Wednesday 30th January 2008 Oare Marshes & Grove Ferry Stodmarsh NNR

With my year-to-date total standing at 99 species, I decided on a first trip to Oare of the year in the hope of Avocet, Bearded Tit, Rock Pipit, Canada Goose etc. & achieve my aim of 100 species by the end of January. The early morning rain eased by the time I got there at 8:20 & the gloom made way for sunshine but breezy & feeling cold. Scanning the assembled birds from the road, I hit upon a Bar Headed Goose amongst the Greylag so this was 100 for the year - maybe classed as unofficial as presumably an escape. Undeterred I walked around to the Sea Hide & was fortunate enough to see 2 pairs of Red Breasted Merganser - sadly too far off for meaningful digiscoped images but definitely 'official' 100. With the tide still receding & the birds very distant, after a couple of hours I decided to head off to Grove to try & pick up a few of the common species mentioned above. I arrived at 11:20 & it felt decidedly quiet as I headed towards the Ramp. I exchanged pleasantries with a couple of birders that were just leaving & they confirmed my thoughts. Still, it was a beautiful afternoon & with few people about, I thoroughly enjoyed my walk around the reserve. The Alder wood trail promised Tree Creeper but failed & I tried a few pics of a drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker but it was too obscured. A handful of Siskin provided temporary interest & I made my way along the Lampen Wall, scanning the lake for any 'goodies' but only noted the Pintail population had 'escalated' to 3 drakes! I arrived back at the Ramp at 3 & after having another scan of the Golden Plover & Lapwing I decided to call it a day. (Ben Ring)

Tuesday 29th January  Roswell Pits, Ely - Cambridgeshire

A short walk from the house this evening to try and see if there were any Owls or Harriers coming into roost as has done in the past. The main boating lake held 4 Great Crested Grebes, 1 Little Grebe, c10 Canada Geese, with a few Black-headed and Common Gulls sitting out on the posts. The walk round the lake didn't produce anything of note, as i neared Cuckoo bridge the call of some Kingfishers were heard along with loads of common species that have been singing the last few weeks, including 3 Mistle Thrushes. The bridge was as far as i was going and sat out the next hour to see what popped up in front of me. There were at least 3 Kingfishers, 3 Grey Wagtails, 2 Meadow Pipits, 6 Golden Plover, c400 Black-headed Gulls, few Lesser Black-backed Gulls and a Sparrowhawk over, a roosting party of 36 Magpies, c20 or so Reed Buntings dropping into roost in the reed beds, 4 Water Rails screaming, 3 Great Crested Grebes, another Little Grebe, and a roosting flock of c50 Chaffinch which held a calling Brambling amongst them, not much else to shout about so it was home-ward for a coffee. (Craig Sammels)

Tuesday 29th January 2009 Foreness Area

While counting the birds at the high-tide roosts (50+ Sanderlings, 6 Ringed Plovers, 14 Purple Sandpipers and a scattering of Turnstones) I met Ian Hodgson, Warden of the Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory, who is arranging a count of Turnstones around the Thanet coast at 1pm on Feb 23rd.
Although he had some volunteers I'm sure he'd appreciate a few more to ensure a full count, so if any readers see this and have some time perhaps they could contact Ian direct. (Steve Coates)

Tuesday 29th January 2008 Ramsgate Cemetery

Almost the same as Dylan's report from this morning, also Green Woodpecker  making an appearance, (Gadget)

Tuesday 29th January 2008 Ramsgate Cemetery

An hour in the cemetery proved to be very enjoyable. At least 5 Firecrest mixed with the regular Blue & Great Tits and associated Goldcrests, The majority of the birds feeding in the conifers and Holme Oaks in the SW corner of the site. A male Great Spotted Woodpecker perched high in a leafless oak, calling loudly and a superb adult male Sparrowhawk made a couple of attempts at a Goldcrest (which I was trying to photograph) before perching in an adjacent Horse Chestnut. Plenty of Jays and Magpies plus the usual gulls and pigeons (Dylan)

Monday 28th January 2008 Reculver & Grove

Starting at Reculver at 8am,it was obvious that visibility was going to be much reduced as despite it being sunny, a thick fog remained in the almost breezeless conditions - it was also noticeably cooler today, approx 4 C. Due to the aforesaid fog, the view out to sea was much restricted so I headed inland along the Wantsum trail -there was little to excite. A covey of 7 Red Legged Partridge eyed me suspiciously as I made my way up Shuart Lane & a Stoat shot across the path near the farm. At least the fog lifted by late morning & I returned along the seawall enjoying the several hundred Brent Geese that dropped in by Coldharbour. A flock of some 60 Swans flew overhead & were led by a solitary Whooper, giving it's 'trademark' call of 3 notes. The flock headed off in the Chislet direction (11:45am).Several Red Throated Divers, flying west, were noted on the return to the towers, as well as a handful of Great Crested Grebes. Little Grebes seemed to be out in force on any available patch of water! I called in to Grove en route to home (1:30 - 5pm) but things were pretty quiet here also. I visited the Turf & Harrison's Hide before returning to the Ramp to watch proceedings until dusk. A Bittern (presumably the same bird) was spotted on 3 occasions,3:05,3:20 & 4:50pm,affording good views as it initially flew to the right of the Ramp ,then flew of a little later to the left .The longest journey was made just before dusk when it returned directly in front of me and ended its journey by the Turf Hide. A fox broke cover to my left & bolted away, attracting the attention of a single Lapwing which mobbed it briefly! A hen Pheasant made a couple of noisy attempts to feed from the bird table! I counted 4 fem & 2 male Marsh Harriers heading towards Stodmarsh & 23 Corn Buntings perched in nearby tree for 5 minutes before disappearing to roost for the night. (Ben Ring)

Sunday 27th January 2008 North Foreland

A 1.5 hour seawatch at North Foreland this morning produced 425 Divers heading South and also 30+ Auks, 1 Gannet and a few Kittiwakes. (Simon Mount)

Sunday 27th January 2008 Ash Levels

A walk around the Patch in wonderful January weather with only a slight cold breeze - 9am - 1pm.Whilst bird numbers seemed down today, with no significant Thrush flocks, there was plenty of song to liven up proceedings. We walked from Ash to Lower Goldstone & were very pleased to see a solitary Tree Sparrow at the beginning of Goldstone Drove. We then went on to Potts Farm Drove & spotted, amongst others, a distant Hen Harrier (Ringtail) & a small group of 4 Yellowhammers (one very fine male) Looking across to the Rape field near Rubery Drove, 10 Swans could be seen but all seemed to be Mutes from that distance - needed a scope really to see if there were any Bewick's! (Ben Ring)

Sunday 27th January 2008 Southwall marshes to Fowlmead

A walk over the marsh to Fowlmead on a fine afternoon 1400 to 15 30, 11 Black bird, 30+ Wood Pigeon, 5 Grey Partridge, 1 Kestrel, 2 Greenfinch, 10 Chaffinch, 3 Robin, 1Green Woodpecker, 6 Pied Wagtail, 8 Blue Tit, 2 Great Tit, 1Jay, 50+ Starling, 6 Carrion Crow, 1 Brambling the first i have seen in this area. (Mike D)

Saturday 26th January 2008 Larkeyvalley & Park Wood, Challock

To enjoy the midwinter sunshine we went inland to Larkeyvalley and then to Park Wood, Challock. It was a lovely day, sheltered and bright in the woods, but little stirred in Larkeyvalley except a few Redwings keeping to the treetops - not even a Great Spotted Woodpecker was seen. We moved on to Park Wood, a smallish wood managed by the Woodland Trust, and with more space and facing south there seemed to be a more lively atmosphere. There were clearly tit flocks around, and after some scanning into the thickets we were rewarded with some good views of Marsh Tits, as well as the Great, Blue and Long-Tailed versions and a couple of Goldcrests. We walked up through the wood, testing our knowledge of distant bird calls, and spotting a Bullfinch and - astonishingly - a Common Buzzard flying low through a clearing. A Nuthatch called, its piping echoing around the trees but it stayed resolutely on the wrong side of the trunk until it flew. Returning to the gate by the road, we heard more tits calling including another loud Marsh Tit, which we found high in the canopy. As we watched it we saw another bird, slightly larger, pass behind it and land nearby branch - its barred back showed it was a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. It flew before we could move for a better angle, but returned a few minutes later, its rounded wings clearly showing its family trait. No photos of course, but a memorable sight of this little bird that had eluded us for so long. (Steve Coates)

Saturday 26th January 2008 Minster Marshes

I had a quick look at the harbour, at high water, but no sign of yesterday's Iceland Gull so I drove across to Minster and had a walk along the R. Stour, towards the power station. 3 Bullfinches were feeding on buds in the fishermen's carpark. A Grey Heron was standing out in a field of winter cereal and I spent quite a while watching a Barn Owl hunting over the set-a-side. Meadow Pipit, Fieldfare, Yellowhammer and 2 Green Sandpiper were noted as I wandered around the various hedgerows and tracks. A Grey Wagtail was in the ditch next to the water treatment works as I made my way back to the car. Chaffinch, Long-tailed Tit, Wren and another Barn Owl were seen as I neared the railway crossing. (Dylan)

Friday 25th January 2008 Foreness & Fayreness Area

The high tide wader roosts this week held maxima of 5 Purple Sandpipers, 42 Grey Plovers, 24 Curlew, just 5 Ringed Plovers (others have counted more), 198 Oystercatchers and a welcome return to 147 Sanderlings. The Turnstones were difficult to count as usual (they keep moving) but some 80-odd have found a new roost site with the Purps on the pumping station wall.
(Steve Coates)

Friday 25th January 2008 Dumpton to Ramsgate Harbour

I finished my shift at 13.00hrs today and, after collecting my gear from home, made my way to Ramsgate harbour via King George VI Park. A Peregrine was hunting feral pigeons over Montifiorre Avenue. I got a couple of record pics before I continued on my walk. A number of Fulmar were patrolling the cliffs, giving superb views as they passed within a few feet of the footpath. The sea appeared rather quiet, just a few gulls moving towards Pegwell. The harbour itself was almost predictable. 2 Shag in the marina, Turnstone, Rock Pipit and the regular mix of Herring, Great Black-backed & Black-headed Gulls assembled on various rooftops and pontoons. Due to high water, I had to walk right around the inner harbour to enable me to reach the Lifeboat Station. It is where I have my best chance of spotting any colour rings amongst the loafing gulls on the outer pontoon. I had just completed my first scan when I came across a pale bird that was facing head on. As I watched it preening, the bill pattern and white primaries soon had the adrenalin kick in. I was looking at an Iceland Gull - a 1st summer/2nd winter, quite possibly the bird that Francis had seen at Pegwell Bay earlier this month. It was pointless attempting pics from my position so I had to do a complete circuit, back to the Harbour Light Cafe, before I managed to get in a position where an image could be obtained. The bird was still present at dusk, so will quite likely be in the harbour at first light tomorrow. (Dylan)

Thursday 24th January 2008 Sandwich Bay

A quick trip down to Sandwich Bay this afternoon around 4pm produced 3 Lapland Buntings feeding on the seed provided near Mary Bax's Stone -none of the birds were ringed. (Ben Ring)

Thursday 24th January 2008 Reculver Late News

A 1st winter Glaucous Gull flew west past Reculver on Monday morning (21stJanuary 2008) (Neil Faulkner)

Wednesday 23rd January 2008 Stodmarsh NNR & Grove Ferry

Could not get to the reserve until 12:30PM & the earlier bright skies had turned decidedly grey with a modest breeze? I started by going through the nature trail and on to the Lampen wall overlooking the main lake. A Kingfisher was briefly seen as I went up onto the main path & a small flock, perhaps a dozen birds, of Siskin were feeding in the alders. Little to thrill on the lake so I retraced my steps & made my way to the Marsh Hide. Noted a single Water Pipit here & 2 sightings of female Hen Harrier, assumed to be the same bird. Onward then to Harrisons drove & I headed back to watch the evening roost via the river path. A Sparrowhawk shot past me en route to the river & a scan of the 60 or so geese near the Oxbow proved to be all Greylag. Arriving back at the lake at 3:45pm, I watched proceedings, noting, amongst other usual species, a smart drake Pintail attempting to pal-up with 4 Gadwall & 2 Great Black Backed Gulls lurking menacingly near a group of Shoveler! Raptor-wise, I enjoyed watching the antics of 4 male Marsh Harriers & 1 female Hen Harrier & thought that was it for a display as it was getting quite dark by now (4:40pm).A last glance across the lake revealed a swirl of birds over the distant reeds & I was able to count up to 19 Harriers in the sky at one time, presumably all but 1 or 2 being 'Marsh' - fantastic stuff & a great finale to the day! (Ben Ring)

Wednesday 23rd January 2008 Margate Thanet

There was a Snow Bunting on the cliffs near the Lido this morning, plus a dozen or so Fulmars prospecting in the area. (Tim H)

Tuesday 22nd January 2008 Sandwich Bay and Minster Marshes

We set off for Sandwich Bay in the hope that we would be able to get some better pics of the Lapland Buntings in the, very welcome, sunshine. Arriving at the site, several birders were already present including Steve Ashton! Enquiring about the "Laps" we were told that they had flown off strongly to the west and that the ringers from the Obs had been attempting to trap them using a box trap. They had caught one before discarding the trap on the side of the road and leaving a deserted scene. A couple of birders had travelled a considerable distance to see these birds, based on the information provided by the SBBOT website, only to fail due to this disturbance. The Obs is stuck between a rock and a hard place! SBBOT exists to record bird movements and, as such, use licensed ringers to help with this important work. Quite why they felt the need to attempt to capture the birds today, after the amount of publicity they had received on Monday, is less clear. After an absence of 3 hours, one bird did return briefly, then a gap of 20 minutes before another two flew in. None of these was wearing a shiny new ring - assumedly the trauma of being caught and handled being enough to overcome the lure of the seeded path for the fourth individual. Pics secured, we headed over to Minster Marshes where we spent the remainder of the afternoon wandering along the R. Stour towards the power station. Sparrowhawk, 2 Peregrine, 7 Yellowhammer, 12+ Meadow Pipit and a Little Egret were all recorded as we made our way slowly east. Large numbers of Fieldfare and Woodpigeon were in the surrounding hedgerows, especially over by the railway embankment. Just after 15.30hrs we spotted a Barn Owl quartering an area of set-a-side and managed to get a few pics before we retraced our steps finding a Green Sandpiper as we went. (Gadget & Dylan)

Tuesday 22nd January 2008 Ancient Highway to Restharrow scrape

On the Ancient Highway 1 Green Woodpecker, 1 Dunnock, 4 Stonechat, 1 Song Thrush, 1 Corn Bunting 1 Lapland Bunting, between Mary Bax’s stone & Restharrow scrape. not at all shy ,over the marshes 2 Marsh Harriers 1 possible Peregrine Falcon, perched on a fence post 3 Kestrel, on Restharrow scrape 10 Mute Swan,1 Canada Goose, 6 Greylag Geese 4 Shelduck, 1 Northern Shoveler, 8 Teal, 1Oystercatcher, 2 Moorhen, on the bank was 6 Pheasants  A nice afternoon 1300 to 1500hrs. (Mike

Tuesday 22nd January 2008 Pegwell Bay & R/gate Harbour

A lunchtime visit to Pegwell for the dropping tide in very pleasant and unseasonal weather and for a change little wind. 318 Wigeon, 126 Shelduck and 243 Bar-tailed Godwits exhausted my interest in counting. Golden Plovers were down to around 2500 with about 6000 Lapwing. The other usual suspects included 3 Little Egrets, 5 Gadwall, 4 Pintail, 12 Shoveler, Merlin and the 6 Twite. Quality or rather what passes for quality at Pegwell was provided by 3 Avocet, 2 Black tailed Godwits, a Spotshank and a Tufted Duck (not as a good as a Pochard but one can dream) Back via Military Road which produced 2 Shags in the Harbour. What fun. (F Solly)

Monday 21st January 2008 Reedbed Hide Stodmarsh NNR

Spent ½ hour in the Reedbed Hide from 9am & was lucky enough to spot a Bittern within 2 minutes, flying R to L over the reeds. Otherwise, a female & an immature Marsh Harrier caused much alarm amongst the Teal. (Ben Ring)

Monday 21st January 2008 Dumpton to Broadstairs

I finished my shift at 14.00 hrs and walked home in the drizzle. A Grey Wagtail flew over the Sericol carpark and a female Sparrowhawk was spiralling over the cauli fields as I neared Vine Close. Needing to get some bits in Broadstairs I arranged to meet Bev, when she finished work, so I would have a lift back. A slow stroll along the coast was fairly un-eventful. 1 Rock Pipit, 4 Oystercatcher, 6 Turnstone and 3 Curlew were the best I could manage along the shore line whilst out at sea I recorded 3 Guillemot, 1 Red-throated Diver, 1 Great Crested Grebe and a few Fulmar. Two 3rd yr (?) Herring Gulls had rather strange moult sequences - I won't bore you with the details, but they interested me! (Dylan)

Monday 21st January 2008 Mary Bax's Stone area Sandwich Bay

I called over to the SBBOT this morning to see if the Lapland Buntings or Lapland Longspurs as my book refers to them were around, I was told that four were still along Ancient Highway near Mary Bax's Stone area, I only found 3 Lapland Buntings on the track other birds seen were Skylarks, Reed Buntings, Corn Buntings and Stonechats. (Gadget)

Monday 21st January 2008 Foreness Area

There were two adult Mediterranean Gulls on the grass at Foreness today (Steve Coates)

Sunday 20th January 2008 Stodmarsh NNR

A short afternoon session in the Reedbed Hide proved to be rather enjoyable. 107 Cormorants flew in to roost, joining the 56 birds that were already present in the "Cormorant Trees" at the back of the main lake. A Bittern was watched flying from the river, following the Lampern Wall before dropping into the reeds to the east of the Lampern Stream. A couple of flocks of Lapwing flew over (230+ birds) and there were 2 Common Snipe resting at the water's edge immediately beside the hide. 3 Water Pipit, 13 Marsh & 1, ring-tailed, Hen Harrier provided plenty to look at as the day drew to a close. (Dylan)

Sunday 20th January 2008 Pegwell Bay

During my (belated) Webs wader count at Pegwell Bay, three Snow Buntings were found near the high water line on Viking Beach, Pegwell (P M Charlton)

Saturday 19th January 2008 Ash Levels

A pleasant afternoon session wandering around my favourite part of East Kent, A surprising number of Redwings amongst the Fieldfare and Starling flocks feeding in the orchards. Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Green Woodpecker and Kestrel were all noted as I made my way out onto the marsh. I had deliberately gone to the Levels to get some pics of the Bewick's Swans that I had seen from the Minster side of the R. Stour earlier in the week. 66 Mute Swans were feeding on a large field of oilseed rape, but I drew a blank on my quarry. Slightly disappointed, I made my way towards the power station seeing 6 Skylark, 1 Peregrine, 11 Yellowhammer, 2 Linnet, 5 Reed Bunting and a Marsh Harrier as I went. Suddenly I became aware of 4 swans flying towards me from the Ebsfleet / Sevenscore direction. Raising my binoculars I was pleased to note the yellow and black bill pattern of wild swans. A scramble to get my camera from my backpack as the Bewick's flew in to land amongst the Mutes. I retraced my steps to attempt to get some pics of them on the ground. Confident in the company of the Mute Swans, I was able to get within digi-scoping range and took a few record images, although the two pairs had separated and were feeding too far apart to get a group shot. Sparrowhawk, Little Grebe, Jay and Stock Dove gave me something to look at whilst I made my way back to my car. A quick cup of coffee with Doreen, the gamekeeper's wife, then off home - mission accomplished! (Dylan)

Friday 18th January 2008 Dumpton Thanet

The garden was the only place for me today as jobs around the house had built up and had to be done, at lunchtime the feeders held 12 Greenfinches, 1 Goldfinch, 3 Starlings on the lawn and flowerbeds 7 Collard Doves, 1 Robin, 2 Blackbirds and 2 Wrens which were new for the garden this year. (Gadget)

Thursday 17th January 2008 Minster Marshes

A stroll around the marsh this morning, was all we could manage. Starting at the fishermen's carpark, single Sparrowhawk, Green Woodpecker and Cetti's Warbler were seen before we headed off along the river bank. 6 Goldfinches were feeding on teasel seeds and a nice flock of Long-tailed Tits were feeding in a riverside hawthorn. Over on the Ash Levels there were several large mixed flocks of Starlings and Fieldfares. A ring-tailed Hen Harrier and 3 Marsh Harriers were hunting the surrounding farmland, but was about as exciting as it got. Tim Hodge & Don Wilks were doing the rounds and a quick exchange revealed that they had also seen very little. 3 Kestrel, 4 Meadow Pipit and a Stonechat brightened the return walk with a pair of Bullfinch present in the hawthorn hedge, as we reached the car. A scan across the river to view the distant Mute Swan flock revealed the presence of 4 adult Bewick's in their midst. 14 Shelduck flew west as we packed to leave. (Gadget & Dylan)

Wednesday 16th January 2008 Ramsgate Cemetery

As I walked around the cemetery this morning on a much pleasanter day than yesterday it was noticeable that there were plenty of bird around, birds noted 2 Firecrest just inside the gateway accompanied with 9 Goldcrest and another Firecrest in the east corner with 3 Goldcrest, Blue Tits, Great Tits and Chaffinches were moving throughout the cemetery with 6 Jay's, 20+ Magpies, 30+ Carrion Crows, 30+ Woodpigeons, 3 Green Woodpeckers, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 30+ Ring-necked Parakeets, Blackbirds and the odd Robin were also seen on my walk, as i left the cemetery a Blackcap briefly showed when it came out from the allotments. (Gadget)

Wednesday 16th January 2008 Broadstairs to Dumpton

I went across to Broadstairs with Bev this morning. She went to work whilst I took a stroll along the coast to the end of the Eastern Esplanade before retracing my steps and walking back home. After the ferocious gales of yesterday, it was quite pleasant today, with just a gentle southerly breeze. Guillemots/large auk sp. were still trickling south but, apart from a lone Common Scoter and 3 un-id'd "Grey geese", the sea was very quiet. A few Fulmars were patrolling the cliffs and a careful check of the rocky foreshore revealed 3 Purple Sandpiper, 4 Grey Plover and 2 Curlew to be present amongst the regular foraging groups of Turnstone and Oystercatcher. A couple of Rock Pipit were noted and there was a group of 6 Great Crested Grebe on the sea below the North Foreland Estate. (Dylan)

Monday 14th January 2008 Welney WWT Late News

An afternoon visit to this very 'plush' reserve just down the road was a pleasant change from the boating lakes just round the corner from my house. On the way 4 large groups of 300+ Whooper Swans were out on there daytime feeding sites and a big flock of c500 Fieldfare's around part of a flooded field. A quick look on the recent sightings board and being robbed with the entry fee, i passed through the 'Wigeon cafe' which i think should be called 'Goons Cafe' to the outside eating area where no one was because it was to cold! From here views to the east of the Ouse Washes revealed huge numbers of Golden Plovers/Lapwings out on the ploughed fields  numbering 10'000 birds. Also present were the 3 Tundra Bean Geese which have been around since the 9th.The large feeding station just below the visitor centre attracted good numbers of Finches including Chaffinch, Goldfinch, and Greenfinches (2-300), 50+ Reed Buntings and a female Great Spotted Woodpecker, plus the usual Blue and Great Tits. Looking down the road yet another large group of Whooper Swans (400+) were feeding out in fields, the only other thing of note was a Hare. With that tell-tail noise of the door opening with birders looking for the geese i pointed them in the right direction and legged it the other way across the bridge to view the main washes, with the current water levels very high only the main ''heated'' Obs being accessible due to the flooding i opted to the cold hide along side passing a dirty great Rat as i did, Masses of birds on view with 400+ Pochard just in front of the hide so close. Other Highlights included 120 Black-tailed Godwits asleep on some floating vegetation Inc 3 colour-ringed birds, just 45 or so Whooper Swans and a Sparrowhawk. What was funny is how a little bit of heat gets everyone into the main Obs, but i think there's just something about being out birding being a little cold and hearing the wild Swans calling to there young. All in all a nice few hours 15mins from home. (Craig S)

Monday 14th January 2008 North Foreland

A big movement of Guillemots offshore  this morning with some 4500+ south along with a steady trickle of Kittiwakes ,12 Gannets 3 Red Throated Divers and a single Arctic Skua .(Rae Boulden)

Sunday 13th January 2008 Pegwell Bay   

A couple of hours, this afternoon, sifting through the gulls present in the bay, The 1st winter Glaucous Gull was present on the point, away across the river along with 5 Yellow-legged (4 adults & a 1st summer) and a 2nd winter Mediterranean Gull. Huge numbers of Herring, Common, Great Black-backed and Black-headed with a small number of Lesser Black-backed Gulls providing the main interest, The swirling flocks of Lapwing and Golden Plover made a spectacular backdrop for my session. Other bits included 1 Sandwich Tern, 3 Little Egret, 2 Grey Heron, 7 Shoveler, 5 Teal with Common Snipe, Curlew, Shelduck, Wigeon, Oystercatcher, Dunlin and Sanderling also noted in various numbers. A pair of Stonechat was present by the garage pools. (Dylan)

Saturday 12th January 2008 Pegwell Bay

Afternoon/evening visit to Pegwell, rather fine conditions and relatively Gulls in the Bay as a consequence, with very few new birds coming in. The Glaucous Gull was present throughout but little else. 25 Brent Geese were perhaps new as not seen yesterday and a single Pintail. (F Solly)

Saturday 12th January 2008 Stodmarsh NNR

With the sun shining brightly we set off to Stodmarsh in the hope that there would be enough light to finally get some decent images of the harriers, a they come into roost. The best laid plans! Parking the car, we set off towards the Marsh Hide. Arriving at the Alder Wood, we bumped into Mick Schroepfer who was attempting to get some pics of Treecreeper. We had a chat and spent a little time watching the antics of the Siskins, as they fed high up in the alders. We continued on our way, Mick deciding to tag along. A Kingfisher and a Sparrowhawk were noted as we walked towards the hide with an immature Marsh Harrier flying over the fields towards grove Ferry as we neared our destination. Once inside the wooden box we surveyed the scene. A Little Egret and 2 Lapwing were on the nearest pool. As time passed, we added 2 Grey Heron and a few, distant, Water Pipit. Sue Morton entered the hide and our behaviour improved, well we reduced the noise levels and use of industrial language! Birding was slow, but a Sparrowhawk hunting over the pool revealed there to be 21 Water Pipit in the vicinity and we noted a pair of Stonechats as they foraged at the base of a narrow strip of reeds. At this point we were joined by Steve Ashton and any attempt at serious birding was completely abandoned! Sue couldn't put up with the boisterous antics for too long and her departure heralded the start of one of the most amusing sessions we've ever spent in a hide. Topics ranged from Hydraulic Tipper Truck service techniques and costings, through various camera techniques (well Steve slagging off digi-scoping!) to the finer points of Caspian Gull ID & the pointlessness of twitching! An absolute blast. Oh yeah, we saw 2 ring-tailed Hen Harrier, 5+ Marsh Harrier and a huge number of Fieldfare flighting in to their respective roost sites. There were a few pics taken, but these were secondary to the main purpose of the occasion - enjoying time spent in like-minded company. (Gadget & Dylan)

Saturday 12th January 2008 Minster Marshes Thanet

A trip to Minster Marshes (3:30 - 5pm) in superb weather for the time of year to try & spot a LE Owl this afternoon proved unsuccessful. Just as the light was fading, we did 'bag' a hunting Barn Owl over on 'my side'  of the river on the Ash Levels, ,as we walked towards Richborough PS along Abbot's Wall. As it was almost dark, unfamiliar calls came almost certainly from a small covey of Grey Partridge, their shapes just being made out in the gloom. A large number of Swans could be seen in the fields towards Lower Goldstone. I hope that the 'numb nuts' who took great delight in screaming at the top of their voices to each other, whilst letting their dogs splash in & out of the swollen river have a very nice evening. They seemingly had eaten well, judging by the amount of litter that was strewn around the river bank area from where they had come! (Ben Ring)

Friday 11th January 2008 Pegwell Bay

A decent evening tide to check the Pegwell Gull roost, I thought it likely that with the unsettled whether there would be an increase in Gull numbers. That being, I left the endless toil early and there were indeed large numbers of Gulls in the bay - the greatest number of large Gulls that I've seen so far this winter. The visit paid of, when shortly after arriving I picked up a brute of a Glaucous Gull - a 1st winter and about ten minutes later a 1st winter Iceland Gull came in with a flock of Gulls spooked from the point and landed about 100 yards away from the Glaucous. 2 Yellow-legged Gulls, 3-4 Mediterranean Gulls and a Sandwich Tern were also in the roost. Of the usual suspects, there were about 6000 Lapwing and 4000 Golden Plover, singles of Short-eared Owl, Barn Owl and Merlin. (F Solly)

Friday 11th January 2008 Deal Pier

An hour & 15 mins seawatch (14.30 - 15.45 hrs) was all we could manage under the conditions. A strong southerly wind and overcast skies meant that birding from the pier was our only option. 174 Guillemot/large auk sp. moved south with only 1 Razorbill positively id'd. A Fulmar, 4 Gannet and 6 Red-throated Diver was as good as it got. Large numbers of Great Black-backed and Common Gulls moving off shore, yet nothing more interesting. At least we had tried! With the light fading fast we enjoyed a cup of coffee, in the cafe, before heading back to Dumpton. (Gadget & Dylan)

Friday 11th January 2008 Dumpton Thanet

This morning between 08-00 to 09-00hrs, 3 Goldfinches were on the feeders in the company of 8 Greenfinches,1 Chaffinch,1 Great Tit, while on the Lawn and around the flower beds 4 Blackbirds, 7 Collard Doves, 3 Starlings and 1 Robin still no sign of the Brambling, out over the field behind my house 30 Herring Gulls, 8 Black-headed Gulls and 19 Carrion Crows. on a very wet and dull morning on Thanet. (Gadget)

Thursday 10th January 2008 Ramsgate Cemetery to Fayreness

Had a cycle round Thanet today.  Ramsgate Cemetery had 1 Firecrest, C6 Goldcrest and c6 Long-tailed Tits.  There was another Firecrest at the top of the East Cliff Esplanade, Stone Bay. Off the coast there were plenty of large Auks moving South plus c40 Brent Geese and a couple each of Gannet and Kittiwake, 4 Red-throated Diver flew north.  Off Fayreness there were about 30 or more Guillemots scattered about on the sea. (Nick Lever)

Thursday 10th January 2008 Foreness & Fayreness

There were more birds at the high-tide roosts today, and no dogs. At Foreness were 42 Sanderlings and a few Turnstones.   At Fayreness were 93 Sanderlings, 41 Grey Plovers, 7 Knot, 13 Purple Sandpipers and 22 Ringed Plovers. (Steve C)

Wednesday 9th January 2008 Ramsgate Harbour

A short, after work, stroll around the harbour was hardly likely to produce much. Two Shags were in the inner harbour, close to the sluice, and a skein of 25 Brent Geese flew towards Broadstairs from Pegwell Bay. An adult Kittiwake was flying about in the ferry turning circle and there were a good number of Common Gulls amongst the regular Herring, Great Black-backed & Black-headed Gulls.  A Kingfisher was noted as it sped across the marina behind the Lifeboat Station. As the light began to fade, 40+ Pied Wagtails gathered by the harbour office and the sky above Madeira Walk was filled with a nice flock of Starlings (800+), going through their aerial, pre-roost, display. (Dylan)

Wednesday 9th January 2008 Fayreness & Foreness Area

Reading Tim Hodge's report on Purple Sandpipers, I can report that at Fayreness there were just a few Gulls and Turnstones at high tide today.  At Foreness there were no birds at all. None But there were some dogs. Maybe the Purple Sandpipers have given up and migrated to West Bay.  Some Turnstones were displaced to the pitch and putt course, but I saw no Sanderlings at all. (Congratulations to Ben on his Bittern shot) (Steve C)

Wednesday 9th January 2008 Seaton Pits

A very enjoyable & rewarding morning at Seaton Pits between 8:30 & 11:30, mostly in sunshine, The first 4 birds sighted were new for this year's list, & included drake & redhead Smew & a Kingfisher! Being quite content with the Smew, I was then treated to a Bitten flying over my head & across the Pit to the far bank at 9:20am, affording a good lengthy view. But there's more....making slow progress along the footpath & enjoying the assorted Wigeon, Teal, Shoveler, Tufted Ducks & Gadwall in the sunshine, another Bittern sighting, he bird having obviously been in the reeds on my side of the bank (10:20am).It too flew across the Pit but this time landed on the far bank & stayed in partial view for a good 10 minutes! A second Bittern I certainly did not see the original bird fly back across the water. I managed a few record shots which were my first ever digiscoped Bittern & considering the distance weren't too bad! As I reached the end of the pit that was viewable from the footpath a drake & female Goldeneye were spotted. On my return, a further drake Goldeneye was also noted. A great morning!! (Ben Ring)

Wednesday 9th January 2008 Pegwell Bay

A brief mid-afternoon visit to Pegwell just after the tide had dropped, pretty much the usual fare although a lot less Lapwing, Golden Plover and Wigeon than of late. The 'regulars' included 3 Little Egrets, Merlin, Peregrine and the 6 Twite. The only thing of slightly more interest was the Barn Owl hunting in the 100 acre field - very exciting at that distance. (F Solly)

Wednesday 9th January 2008 Dumpton Thanet

A (female) Reed Bunting was observed today along with 14 Green Finches 2 Great Tits, 2 Blue Tits 5 Starlings, 2 Blackbirds, 9 Collard Doves and 1 (female) Sparrowhawk alas no Brambling or Goldfinches today. (Gadget)

Wednesday 9th January 2008 Late news

I forgot to mention that there were 15 Purple Sandpipers roosting in West Bay yesterday. I’ve never seen more than 7 there before. I don’t know whether some of the Foreness roosting birds come round the corner when disturbed or whether these are different birds. (Tim H)

Tuesday 8th January 2008 Chislet Marshes & Chamber’s Wall

A walk around the northern-eastern part of Chislet Marshes this morning was very quiet, with a Buzzard, Marsh Harrier, 8 Grey Partridges, 900 Lapwings, 3 Redshank, 1 Wigeon and a Little Egret. A Green Sandpiper at Chamber's Wall posed obligingly for some photographs. (Tim H)

Tuesday 8th January 2008 Ramsgate Harbour

Can winter birding get any better? Sadly not in these parts, a Shag in the inner harbour at Ramsgate and a Black Redstart in the compound just west of the Sailors Church. (F Solly)

Monday 7th January 2008 Grove Ferry & Stodmarsh NNR

A mainly sunny but very windy day, I started at Grove for an hour or so (8-9:15am) before the Natural England Volunteer Task began, it being my first visit to the reserve this new year, the wind made viewing from the Ramp uncomfortable but I scoped through the thousand + Teal & several hundred Lapwings for any 'goodies' but only picked out a couple of Ruff! The usual mixed Greenfinch/Chaffinch/Reed Bunting crew were working hard at the feeders. Seeking sanctuary in the Turf Hide, I watched the 60 or so Mallard there for 20 minutes in the hope something else would turn up, without joy. A male Bullfinch was spotted as I made my back along the entrance track to the car park, looking splendid in the sunshine. The sun remained so when we finished around 3:30 I took the opportunity to go back to the Lampen Wall to watch the roost until dark around 4:20pm. With the wind still blowing a strong westerly, large numbers of Cormorants flew in & Fieldfare & Redwings flew overhead to settle for the night. About 4:15 I was rewarded with the sight of 4 Marsh Harriers (2m, 2f) & 2 Hen Harriers, both females, displaying in the Grove direction - great stuff & a good end to the day.   (Ben Ring)

Monday 7th January 2008 Minster Marshes

Just a quick 90 minutes, or so, after work - wandering around the marshes between the water treatment works and Richborough Power Station. A Merlin, 3 Yellowhammer, 1 Reed Bunting, 1 Little Grebe, 1 Common Snipe and a number of Fieldfare were all Thanet "year ticks" for me. Nothing much else to report. A Little Egret, Green Woodpecker and Kestrel were all probably the same individuals I recorded on Saturday. I had hoped to catch up with Barn Owl, but the strong westerly wind put pay to that idea, although I did see a Long-eared Owl over by the railway embankment on the Ash side of the river. A Grey Wagtail flying overhead, as I retraced my steps, was the only other sighting of note. (Dylan)

Sunday 6th January 2008 Stodmarsh NNR

An afternoon session today. A glorious morning raised my expectations, surely the sun would hang on till dusk and I would be able to get more practice with my new camera. What a fool! As I parked the car, at 13.45hrs, the cloud was already building in the west and by 15.15hrs the light was fading fast. I spent the majority of my time in the Marsh Hide. At least 11 Water Pipit were feeding around the pools, yet there may have been others as they constantly moved around the fringes of the pool. A Common Snipe and a female Stonechat were also present as I waited for the harriers to return to their reedbed roost. A female Hen Harrier was first to appear, followed by 2 Marsh Harriers, but that was it! I later learned that there were 11 Marsh Harriers over on the far side of the main lake, watched from the Lampern Wall. A male Bearded Tit fed in the reeds, close to the hide, and Water Rail & Cetti's Warbler could be heard calling from various spots around the area. I had seen a large flock of Siskin (50+) and a single Lesser Redpoll in the alder wood as I walked to the hide, my return journey allowed nice views of a Little Owl, perched on the out buildings behind Undertrees Farm. A pleasant enough time, but how I wish the sun had not been obscured by those bloody clouds! (Dylan)

Sunday 6th January 2008 Notice about Slavonian Grebe Pegwell Bay

The Slavonian Grebe was discovered dead on Wednesday Lunch time on the garage pools at Pegwell Bay, It's believed to have died from natural courses, although it was reported that Children were throwing stones at the bird but it wasn't clear if the bird was alive or dead at that time. (Gadget) 

Saturday 5th January 2008 Pegwell Bay

Spent a very enjoyable couple of hours this morning between 8:45 & 10:45, focussing on the Garage Pools & the immediate 'sea wall' trying to add to my sparse year list! The new footpath is a real treat & enabled dog walkers to get past me & my scope without hindrance (to either party!). Similarly, the new 'kissing gate' should slow the 'Lance Armstrong brigade' down a bit! Bird-wise, it was disappointing that the recent Slavonian Grebe failed to make an appearance but I did note 2 Little Grebes & a handful of BH Gulls. The Stonechat pair was their usual brash selves. On the shoreline, there were literally thousands of Lapwing & Golden Plover which made a thrilling spectacle especially when taking to the air (I hasten to add, due to natural causes) in their usual excitable manner - fantastic sight against the weak winter sunshine. Knot, Dunlin, Sanderling, Curlew, Oystercatcher, Grey Plover, Wigeon, Mallard, Shelduck, LBB & GBB Gulls were also seen, in varying numbers. (Ben Ring)

Saturday 5th January 2008 Minster Marshes Thanet

A New Year, thus the need to start a new Thanet year list. I set out from Station Approach, in Minster, deliberately to record some of the mundane species that are generally overlooked in my reports. Starling, Mistle Thrush, Jackdaw, Collared Dove, Blue Tit, Magpie, Great Tit, Robin, Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Black-headed Gull, Carrion Crow and Herring Gull were all in the notebook before I reached the gateway for the fishing lake. A Little Egret flew over and the first of many Greenfinches were flushed from the trackside hedgerow. By the time I reached the water treatment works I had added Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Wren, Lapwing, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Golden Plover and Rook. Chaffinch, Meadow Pipit and 2 Grey Heron were quickly added as I scanned the area from the sluice. By using my telescope I was able to make out 2 Peregrines perched high on the middle cooling tower. Kestrel - a nice male, Cetti's Warbler, Cormorant and Stock Dove were seen whilst I searched the fishermen's carpark area. A flyover Goldfinch was quickly followed by Mallard, 65+ Shelduck and 21 Greylag Geese. Time spent surveying the distant swan flock, over on the Ash Levels, produced 2 adult Bewick's Swan amongst the 54 Mutes. Song Thrush, Curlew, Coot, 2 Redshank, Grey Wagtail, Dunnock, Green Woodpecker, 2 Chiffchaff, Long-tailed Tit, imm Sparrowhawk, Ring-necked Parakeet and House Sparrow (as I got back to the car) is almost it! However, I did check out a couple of traditional roost sites and am happy to report that 2 Long-eared Owls were present, one even posing for pics. 50 species in little more than two hours - very enjoyable. (Dylan)

Friday 4th January 2008 Southwall marsh to Fowlmead

I walk across Southwall marshes and around Fowlmead. Not a lot in the note book the usual Blackbirds, Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon and Starlings, 1 Kestrel, 1 Green Woodpecker, 3 Stonechat, 2 Wren, 2 Mute Swan, 200 Lapwings, 100 Black Headed Gulls, (Mike D)

Thursday 3rd January 2008 North Foreland

The following records are all in addition to the numbers from Francis as I stayed a further 1.5 hours after he had left. Birds seen heading South unless stated :-  44 Divers, 1 Gannet, 2 Eider N., 1 Common Scoter N., 223 Auks, 70 Kittiwakes and a steady passage of Common Gulls probably around 80(Simon Mount)

Thursday 3rd January 2008 Ramsgate Harbour

An enjoyable, if somewhat chilly, wander around the harbour today. Armed with just my binoculars and camera it was typical that I would find a Norwegian C-R Great Black-backed Gull and be unable to read the code. Good numbers of gulls around the storage ramp and pontoons with a large number of "argentatus" (Northern) Herring Gulls present. An adult & 3 1st winter Lesser Black-backed Gulls provided a bit of interest whilst Black-headed Gulls constantly bickered over scraps in the marina. 3 Ringed Plover and a Sanderling had joined the regular Turnstones scattered about the site with a flock of 32 Curlew passing overhead, just after 09.00hrs. An immature Shag was fishing in the marina, providing me with some camera practice for a while. Odd Fulmar and Rock Pipit apart, there was little else of note. (Dylan)

Thursday 3rd January 2008 North Foreland

1 3/4 hr seawatch off North Foreland, Simon arriving just before I left to continue watching. A steady movement of Auks with a reasonable selection of bits and pieces. Moving south unless stated.  110 Red-throated Divers, 1 Red-necked Grebe on the sea, 1 dark morph Fulmar, 25 Gannets, 1 Brent, 3 White-fronted Geese, 27 Pink-feet north, 3 Shelduck, 4 Velvet Scoter, 16 Scoter, 2 Eider, 1 Scaup, 122 Kittiwakes, 2 Great Skuas,1 Pomarine Skua north and 1794 Auks. (F Solly)

Wednesday 2nd January 2008 Minnis Bay

Some bits at Minnis Bay this morning included two Slavonian Grebes on the sea, 3 Bewick’s Swans flying south, two Pomarine Skuas harassing a feeding flock of over 200 Kittiwakes, two Bonxies flying east, plus a few Gannets, auks, ducks and divers and 205 Cormorants feeding offshore. (Tim H)

Tuesday 1st January 2008 North Foreland

I had a brief look over the sea this morning. Divers were moving through S in small groups as were Kittiwakes and a few auks. Watching the gulls behind a fishing boat, I noticed a black- looking bird suddenly shearing and gliding through the tail end of the flock. The date puts me off but I am certain it could only have been a Manx Shearwater. I watched it for 2 minutes as it moved along through the line of gulls and headed past the boat and S down Channel without stopping. After the initial shearing, it kept low over the sea in the calm conditions. At the same range I had plenty of views of Fulmars, auks and Kittiwakes so there were good comparisons for size, colour and jiz. I also saw 4 Gannets. (Simon Mount)

Tuesday 1st January 2008 Seaton GPs

A very leisurely stroll around the site, this morning. Several Great Spotted Woodpecker were drumming, whilst their larger Green cousin could be heard "yaffling" from a nearby garden. 2 Kingfisher, 5 Little Egret and a Great Crested Grebe provided interest on this drab morning. A drake Goldeneye was on the main pit and we found 3 Smew (1 r-h on the south pit & an ad male + r-h on the main pit) as we wandered along the main track. A couple of Cetti's Warbler "ticked" from deep within the bank side vegetation and a Chiffchaff was feeding in a riverside willow. 2 Treecreeper were present in the small wooded area by the weir and we heard a Siskin calling as it passed overhead. Plenty of common waterfowl to scan through with the usual mix of common passerines in the fields and hedgerows. Just what the Doctor ordered following the excesses of the festive season. (Simon & Dylan Wrathall)

Tuesday 1st January 2008 St Nicholas and Monkton

My bird watching year got off to a great start. After working in London on New Years Eve, we were driving back home on the Thanet Way in the early hours. At 00:45 while driving between the roundabouts at St Nicholas and Monkton, a Barn Owl flew alongside the car at low level and parallel with us for maybe 50 feet. An impressive sight indeed and in fact my first sighting in Thanet, hopefully it bodes well for the year ahead. (Simon Piggott)

Monday 31st December 2007 Pegwell Bay

Afternoon/evening doing the rising tide at Pegwell - a rarity today in the form of Pegwell actually being full of birds, at least until the last 50 minutes when a moronic couple walked their dog from the north side of the hoverpad up to the river, through the roosting hoards and back again to successfully virtually empty the bay of birds. Seemingly the same couple did likewise yesterday. They were clearly admiring the large flocks of disturbed birds.  I decided to don my boots and have a chat. They were aware that it was a National Nature Reserve and of course came out with the old chestnut - we care about birds and even put food out in the garden, as well as allegedly being members of the RSPB. I asked why their caring about birds did not extend to the thousands of birds that they had just disturbed on the NNR and pointed out that the bay was now virtually devoid of birds, to be told that they were just walking their dog and doing no harm. After some further discussion they tired of my company at which point I referred to them as ignorant goons - which apparently caused offence - in the circumstances I thought it was quiet polite! Anyway the birds. The Slavonian Grebe remained on the garage pools along with 3 Little Grebes. The 6 Twite were on the seaward edge of the saltmarsh out from the Car Park which seems to be their regular location. A single Peregrine harassed the waders and a Short-eared Owl briefly quartered the saltmarsh. Out on the flats, 11,000 Lapwing, 5500 Golden Plover, 266 Knot, 1 Spotshank 584 Wigeon, 66 Shelduck, 1 Pintail, 32 Teal and 1 Brent were the only things that I could be bothered to write down. (F Solly)