lark
feeding quietly on the shingle ridge. My return walk coincided with the
fall of the tide and several large flocks of Brent Geese
moved along the coast, totaling 350+ by the time I got back to the car.
Several of the adjacent fields had large areas of water laying on their
surface and one particularly large puddle had attracted a flock of 40+ Dunlin
and another Shelduck. The only other birds of note were a
flyover Snow Bunting at Coldharbour, 2 Marsh
Harrier hunting the fields beyond the Oyster Farm, a Kingfisher
along the tide line and a pair of Lapwing displaying over
a ploughed field near Shuart. (Dylan)
Sunday
25th February 2007 Monks' Wall Reserve
Today saw the
first addition to my Monks' Wall site list since June of last year in
the form of 2 over flying Rose-ringed Parakeet - OK not
so exciting, but there you go. Also present was the usual collection
of hedgerow birds including Green Woodpecker, a
singing Skylark, 2 Long-tailed Tit and
1 Bullfinch. On the reserve itself: 6 Curlew,
c70 Wigeon, 10 Teal, 1 Shoveler,
1 Lapwing, c80 Black-headed Gulls, 3 Common
Gull, 1 Coot and 1 Moorhen.
(Jerry Lanfear).
Sunday 25th February 2007 Ash Levels
Took
a hurried walk around 'the manor' (Patch) this am between 9 & 11:30 as
the rain insisted on following us! Plenty of birdsong to lift the spirits
with Dunnock, Wren & Robin particularly noticeable.
Along Cop St, we flushed 3 Red Legged Partridge & later, along
Goldstone Drove, 2 Grey Partridge. We encountered 3 Ring Necked
Parakeets at Lower Goldstone & 12 Redwing in a treetop
near the butchers. Several sightings of Great Spotted Woodpeckers
at various points & a solitary Green Woodpecker, Bird of the
day was a male Bullfinch at Swallows Brook, the first I have seen
on my Patch walk since 2004! (Ben Ring)
Friday 23rd
February 2007 Oare Marsh
I spent most
of the day at Oare Marsh arriving at 9 and not leaving till 4 - what a
great way to spend a day. All the usual stuff was there, but the
following caught my eye: 6 Avocet (the main flock
seemed to be across the channel at Harty), at least 6 Stonechat,
some every confiding Reed Bunting and Pied
Wagtail, 1 Black-tailed Godwit, a Little
Stint, c50 Redshank on the reserve at high tide,
4 Marsh Harrier, 2 Great Crested Grebe,
a single Skylark, heard singing on numerous occasions, 4 Pintail,
2 Red breasted Mergansers on the Swale and a single Peregrine
heading east. (Jerry Lanfear)
Wednesday 21st February 2007 Grove Ferry
Spent
a couple of damp hours or so at Grove between 7:10 & 9:45am. As I
arrived, the majority of the Swans were departing in the direction of
Plucks Gutter - I could only make out Mutes in the gloom. Arriving
at the Ramp there was so much water that there was only a small gathering
of Lapwing able to stand to the left of the pool. Otherwise, just a
smattering of Teal & Shoveler, with a single Mute Swan remaining.
I headed for the Turf Hide & then on to Harrison's, pleased that I had
at last seen a Bearded Tit this year. The cleared reed area to the
left of the path only produced a pair of Stonechat, the male
looking very smart! Harrison’s Drove had a small party of perhaps 6
Pipits, all Meadow. By now the faint drizzle had turned to quite
heavy rain & I sought sanctuary in the Turf Hide again. A male Marsh
Harrier lazily made its way right to left & the few ducks on the
'pontoon' kept their heads well tucked in (Mallard, Pochard). Three
Black Headed Gulls also stood around for a time. Five male Tufted
Ducks were 'escorting' 2 females around the pool & 2 Shelduck
clashed - that was pretty well the action for the time I was there! (Ben
Ring)
Tuesday 20th February
2007 Stonelees
Whilst
working at Stonelees today between 9:30am & 3pm, mentally noted 4 Great
Spotted Woodpeckers, 2 Little Egrets, 1 Green Woodpecker,
2 Grey Herons & a peak number of 4 Ring Necked Parakeets
careering around the area all day, despite the almost constant
drizzle/rain. Also picked out small numbers of Goldfinch, Long Tailed,
Great & Blue Tits, 2 Magpies & a Robin in the
gloom. Raptor, just a fem Kestrel. (Ben Ring)
Monday
19th February 2007 Whiteness
The wader high-tide roost has returned to Whiteness
after a few days at Foreness, presumably because the recent tides have not
been high enough to cut off their preferred beach from the dog-walkers. A
count today was 51 Purple Sandpipers, 91 Sanderling, 44 Grey
Plovers, 41 Ringed Plovers, 32 Redshanks, 142 Oystercatchers
and 9 Curlews, with a smattering of Turnstones, two adult Lesser
Black-Backs and 55 Herring Gulls or similar. That's over 500
birds in an area smaller than a football pitch. (Steve Coates)
Monday
19th February 2007 Monks' Wall Nature Reserve
Another
brief visit to Monks' Wall didn't reveal anything too out of the ordinary, counts
were as follows: c20 Blackbird, 4 Mistle Thrush,
3 Song Thrush, 20 Starling, 1 Great
Tit, 1 Blue Tit, 1 Wren, 1 Goldfinch,
1 Greenfinch, 1 Chaffinch, 1 Great
spotted Woodpecker, c10 Meadow Pipit, 1 Pied
Wagtail, 1 Skylark, 1 Cetti's Warbler,
1 Kestrel, 10 Magpie, 4 Carrion
Crow, 25 Wigeon, c20 Teal, 4 Shoveler,
2 Coot, 3 Moorhen, 2 Greylag
Goose, 30 Black-headed Gull, 5 Herring
Gull, 3 Common Gull, 1 Lesser
Black-backed Gull. Not bad for 30 minutes. (Jerry
Lanfear)
Sunday 18th February 2007 Minster
Marshes
I didn't get out until 15.30hrs, so chose to park in Station Approach and
walk the Minster Marshes. There must have been a particularly high tide as
the Fishermen's carpark and many of the water meadows, over on the Ash
Levels, were flooded. A few Fieldfare fed in the
scattered hawthorn bushes and I noted 18 Greylag Geese
flying NW from Sandwich towards Minnis/Reculver. 3 Kestrels
perched hopefully on the overhead power lines and I saw 2 Barn
Owls hunting the set-a-side. One up by the power station, the
other down towards Pluck's Gutter, both birds on the north side of the
Stour, thus in Thanet airspace! I found 2 Chiffchaff in a
riverside ditch and a male Cetti's Warbler was singing
from a new location over towards Monkton. As it started to get dark, cock Pheasants
started to utter their raucous cries as they prepared to go to roost,
whilst 2 male Grey Partridges were engaged in a vocal
exchange along the Abbott's Wall. As I approached the water treatment
works, a single Long-eared Owl flew out of the dense
scrub to start its' nocturnal foray. Very enjoyable indeed. (Dylan)
Sunday 18th February 2007 Foreness & Botany
Bay
Managed to catch High Tide whilst walking the dog and
the kids!! At Foreness Point there was a Red Throated Diver doing
his stuff whilst on the shoreline a small gathering of Turnstones,
Sanderling and Ringed Plover that were brave enough to endure
the dog walkers on the beach. Therefore, headed over to Botany Bay, which
is protected from the dog walkers at High Tide. Here were assembled the
usual suspects of Turnstones, Sanderling, Grey Plover, Purple
Sandpipers and a very health gathering of Oyerstercatchers.
However, can't believe that Ben Ring who visited the same spot on 1st
February didn't knock on my door!! (Darren Wilmshurst)
Sunday 18th February 2007 Seaton Gravel Pits
After
a splendid week birding in Andalucia with Johns Cantelo and Hollyer, it
was back to the old routine today with February Webs count at Seaton. By
February duck numbers are beginning to decline somewhat, although I
suspect that it may be due in part to the end of the shooting season
allowing birds to spend more time out on the surrounding fields. Apart
from the usual ducky suspects in moderate numbers the day produced 1 drake
Smew (looking very lonely), 5 Goldeneye (4drakes) and a pair
of Ruddy Duck. I spent some time going through about 400 Greylags,
but found no interesting strangers. Around the lakes bird activity
had picked up since
the last visit two weeks ago, with a pair of Bullfinch, 3 Great
Spotted Woodpeckers drumming, Kingfisher, Chiffchaff, 2 Cetti's
warbler, Woodcock, Water Rail, 3 Green Woodpeckers, Marsh Harrier,
a couple of Jays, a Fieldfare and about 30 Redwing.
Amongst the Redwing flock I found two birds showing characters of the
Iceland race coburni; I could not recall seeing it in Kent before,
although it is regular on the West coast in small numbers. (Norman M)
Sunday 18th February 2007 Pegwell Bay
A Spoonbill flew north over Pegwell Bay this morning at
about 11:45. (Tony Swandale)
Saturday
17th February 2007 Ramsgate Beach and The Cemetery
When I got down to Ramsgate beach, the tide was
already high and with only 9 Turnstones, 1 Sanderling 3
Pied Wagtails and 1 Rock Pipit which were along the waters
edge, I decided to withdraw to the quiet of Ramsgate Cemetery there I
observed good numbers of Blue Tits, Great Tits, Long-tailed
Tits, 5 Goldcrest along with 2 Firecrest, 4 Great
Spotted Woodpeckers, 6 Green Woodpeckers, 4 Jays, then on
the way out a Sparrow Hawk was over head and just outside the gates
was 1 Robin a few House Sparrows and 3 Chaffinches.
(Gadget)
Saturday
17th February 2007 Grove Ferry & Stodmarsh NNR
A really enjoyable session, walking around the
complete circuit of this superb reserve. I started just after 06.40hrs,
meeting up with Marc, Martyn & Allan, on the ramp. 5 Bewick's
Swan were on the main pool, departing at 06.52hrs, heading
off towards their feeding grounds further east along the Stour Valley. As
the sun began to break through the thin veil of mist, 65+ Mute
Swans left the back pools and the first, of three, male Marsh
Harrier started to perform their wonderful "sky dance"
display, the calls heard clearly on this still morning. A walk towards
Harrison's Drove allowed us to scan a newly cleared area of reedbed (where
the Aquatic Warbler was found in 1999!). Quickly Marc relocated a Rock
Pipit, that he had found yesterday, but the angle of the sun
didn't help with our attempts at getting some pics. This is a very rare
bird in the valley, there being just two previous records, one in 1979 at
Westbere (A. p. littoralis - Scandinavian Rock
Pipit) and the 2nd being found at Grove, by Norman McCanch, (A.p.petrosus
- Rock Pipit) a couple of years ago. Having now downloaded my pics, I am
fairly sure that this individual is also of the nominate race A.p.petrosus,
thus the same race as those birds I generally ignore around Ramsgate
Harbour! Other birds noted on my way around the circuit included 1 Little
Egret, 1 Treecreeper, 3 Green Sandpiper,
5 Ruff, 2 Bullfinch, 12 Pintail,
2 Redshank, 3 Water Pipit, 5 Bearded
Tit, 1 Little Owl plus the usual mix of Reed
Bunting, Cetti's Warbler, Stonechat,
Lapwing, Golden Plover, Teal,
etc. (Dylan)
Thursday 15th February 2007 Pegwell Bay
The
sun was shining this morning and I had an hour to spare so decided to go
to Pegwell. Not my best decision, the wind was awful and the sun, bouncing
off the water, didn't help. However, a Peregrine was showing well
on the power station chimney, worth having a go at getting a photo, I
thought. So off I trooped and got as close as I could and took this. (Mick
S)
Thursday 15th February 2007 Oare Marshes
Spent
a very enjoyable, if not windy, am at the reserve between 8 & 12:15.
Highlights as follows: Long Billed Dowitcher - Seen from East
Flood Hide, on an island in the NW corner of the flood, at approx 9:30. Little
Owl - On top of one of the blockhouses near Dans Dock at approx 10:15 Red
Breasted Merganser - single drake- shortly after Dans Dock, on the
Swale, from the footpath to Conyer. Little Egret - single on
West Flood at 10am Ringed Plover- single birds on East Flood, &
after high tide on the mud by the Swale. Redshank - numerous, both
on the East Flood & before & after high tide by the Swale. Marsh
Harrier -3 sightings of female & 2 of male (could be the same
birds!) Avocet - 6 flew west along the Swale before high tide
Cetti’s Warbler - a pair (?) seen in the reeds by the Sea Wall
Hide at
approx 8:30 (Ben Ring)
Tuesday 13th
February 2007
Kingsdown
After
waiting a lifetime for a Skua, then two come along within one week, this
morning, one flying past Kingsdown - probably another Bonxie,
(Steve Coates)
Tuesday 13th
February 2007 Pegwell Bay
I spent an hour and half during the early afternoon concentrating on a
Snipe/Jack Snipe/Rock Pipit race checking most of the usual haunts for
such creatures. I ended up seeing 'only' 53 Snipe, 2 Jack's
and 40+ Rock Pipits with most of the Snipe being seen at the
garage end, most of the Rock Pipits at the Stonelees/river end with a
single Jack Snipe at each end. I took a rough count of the Plovers flocks
(c.2000 Golden
Plover and 7000 Lapwing) plus there was a Spotted Redshank
in the river and I flushed 2 Short-eared Owls, which were roosting
behind Stonelees. Other 'bits' included 20+ Brent and 3 Stonechats.
(Phil M)
Monday 12th
February 2007 Monks' Wall Nature Reserve
A brief visit at lunchtime revealed numerous more
wildfowl - notably at least 25 each of Teal and Wigeon and 6
Shoveler. Curlew numbers have also climbed, to
23. Other species were pretty much as per usual except at least 6 Meadow
Pipit and 2 Skylark were slightly out of the ordinary.
(Jerry Lanfear)
Monday 12th February 2007 Stodmarsh NNR
Spent
a couple of hours between 7:30 & 9:30am in fairly unpleasant
conditions at the Stodmarsh end of the reserve. The strong breeze &
frequent showers meant I spent the majority of the time trying to find
shelter & keep the lenses free of raindrops! Started with 2 fem Bullfinch
in the Stodmarsh carpark & then added a Treecreeper in the
alder wood. There were small parties of Blue & Long tailed Tits
here & a small flock of perhaps 10 Goldfinch flitting around
the treetops. Along the Lampen wall there were up to 5 Marsh Harrier in
the sky at the same time, 3 Male, 2 Fem, with several 'passing' attempts.
The wildfowl on the main Lake were largely pinned to the far bank &
were the usual species. There seemed to be more than usual amount of gulls
flying around the area & to me indicated the fact it was a lot rougher
on the coast! On my return to the car I noted 2 Green Woodpeckers
& watched a Blue Tit take a more than passing interest in the
Owl box in the Alder wood-a little bit ambitious I thought! (Ben
Ring)
Sunday
11th February 2007 Pegwell Bay
I went down for the incoming evening tide. The nights are starting to draw
out at long last - it was light enough to stay until 17.20 this evening.
It'll soon be spring. A few rarities turned up this afternoon in the shape
of 3 Pochard!!! I noticed them sitting offshore on arrival at 15.20
- a real bigee these days!! Bringing up the rear was a pair of adult Caspian
Gulls, which I noticed at about 17.00 sitting in amongst the large
throng of Lairds present in the Bay. Please note: I don’t talk like this
in real life - 1 is just showing off! I took a few counts, which were as
follows: 1 Little Grebe, 2 Great Crested Grebe, 62 Brent,
25 Shelduck, 100+ Mallard, 330 Wigeon, 6 Shoveler,
3 Teal, 3470 Golden Plover, 7600 Lapwing, 560 Curlew,
820
Oystercatcher, 1 Short-eared Owl, 2 Peregrine, 4800 Black-headed
Gull, 2 adult Mediterranean Gull, 1800 Common Gull, 1 Kittiwake,
3220 Herring Gull, 1 adult Yellow-legged Gull, 1 Yellow-legged
Herring Gull (Ommisus type - argentatus), 20+ Lesser Black Backed
Gull, 100+ Great Black Backed Gull, 1 Sandwich Tern, 7 Twite,740
Wood Pigeon south,3100 Starlings north and c120 Pied
Wagtail s/west. Franny saw an adult Caspian Gull, 2
Yellow-legged Gull, 1 Med Gull and a male Goldeneye
yesterday. (Phil M)
Saturday 10th February 2007 Monks' Wall Nature
Reserve
I had nearly
2 hours at Monks' Wall today - partly to see if I could catch up with the
2 Bearded Tits that were reported from there last week on the SBBOT web
site. It was to no avail as they didn't show. Not all was lost
though, as it was a pleasant afternoon and the following were seen: 2 Redwing,
9 Blackbird, 3 Mistle Thrush, 6 Carrion
Crow, 7 Magpie, 6 Jackdaw, 160 Rook
(all heading toward Sandwich) 1 Greenfinch, 1 Robin,
10 Woodpigeon, 1 Collared Dove, 6 Curlew,
9 Teal, 3 Moorhen, 4 Coot,
1 Cormorant, 2 Mallard, 1 Cetti's
Warbler, 1 Blue Tit 1 Great Tit,
1 Robin, 1 Reed Bunting, 2 Herring
Gull, 2 Black-Headed Gull. It
was good to see the Curlew but the overall numbers of ducks and waders is
way down. Maybe the next bout of cold weather will pull some in. (Jerry
Lanfear)
Saturday 10th February 2007 Pegwell Bay
The
conjunction of a brief afternoon sunny spell and the rising tide at
Pegwell gave some great views of the large numbers of birds on the mud. Recent
count figures have been published elsewhere, but the carpet of roosting Golden
Plovers was particularly impressive - a narrow ribbon of
gold and white along the high tide line. A large dark lump at the water's
edge turned out to be a Great Skua (a first for me), hacking at
something in the water - it was there for twenty minutes or so. (Steve
Coates)
Saturday 10th February 2007 Oare Marshes &
Dumpton garden
An early start proved to be a wasted effort, but I
headed over to Oare Marshes all the same. The weather was awful with heavy
grey skies and intermittent showers. Plenty of birds around the reserve,
but no many chances to use the cameras. The East Flood held good numbers
of Tufted Duck, Shoveler and Mallard
with a single male Pochard and 5 drake Pintail
to break up the monotony. 3 Stonechat and a Green
Sandpiper were encountered as I wandered around the perimeter
track. A small flock of Reed Bunting were feeding
besides the slipway and a lone Rock Pipit was also seen
there. Large numbers of common waders were scattered about on the mud
along the Swale and included 400+ Dunlin, 70+ Redshank
and lesser numbers of Curlew, Knot. Oystercatcher,
Grey Plover, 2 Bar-tailed Godwit and a
lone Ringed Plover. 5 Great Crested Grebes
were noted out on the river along with single Red-breasted
Merganser and Great Northern Diver. A steady
stream of Brent Geese headed across the river, from
Sheppey, towards Conyer and a superb flock of 40+ Avocet
could be seen on the mud below the Harty Ferry Inn on the far side of
the Swale. A short stop in the East Flood hide allowed me some nice views
of a fishing Little Egret before I headed for home. The
feeding station in the back garden is still attracting large numbers of House
Sparrow and Collared Dove, but I had two nice
sightings from the kitchen window as the sun started to set. A Merlin
flew along the gardens, being mobbed by 2 noisy Parakeets,
and a Chiffchaff was fly-catching from one of the
Buddleia bushes at the bottom of the garden. (Dylan)
Saturday 10th February 2007 Dumpton
Thanet
The usual birds were in and out
of the garden all day (Feral) Rock Dove was a new arrival
today and a
Merlin was out over the fields this afternoon. (Gadget)
Friday
9th February 2007 Pegwell Bay/Newington
I went down for the incoming tide in the early afternoon but didn’t stay
long due to the ever strengthening easterly wind which made things a tad
chilly for a man of my increasing age. I'm sure I wouldn’t have given a
stuff a few years back. The tide was virtually in by the time I left so I
doubt if I
missed much. There were lots of waders on view all the normal over
wintering stuff, plus I saw a rather bulky Diver specie fly n/east out to
sea after getting flushed by a boat entering the river. It wasn’t a Red-throat
but that’s about as much as I could say. Other non-daily stuff included
the over wintering Sandwich Tern and a fly through 2nd winter Mediterranean
Gull. I did take a few counts - they were: 1 Little Egret, 7 Brent,
280 Wigeon, 52 Mallard, 4 Pintail, 10 Shoveler,
3 Gadwall, 760 Oystercatcher, 214 Bar-tailed Godwit,
8600 Lapwing and 3110 Golden Plover. The female Peregrine
was feeding on a kill aloft (good word eh 'aloft' a bit twatish but there
you go) one of the cooling towers whilst the male was seen on a few
occasions flying around the vicinity. On arriving home I noticed a few
scattered flocks of Lapwings moving north over the estate, which
these days normally only happens when the birds are on the move.
(Migration cold weather movements I realise if they are flying they must
therefore be physically ‘moving’) Anyway whilst I was gazing upwards
some of the local Gulls started squawking, followed by all the Pigeons
and Starlings going up. Expecting a small raptor I was surprised
to see a Herring Gull mobbing
what turned out to be a Woodcock flying around above the houses
near the pub across the way from my house!! Quite why the Gull had it in
for the Woodcock was beyond me? The chase went on for about 30 seconds
as they flew in and out of view - the Woodcock eventually escaping
the Gull by whizzing off southwards! I assume it was an overly
territorial
pre-breeding Gull - I know I always used to get mobbed by the Gulls when I
was out with my dog in years gone by. A new one for me anyway. (Phil M)
Friday
9th February 2007 Dumpton Thanet
Around
14-30hrs today a count of 184 Woodpigeons dropped into the
field behind my house, two of them landed on my lawn and started to feed
hence the photograph, they all took flight heading south/West towards
Pegwell at 14-45hrs. (Gadget)
Thursday 8th February 2007 Coldharbour
I made a
visit out to Reculver this afternoon in search of the 4 Shorelarks
in cold conditions. After a brief search the 4 birds were found and showed
well at times for the duration of my stay.
(Marc Heath)
Wednesday 7th February 2007 Minster Marshes
I managed to get a quick session around the
Minster Marshes on this glorious afternoon. I bumped into Don Wilks,
who had little to report apart from a ring-tailed Hen Harrier. A
male Marsh Harrier flew overhead, as we chatted, I then headed off
towards the river. A Peregrine was perched in a field towards the
power station and a Kestrel sat hunched on a telegraph pole as I
approached the water treatment works. There were at least 3 Chiffchaff
in the hedgerow on the eastern side of the fishermen's carpark. Blackbirds
were very numerous and I encountered 2 Cetti's Warbler skulking in
the reedy ditches beside the main river. A Common Snipe flew
overhead as I walked towards Pluck's Gutter. A commotion amongst a group
of Long-tailed Tits caused me to flush a Long-eared Owl
from an ivy-clad hawthorn. It must have been enjoying the late afternoon
sunshine before I came barging in! Nothing much else to report. Odd Fieldfare
were dropping into the dense hedgerows as I made my return walk. Pheasants
noisily proclaimed their intention to roost whilst Moorhens
clucked and squabbled in the adjacent dykes. As the sun dipped below the
horizon the temperature dropped rapidly and a gladly headed for home.
(Dylan)
Wednesday 7th February 2007 Pegwell Bay
A nice afternoon - so I wandered down to the Bay to watch the incoming
tide. Top bird was yet another Caspian Gull - an adult present
briefly across on Shellness Point. There were not too many large Gulls in
the area so I was surprised to find 2 Yellow-legged Gulls too - an
adult and a 1st winter. Very little else to get carried away about, the
only unusual thing an immature Mute Swan sitting offshore and a
flock of 7 Common Scoter which flew north mid-afternoon. I did a
few counts which were as follows: 1 Little Egret, 2 Brent,
76 Mallard, 130 Wigeon, 3 Teal, 1 Sparrowhawk,
2 Peregrine, 1940 Golden Plover, c7000+ Lapwing, 420 Curlew,
1280 Dunlin, 36 Sanderling, 2 Stonechats and 2 Corn
Buntings. (Phil M)
Wednesday 7th February 2007 Dumpton Thanet
With three appointments today, I was only aloud half
hour today at lunch time, the sun was shining but there was not much new
happening around the garden, there is still good numbers of Greenfinches
coming to the feeders also 4 Blue Tits, 2 Great
Tits 2 Dunnocks, 1 Robin, 3 House Sparrows, 1 Wren
and 11 Collard Doves with 1 Stock Dove. (Gadget)
Tuesday
6th February 2007 King George VI Park to Broadstairs
Being aware that there are still a few common species
that have not been reported so far this year, I headed over to King George
VI Park to ensure that Wren, Greenfinch,
Song Thrush, Blackbird, Starling and Robin
all make it on to the 2007 Thanet Year List. (The first list will be
posted at the beginning of March!) A few Chaffinches fed
in the sycamores by the Italian garden and a pair of Mistle
Thrushes teamed up to see off an intruding Magpie.
A Great Spotted Woodpecker called from the mature trees
besides the tennis courts whilst several Great Tit and Dunnock
were in full song along the northern hedgerow and in the plantations. A
pleasant stroll along the cliff top to Dumpton Gap, then down onto the
seawall and onward to Broadstairs. A few Fulmar were
resting on the glassy sea and a single Red-throated Diver went
south, probably flushed by the passing "Pilot" boat. Plenty of Turnstone
were accompanied by 8 Purple Sandpiper and 3 Rock
Pipit. Job done, I walked back home in a flurry of snow. (Dylan)
Tuesday
6th February 2007 Ramsgate Harbour
I sat down at the harbour this afternoon with the sun shining a my
camera at hand for hour and a half, the only birds that came close enough
to photograph were Turnstones other bird scene were Great
Black-backed Gulls, Herring Gulls, Black-headed Gulls, and Cormorants,
Pied
Wagtails and Rock Pipits dropping in now and again, very
enjoyable afternoon. (Gadget)
Monday
5th February 2007 Ramsgate Harbour
A very quiet session around the harbour. A Great
Crested Grebe was fishing amongst the moored boats in the marina and
a
Kingfisher was seen on a couple of occasions, as it sped across the
water. The gulls were, as expected, the usual mix of Great
Black-backed, Herring, Black-headed and a single adult Lesser
Black-backed. Just 2 Cormorants but, surprisingly, one (1st
winter) was of the race P.c.carbo and, as such, my first
record in the harbour! 3 Sanderling joined the small
flock of Turnstone
foraging on the old slipway, whilst 4 Rock Pipits were noted at
various points around the site. (Dylan)
Monday
5th February 2007 Pegwell Bay
I watched the dropping tide this afternoon. I arrived with the tide still
high and there was a nice 1st winter Caspian Gull sitting offshore
on arrival at
14.00 and was present until 14.45 or thereabouts when I looked back for it
at a quarter to three it was gone anyway and I didn’t see it again all
afternoon. Otherwise all the normal candidates were seen but nothing else
unusual. I did take a few counts they were: 1 Little Grebe (Garage
pool), 3 Great Crested Grebe, 3 Red-throated Divers, 54 Brent,
32 Shelduck, 235 Wigeon, 2 Gadwall, 11 Teal, 1
Pintail, 1 adult Yellow-legged Gull, 1 Peregrine, 540
Oystercatcher, 1 Ringed Plover, 1-2000 Golden Plover,
5000+ Lapwing etc. (Phil M)
Sunday 4th February 2007 Seaton Gravel Pits
I made an early morning visit to Seaton today, to
look for the peripatetic Barn Owl. I needn't have bothered as first light
was enveloped in dense mist in the valley bottoms. I could not see the
field, let alone Barn owl! I had a quick browse through the wildfowl as i
made my way to the rendezvous point, once again hampered buy wraiths of
most rising from the water. Only a single drake Goldeneye gave any
sense of promise to the day. Five stalwarts joined me this morning, and we
soon found a selection of passerines including the obligatory 'five thrush
species' together in the paddock. Last night a good number of Redwing arrived
in the Fieldfare roost, so today there were several to watch and
enjoy. Great Spotted woodpeckers were very obvious, three
birds seen quite well and up to six drumming, while there were occasional
brief cackles from the Green woodpeckers. The lakes were rather
quiet as our visit is a month later than usual and the absence of shooting
pressure locally meant that fewer birds were using the lakes. Even so
there were a coupe of hundred Wigeon and good numbers of Gadwall,
Shoveler, Teal, Mallard, Pochard and Tufted Duck, with variety
in the form of a drake Goldeneye and a couple of Ruddy Ducks.
Sadly Smew was not to be seen this time, the first year we have
failed to see them. The gloomy conditions generally slowed things down and
we missed a number of regular species, such as Grey Wagtail and Marsh
Harrier. We failed to find a Stonechat, and only managed the most fleeting
of views of Peregrine (stooping on a Lapwing flock) and Kingfisher.
There were several Little Egrets and Grey Herons about,
but after three hours the cold was beginning to bite and we made our
separate ways home to a well-earned lunch. (Norman M)
Saturday 3rd February 2007 Ramsgate to Margate
and Back
Spent
the day cycling from Ramsgate to Margate and back on the Viking Trail. At
Broadstairs there was a Chiffchaff singing (rather half-heartedly) in the
garden of Bleak House and 2 Sparrowhawk at Stone Bay. At
White Ness the roosting waders comprised 34 Purple Sandpiper, 40 Grey
Plover, 1 Golden Plover, 84 Sanderling, 57 Ringed
Plover, 93 Oystercatcher, 2 Curlew, 37 Turnstone
and 1 Redshank. There was a pair of Stonechat at Botany Bay
and off Foreness was a female Eider, 4 Great Crested Grebe
and about 6 distant Red-throated Diver. On the return journey
at 2.45pm on the grass above Palm Bay a small flock of Black-headed
Gulls held 4 Med. Gulls; 2 1st winter, 1 2nd winter and 1
adult. I ended the day with a well-deserved pint in the garden of the
Belle Vue, Pegwell. Just after sunset a flock of 31 Grey Geese
flew East but unfortunately they were silhouetted and I couldn't tell the
species. (Nick Lever)
Saturday 3rd February 2007 Pegwell Bay
Another lovely afternoon - flat calm and sunny with100% visibility in the
winter light. On arrival there were lots of Gulls and Ducks sitting out on
the sea and in no time I came across an adult Mediterranean Gull, 2
adult Yellow-legged Gulls, 2 Red-breasted Merganser and a
nice (but distant) drake Goldeneye. The over wintering Sandwich
Tern was flying about offshore before the tide dropped. There were
lots of Plovers this afternoon with 4170 Golden Plovers and 15,000
- 20,000+ Lapwings. Vastly impressive - especially when they all
went up in a long line stretching from the garage right down to the
Sampher at Sandwich. Other bits seen included 1500+ Black-headed
and 1000 Common Gulls, 25 Brent, 56 Mallard, 330 Wigeon,
2 Teal, 1 Shoveler, 2 Peregrine, 1 Sparrowhawk
and 4 Corn Bunting. Still no Red-throated Divers offshore. (Phil M)
Saturday 3rd February 2007 Ramsgate Cemetery
A glorious morning, so I opted for a session around
at Ramsgate Cemetery. A Redwing flew overhead, as I entered the
site, and a pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers was calling from the
sycamores besides Newland's School. Plenty of activity amongst the Blue,
Great & Long-tailed Tits and by scanning through the various
flocks I managed to add 7 Goldcrest and 2 Firecrest to my
list. Overhead there were 3 Sparrowhawks engaged in some form of
territorial dispute, whilst over by the military graves, there were a pair
of Green Woodpeckers prospecting for nest sites and several pairs
of Stock Doves chasing about. Jays and Magpies
were very numerous, but that was about it. (Dylan)
Saturday 3rd February 2007 Pegwell Late
News
2/2/07. A presumed pre-bomb visit to Pegwell (and therefore foiling
Phil's dastardly plot), produced a male Hen Harrier and Merlin,
2 Peregrines, a Red Kite, 5 Jack Snipe, 3 Short-eared
Owls and 10 Twite plus of course the usual waders and ducks. (F
Solly)
Friday
2nd February 2007 Dungeness area
I was press ganged into a trip out to Dunge to look for some Berwick's
that have been knocking about at Walland Marsh - which as it happened we
didn’t definitely see as the Swan flock was about three quarters of a
mile away from the road in the gloom so even if they were there they weren’t
worth looking at. I hear there was a bomb found at Pegwell today and they
had to close the car park. Lets get one thing straight I know I’ve
been moaning about what’s been going on in the area for the last decade
but don’t start thinking I had anything to do with planting a bomb down
there. That said anything that gets rid of that annoying salt marsh is
fine by me so perhaps it not all bad. I blame F Solly!! Anyway - back to
today prior to driving round to Walland we had a 5-minute look at the ARC
pits, as we were passing. Not much out there duck wise - many Pochard/
Tufted etc also 6 Goldeneye, 15 Ruddy Duck, 4 flyover White-fronted
Geese, 1 Little Egret and a Kingfisher. Further along
the road we pulled over to have a look through the Swans that were
sitting just off the side of the road
when I spotted what looked like a Bittern flying briefly before
dropping down in the distant reed-bed. It was all over so quickly but I'm
sure that’s
what it was. Round at Walland there were lots of Fieldfares plus a
few Tree Sparrows and quite a few Yellowhammers all over
the place - which was nice. Otherwise a Merlin, 4 Marsh Harriers
and the aforementioned Swan flock. Over 'n' out. (Phil M)
Friday 2nd February 2007 Garden Dumpton
Thanet
Within the past few weeks the House Sparrows and
Starling have deserted my garden, whilst there are good number of other
birds visiting on a daily bases i.e. Blue Tits, Dunnocks, Great Tits,
Green Finches, Goldfinches, Robins, Wrens, Gold Crests, Collard
Doves and the odd Woodpigeon, the House Sparrows and
Starling are still around the area which I have observed as they are
out in the field behind my house along with Collard Doves, Woodpigeons,
Carrion Crows, Herring Gulls, Black Headed Gulls and others that drop
in throughout the day, Sparrowhawks have been observed on a regular
bases throughout the winter up to 3 or 4 in the sky at any time, there are
two
Kestrel holding ground over at Newlands Farm which are seen
hunting the fields daily and with the Rosé Ringed Parakeets
leveling there roost in the morning and returning in the evening. (Gadget)
Friday 2nd February 2007 North Foreland to
Dumpton Gap
A pleasant stroll along the coast was good
exercise, even if the birding was rather mundane. 17 Great Crested
Grebes included a flock of 14 off the Eastern Esplanade at
Broadstairs, 25+ Common Scoter flew north and a lone Red-throated
Diver went south. 7 Purple Sandpipers were around the
Broadstairs slipway, with another 5 near Dumpton Gap. Other bits included
the usual mix of Oystercatcher, Grey Plover, Redshank, Curlew and Turnstone.
No great shakes, but at least I was out! (Dylan)
Thursday 1st February 2007
R/gate Cemetery & North Foreland Area
Decided
to cycle to North Foreland. Started at Ramsgate Cemetery at 9.10am
but only noted 1 Sparrowhawk, a pair of Great Spotted
Woodpeckers and 6+Goldcrests. When I arrived at the North end
of North Foreland Avenue, at 9.50, there was a single Waxwing
sitting on the TV aerial of Windy Lodge. It sat for a couple of
minutes before circling a couple of times and flying North.
I soon relocated it in a tree outside the Bay Heights marketing
suite, Joss Bay from where it flew down to feed in the low bushes at the
side of the golf course, giving excellent views for 20 minutes before it
headed back over to North Foreland Avenue. Also 1 Chiffchaff
at the end of Convent Road. On to White Ness where the roosting waders
included 45 Purple Sandpipers, 136 Sanderling, 96 Ringed
Plover, 40 Grey Plover, 41 Redshank. Also 2 Rock
Pipits and 4 Diver sp passing South off shore. (Nick Lever)
Thursday 1st February 2007 The
Pegwell Bay 2006 Report
Thursday 1st February 2007 Botany Bay
& Pegwell Bay
Nice
& calm, albeit cloudy this am, so I plonked myself on the cliff at
Botany to try & boost my year-ticks. High tide was due at around 11,so
arriving shortly after 8 I thought I would be well placed. Just a couple
of Turnstone scurrying around on the sand, a couple of very curious
Fulmars, five Red Throated Divers, 10 Brent Geese,
several flocks of Oystercatchers & not very large numbers of
regular Gulls were all I could muster in 1½ hours. The constant
procession of dog-walkers behind & below me put paid to any birds
establishing themselves on the beach so I decided to head for Pegwell for
high tide. On my way back to the car, a flock of 10 Linnet
chattered around overhead, lightening the mood! The sun was trying to
break through when I arrived at the Pegwell Garage to park the car up at
around 10 & I simply headed down the slipway & parked myself
there. Plenty of birds to scan, both the dozing birds in the saltmarsh
(predominately Lapwing, Golden Plover, Grey Plover, Bar-tailed Godwits,
Curlew)& the birds bobbing about on the water (Wigeon, Mallard,
GBB, LBB, BH, Common & Herring Gulls, Shelduck) but nothing out of
the ordinary. I'd had enough by 12:30 & came to the conclusion that
perhaps a bit of chop on the water would have livened things up! (Ben
Ring)
Thursday 1st February 2007 Pegwell Bay
& Newington
I spent a lovely afternoon at Pegwell - well the weather was lovely
anyway. Lots of birds but nothing very exciting - the wintering Sandwich
Tern probably the best thing?? I checked the high tide roost on the
rocks near the west cliff then popped down for the dropping tide. My
counts were as follows: 3 Little Grebe (garage pools), 3 Little
Egret, 13 Brent, 27 Shelduck, 66 Mallard, 2 Gadwall,
2 Shoveler, 1 Peregrine, 105 Turnstone, c90 Redshank,
174 Grey Plover, 4700 Lapwing, 2150 Golden Plover,
230 Knot, 310 Curlew, 1080 Dunlin, 680 Oystercatcher,
193 Bar-tailed Godwit etc. On arriving home at 14.15 - there was a
right commotion going on over the estate. All the local birds were going
potty - then I saw the culprit when a Peregrine flew south right
over my garden at very low altitude. I’ve seen the occasional Peregrine
here over the years but I’ve never yet seen one flying virtually through
the gardens. (Phil M)
Thursday 1st February 2007 North Foreland
Monday 29.01.07 North Foreland, I was lucky enough to
see and photograph three Waxwing, I have attached the best of the
shots that I took, please use them if you want to if you think they
are good enough. (Reg Lester)
Thursday 1st February 2007 Foreness area
A morning session checking through the gulls resulted
in me locating 6 Mediterranean Gulls (3 ad, 1 2nd w & 2
1st w) amidst the usual mix of Common, Black-headed and Herring Gulls.
A Great Northern Diver was on the sea off of the Foreness pumping
station and I also noted a female Eider and 11 Brent Geese
as I walked along the clifftop towards Whiteness. A pair of Stonechat,
several Linnet and Meadow Pipit was the best of the rest,
although I must say that the patrolling Fulmars were giving
spectacular views. (Dylan)
.jpg)
