Wednesday 31st January 2007 Dumpton Thanet
Thought out January Sparrowhawks have visited
my garden on more than one occasion, today however I noticed that the Sparrowhawks
ability to turn its head around and look behind itself much like some
Owls, fantastic views of a formidable hunter how fortunate
one can be.
(Gadget)
Wednesday 31st January 2007 North foreland
I came across 2 Waxwing feeding on Cotoneaster
berries along North Foreland Ave today at 11.15hrs on the North
Foreland Estate. Present for about 30mins before fly off W. May
return later. (Rae Boulden)
Wednesday 31st January 2007 Little Stour &
Grove Ferry
I
decided to 'twitch' Dylan's Bewick's & as I had never been along this
stretch of the Little Stour it was an ideal opportunity. I couldn't get
there until 1pm but as the sunshine was out & only a light breeze, it
was a lovely walk. I spotted a Little Grebe & a Kingfisher
shot past me within two minutes of starting the walk. The numerous Fieldfares
were still in the orchards, as per yesterday, but as the sun was shining
full on I could only guess there were 'lots' by the noise! Seven Partridge
took flight on my arrival at a furrowed field but as before, the sun
prevented me from IDing them positively. A few Mute Swans were
dotted around the fields or on the river before I finally caught up with
the mass of Swans on a raised area near Blood Point &
eventually I spotted one Berwick for my year-list. I continued on
to just the other side of the pumping station, spotting a fem Marsh
Harrier & another Little Grebe before retracing my steps.
As it was only 3:30, I decided to see what was going on at the Ramp at
Grove before sundown. I stayed there until 5 with only a couple of Marsh
Harriers (1m & 1f) & a Kingfisher for 'excitement'.
(Ben Ring)
Tuesday 30th January 2007 Grove Ferry &
Stodmarsh NNR
A very murky walk around the reserve, starting at the
Grove Ferry end, between 7am & noon. Highlights were few & a fem Hen
Harrier flying over (exciting the Teal somewhat) & a dozing
drake Ruddy Duck amongst the Shoveler on the main lake at
Stodmarsh was just about it. I frequently heard Marsh Harriers
calling and watched a half-hearted 'pass' as I walked along the Lampen
Wall. Earlier, as I stood on the Ramp, 3 Marsh Harriers came over
(1 m & 2 f -7:15am) & the male engaged in a little courtship
display. I did encounter a nice mixed bunting flock in the hedges before
the Marsh Hide & was pleased to add Corn Bunting (very vocal)
to my year-list. At least 4 Yellowhammer with numerous Reed
Bunting making up the rest of the 'gathering' A male Kingfisher
piped as it flew along the river as I made my way back toward Grove. (Ben
Ring)
Tuesday 30th January 2007 Stodmarsh NNR
I
made a brief visit today on the way back from Canterbury after an
appointment. My main objective was to find the Bean Goose in the
flock behind Collards lake, and it proved particularly obliging as I had
good (but fairly distant) views of it feeding with the Greylags,
then they got up and flew across the field to pitch in below the edge
of the hillside and thus out of sight. Still nice to see, and i did make a
little sketch or two.
At Stodmarsh I was plagued by floury dots and hieroglyphs (see other
ranting posting on kosnet when it arrives), but aimed to use the time
looking for titchy birds in the alder wood. There weren’t any; no
Crests, Chiffs or Finches of any description, only one mad drumming Great
Spotted Woodpecker. Finally as i left I saw a distant view of an imm Marsh
Harrier perched in a bush, and a sighting of what may have been a
Geoff Burton on the Lampen Wall. (Norman M)
Tuesday
30th January 2007 Foreness
and North Foreland
30/1. A scintillating pre-work early morning cycle along the
cliff-top between Foreness and North Foreland in very dull conditions
produced, a Great Northern Diver sitting just off shore, 2 Shags,
1 Eider and 1 Chiffchaff. Is there a better way to start the
day? (F Solly)
Tuesday 30th January 2007 Pluck's
Gutter
A drab, grey, morning was just right for trying to
get some pics of swans. I went down to Pluck's Gutter and walked the
Little Stour footpath, towards the Blue Bridge. There were plenty of swans
to search through, my final tally being 89 Mute & 2 Bewick's.
It was quite noticeable that the two species have very different food
preferences, as all but 2 of the Mute were feeding
on oilseed rape, whilst the Bewick's Swans
were on winter wheat. By using a hedgerow, as cover, I managed to get
reasonably close and got a nice series of pics before heading back home.
Other bits around the area included a Merlin, 5 Reed
Bunting, 1 Yellowhammer, 4 Little Grebe,
1 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Coot, 2 Grey
Partridge, 1 Grey Wagtail plus several
large groups of Redwing & Fieldfare
in the orchards behind the Dog & Duck caravan park. P.S. I did walk
along the R. Stour to view the Bewick's from Cut's End, to
ensure they counted on the Thanet year-list; how sad is that? (Dylan)
Tuesday 30th January 2007 Reculver to
Coldharbour
After
a bit of a lull I managed to get out today and decided to do Reculver to
Coldharbour with the hope of seeing the Shorelarks, there were lots
of people and dog walkers about so I didn't get my hopes up but near the
lagoon I got lucky and found at least three of them hanging about with
some Greenfinches, (Mick S)
Monday 29th January 2007 Reculver to Minnis Bay
A few bits today on a round trip from the Towers to Minnis Bay and back
included 712 Brent Geese on the fields east of Coldharbour, 1 Chiffchaff,
2 Cetti’s Warblers, 4 Shorelarks, 1 Green Sandpiper,
52 Chaffinches, 49 Linnets, 8 Shelduck, 337 Cormorant
feeding off the Towers, 2 Gadwall, 60 Mallard, 112 Teal,
2 Sparrowhawks, 1 Marsh Harrier, 4 Little Egrets, 40 Redwings,
5 Stonechats, 20 Corn Buntings, 146 Mute Swans and
175 Lapwings. (Tim Hodge)
Sunday 28th January 2007 Seaton
Gravel Pits
After last nights unsuccessful vigil for the barn owl
I decided to catch him out and about at dawn, but that sagacious bird
opted for a different hunting ground! All was not in vain, however, as
there were still lots of Fieldfare and some Redwing leaving
the roost and a good count of Magpies, 31 leaving the roost area
where we saw 27 last evening. There was also a definite trend of Little
Egret movement towards Wingham, into areas where I doubt that many
people look for them. The lakes were very busy, with good numbers of the
usual wildfowl, notably Wigeon and Shoveler, but also 30+ Gadwall.
Highlights were at least 3 Smew (1 drake), 4 Goldeneye
(2drakes) a Drake Goosander, the usual Drake Mandarin and at
least two Marsh harriers which seemed to delight in scaring the
teal flock. Away from the water I found a couple of Cetti's, a pair
of Bullfinches, 50 Stock Doves and both Green and Great
Spotted Woodpeckers. The latter were drumming sporadically from the
woods along the lake shoreline. A finch flock in the alders was mostly
made up of Chaffinches, Greenfinches and a couple each of Goldfinch
and Brambling, while on the stubble i saw two Yellowhammers
feeding with some Reed Buntings. (Norman M)
Sunday 28th January 2007 Ash
Levels
I returned to the Ash Levels this morning, having been there, with the
gamekeeper, yesterday evening. 2 Bewick's Swan and a Long-eared
Owl being the highlights. This morning, I parked at Goldstone,
just before 07.30hrs and made my way down to the levels. A Green
Woodpecker called from the orchard besides the Chandler &
Dunn yard. Lots of Chaffinch along the first part of the
drove with Fieldfare and Redwing very
conspicuous overhead, as they flew from their roost sites towards their
feeding areas within the extensive network of orchards. My final estimates
gave the figure of 1500 Fieldfare and 350 Redwing,
very impressive! Other birds noted included 1 ring-tailed Hen
Harrier, 2 Marsh Harrier, 2 Sparrowhawk,
1 Barn Owl, 4 Yellowhammer, 2 Great
Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Green Sandpiper, 3 Skylark,
27 Mute Swan, 3 Grey Heron plus the
regular Mallard, Moorhen, Starling and
House Sparrow. Sadly I was unable to relocate the
Bewick's Swans and, even more disappointing, the complete absence of Tree
Sparrows. Still; it was great to be back on my favorite patch in the whole
of East Kent. (Dylan)
Saturday 27th January 2007 Seaton Gravel Pits
I
did it differently today and visited Seaton this afternoon staying on to
dusk in the hope of finding Barn owl hunting in reasonable light
conditions. No such luck, but an evening pre-roost gathering of 50 -
60 Fieldfare was joined by a mixed Finch flock, which contained 2-3
rather smart Brambling.
Evening viewing conditions on the main lake are not brilliant, but good
numbers of duck were present due to shooting on neighboring farmland. Wigeon
were most numerous, but plenty of Shoveler, Mallard, Tufted Duck,
Pochard, Gadwall, Teal and a couple of Canada Geese were nice
to see. A single female Goldeneye was prominent on the main lake,
but there may have been others over looked. The drake Mandarin is
still present and can be watched flipping through soft furnishing
catalogues with 'his' female Mallard. A very obliging Grey
Wagtail along the river, Grey Herons coming in to roost at
their nest sites and a procession of Little Egrets coming in from
the direction of Wingham added up to a pleasant evening. Shame about the
Barn owl, and no Smew! (Norman M)
Friday 26th January 2006 Winterstoke & King
George VI Park
I finally managed to get out birding, so headed
across to the coast, armed with just my bins and camera. I wanted to get
some pics of the returning Fulmars, and so it proved.
There are large numbers of birds prospecting the cliffs between the
Granville Cinema and King George VI Park. Not much else to report, just 2 Redwing
and a singing Goldfinch, in the park, plus Sparrowhawks
seen over Ramsgate Cemetery and Winterstoke Crescent. (Dylan)
Thursday
25th January 2007
Chislet Marshes
A meander around some of Chislet Marshes this morning included 1 Peregrine,
1 Common Buzzard, 4 Marsh Harriers, 2 Little Egrets,
1 Green Sandpiper, 42 Gadwall, 30 Teal and c200 Fieldfares,
but generally rather quiet. (Tim Hodge)
Thursday
25th January 2007 Pegwell Bay
The forecast snow didn’t materialise so I popped down the Bay this
afternoon not expecting much - which was just as well, as it was still
very quiet. I spent much of the incoming tide scanning the horizon and the
sea
looking for any Geese that might have turned up but saw naff all on that
front. I did however spot a distant Skua passing by (south)
offshore. I would
hazard a guess that it was a Bonxie but it was too far away to be
certain? Hers what I did see: 5 Divers(3 north 2 south), 45 Brent,
18 Shelduck, 280
Wigeon, 85 Mallard, 1 Gadwall, 1 Little Egret,
1 Peregrine, 1 Sparrowhawk, 2 Corn Bunting, 2400 Lapwing,
610 Golden Plover, 190 Grey Plover, 520 Oystercatcher,
216 Bar-tailed Godwit, 220 Knot and 2 Ruff amongst
other things. (Phil M)
Thursday 25th
January 2007 Ramsgate West Cliff
I
had a look at low tide between the harbour and Pegwell. At the
bathing pool I flushed a Kingfisher from the steps and 2 Purple
Sandpipers were feeding on the mussel beds. Also noted were 10 Ringed
Plover, 8 Grey Plover and 1 Bar-tailed Godwit. On the
fields around Little Cliffsend were c350 Lapwing, c20 Golden
Plover and 2 Redwing. (Nick Lever)
Wednesday
24th January 2007 Ramsgate
At
around 1:30 today two small groups of Redwings passed over
Clarendon House School, Ramsgate. The first group was 4 birds, followed a
few minutes later by about 15, all at moderate height heading west
followed by a freshening wind with the threat of sleet. Perhaps a taste of
things to come? (Norman M)
Wednesday
24th January 2007 Pegwell Bay
I went down in the hope of seeing a grey Goose or two but other than a
very distant single which flew south (in off) mid-afternoon I failed
completely. I did take a few counts - they were: 3 Great Crested Grebe,
1 Little Grebe, 1 Diver sp north, 3 Mute Swan -
south, 76 Brent, 12 Shelduck, 280 Wigeon, 2 Teal,
2 Shoveler, 1 Red-breasted Merganser, 1 Peregrine, 14
Twite, 32 Sanderling, 1510 Dunlin, 300+ Knot,
160 Golden Plover, 800 Lapwing, 270 Grey Plover, 208 Bar-tailed
Godwit, 220 Curlew and 680 Oystercatcher. Of note - I
came across a huge, virtually intact fossil, which I found on the main
path half way down the path from the car park. On further investigation it
turned out to be Johnny Websper. (Phil M)
Wednesday 24th January 2007 Deal Pier
This morning I spent two hours
from
8am
to
10am
at the end of Deal pier freezing my wotsits off for the cause! I thought
that the change of prevailing winds and weather from SW to N might mean
some birds to look at – hmmm. Visibility was good but, unfortunately,
nothing much was actually visible. However, this display of heroic
diligence (or total insanity?) did result in a few sightings. It was the
kind of sea-watch where you gaze at a passing Oystercatcher with almost
rapturous intent, simply because there is nothing else to look at.
Prolonged spells of foot-stamping and hand rubbing to help keep the cold
at bay were interspersed with the following observations: a total of 12 Great-crested
Grebes, 3 single fly-past Shelducks,
a similar number of Red-throated
Divers, 1 immature Gannet,
4 distant Auk sp, 4 Common Scoters, the
aforementioned Oystercatcher, 2
Brent Geese, 1 Red-breasted Merganser (redhead), 11 Wigeon bobbing on the water and a single Lapwing ‘in off’. For most of the two hours I was wondering why
I was there – some of the time I was even wondering why I was they’re
wondering why I was there! The thought of a sausage and bacon roll with a
hot mug of tea kept me going and, after a mind-numbing (and
extremities-numbing) session of sea watching, I nipped into the Goodwins
Restaurant to warm up. I noticed that almost invariably all newcomers’
opening conversational gambits were “It’s cold out.” or “Brrr,
it’s freezing out there!” Strangely, this fact had not
gone un-noticed by everyone else who had walked to the end of the pier!
These further musings were prompted again by the total lack of passing
avian interest through the windows. Occasionally, people watching is more
interesting than bird watching! (Phil Berate)
Tuesday
23rd January 2007 Reculver
Like the fools we are - bored to tears with proper Thanet birding, we went
for a little drive out to Reculver which turned out to be bit of an
ordeal. On arrival the weather (unsurprisingly) was slightly chilly lets
say. No not slightly chilly stinkingly
freezing!!! I had a quick scan of the sea or two (but
couldn’t stand up due to the wind speed which didn’t help) but there
didn’t seem to be much going on – in fact I only saw 4 Shelduck
flying west in over an hour. There were 150 Brent near the towers
and at least another 150 in the distance down near the Minnis end. Other
than the 4 Shorelarks the only other thing worthy of mention were 2
Mediterranean Gulls sitting on the close sea - surprisingly both
2nd winters. We saw a female type Marsh Harrier quartering over the
fields on the way in and a male bird flying north across the Thanet Way on
the way home. (Phil M & Dave Coppen)
Monday
22nd January 2007 Oare Marshes
Spent
a chilly 2½ hours at Oare between 8:15 & 10:45, at low tide. 0 - 4ºC.
Very overcast & started to rain just as I left. The mudflats were
occupied by large numbers of Redshank, Shelduck, & a few Curlew.
The Avocet flock at the mouth of the Creek was down to approx 20
birds. The East Flood had perhaps a dozen Pintail amongst the Teal,
Wigeon (no sign of the American Wigeon reported yesterday) Tufted
Duck & Shoveler. Common Snipe & a Little Egret also
present & I at last got a brief sighting of the Long Billed
Dowitcher, preening on one of the small islands to the left of the
East Hide, before being chased off by a Coot! A Kestrel and
& Marsh Harriers (one m & one f) made up the raptor
interest. (Ben Ring)
Sunday
21st January 2007 Foreness Point
Purple Sandpipers on foreshore rocks (below sewage pumping station):
other birds included Herring Gull with oiled breast and belly.
Rock Pipit on beach and Great Northern Diver plus
Red Throated Diver close to the shore at Hodges Gap, Palm Bay.
Those
of you who know Peter will be re-assured that he is recovering and managed
an all -day breakfast in adjacent Cafe! (Peter and Pauline Heathcote)
Sunday
21st January 2007 Seaton Gravel Pits
Today was January Webs count,
so I managed to get to Seaton at 07:30, but a pigeon shooter was ensconced
in the field where the Barn Owl is usually hunting and there was no
sign of it, although later I heard from the farmer that there had been two
together earlier in the week. He is delighted, as he has put two Owl boxes
on posts adjacent to a big area of set-aside; fingers crossed. There were
good numbers of ducks on the lakes today, although no Smew and the Slavonian
Grebe seems to have gone for
good. I flushed a Bittern from the ditch alongside some
set-aside and Grey Wagtail was noticeable along the Little Stour.
Highlights amongst the waterfowl were a pair of Pintail (rare at
Seaton) and a nice drake Ruddy Duck. The Mandarin is still
present but spends a lot of term perched amongst waterside branches and
can be surprisingly hard to find. Duck numbers were about average for the
time of year: Wigeon 409; Mallard 222; Teal 331; Gadwall
68; Shoveler 54; Tufted Duck 254; Pochard 48; Goldeneye
4. Coot 255 and Greylag Goose 512 (+ 3 hybrids); 8 Canada
Geese; 5 Great Crested Grebes and 3 Little Egrets.
Passerines were a bit scarce, but 30 Goldfinches, 2 Jay and
a Cetti's Warbler added some variety to the list. (Norman M)
Sunday
21st January 2007 Ramsgate Harbour
Another night, of severe gales, ended with a
beautiful dawn, although it was only a temporary lull. Craig rang, so we
met up by the Casino and spent a very pleasant couple of hours wandering
around the harbour. Nothing much to report, but we had plenty to chat
about. Rock Pipits were conspicuous along the East Pier
and in the marina, where a Great Crested Grebe was
fishing just in front of The Royal. Quite a few gulls around, including
the 2nd winter Herring Gull (white A3GX), 30+ Great
Black-backed, Black-headed & Common
Gulls. A party of 7 Sanderling were flushed from
the main beach, only to be relocated on the tiny spit by Winterstoke
Steps. Fulmars were noisily cackling up on their nesting
ledges, whilst others patrolled the cliffs. Craig got a year tick when he
picked up a small group of Brent Geese flying north -
well offshore. Still no sign of any divers or auks - what has
happened out there? (Dylan)
Saturday 20th January 2007 Garden Ash
I was treated to several visits from this juvenile Sparrowhawk
this morning, which successfully ensured there was precious little
else to see in my garden! It first appeared last autumn. (Ben Ring)
Saturday 20th January 2007 Deal Pier (08.10 -
09.40hrs)
An hour and a half seawatching from Deal Pier was
only made bearable because of the company of Steve Coates. Our meagre
return just confirming John
van der Dol's comments about the complete absence of divers, off of
the coast, at present. The bare facts were Great Crested Grebe - 7
on & 4 S, Oystercatcher - 3 S, Cormorant - 2 N
& 4 S, Shelduck - 2 N, Gannet - 2 S & 1 N
- all adults, Curlew - 5 N, Brent Goose - 4 N and
a steady procession of Kittiwakes. I was almost glad when I'd had
enough! (Dylan)
Friday 19th January 2007 Sandwich Bay
The Grebes and Divers have all but disappeared at the Bay after
yesterday’s storms. I really expected a load of stuff sheltering along
the east coast but it was not to be. However I did encounter a beautiful Red
Kite on the Bay estate, which was briefly mobbed by a Peregrine,
the latter looking tiny in comparison. Worth coming out on this lovely
day. (John
van der Dol)
Friday 19th January 2007 Broadstairs, North
Foreland & Northdown Park
The
wind had disappeared and the day was bright so I headed off for
a long overdue walk. Starting at Elmwood Avenue I walked down towards
Joss Bay. The bushes at the top end were full of Blue Tit, Great Tit
and Long Tailed Tit. In the fields were many hundreds of Gull and
Pigeon with just a few Curlews to keep them company. On the beach
at Joss Bay were a few Turnstones and a seal was about 100 feet
from the beach. Along past the Captain Digby to the sheltered beach where
there were numerous Ringed Plover, Sanderling, Herring, Black Headed
and a lone Great Black Backed Gull. Along the front near the sewage
works were Meadow Pipits, a Kestrel, Linnets and Pied
Wagtails, A Mistle Thrush was the only noteworthy bird on the
pitch and putt. Goldfinches were seen in Northdown Park, I heard
but could not find a Great Spotted Woodpecker. Finally back home
via Northdown Hill and there was a Green Woodpecker in its normal
place, the large gardens of Payton Heights. A very enjoyable few hours.
(Simon
Piggott)
Friday
19th January 2007 West Cliff/Pegwell Bay
I went down at high tide and had a quick shufti around the Harbour. There
were 2 Shags today (1st winter and an Adult) plus a few Turnstones
and a couple of Kittiwakes. A single Diver sp. passed by
offshore -heading south. Virtually nothing along the western undercliff -
certainly no Eider anyway. I had to wait for over an hour for the tide to
drop in Pegwell - the Twite flock were performing (although the
flock is down to only 7 birds now) and there was a f/juv Red-breasted
Merganser hanging about offshore. As the mud started to show I took a
few counts: 3 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Diver sp. (south), 47 Brent,
440 Wigeon, 3 Gadwall, 2 Teal, 1 Common Scoter
(south), 590 Oystercatcher, 100+ Redshank, 110 Turnstone,
247 Bar-tailed Godwit, 1000 Lapwing, 1540 Golden
Plover, 195 Grey Plover, 1270 Dunlin, 29 Sanderling,
320 Knot, 190 Curlew, 12 Snipe, 1 Peregrine
and 2 Corn Bunting. (Phil M)
Friday 19th January 2007 Grove Ferry &
Stodmarsh NNR
It
was great to get out again this morning & I headed over to the Grove
Ferry end of the reserve as I understand that the track to the Stodmarsh
end was blocked yesterday afternoon - something about fallen trees in
strong winds! I anticipated that the birds would be out in force to catch
up on some feeding but it didn't turn out like that! Arriving shortly
after 7:30, the sun was just rising & the gales had reduced to a
lively breeze only this would further reduce later in the morning. The
field to the left of the Ramp had perhaps 20 geese but all Greylags.
The Ramp had large numbers of the familiar birds & the Green Hide had
perhaps 50 Mallards, a single Pochard, a dozen Coots
& a couple of Mute Swans. Two Marsh Harriers showed
briefly, causing mild alarm, before 1 was chased of by a stroppy Crow!
Harrisons has a 'block' of 50 Lapwings huddled together at the far
end of the pool. A handful of Meadow Pipits & a couple of Skylarks
were also in the area. I also heard some familiar 'pinging' but the Bearded
Tits were keeping low in the reeds. My route to the Marsh Hide had the
flock of mixed Fieldfare & Redwing in the hedges but not in any
great number. The Marsh Hide had zilch, & before reaching
the wood at Stodmarsh I spent some considerable time trying to get a
halfway decent image of 2 fem & 1 male Bullfinch - oh
dear! The alders contained a constantly flitting flock of Goldfinch
& Chaffinch but no Redpolls I could see. The main lake had large
numbers of common wildfowl, a Great Crested Grebe, perhaps 50 Black
Headed Gulls, & a Great Black Backed Gull could be seen
right at the back along with perhaps 100 Grey Geese - all Greylags
again as far as I could
see. My route back to Grove Ferry involved the usual slipping &
sliding, an encounter with a further 2 Bullfinches (m & f),
& 3 Ring Necked Parakeets seen across the river. A couple of Great
Spotted Woodpeckers engaged in a lively game of chase but you could
tell she was going to give in the end! Although bird-wise not enthralling
it was good to see there was seemingly only superficial tree damage &
the screens at the Ramp are still intact. (Ben Ring)
Friday 19th January 2007 Foreness
First indications are that the wind has blown birds
offshore, and recent large numbers of divers and auks are almost entirely
absent. There’s always the Sanderlings, however, and the
usual flock of thirty or so, with Turnstones and a single Purple
Sandpiper, were flitting over the seaweed and surf at high tide today.
(Steve Coates)
Monday 15th January 2007 Ramsgate Area
2+ Firecrest Cemetery, 1-2 Grey Wagtails
around the town and the Kingfisher in the Harbour. (Craig S)
Monday
15th January 2007 Pegwell Bay
I made an effort to force myself down the Bay this afternoon. The weather
looked nice but was surprisingly cold - I'm not used to getting cold these
days. Very little going on - Duck numbers were up a bit since my last
visit but wader numbers were very poor. 3 Kite-boards out on the tide line
didn’t help with many of the proper mudflat waders no doubt as there
were hardly any Grey Plovers, Knot, Dunlin etc and I didn’t see a
single Barwit!! No doubt frightened off down to Sandwich. Lapwing
and Golden Plover
numbers were very poor with only c1000 and 1400 respectively. I did some
wader/wildfowl counts and left after a count of the Alba Wagtail
pre-roost at 16.30. The counts turned up: 1 Brent, 54 Shelduck,
180 Mallard, 7 Gadwall, 1 Teal, 540 Wigeon, 1 Spotted
Redshank, c50 Redshank, 2 Peregrine, 1 Sparrowhawk,
1860 Herring Gull, c40 Lesser BB Gull, 190 Great BB Gull,
1700 Common Gull, 800 Black-headed Gull, 12 Diver species
(north), 2 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Little Grebe (garage
pool), 1 Grey Heron plus 440 White/Pied Wagtails (s/west), 1
Grey Wagtail (s/west), 41 Meadow Pipit (s/west) and 430 Wood
Pigeon. (south) The flock of 8 Twite were seemingly hanging
around across on Shellness Point as they flew west over the Country Park
in the evening to roost - my only sighting of the afternoon. (Phil M)
Monday 15th January 2007 Sandwich Bay
There
were 31 Great-crested Grebes and two Black-throated Divers
offshore at Sandwich Bay today. What with the Great- northern Diver in
Ramsgate harbour and interestingly no records of Red-throated Divers. So
the commonest one is missing. Is this global warming (John van der Dol)
Monday 15th January 2007 Ramsgate Harbour
This must be the Great Northern Diver that Phil Charlton found
yesterday. This morning it was cruising round the harbour between the
Lifeboat station and the West Pier. I first saw it at midday, for a
time it was roosting in the shadow between a pontoon and
the foot of the harbour wall. It was still in the same pool when I
left at 13.00hrs fortunately I had a compact camera with me.
Monday 15th January 2007 Seaton & Stodmarsh
Another
sunny day & I arrived at Seaton just after 7:30am. There had been a
localised frost & I was hopeful of Water Rail and/or Bittern but was
disappointed on both counts. The rising sun & mist over the water made
for lovely views & on my first scan at the 'Pit-head' I was fortunate
to spot a male Smew, very much in the distance but very pleasing to
see all the same (thanks to 60x zoom eyepiece!). Shortly after I
encountered both Kingfisher & Grey Wagtail by the stream &
a few pics were taken but the light wasn't all it might have been
(good excuse, part million!). Otherwise, the main pit hosted large numbers
of Greylag, which flew out around 8:15, Wigeon, Pochard,
Mallard, & Tufted Ducks, with Great Crested Grebe & 2 Canada
Geese. A Mallard pair mated & later at Stodmarsh I was
fortunate to see a Great Crested Grebe pair engage in the head
shaking ritual, with the male presenting some weed. The second of the
'holy trinity', the Mandarin Duck was seen preening on an island,
with his female Mallard 'companion' in close attendance! Only the Slav
Grebe did not show to complete the set. On to Stodmarsh at 10am in the
hope of spotting the Scaup seen yesterday, but no joy. Noticeably more Ducks,
Gulls & Cormorants visible than when I was last here on Friday. I
ventured as far as the tower hide before retracing my steps, with only a
quick flash of a male Bullfinch to get excited about. It was while
I was waiting for the Bullfinch to reappear that I had the briefest
or views of a heavy-winged, short tailed raptor drift towards the main
lake - sadly it disappeared behind the trees before I could get any more
detail, but it wasn't a Harrier. The alder wood was quiet variety wise,
with mainly Blue & Great Tits present, with lesser support from
Long-Tails & Goldfinch. (Ben Ring)
Monday 15th January 2007 Foreness & North
Foreland
A early morning cycle along the clifftop between
Foreness and North Foreland produced 1 Eider, 6 Mediterranean
Gulls, 54 Purple Sandpipers, 114 Ringed Plovers, 1 Black
Redstart and 2 Stonechats. Great stuff in a truly wondrous bit
of habitat. (F Solly)
Monday
15th January 2007 Ramsgate Harbour
Another superb morning, weather wise, so I walked to
the harbour. I was hoping that Phil Charlton's Great Northern Diver would
still be present; sadly this wasn't the case, still plenty of birds to be
seen. Good numbers of Great Black-backed, Herring
and Black-headed Gulls were fighting for scraps around
the fishing boats and there was a nice adult "graellsii" Lesser
Black-back on the slipway by the stowed nets. Turnstone,
Sanderling and Ringed Plover were all
noted along with Rock Pipit and a couple of Great
Crested Grebe. Fulmars are now back along the
cliffs in reasonable numbers, giving fabulous views between the Granville
Cinema and King George VI Park. The weather has certainly perked up
the local Sparrowhawks, I saw 4 today including a very
large female displaying over West Dumpton Lane. What a difference a bit of
sunshine makes! (Dylan)
Sunday 14th January 2007 Reculver Sea Wall
A
mid-afternoon stroll along the sea wall at Reculver was unfortunately
joined by the bulk of the population of Kent together with their dogs. The
only things of note were the usual 4 Shorelarks and a flock of 4 Bean
Geese. (F Solly)
Sunday 14th January 2007 Foreness Point
2 Great-Northern Divers (both imm's) feeding close inshore
off of the treatment works. Also 2 imm Shags, 1 Razorbill
plus single female Eider and Common Scoter. 2 Purple
Sandpipers on the beach with Sanderling and Turnstone.
4+ Mediterranean Gulls on the cliff-top grass (2 Ads).
(Neil, David & Janet Burt)
Sunday 14th
January 2007 Ramsgate Cemetery
Just a few birds of note on this almost spring-like day. A male Blackcap,
at least 2 Firecrest and a Chiffchaff. (Phil B)
Sunday
14th January 2007 Oare Marshes KWT Reserve
A superb session at this wonderful reserve. The sun
shone brightly and there were plenty of birds (& birders) around the
site enjoying the conditions. I didn't make any serious counts, but Wigeon,
Teal, Mallard, Gadwall,
Tufted Duck and Greylag Geese were very
numerous. A nice bunch of Pintail rested on the islands
of the East Flood where I also noted 2 Golden Plover, 1 Common
Snipe, 1 Ruff, 2 Black-tailed Godwit,
1 Kingfisher, 4 Little Grebe and a Green
Sandpiper, flushed from the dyke to the south of the sluice.
There were at least 3 Stonechat around the reedy margins,
with a Green Woodpecker and 2-Bearded Tit
also noted as I slowly wandered around. Skylark, Meadow
Pipit, 3 Little Egret, 3 Pheasant,
2m & 1f Red-breasted Merganser, 1 Dunlin,
47 Shelduck and a distant Marsh Harrier
also made it into my notebook as I walked beside Faversham Creek. Meeting
up with Murray Wright, I was informed that the Long-billed
Dowitcher had been feeding besides the slipway in the company of Redshanks,
however it had flown off just before I arrived. Not that I need an excuse
to return but, I'll just have to go back another day! (Dylan)
Sunday 14th January 2007 Ramsgate Harbour
Ramsgate Harbour (Outer Basin) Great Northern Diver swimming by the rocks seaward side of the East
Pier, under the cafe at 08.40. The bird appears to be making its way into
the harbour proper. Is this our regular visitor from last year??
(P M
Charlton)
Friday 12th January 2007 Stodmarsh NNR &
Grove Ferry
In
the hope that the winds/rain had abated for a while, I found myself at
Stodmarsh car park at 8am. The few spots of rain turned to nought & as
I settled in the Reedbed hide I was immediately treated to a Peregrine
shooting across the main lake. It quickly noted that there was very little
to harass & did an abrupt turn around & headed back in the Grove
Ferry direction! I see that the small raft in front of the hide that
usually houses some ducks has now gone - end result, zilch birds. I could
see small flotillas of Shoveler on the main lake, with Teal &
Mallards hugging the reed edges. Marsh Harrier activity was
very evident on my way around the reserve,
with male (s) spotted twice & 4 sightings of females, incl the one
bird with several primary wing feathers missing - shot? With the wind
gaining in strength again, my feeble attempts at getting some decent
images of a m & f Bullfinch by the river resulted in the usual
blurry results & I slipped & slid my way towards Grove with very
little of note. There was quite a population of ducks at the Green Hide
but nothing out of the ordinary & as I headed back to my car I
could only get excited by a distant male Yellowhammer, a brilliant
Yellow standing out from the gloom. My 3 hours plus had only produced 46
species but at least another 4 year-ticks.
(Ben Ring)
Thursday
11th January 2007 Newland's Farm
A return to wet & windy conditions meant that my
walk to, and from, Sericol was a muddy affair. I flushed a pair of Grey
Partridge from besides the footpath this morning and there were
40, or so, Lapwing roosting on the ploughed field towards
the "Old Rose Garden". A soaking on my return journey was well
worth it; Gadget rang with news of a Tundra Bean Goose on
the field behind his house. This is quite a coincidence, as it is exactly
three years since the last record, of Bean Goose, on this same field! A
few minutes later I was getting a series of digi-scoped images from
his bedroom window! (Dylan)
Wednesday
10th January 2007 Monks’ Wall Nature Reserve
I had 30 mins down at Monks’ Wall today. The good news is the
water is finally over the banks and in the fields and sure enough, wetland
birds have appeared. On the walk to the hide I saw many Blackbird
(>50?), perhaps 20 Redwing and a single Mistle
Thrush, all feasting on what remains of the berries.
Notable sights were 3 Corn Bunting in the Sycamore in the
second field. The flooded pool near the bye pass held 15 Black-headed Gull
and 2 Common Gull. Behind the hide was a single
female Yellowhammer, actually quite unusual for Monk's
Wall. On the reserve itself I saw 30 Teal, 2 Coot,
1 Mute Swan and best of all 13 Snipe. Not
bad at all. (Jerry L)
Wednesday 10th January 2007 Ramsgate Harbour
to Dumpton
For the first time, this week, the weather relented and I was able to get
an after-shift session around the harbour. The intense winter sunlight
made obtaining pics a bit problematical, but it was great to be out and
about. Bev dropped me off by the Ramada Jarvis Hotel, just after 14.30
hrs. The tide was rising and the central bridge & sluice system were
already opened. I walked around to scan the pontoons in the outer harbour,
from the Lifeboat Station. Good numbers of Great Black-backed, Herring
and Black -headed Gulls around the site. I noted just one Lesser
Black-backed, a Cormorant and 2 Great Crested Grebes
with my subsequent views. I walked around to the Western Pier and was very
happy to find a sub-adult Shag fishing in the harbour entrance
channel. A male Eider flew across the ferry turning circle, whilst
my walk back home, via King George VI Park, allowed me to get nice views
of Mistle & Song Thrush, feeding alongside each other, several Chaffinches
into roost and a calling Firecrest, in thick Ivy, close to the
Montefiorre Ave. entrance gate. West Dumpton Lane provided the usual
spectacle of Parakeets, flying overhead, towards St. Lawrence and a
bunch of 5 Redwing headed into Ramsgate Cemetery. (Dylan)
Monday 8th January 2007 Grove Ferry
Spent
a very enjoyable 3 hours wandering around the Grove Ferry end of the
reserve this morning between 8 & 11. Noticeable straight away that the
geese population has swelled since my last visit & I had some
nice views of the Greylags in the field by the entrance as the sun
came up (sadly my pics did not replicate my view - aaah, the frustrations
of digiscoping!). Initially could not find the reported White Front
but was successful on my return to the Ramp later. Actually a few birds to
be seen from Harrisons Hide but these were exclusively Lapwing,
perhaps 100. Raptor-wise, saw 3 Marsh Harriers (2m, 1f) & a
male Sparrowhawk. Could hear a Great Spotted Woodpecker
drumming across the river & surprisingly did not see the Ring-
necked Parakeets, which were also heard (didn't look too
hard!). The Ramp produced the inevitable Lapwing, Golden Plover, Ruff,
a couple of Mute Swans & a 'cacophony' of Greylag (incl.
the one White Front). The feeders were also busy, attracting Greenfinch,
Chaffinch, Reed Bunting, Blue & Great Tits, a Robin & 4 Magpies.
43 Species & 3 more year-ticks! (Ben Ring)
Sunday 7th January 2007 Seaton Gravel Pits
Rather damp and windy at Seaton this morning. There
was no sign of the lakes star attractions, although Smew and Slavonian
Grebe could have been sheltering on another part of the lakes.
Bird of the day was a female Scaup with a small group of Pochard,
and the regular Common Buzzard around Wenderton wood. (Norman)
Sunday 7th January 2007 Roost at Fayreness
High Tide Roost at Fayreness this afternoon
40 + Sanderling, 10+ Purple Sandpiper, 20+
Grey Plover,
30+ Ringed Plover, 10+ Redshank, 1 juv Shag
1 Great Black Backed Gull, 1 Lesser Black Backed Gull
, 10 + Common Gulls, 20 + Herring Gulls, 1
Fulmar
(Charlie Vint)
Sunday 7th January 2007 Reservoir near Monkton Thanet
A
brief afternoon visit to the farm reservoir near Monkton produced 1 Goldeneye,
23 Gadwall, 5 Tufted Ducks, 53 Coot, 1 Chiffchaff,
1 Green Woodpecker and 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker. I’m
told that the White-backed Vulture was seen at Wagtail Farm along
the
Thanet Way
this afternoon, and possibly flew over towards Sarre. (Tim Hodge)
Sunday 7th January 2007 Glaucous Gull & Sandwich Bay
The picture
you show on your site of a Glaucous Gull is in fact not a Glaucous
Gull. It is an aberrant gull probably a Great Black Backed Gull with white
primaries and it has a black upper mandible and a pink lower mandible. I
saw this bird this morning with Ian Hodgson both in flight and on the
deck. It is considerably larger than the accompanying Herring Gulls.
It has apparently been around for a few weeks. However I am told there is
a proper Immature Glaucous Gull around which flew towards Pegwell
earlier this morning. Birds at Sandwich Bay this morning include 19 White
fronted Geese plus 2 Bean Geese and another 6 White fronted
Geese north. (John
van der Dol)
Sunday 7th January 2007 Deal Pier
A seawatch from Deal pier produced only a few Gannets
(14 at one time), and a large juvenile gull with white wing tips, flying
around the area. A few pics were taken in murky light, and it seems to be
a Glaucous Gull, as it was about the size of a Greater
Black-backed. Driving through Studdal with an eye open for vultures, I met
some chaps with a radio receiver and a lure; who said they were trying to
bring in a falcon. Pity - I'd like to see a vulture coming to a lure.
(Steve Coates)
Saturday 6th
January 2007 Garden Garlinge
This is my first report, having kept an eye on this site for a while and
found it very interesting, spotting names of people i used to see around.
i.e. Phil M, Dylan an so on I’ve not been birding seriously for many
years, but i keep an eye out, especially in my back garden, and this
morning i was treated to the site of a single Waxwing feeding on
pyracantha berries .my garden backs onto fields between Garlinge and
Shottendane road. I hope to keep in touch with my garden sightings
occasionally. (Steve. D)
Saturday 6th January 2007 Tilmanstone / E.
Studdle
I had an early morning call from my friend Malcolm Mc Vail to say the White-backed
Vulture was still roosting. Though cold wet and miserable I had to go
and see it for myself, and hopefully get some photos. With it raining
really hard and poor light I have managed to get some record photos.
(Graham Crick)
Saturday 6th January 2007 Minnis
Bay
A brief look off Minnis Bay this morning produced four Pintails
(three male and one female) and 2 Razorbills flying west, 30+ Red-throated
Divers offshore, 155 Great Crested Grebes off Grenham Bay and 8
Fulmars off Epple Bay. (Tim Hodge)
Friday
5th January 2007 Pegwell Bay
I popped down for the afternoon tide seeing: 5000+ Lapwing, c3000 Golden
Plover, 150+ Bar-tailed Godwit, 1 Spotted Redshank, 3 Brent,
24 Shelduck, 350 Wigeon, 100+ Mallard, 9 Gadwall,
90 Teal, 2+ Little Egret, 1 Sandwich Tern, 1 Peregrine
etc. There were at least 8 Twite present in the close salt marsh
plus another flock of 7 probable flew across onto Shellness. A good
candidate for a 1st winter Caspian Gull was seen briefly flying
south past the point towards Sandwich. (Phil M)
Friday 5th January 2007 Late News
Thursday
4th January 2007 Grove Ferry The Kingfisher showed briefly on the way down around the boats on the river. Once down
at grove, from the ramp the following species were observed. 7
Ruff, 100 plus Golden Plover, 1
Green Sandpiper, 1 Greenshank
and a Little Egret. Also there was a single White Fronted Goose
with what by dusk was a considerable flock of Greylags.
A few Cetti’s Warblers
were vocal throughout the afternoon and a single Bearded Tit
called from towards the riverbank. Two Male Marsh Harriers
were active throughout the afternoon. Although a few hours were put in for
Bittern they didn’t show
for us, however another observer at various points intermittently
throughout the day had seen two individuals. (Ashley and Lucy)
Thursday 4th January 2007
Fairness
The
increase in Purple Sandpiper numbers continues - 32 counted at the
secluded high tide roost below the Fairness Hotel today, with 50+ Sanderlings,
15 Grey Plovers, 4 Ringed Plovers and a few Turnstones.
Also a Common Scoter and large numbers of gulls on the sea. (Steve
Coates)
Thursday 4th January 2007
Seaton, Stodmarsh
In
an effort to boost my year-ticks I ventured over to Seaton at 8am but
apart from the 'usuals' I failed to locate the Slav Grebe, Smew or even
the Grey Wagtail. The Mandarin kept well hidden on an island before
plopping into the water for a quick sortie & clambering back onto dry
land. Nevertheless it was a lovely sunny am & the Seaton viewing areas
were
quite sheltered from the wind. I decided to go on to Stodmarsh, arriving
at 10:30 where the wind shelter was not so kind! I visited the Marsh Hide
(1 Mute Swan) before crossing the pastures, noting a sizeable flock
of Fieldfares en route, to Harrisons Hide (nothing!). I enjoyed
watching a
brief encounter between a Little Egret & a Grey Heron - no
prizes for guessing the winner! The sun was still shining but I was
feeling a bit despondent & resisted going on to the Green Hide &
Ramp & returned towards Stodmarsh along the very muddy riverbank.
Things only became a bit more interesting when I watched a mixed finch/tit
flock feeding in the alder wood for some time. Predominately Goldfinch
interspersed with a handful of Chaffinch but I was pleased to
see at least 4 Redpoll to add to my list. A delightful
end to my visit but 5 hours total birding had only produced 55 species!
(Ben Ring)
Thursday 4th January 2007 Coldharbour
The 4 Shorelarks were recorded on the shingle viewed
from Coldharbour other bit seen included 450 Brent Geese, 5 Grey
Plover, 14 Ring Plover,19 Sanderling, 15 Redshank,
7 Oystercatchers, 1 Common Gull, 20+ Black headed Gull,
17 Herring Gull, 7 Cormorants, 12 Mallard, 16 Wigeon
and 1 Red-throated Diver, on my way back to the carpark looking over the fields I observed 54
Mute Swan,1 White Wagtail with 4 Pied Wagtail, 12 Linnets,
4 Greenfinches, 2 Stonechat, 2 Kestrels, 1 Redwing,
2 Mistle Thrushes and Blue & Great Tits, It was good to be out although
the wind was a bit strong at times and made photography difficult.
(Gadget)
Thursday
4th January 2007 Dumpton garden
Just
time for garden watching today, the feeding station attracting the usual
mix of Starling, House Sparrow, Collared
Dove and Robin. Carrion Crow
& Herring Gull are regular visitors to my neighbor,
Brenda's garden, where she hand feeds the gulls with dog-food! 2
Curlew flew over, as I cursed myself for not having the
camera handy. A Green Woodpecker called from Newland's
Farm and a handful of Lapwings headed over towards
Pegwell Bay. (Dylan
Thursday 4th
January 2007 Late News
Tuesday 2nd January 2007 Various
Location! Not a bad day
for "difficult to see" species today. I succumbed to the
lure of the Shorelarks at Reculver and went to see them in the
morning. A buzzard species was seen from the car as I was driving
there. Most likely a Common Buzzard, but not seen well enough
to be sure. Extremely windy on the north Kent coast so I didn't hang
around after seeing 2 of the Shorelarks. Very nice but
difficult to find. In search of a marginally warmer and less windy
location I went off to Church Woods and managed to find a Lesser
Spotted Woodpecker in amongst a flock of tits, Nuthatches and Treecreepers.
Early afternoon saw me at Grove Ferry in search of Bittern but I stayed
until 4:15 with no sightings. I'd obviously used up my luck ration
for the day. I did see a Peregrine spooking the plovers, a Ringtail
Hen Harrier coming in to roost and Kingfisher zipping about,
however. A good start to the year. (Scott)
Wednesday 3rd January 2007 Worth Marshes
15 White-fronted Geese in the fields south of the Sandwich Bay Bird
Observatory at lunchtime today (Graham Crick)
Wednesday 3rd January 2007 Ramsgate Cemetery
A walk thought the Cemetery this afternoon recoded 2 Firecrest
(Phil Berate)
Wednesday 3rd January 2007 Newington Thanet
Red Kite flew over Newington Ramsgate this
afternoon (Phil M)
Wednesday 3rd January 2007 Broadstairs to
Dumpton
Another lift to Broadstairs, with Bev, a Great
Spotted Woodpecker being noted as we drove along West Dumpton
Lane. This morning I decided to walk north, towards North Foreland, before
heading back along the coast to Dumpton. Still plenty of gaps in my 2007
year-list, so I was pleased to add Oystercatcher, Grey
Plover, Redshank & Curlew
with my first scan of the rocky foreshore. Out at sea there was still activity
amongst the Red-throated Divers, the distant birds all
heading south, to feed in Sandwich Bay?, whilst the closer birds were
moving in both directions. There were also 9 Brent Geese and
30+ Common Scoter (another year tick) flying north plus
the regularly patrolling Fulmars. Turnstones,
Pied Wagtails and Rock Pipits were seen
at various points along my route, but the most surprising thing was the
number of Purple Sandpipers along this stretch of coast.
I found 6 feeding on the slipway by the shelter on Broadstairs Pier
(rather a posh description of a sticky out bit!) and another 4 at Dumpton
Gap. (Dylan)
Tuesday
2nd January 2007 Reculver
via the Wantsum Walk
Despite
the windy conditions, we spent a few hours walking from the
towers as far as the stables at Minnis Bay & then cut inland,
through Shuart & returned to Reculver via the Wantsum Walk. This took
from 9:15 to 15:00 & our return was a poor 39 species but I did get to
see my target birds 2 Shore Lark midway between the Towers &
Coldharbour. A sizeable flock of some 600 Brent Geese flew over us
on our way out, initially landing on the sea before deciding on some
heavy-duty grazing, enabling a couple of record shots (the sun was
directly in front of us). Otherwise a couple of Red Throated Divers &
sporadic Gulls passing was all there was to get excited about! (Ben Ring)
Tuesday
2nd January 2007 Broadstairs to R / Harbour (& back to
Dumpton)
The
reality slap that is back to work! Bev had to be in the office for 08.30
hrs, my shift didn't start until 14.00hrs, so I had time for a very
pleasant stroll along the coast. As soon as I arrived at Viking Bay it was
clear that large numbers of Red-throated Divers were on
the move. In the time it took me to walk to Dumpton Gap, 25 minutes, I had
recorded 87 south & 28 north, although some of the birds may have been
flushed off of the sea by the activities of the Pilot vessels moving
offshore. A lone Brent Goose flew north, whilst a steady
procession of Kittiwakes headed south, way out at sea. A Razorbill
flew south at Dumpton Gap and may well have been the same bird that I
noted on the sea below Winterstoke Steps. A Purple Sandpiper
was feeding on the seawall at the Gap and I recorded 6 Rock Pipits
along the coast, with a further 3 around the Harbour. Fulmars
were seen, but none along the cliffs and the only other waders were Turnstone
and Sanderling. The Great Crested Grebe
is still in the outer harbour and that is about as exciting as it got. My
walk back home took me through King George VI Park, so I had time to take
a few pics of the Rose - ringed Parakeets, as they
sheltered from the wind. (Dylan)
Monday 1st January 2007 Seaton GP's & Ramsgate Harbour
A
dawn start at Seaton GP's was a very pleasant way to start the year. I
walked the footpath across the meadow to the main pit, ticking the common
species as I went. The Slavonian Grebe, Smew
and Mandarin were all noted as I scanned through the
wildfowl present. 2 male & 1 female Goldeneye were
also seen, along with Grey Wagtail, Sparrowhawk,
Treecreeper and, most unexpectedly, a flock of 13 Little
Egrets feeding in the flooded meadow by the North Pit. Norman
McCanch, John Websper, Chris & Anne Hindle were out and about around
the site and had seen all the specialties available. I left the venue and
drove to Ramsgate Harbour. Apart from an encounter with Dave & Katie
Beadle, I managed to add a further six species, Great Black-backed
Gull, Kittiwake, Fulmar, Rock
Pipit, Sanderling & Turnstone
before I ran out of time and headed for home, just managing to record Ring-necked
Parakeet as I passed Ramsgate Cemetery. A total of 69 species in
just under 5 hours - jolly good fun! (Dylan)
Monday 1st January 2007 Ash Levels
A
nice sunny but breezy start to the New Year saw us walk our usual Patch
from Ash to Goldstone Drove & returning via Cooper St between 9:15
& 13:15. Whilst the birding was nothing out of the ordinary it was
good to start the new year's ticks & we managed 40 - the highlight
being a fem Hen
Harrier at Goldstone Drove followed shortly after by a Marsh
Harrier. The skies seemed to be populated only by the more robust
fliers - Wood Pigeons, Crows, & Gulls - with the slighter
species flitting between hedges. Here's to the next 364 days! (Ben Ring)
Monday 1st January 2007 Minnis Bay
I popped out briefly this morning, the highlight being a Great
Skua
(Bonxie)
close inshore before heading east. (Tim Hodge)
Sunday 31st December 2006 Seaton Gravel Pits
A couple of hours at Seaton this morning turned up
the Slavonian Grebe, a brief sighting of the Mandarin Duck
and in amongst the Wigeon, Teal and Mallard on the far side
was my first male Smew of the winter at Seaton. I managed a record
shot of it in the poor light conditions, a male Goldeneye landed in
amongst the Tufted Duck. 2 Kingfishers were noted along the
stream, with 2 Grey Wagtails, and a flock of Long tailed Tits
passed through, a male Marsh Harrier was seen on the way out.
(Steve Ashton)
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