Friday
31st March 2006 Grove Ferry
Red
Kite
flying west along the Stour at Grove Ferry at 13 – 10hrs It appeared to
have only one Red wing tag, look at our report on Kosnet. (Peter
& Pauline Heathcote)
Friday
31st March 2006 Pegwell Bay
I popped down in the morning but got fed up with the overly breezy
conditions that have swamped east Kent this past 3 weeks or so and came
home within about an hour. There wasn't much to be seen from the
Hoverport/Farm area - a pair of Sparrowhawks plus overhead a single
Grey Wagtail and c40 Linnets and a few Chaffinches'.
I did find 2 very pale Great Tits (at long last) presumably of
foreign origin plus there were about 6 Chiffchaffs and 2 Willow
Warblers seen before an overwhelming sense of abject disillusion came
over me and I left. Later on, whilst at home
about 11.00am or just after I received a phone call from a rather excited
Gadget who had spotted a Red Kite flying across from Dumpton (where
he lives) towards my house. I jumped on my bike and stopped off near Haine
industrial estate from where I could see about 1000 Gulls about
half a mile east of me in a long line stretching for about quarter of a
mile along the coast - but no Red Kite. I then moved down along the
Haine road to one of my raptor watching spots where I stood for about
another five minutes without any joy. Eventually and at long last (at
11.25) I spotted the Red Kite flying at eye level coming across the
farm fields just south of my house. It looked very tired as it crossed the
Manston road, even trying to land in
the next field and in the garden of the house opposite Jackie Palo's -
only to be put off by a mob of pursuing Crows. It moved south
towards Little
Cliffsend Farm then doubled back and crossed the road heading west towards
Manston which was the last view I had of it as it flapped it's way across
the farm fields at head height. It showed two yellow wing-tags, which I
couldn't read, unfortunately due to the angle of the sun. An amazing
view - I only wished I'd taken Gadgets camera I nicked off him last night.
Cheers Gadget! (Phil M)
Friday 31st March 2006 Dumpton Thanet
Red Kite over the house at 11-10 to 11-15hrs
being mobbed by Crows it heading down towards Pegwell both wings were
Yellow tagged. (Gadget)
Thursday 30th
March 2006
Sandwich Industrial
Estate
Not much to
report on my travels to & from work at the moment, but i did see a
fine Tree Sparrow on the access road to my work on the Sandwich
Industrial Estate. My first of the year. (Martyn Wilson)
Thursday 30th
March 2006
There was a Slavonian Grebe found by Mat Hindle on one of the farm
reservoirs at Shuart this afternoon. The bird showed very well for a short
period after I got there but then flew round, briefly settled back on the
reservoir before flying off strongly to the east. We were all amazed at
how strong a flyer it was compared to the flight of both Little and
Great Crested Grebes, and it also looked large in flight for one of
the smaller grebes. Other bits included a ringtail Hen Harrier,
Peregrine and a Brambling at Shuart and a Firecrest at
Bishopstone Glen this morning. Quite a scattering of Chiffchaffs
about, plus a Cetti’s Warbler in the
West
Brook
Valley
. (Tim Hodge)
Thursday 30th
March 2006 Pegwell Bay
Not too much going on this morning. About 100 Wood Pigeons and a
few Redwing over and 3-4 Chiffchaffs in the wind blown
bushes. There were also another 60+grounded Redwing and a single Fieldfare.
The incoming
tide was similar to yesterday bird wise - the only change being no Golden
Plover, 4 Lapwing, 4 Bar-tailed Godwit and 23 Sandwich
Tern. There was also a female Peregrine loitering over the
clifftop. (Phil M)
Wednesday
29th March 2006 Ramsgate Cemetery
What a great time of year this is! Now the pesky NE wind has gone round
to the SW, things are starting to happen - out with the old and in with
the new, and all that. Today's rummage through the cemetery revealed
plenty of hot spring action. More than 200 Woodpigeons were flying
overhead, along with several small parties of (presumably) departing Redwings.
2 Chiffchaffs were calling alternately and 6 Jays spent
their time flying from tree to tree making those strange noises that only Jays
can make at this time of year! Two pairs of Green Woodpeckers seem
to be getting down to business, as are the Rose-ringed Parakeets,
some of which are already using nest holes. Blue Tits, Robins,
Greenfinch, Dunnocks, Song Thrushes and Mistle Thrushes are all
getting well into the swing of another breeding season. Additionally there
were at least 5 Goldcrests, 1 Firecrest, 3 Cormorants
flying over, line astern, 1 Great-spotted Woodpecker, a Sparrowhawk
and 2 pairs of Long-tailed Tits. Towards the end of my rounds, I
stopped to take some pictures of a pair of Kestrels. I walked
behind an ivy-covered gravestone to get out of the wind and flushed a Grey
Partridge! Definitely a Cemetery tick for me. Unfortunately, over the
past couple of days, the Boys from Brazil (Bros) have moved in and are
felling and lopping many 'unsightly' and 'dangerous' trees. These have
included two old stumps, which were used by Woodpeckers for nesting
last year as well as many dead branches, which had crevices for Blue and
Great Tits. Why can't they leave things alone? (Phil Beraet)
Wednesday
29th March 2006 Minster by the River
I observed, 100+ Redwing, 60 Starlings,
8 Blackbirds, 2 Mute Swans, 1 Grey Herron, 2 Kestrels. 15 Moorhen,
4 Meadow
Pipits, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 4 Chiffchaff, 5 Reed
Buntings, 3 Greenfinches, , 3 Wrens, 3 Robins,4 Dunnocks,
3 Great Tits, 5 Blue Tits,12 Long-tailed
Tits, also a 100 + Woodpigeons, 30 + Carrion
Crows, out over the fields. (Gadget)
Wednesday
29th March 2006 Pegwell Bay
I checked the hoverport/clifftop/farm first thing - where I came across
very little save about 12 Chiffchaffs and 1-2 Willow Warbler
plus there were still a few Wood Pigeons passing through, though
nothing like as many as there were yesterday. By about 9.30am - bored
stiff, I decided to go down onto the Country Park. The tide was well out
still but at least it gave me something to look at even if there wasn’t
much out there. I counted every wader - there being: 240 Curlew, 3 Bar-tailed
Godwit, 93 Grey Plover, 120 Golden Plover, 2 Lapwing,
47 Knot, 86 Dunlin, 73 Sanderling and a few Redshank
but little else other than the odd Duck - not even a Sandwich Tern!
Rubbish! Once the tide was up - I had a quick whizz around Stonelees (12 Redwing
and a Chiffchaff) then decided on a spur of the moment raptor
watch from 'Hodges Lodge' to sit out the hot Buzzard hour between
11.00 and 12.00.Not much happened on the Buzzard front (though I
did see 3 Sand Martin, 2 Marsh Harriers, a Peregrine
and 2 Sparrowhawks) Until just before 12.00 when a pair of Common
Buzzards flew over which started a flurry of activity. Between 12.00
and 12.30 we saw 8 birds between us (Pete and I) but no more until I left
at 1.30pm.Other 'bits' seen before I left included: 6 Sandwich Tern,
1 flyover Grey Wagtail, 630 Wood Pigeon, 1 Woodcock
and 2 Swallow plus Franny's dog flushed a Jack Snipe and
Pete found bird of the day - a Coal Tit in Stonelees. Also, a group
of 6 stunning summer plumaged Black-tailed Godwits flew in from the
n/west while I was raptor watching. (Phil M
Wednesday
29th March 2006 Shuart,
Chamber's Wall
& Reculver
The accursed wind had dropped this morning and I spent a pleasant 90
minutes wandering around the Shuart area early on. Redwings were
moving in large numbers, with a total of 909 west, plus a lone Fieldfare
with them. About 700 Wood Pigeons also flew west during the
morning. Other bits there included 1 Woodcock, 2 Tree Sparrows,
2 Brambling including a very smart male in summer plumage, a pair
of Sparrowhawks displaying, 6 Gadwall, 1 Swallow, 6 Chiffchaffs
and a singing Corn Bunting. A walk from Chamber’s Wall to the
Towers and back included 1 Black Redstart, 1 Yellowhammer,
56 Common Scoter on the sea then off east, 210 Brent Geese,
1 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Marsh Harrier, 3 Sparrowhawks
and 1 Little Egret. (Tim Hodge)
Tuesday
28th March 2006
Reculver Towers, Chamber’s Wall to Minnis Bay
I spent an uneventful couple of hours at
Reculver
Towers
early this morning, but saw very little apart from a Black Redstart
and a fair number of Wood Pigeons, Meadow Pipits, Linnets and a few
other bits moving west. Derek Smith and I walked from Chamber’s Wall to
Minnis Bay and back this afternoon and saw 2 Swallows, 3 Wheatears,
20 Common Scoter, 1 Peregrine and a small number of Teal
and Gadwall and single Shoveler and Wigeon. Wood
Pigeon were still moving in small numbers during the walk. (Tim Hodge)
Tuesday
28th March 2006 Stood Marsh NNR & Grove Ferry
Windy
to say the least this morning but after neglecting 'the trusty site' since
the Penduline Tit excitement & a Yorkshire excursion, I took
advantage of a day off to see what was about - sadly not a lot! I flushed
a pair of Grey Partridge on my drive to the Stood end near
Westmarsh & arriving at the car park at 7:40am, a Yellowhammer
was singing nicely. A Song Thrush flew down by me as I was putting
on my boots to extract a twig from a nearby puddle & off I set into
the maelstrom (slight exaggeration!). Noted a single Redpoll on the
path to the nature trail but diverted to the Reed bed hide to spot a pair
of smart Bullfinch. A Chiffchaff sang from a prominent perch
until it saw my camera pointing in its direction & it was gone - I
counted 4 'singers' on my trip around the circuit. Through the wooded
nature trail & along the Lampen Wall with precious little to report
save for a pair of displaying Great Crested Grebes on the main
lake. The Ramp reportedly hosted a Little Ringed Plover but I
missed it when I arrived, noting just a pair of Pintail amongst the
less celeritous company of Teal & Lapwings etc. The
Green Hide produced a Cormorant (Dylan's worst dubree? -sorry, I've
only just caught up with the website & didn't realise there was a Corm
celebrity in our midst so didn't take a pic!), Pochard, Tufted
& Teal. Just an over flying fem Marsh Harrier from the
Harrison’s hide & a Little Egret just before the Marsh Hide.
This hide produced the most birds I've seen here for a while, with some 50
Shoveler, 2 Mutes, 60 Teal, 1 Redshank, 2 m
& 1 f Pintail, with supporting cast of Coots. Arrived
back at the car park at 11:45 just as the cesspit-draining lorry turned up
which kind of summed up the morning! (Ben Ring)
Tuesday
28th March 2006 Pegwell Bay
At last a bit of spring movement today. I checked the hoverport/farm
seeing very little (nothing grounded save a newly arrived Chiffchaff
on the hoverport) though there was a bit of Pigeon passage going on
- which I did my best to ignore but in the end got drawn into somehow? The
whole area was completely blown out so I went down onto the Country Park
to find some shelter out of the wind and I ended up spending the rest of
the session watching the incoming tide and doing a couple of hours of
vismig. Spring migrants included a flyover Little Ringed Plover, 8 Sand
Martin, 1 Swallow, 20 Sandwich Tern plus the vismig
turned up: 1780 Wood Pigeon, 80 Stock Dove, c30 Meadow
Pipit, 30 Chaffinch, 120 Linnet and a migrant Marsh
Harrier. There was also a Wheatear, which flitted across the
salt marsh before landing on the sea wall. Very few birds on the mud - 5 Brent,
36 Shelduck, 1 Wigeon, 109 Oystercatcher, 60 Curlew,
2 Bar-tailed Godwit, 3 Lapwing, 121 Golden Plover, 78
Grey Plover, c50 Redshank, 50 Knot, c100 Dunlin,
76 Sanderling and 5 Turnstone. The only other noteworthy
things I saw were a Merlin and a smart 2nd summer Mediterranean
Gull though Pete Forrest found single Firecrest and Chiffchaff
on the Country Park plus 20 Redwing in Stonelees and a single
flyover Brambling. All in all a nice few hours except for the
flipping wind and the fact I picked up a puncture on the my bike. (Phil M)
Monday
27th March 2006 Pegwell Bay
I popped down for the dropping tide. There were a few people in search of
the Bluethroats but no sign by the sound of it? The mudflat was
very quiet with most of the wintering waders and duck well gone by now.
Only
c2-300 Dunlin, 32 Bar-tailed Godwit, 46 Golden Plover,
c100 Grey Plover, 1-200 Knot and a few Wigeon etc
remain.105 Sanderling present might have been a passage flock as
it's the biggest amount I've seen here in ages. The only definite migrants
were 9 Sandwich Tern. I had a quick look on the Hoverpad on the way
home where there were 2 nice male Wheatears on
the seawall plus a 'Littoralis' Rock Pipit on the small beach near
the west cliff. (Phil M)
Sunday
26th March 2006 Pegwell Bay
I popped down (after the Motorbike racing on TV of course) to have a quick
look for the 2 Bluethroats reported earlier which Tim kindly phoned
me about mid-afternoon. I had a half hearted scout about for 15
minutes or so before giving up and having a look at the mud flat - where
there was little other than 6 Sandwich Terns of note - before
deciding to have last gasp look at an un-checked section of the sea wall
where the last Pegwell Bluethroats had showed at the same time of
the year many years ago. Within about 5 minutes (about 5.30pm) I saw a
bird out of the corner of my eye, skulking under a large rock and within
about a minute had fantastic views of a lovely male bird down to about 20
feet. Though amazingly
skulking this bird was very approachable. I'm reasonably sure I saw a
second bird about 20 yards further along the wall, which flew into an area
of dead
rush in the salt marsh whilst I had the first bird in view. I made a few
phone calls and waited until a few others arrived before flushing the bird
again, which luckily landed right in front of Gadget who was waiting with
camera in hand and he got some half reasonable shots considering the light
was
going. Eventually this bird flew onto the Country Park and we never saw it
again. Other 'bits' seen included: 6 Sandwich Tern, 460 Dunlin,
38 Golden Plover, 32 Snipe etc plus Pete Forrest saw 62 Redwing
and 1 Chiffchaff in
Stonelees this morning. He also saw 9 Sandwich Terns yesterday
after I left. There were lots of Redwing moving over the house
overnight when I went outside to inspect the moth traps. (Phil M)
Saturday 25th March 2006 Ramsgate Cemetery
Nothing
of any huge note this morning, but a nice singing Chiffchaff and a
loudly calling Coal Tit were the highlights of a definitely more
spring-like morning. And, as if in agreement, several Robins were
'giving it some' as the attached pictures show! (Phil Beraet)
Saturday 25th March 2006 Reculver Towers to Coldharbour and back
Barry Matlock and I had an early morning walk around the Towers and up to
Coldharbour and back. It was the first day when it felt like spring was
here and there was rather more about than recently. A Sand Martin
flew W offshore at Coldharbour, whilst the Towers held a Wheatear,
a Black Redstart, 3 White Wagtails and 3 Scandinavian Rock
Pipits. Other bits included 3 Chiffchaffs (including one
singing along the sea wall), 40 Meadow Pipits W, 32 Linnets
W plus 12 present, 1 Goldfinch W, 76 Golden Plovers W, 14 Lapwing
W, 1 Merlin W, 250 Wood Pigeons, mainly to the S or SE, 18 Pied
Wagtails W, 2 Pintail, 67 Teal, 12 Little Grebes,
1 Kingfisher, 3 Wigeon E, 3 Little Egrets, 8 Red-throated
Divers E, 3 Stonechats, 12 Jackdaws E, 6 Shelduck
and 60 Mallard. Barry saw a first summer Little Gull after I
left.
Saturday
25th March 2006 Pegwell Bay
Still nothing happening. I arrived at 6.30pm to escape the local dog
walkers but even then they beat me to it. I checked the Clifftop/Hoverpad
twice plus had a look at the tideline from the Country Park seeing: 7 Brent,
23 Wigeon, 13 Teal, 2 Shoveler, 1 Sparrowhawk,
75 Bar-tailed Godwit, 180 Golden Plover, c250 Knot,
240 Dunlin, 45 Sanderling plus c30 Chaffinch, c15 Linnet
and a dozen or so flyover Meadow Pipits. Something’s got to
happen soon surely? (Phil M)
Friday 24th March 2006 Pegwell Bay
A morning 'trudge' around the area this morning turned up very little.
Very - very little. A trickle of Black-headed Gulls, a flock or two
of Starlings and the odd Meadow Pipit was on the move
overhead plus about 20 Meadow Pipits, 13 Fieldfare and 16 Redwing
were 'decked'. Bird of the day was an extremely nice Littoralis Rock
Pipit, which I found on the Hoverpad
seawall. On the mud 21 Ringed Plovers (the highest count of 2006)
plus 189 Brent Geese were the only thing worthy of note. (Phil M)
Friday 24th March 2006 Epple Bay & Minnis to Coldharbour
There was a young male Black Redstart singing at Epple Bay this
morning, and 15 Common Scoters flew east off Minnis Bay. I wandered
from Minnis to Coldharbour when it brightened up in the late morning, but
I didn’t really see anything noteworthy. However, it was much warmer
than of late. (Tim Hodge)
Thursday 23rd March 2006 Dumpton Thanet
I didn't get out today, instead busied myself around the garden. The
weather was kind and I recorded a few nice bits whilst I was outside. 11 Jackdaws
went south at 09.20hrs and a Common Buzzard caused absolute mayhem
as it flew north at 11.30hrs then back south at 11.40hrs, all the time
accompanied by the raucous cries of the local Herring Gulls. A
smart adult "sinensis" Cormorant then flew north (number
97 for my garden list!) plus I also had nice views of an adult male Sparrowhawk,
hunting the neighboring gardens, and a Mistle Thrush out on the
potato field beyond my garden hedge. (Dylan)
Thursday
23rd March 2006 Ancient
Highway
Traveling
the Ancient Highway this morning i saw 3 Oystercatchers (2 on
"golf" club house lawn) plus 4 Fieldfares and a Grey
Partridge were in the sheep fields with the other "oyc".
Another 2 Grey Partridges flew across the road just after the
Chequers pub and with a very brief stop to scan the flooded field behind
Mary Bax's Stone i noted 2 Shelducks, 10+ Dunlin and a
distant male Hen Harrier. Several Meadow Pipits alighted
from the road verges while driving past and 2 cock Pheasants were
on the bank of Restharrow scrape.
Thursday
23rd March 2006 Minster by the River
Parking in the fishermen’s
carpark down by the river Stour, the sun was shining and out of the wind
it felt quite warm, I found a spot to sit down and just waited for the
birds to arrive in the time spent I observed, 200 Fieldfare, 60 Starlings,
18 Blackbirds, 6 Mute Swans, 3 Grey Herron, 1 Marsh
Harrier (female) 2 Kestrels. 2 Tufted Ducks, 15 Moorhen,
1 Redshank, 6 Mallard, 4 Cormorant, 2 Grey
Partridges, 2 Pheasant 9 Pied Wagtails, 8 Meadow
Pipits, 6 Skylarks, 3 Bullfinches, 6 Greenfinches,
2 Yellowhammer 2 Green Woodpecker, 5 Wrens, 3 Robins,
6 Dunnocks, 4 Great Tits, 2 Blue Tits, and 9 Long-tailed
Tits out over the fields I recorded 300 + Woodpigeons, 60 + Carrion
Crows, 300+ Black-headed Gulls. (Gadget)
Thursday
23rd March 2006 North Foreland
3/4 hr vis mig from North
Foreland this produced only a trickle of movement - the Easterly still
being rather fresh106 Jackdaws NE, 100 Chaffinch SE, 120
Starlings SE and a Woodlark S - the session ending when
common sense finally prevailed. (F Solly)
Wednesday 22nd March 2006 Shuart, Minnis & Reculver Towers
I
spent a very pleasant 5 hours walking around the Reculver Marshes today.
Parking by Shuart Farm, I made my way across to the Riding Stables at
Minnis. 2 Red-legged Partridges were sheltering in the lea of a
garden hedgerow and all around the mature sycamores Chaffinch,
Greenfinch, Great, Blue and Long-tailed Tits were very active.
A Jay flew ahead of me as I made my way to the railway crossing. On
the fields behind the stables was a flock of 41 Mute Swans (there
were another 17 behind the Oyster Farm!) and I found a pair of Stonechats
on the fence line between the railway and the paddocks. Skylarks,
Meadow Pipits and Dunnocks were singing from various points
around the marsh. Once on the coastal footpath, I walked towards the
Reculver Towers, noting good numbers of Redshank, Dunlin, Sanderling,
Turnstone, Grey Plover and Oystercatcher as I went. A flock of
120+ Golden Plovers were on a winter wheat field just before
Coldharbour Lagoon, where I recorded my first, of three, Little Egret,
1 Rock Pipit and 2 Snow Buntings. All along the
shoreline were groups of Brent Geese and I estimated 500 birds, but
it was quite difficult keeping track as they were constantly moving
along the coast in both directions. At the Oyster Farm I recorded 4 Pintail
(1m & 3f) and 7 Little Grebes. I did a circuit of the ponds
before returning to the seawall to retrace my steps. 3 Grey Herons
and a distant female Marsh Harrier were the only notable additions
to my notebook. My return walk was fairly un-eventful until I reached Plum
Pudding Island, where there were 6 Common Scoter and a Red-throated
Diver floating on the choppy sea about 400m offshore. Reaching the
Riding Stables, I was able to scan through the massed ranks of the Brent
Goose flock. They were all feeding on the field closest to the
paddocks. I did a bit of a count, reaching a figure of c. 650 Brents
and also noted that the Black Brant was present in their midst.
Back down the track to the farm produced little more than 2 Kestrels
and a female Reed Bunting. No migrants, but time sure flies when
you're enjoying yourself. (Dylan)
Tuesday 21st March 2006 Westbere Lakes
A photo for your site of the Mediterranean Gull at Westbere Lakes
today between 16.15 -17.45hrs. (Marc Heath)
Tuesday 21st March 2006 Ancient Highway
I'm not
seeing much on my travels to & from work at the moment, but this
morning there were 3 Oystercatchers and 1 Curlew in the
Sheep fields at the Deal end a single Pied Wagtail flew along the
road in front of me 2 Grey Partridges flew over from the Golf
course and there was a Corn Bunting on the fence by the cow feeder
near Restharrow Scrape. There was a Little Grebe in the dyke by the
turn off to New Downs Farm. (Martyn Wilson)
Tuesday 21st March 2006 Grove Ferry
I
didn't arrive at Grove Ferry until 10.00hrs, grey skies and a chilly NE
wind did little to inspire confidence. As I walked the entrance track
towards the ramp, I noted the first flock, of a series, of Stock Doves
flighting out towards the arable fields at Pluck's Gutter and the Ash
Levels beyond. Although I didn't keep an accurate count, my combined total
still gave a figure of 87 in little over an hour! At the ramp, a nice
variety of wildfowl were on display, 29 Pintail (17 drakes), 3 Tufted
Duck, 4 Shelduck, 180+ Teal, 40+ Gadwall, 30+ Shoveler
and a drake Garganey provided the main interest, however, there
were 5 Dunlin, 90+ Lapwing, 7 Redshank and a Little
Grebe also noted. I walked around to the Harrison's Drove hide (now
completely overhauled and waterproofed once more!) where there were a few
more Teal, Shoveler and Gadwall to be seen. I then took a
walk across to the river and made my way to the Ox-bow, where 19 Wigeon
provided a bit of variety amidst the Teal, Shoveler, Gadwall and Mallards.
I also had some nice views of a pair of Goldfinches, feeding on
Teasel seed heads, and 2 Kingfishers chasing noisily over the River
Stour. Making my way back to the ramp, I bumped into Geoff Burton who had
seen Sparrowhawk, Peregrine and Bittern, but nothing
else to set the pulse racing! Geoff had to leave, so I took a walk along
to the Green (Turf Fields) hide. For those of you with no interest in
racial variation or Cormorant "gular pouch angles" stop
reading NOW!
As
I opened the viewing flap, I immediately noted a Cormorant perched
on the "Tern raft" and could see that it looked good for a
nominate P.c.carbo individual. (Link
to previous article) I did warn you, so continue reading at
your own risk! A view through my scope confirmed my suspicions and I must
admit to getting rather excited as I fitted my camera to my trusty Kowa -
all the time praying that this fabled creature wouldn't fly off! After
being made aware of the significance of the gular pouch angle in racial
differentiation of carbo and sinensis
Cormorants, this is the first one I have knowingly seen in Kent. I
told you it was exciting - didn't I? (Dylan)
Monday 20th March 2006 Sandwich Bay Estate Restharrow &
Mary Bax's
Just a short session around lunchtime. After dropping Bev in Deal, I
drove along the Ancient Highway to park by Mary Bax's Stone. A Scan across
the flooded fields revealed 70+ Dunlin, 1 Ruff and 2 Ringed
Plover feeding in/around the muddy pools. A walk around to Restharrow
was rewarded with brief views of a female-type Dartford Warbler
that I flushed from the roadside vegetation. It flew a short distance,
posing briefly, before diving into the thick cover of an area of gorse and
was not seen again. A large flock of Starlings (500+) was feeding
amongst the grazing sheep with 54 Lapwing and 7 Golden Plover
also present. Restharrow Scrape held 2 Oystercatcher, 13 Black-headed,
5 Common & 2 Herring Gulls whilst a walk through the
Elms to the Gullies resulted in 17 Chaffinch, 13 Greenfinch,
2 Long-tailed Tits and 4 Mistle Thrushes making it into my
notebook. Absolutely nothing moving out at sea and I managed to get nice
views of two pairs of Grey partridge before I had to drive back to
pick up Bev! As it says in the song "Things can only get
better!" (Dylan)
Monday 20th March 2006 North Foreland to Foreness
I parked at the bottom of Elmwood Avenue and spent a pleasant couple of
hours walking to Foreness and back. I did have a quick look for the Serin,
but no joy, so set off along the coastal path towards the Captain Digby.
It was obvious that there was a small movement of Meadow Pipits and
Linnets going on, several groups of birds moving south, following
the coastline. A female Black Redstart was enjoying Frank Thorley's
hospitality by using the play area, at the rear of the Digby. It wasn't,
however, in the mood to pose for a picture! Nothing much else to report
really, 4 Fieldfares were on the "pitch & putt"
whilst the adult Mediterranean Gull (3EV0) was feeding on the
cropped turf in front of Palm Bay School, looking rather smart in almost
full summer plumage. (Dylan)
Monday 20th March 2006 Ellington
Park
, Ramsgate
As I cycled through the park this morning there were about 30 Redwings
feeding plus a Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming and a Green
Woodpecker calling. (Nick Lever)
Sunday 19th March 2006 Ramsgate, Westcliff
area
There was a Kingfisher perched on a plant pot next to
the larger of our pair of garden ponds yesterday (Mar 18th) -I missed
seeing it! The pair of Sparrowhawks that nested successfully in a
clump of holm oaks near the same pond are back and are presently competing
with the Crows, which used to nest there and want to do so again. I
saw a juvenile Grey Heron jump into this pond and emerge with a
Goldfish at twilight in September last year. Other less unusual items
over the last couple of years in our garden: Woodcock, Treecreeper,
pair of Green Woodpeckers (did not nest), pair of Linnets
(tried but failed to nest), Ring Ouzel (nice), Redstart (cat
caught it), Barn Owl, White-tailed sea Eagle (over-flight).
(Basil Watkins)
Saturday 18th March 2006 Stodmarsh NNR
A
short session around the Stodmarsh end of the reserve didn't produce much,
but it was a good deal better than getting battered by the biting easterly
along the coast. A nice mixed flock of 23 Siskins and 11 Lesser
Redpolls were feeding in the alders by the track to the Reedbed hide
and the nature trail wood held 2 Treecreepers, 1 Great Spotted
Woodpecker and a Firecrest. A smart male Bearded Tit
braved the conditions and fed on a phragmites seedhead in a narrow
strip of reeds besides the main lake, whilst a scan of the reedbed towards
Collard's reveal a pair of displaying Marsh Harriers. I walked
around to the river and the area of cut/burnt reeds, but nothing of note
was found. Continuing along the banking allowed me to survey the flooded
meadows, where the Garganey had been on Tuesday. Apart from a
handful of Teal and a couple of Greylags, nothing doing. I
had almost given up hope when I heard the distinctive call of a Common
Sandpiper and watched as it flew past me along the river towards
Collard's. Summer migrant number two on the year-list! My walk back
to the car was predictably quiet, yet I did get nice views of a pair of Bullfinches
stripping buds off of a hawthorn near the boathouse. (Dylan)
Friday 17th March 2006 North Foreland to Foreness
Another bitterly cold morning and another pointless walk along the
coastal strip in search of migrants! I met up with Ray & Brian (Surrey
birders) who were valiantly searching for the Serin - no luck. We
then walked the cliff-top to Foreness. Fulmars were putting on a
fine display in the brisk easterly wind, but it wasn't until we reached
the "pitch & putt" that we found 3 Fieldfares out on
the cropped turf. A scan of the coastal rocks, below the water treatment
works, revealed a nice array of waders, including 4 Purple Sandpipers
and several groups of Sanderling, many of which were well into
summer plumage. Ringed & Grey Plover, Curlew, Oystercatcher,
Redshank and Turnstone were also noted and the cause of a
reaction from the roosting gull flock was located when Brian found a Peregrine
soaring high over Palm Bay. Not a lot, but at least I went out and enjoyed
some very welcome company! (Dylan)
Thursday 16th March 2006 Winterstoke Steps to Westcliff Ramsgate
A biting easterly meant a few extra layers before I set off in
search of spring migrants - I wish! Despite scouring the coastal strip
from Winterstoke Steps to Westcliff, I turned up zilch! 4 pairs of Mistle
Thrushes and a rather dapper male Pied Wagtail were my scant
reward. The harbour provided me with a few bits, as usual, but hardly
inspirational. Lesser Black-backed Gulls are starting to move and
there were 13 adults on the pontoons along with 2 Great Black-backs,
40+ Black-headed, 2 Common and 85+ Herring Gulls
(including white A3GX). Although it is only of limited interest (probably
a group of one!), there were several summer plumage adult Herring Gulls
with distinct orange/yellow legs. They appear to be argenteus-type birds,
but from another population, as all of the resident Thanet birds
show the normal grey/pink leg colouration. Other bits around the harbour
included the Great Crested Grebe, 1 "sinensis" Cormorant,
2 Rock Pipits and 14 Turnstones. (Dylan)
Wednesday
15th March 2006 Northdown Park
An afternoon off work for an appointment meant I had a few hours free for
birdwatching. From my house it is the same distance to walk to either
Mocketts Wood and St Peters graveyard or Northdown Park. I
chose the latter. I headed for the gardens within the park and
was greeted by a call I didn't recognise. My eyes took me straight to the
culprit...a Great Spotted Woodpecker. It has a call I shall
recognise in the future but alas didn't hammer for me. Showing very well
in the garden were Long Tailed Tit and Goldcrest, both
feeding within six feet of me. Blue Tit, Great Tit, Greenfinch,
Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Dunnock, Robin, Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush
and Blackbird were all seen or heard from within the area. Plenty
of over flying Redwing and a few Fieldfares were on the
field. Crow, Jay, Magpie and Parakeet were also seen and all
in all it was an enjoyable hour that had begun warm and sunny and
ended bitterly cold. (Simon
P)
REQUEST NOTICE
Planetthanet have been asked to request that any birders visiting
the North Foreland area for the Serin, please stick to the
public rights of way and do not wander onto the cabbage fields or golf
course.
Many thanks-Gadget & Dylan
Wednesday
15th March 2006 Pegwell Bay
I checked the clifftop and the dropping tide seeing very little once
again. There were amongst other things: 72 Brent, 35 Shelduck,
12 Mallard, 3 Shoveler, 27 Wigeon, 60 Turnstone,
6 Ringed Plover, c50 Golden Plover, 8 Lapwing and a
single Merlin. (Phil M)
Wednesday
15th March 2006 North Foreland
A short session around North Foreland this morning in the hope of getting
an image of the Serin. The conditions were bright, if a little
chilly, but after a bit of a struggle, I did achieve my objective. The
bird is favouring a small area of cut cauliflowers/cabbages at the bottom
of Elmwood Avenue, by Joss Bay. Very little else to report, 1 Sparrowhawk,
4 Dunnock, 2 Meadow Pipit, 4 Pied Wagtail, 7 Ringed
Plover, 1 Wren and a nice mixed flock of Starlings and Redwings
over by the horse paddocks.
Short but sweet! (Dylan)
Wednesday
15th March 2006 Late News from Monday
Ramsgate Westcliff to Hoverport.
I cycled along the coast from 1 to 2pm. In the Horse Paddocks at
Little Cliffs End Farm were 12 Fieldfare, 3 Mistle Thrush, 8
Grey Partridge and a Kestrel. At the Hoverport there
was a single Sandwich Tern roosting on the mud with about 30 Black-headed
Gulls. (Nick Lever)
Tuesday 14th March 2006 Dumpton
to Stodmarsh
An
epic session today. I did the walk from Dumpton to Stodmarsh NNR/Grove
Ferry, via the Ash Levels and Pluck's Gutter. I have an idea for a
"Big Day" attempt in May on foot, so this was part of my warm
up! I had a fabulous time, leaving home at 07.15hrs and being picked up at
Grove Ferry at 18.00hrs. All the usual frustrations that accompany any
day-listing meant that weather conditions, dog-walkers and umpteen other
factors can come into play. My first surprise bird was a Grey Wagtail
that flew over West Dumpton Lane. All the usual suspects were around King
George VI Park, Winterstoke and the harbour, although I was amazed to find
an Avocet on the shoreline of Ramsgate main beach. A heavily oiled Guillemot
provided a pitiful spectacle along the western undercliff, avoiding my
attempt at capture - down, but not out YET! A smart male Stonechat
was along the clifftop by Little Cliffsend Farm and my total reached 50 by
09.48hrs when I completed the set of "common" gull species with
a nice group of Great Black-backs out on the tideline in Pegwell.
One of the regular Peregrines was perched high up on the narrow
chimney, in the Power Station site; survey the salt marsh towards Pfizer.
By the time I had reached the Ash Levels my total had risen to 62 species
(11.00hrs) The next three hours saw me make my way along the Stour Valley
Walk footpath to Pluck's Gutter then following the Little Stour towards
the Blue Bridge before cutting across to the boat house at Grove and the
reserve beyond. Loads of wildfowl out on the levels. Although I didn't
make accurate counts there were approx. 55 Wigeon, 30 Shoveler,
120 Teal, 90 Mallard, 4 Gadwall and 3 Tufted Duck.
Large groups of Fieldfares were feeding amongst the sheep and I
guessed at 800+ birds, yet the highlight was a superb Short-eared Owl
quartering the set-a-side by Minster Sewage Works. On the downside of
this walk was the complete absence of Corn Buntings and I only
recorded 2 Yellowhammers. Plenty of Skylarks and Meadow
Pipits and I also record a further 4 Grey Wagtails. A Chiffchaff
was "fly catching" in a sheltered spot near the boatyard and
I finally arrived at the Grove Ferry entrance track at 14.10hrs where a Jay
was quickly added to the list. I walked the circuit, but missed out
Harrison's Drove Hide as it has been taken down for renovation! 7 Lesser
Redpoll and a Treecreeper were seen in the Alder Wood and Cetti's
Warbler and Pochard were added as I walked down the Lampern
Wall. Scanning the flooded fields just beyond the burnt area of reedbed I
was delighted to find my first spring migrants in the shape of a splendid
pair of Garganey. 3 Ruff were also noted here, feeding
amidst a large flock of Lapwings. The rest of my walk was rather
uneventful, just Black-tailed Godwit, Water Pipit, 12 Pintail,
1 Little Egret and finally Redwing added to my total of 95
species. Not bad for a March session and, as always, some very silly
omissions including Hen Harrier, Grey Partridge, Little Owl
and Corn Bunting, still it was fabulous to be out and birding!
(Dylan)
Tuesday
14th March 2006 Pegwell Bay
A short-sharp (shock?) session on the dropping tide turned up: 61 Sanderling,
192 Curlew, 180 Oystercatcher, 70 Golden Plover, 210 Grey
Plover, 3 Lapwing, 4 Ringed Plover, 1 Avocet, 270
Knot, 230 Dunlin, 114 Bar-tailed Godwit, 8 Snipe,
25 Brent, 25 Shelduck, 41 Wigeon, 1 Peregrine and
1 Little Grebe. (Phil M)
Tuesday 14th March 2006 North Foreland
Francis told me that the Serin found by Simon several days ago was
still present at North Foreland this morning so I popped along to see it.
It took me about 20 minutes to find the bird. It is frequenting the
partially cut cauliflower field at the eastern end of
Elmwood Avenue
, although it did fly over towards the lighthouse at one stage before
heading back into the cauliflowers. (Tim Hodge)
Tuesday 14th March 2006 North Foreland &
Foreness
The Serin (from 7/3) is
still at North Foreland, 2ad 1 2nd W Mediterranean
Gull
at Foreness, 1 Black
Redstart and a Stonechat. (F Solly)
Monday 13th March 2006 Chamber’s Wall to the Oyster Farm and
back
I looked out the window early this morning and saw some nice spring
sunshine, and foolishly decided to walk from Chamber’s Wall to the
Oyster Farm and back. This was a mistake. There was a biting SE wind, it
was -2ºc and there were no birds about. Not only that, but someone is
installing a big red metal barrier at the start of the concrete track to
the fishing car park at Chamber’s Wall, so it may be that we won’t be
able to park down there in the future. And the forecast for the next week
is awful. For the record I saw 165 Teal, 29 Little Grebes, 1
Little Egret, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Sparrowhawk, 55 Golden
Plover and 250 Wood Pigeons high to the east. A few pairs of Lapwings
were beginning to display. (Tim Hodge)
Sunday 12th March 2006 South Swale 7:00 -
11:30hrs
Knowing that my afternoon had been booked for house hunting, I got out
early today to get a good walk in. Starting from near the Sportsman Inn
the weather was excellent; very cold, but sunny and no wind - the sea was
like a millpond. I could hear a few Bearded Tits calling
from the reeds, but they were keeping well hidden. Further along there was
a very sad looking Kestrel on a fence-post near the path,
he flew up very reluctantly as I approached. Almost immediately after
watching her fly off I disturbed a brace of hare, then a male Marsh
Harrier flew up from the reeds near the path (I hope he's not
thinking of nesting there!). There was a lot of Reed Bunting around, in the reeds, on
the sea wall, and everywhere in between. Castle Coote had about 20 Shelduck,
6 Ringed Plover, 3 Grey Plover, 11 Redshank,
and 5 Dunlin. In the sea (apart from gulls) just a Cormorant,
and 7 Great-Crested Grebes - shame, because it was
perfect diver spotting conditions. Up to Faversham Creek; the sun went in
and the wind got up. There were about 50 Shelduck, 21 Avocet,
5 Curlew, but no Godwit (odd, because
there had been dozens of the buggers here a couple of weeks ago). Heading
back I followed a Red-legged Partridge up the path for a
while, and I could hear (but not see) a cock Pheasant
crowing. There were 8 Greylag Geese in with a flock of
about 50 Swans, though no sign of the black swan I saw a
few weeks ago. Most of the Brent Geese seem to have moved
on now; there couldn't have been more than about 200 over the whole patch.
(Keith Pankhurst)
Sunday
12th March 2006 Minster
Thanet
A beautiful,
spring-like, morning and a welcome change from the grotty conditions of
the past couple of weeks! I didn't have long, so after dropping Bev at
Westwood Cross (retail therapy, or so I'm told?) I drove over to Minster
and parked by the station. Crossing the railway line, it was very apparent
that many of the local resident species were in fine voice. Wrens,
Dunnocks, Greenfinches and Great Tits were all laying claim to their
chosen territories. As I made my way down the track, towards the water
treatment plant, Long-tailed Tits appeared to be very numerous and
busy. A small flock of Lapwings flew overhead and, as I neared the
water works, I heard my fist singing Chiffchaff of the spring.
Almost certainly one of the birds that had over-wintered around the site,
it still is one of the defining moments of each year, just like the first Swallow or
Wheatear! A nice group of 61 Pied Wagtails and 7 Meadow
Pipits were feeding around the settling beds and a check around the
fishermen's carpark area revealed 37 Fieldfares, 1 Kestrel and
4 Bullfinches. My return walk allowed me to catch up with 3 singing
Goldcrests, a "parachuting" Meadow Pipit and a Little
Grebe, in the main dyke besides the track. As I neared the station, I
could see a massive spiral of corvids and gulls beyond the church,
however, as hard as I searched the sky, I failed to find the reason for
the reaction - Common Buzzard would be my guess! As you may have
noticed, I have been offline for the past few days - Gadget to the rescue.
I haven't seen much of note, but have to report the death of 2 Barn
Owls along the stretch of road between Monkton Chalk Quarry and the
Jentex Oil Depot. They are not numerous around our area so any losses are
very regrettable. (Dylan)
Sunday 12th March 2006 Shuart
Although
it was still very cold this morning, it actually felt quite pleasant as
the wind had dropped. A weedy field at Shuart held 6 Corn Buntings,
45 Reed Buntings, 1 Brambling, 40 Chaffinches and 56 Stock
Doves. Other bits there included 1 Water Rail, 1 Common
Buzzard, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Green Woodpecker, 9 Gadwall
and 2 Goldcrests, whilst a very quick look at the sea off Grenham
produced 5 Great Crested Grebes and 5 Red-throated Divers.
(Tim Hodge)
Friday 10th March 2006 Ancient Highway
The Short Eared Owl was
again hunting along the Ancient Highway at 7.00 this morning between the
bend 150 yards south of SBBOT Restharrow scrape and the clay pigeon
shoot. This time i did have my camera!! 2 Grey Partridges flew
across from Restharrow and landed in the sheep field on the seaward side
of the road. A female Marsh Harrier was circling very Buzzard-like
over my work place at 12.15pm.
Friday
10th March 2006 Pegwell Bay
I popped out this morning in the hope of an early migrant but very little
about. There was a Kingfisher in the pool off the Hoverpad and 24 Brent
on the shoreline. On the clifftop - 14 Fieldfare kicking around the
horse paddocks, c10+ Grey Partridge and 4 Chaffinch and 12 Linnets
flew overhead. (Phil M)
Thursday 9th March 2006 Old Hover Pad Pegwell
Bay
A Water Rail was seen on the far side of the
old hover pad pegwell around the reeds this morning. (Frank)
Thursday 9th March 2006 Minnis Bay
A brief early morning visit before drizzle stopped play included 7 Snow
Buntings, 1 Redwing W, 3 Meadow Pipits W, 2 Rock
Pipits and 3 Wigeon W. (Steady on now whilst you take all
that in) (Tim Hodge)
Wednesday 8th March 2006 North Foreland &
Ramsgate Harbour
Today was very bleak and I got very wet this morning.
However, I did see a Merlin hunting Meadow Pipits in the
North Foreland valley at 07:30. It was unsuccessful and then just perched
on a tall cauliflower in the pouring rain...still there when I moved on at
08:00. A few Curlews were feeding within 20ft of it without any
care at all. Ramsgate Harbour was quiet with Cormorant numbers down
from 16 on 2nd March to 4 today. Herring Gull A3GX still present of
course. I have reported 2 British ringed Black-headed Gulls to the
BTO this week and I will send you the information when I get the reply. The
Grey Wagtail is still present on the town centre rooftops. A bird
winters in the town every year, the first sighting this winter was 30th
September, which was earlier than usual. One year there were two birds.
(Simon Mount)
Wednesday 8th March 2006 River Dour & Barton
Path area Dover
I decided, as it was dry first thing to walk by the
River Dour in Dover. Standing in the river by B&Q was a young Grey
Heron trying to catch fish as they came under the bridge. I then moved
up to the Barton Path area, here there were Pied and Grey
Wagtail flying up and down the river, also several Mallard with
the male Wood Duck, which I reported last week in the village of
River. There were numerous Moorhen, Coot, Herring and
Black-Headed Gulls. I also spent some time watching a Chiffchaff
catching flying insects coming from a bush. I then met Keith Shepherd who
was on his way to work, he had just been watching the Water Rail,
and unfortunately it was now starting to rain hard and impossible in that
light to take pictures. Also had a quick glimpse of the King Fisher
flying up the river. (Graham Crick)
Tuesday 7th March 2006 Late News
Saturday
4th March 2006 Ramsgate Cemetery
'CBAN Returns!!' I saw this colour ringed Herring Gull on a roof
top in St Patricks Road, Ramsgate on Saturday and managed to get a
digiscoped picture of it's legs. I reported the bird via the BTO website
then checked Planetthanet. Lo
and behold 'CBAN' was last seen by Dylan at Ramsgate Harbour on 16th
November last year. Let's all look out for this individual from now on and
see how long it stays in the area, where it wanders and whether it breeds
here. (Phil Beraet)
Tuesday 7th March 2006 North
Foreland
At
North Foreland this morning a Serin present at 07:50. Feeding among
cut cauliflowers at Joss Bay at far NE end of field. It was mainly along
edge of fence and mound of earth, still present when I left at 08:00. Also
of note on 4th March was a Coal Tit in song at South end of Elmwood
Avenue, North Foreland. Herring Gull A3GX still present in Ramsgate
Harbour today. (Simon Mount)
Tuesday 7th March 2006 Ancient Highway
& Cottington Lakes
A smart Short
Eared Owl was hunting along the Ancient Highway by the SBBOT
Restharrow Scrape at 7.00 this morning at a range of 6-8ft from my car
(alas no camera)
There was 181 Greylag
Geese in the roadside fields near Cottington Lakes plus 1 Bar Headed
Goose at 3.30 this afternoon. (Martyn Wilson)
Tuesday 7th March 2006 Minnis
Bay
to Reculver and back
I meandered from
Minnis
Bay
to Reculver and back this morning, my first long walk for some time. Still
very quiet, the few bits seen included a nice summer-plumaged Mediterranean
Gull at Coldharbour, 1 Cetti’s Warbler, 1 Water Rail,
3 Little Egrets, 2 Marsh Harriers, 1 Sparrowhawk, 655
Brent Geese, 35 Gadwall, 26 Little Grebes and 1 Rock
Pipit. There were 835 Golden Plovers in the fields around
Coldharbour; this is a very high count for this area, and presumably
involves spring migrants. A fair few Reed Buntings and Skylarks
were singing. (Tim Hodge)
Monday
6th March 2006 Photo Update
A
couple of Photographs of the Penduline Tit taken Saturday 4th March
2006 at Stodmarsh NNR (Martyn Wilson)
Monday
6th March 2006 Pegwell Bay
I tried a raptor watch until 12.45 from the Farm then the Hoverport to
shelter from the cold wind. No Buzzards - though I did get a big
reaction from the Gulls at 11.00am but couldn’t see what caused it. I
did see 2 local Sparrowhawks and the 2 semi-resident Peregrine.
There was a group of c20 Redwing and 4 Fieldfare on the
clifftop plus 36 Brent and 57 Wigeon
showed on the distant shoreline. (Phil M)
Sunday 5th March 2006 Stodmarsh NNR
I have to admit to a bit of "twitching" this morning. The news
of a Penduline Tit, plus the excellent pictures on the web, were
enough to tempt me down to Stodmarsh. It was a bright morning,
although the breeze was a bit stronger than I would have liked. Not
surprisingly, there were quite a few birders about, yet the bird had not
been relocated by 09.15hrs. I wandered off, getting flight views of a Green
Sandpiper as I went, eventually walking around to the riverbank to
look at a recently cleared area of reedbed. Chris Hindle had told me about
7 Water Pipits, he had seen earlier. A view through my scope
revealed at least 20 birds present, the experience made even more
remarkable when 3 Ring-necked Parakeets came screeching overhead.
The angle of the sun made the views of the Water Pipits quite
difficult, so after a few minutes I started to walk back towards the
Lampern Wall. As I made my way around the sharp bend where the reedbed
joins the large tangle of sallows I am certain that I could hear a singing
Penduline Tit. It didn't sing for longer than 10 seconds, but it is
a very distinctive song - something I confirmed when I got home and
listened to my Jean C. Roche CD recording. I did search the area quite
intensively, finding 2 Goldcrest, 1 Chiffchaff and several Blue
& Great Tits, but no sign of the songster! It is, of course,
possible that I mis-heard another species singing, but which one? Walking
on towards the hide on stilts it was obvious that the assembled ranks were
watching a Penduline Tit, and had been doing so for some time.
Thus, the bird I had heard had to be a second individual. I stopped long
enough to get nice scope views as the bird fed on an isolated Greater
Reedmace seedhead, out in the reeds, but then I had to leave as I was on
borrowed time. I had promised Bev I would be back by 10.30 and it was
already 10.40! "Dinner's in the dog" routine - if you know what
I mean? My morning wasn't quite finished, as I found a smart male Firecrest
by the entrance track to the Reedbed hide, a cracking way to end my
session. Plenty of other birds around the reserve. Marsh Harriers
could be seen displaying both east and west of the Lampern Wall. The
nature trail alders held a small mixed flock of Siskin &
Goldfinches and I also saw 3 Bullfinches, a Treecreeper
and Great Spotted Woodpecker in the same area. (Dylan)
Sunday 5th
March 2006 Ash
to Goldstone Drove
Took
an extended Patch walk from Ash to Goldstone Drove (part) & returning
via Cooper Street this morning between 8:45-11:45. Cold but sunny &
breezy. Very little to get the pulse racing today with only the evading
antics of a pair of Red Legged Partridge at Goldstone Drove
providing any amusement. Had sightings of another pair of the same & a
couple of Grey Partridge at Sandhills. A Corn Bunting
fluttered away from us as we walked along Cop St & probably 20 Meadow
Pipits here as well - no Skylarks. Noticeable how the Fieldfare
numbers continue to fall with an increase in Redwings sighted. Many
birds in good voice with Dunnock & Great Tit the most vocal.
Raptor-wise, just individual m & f Kestrels & a f Sparrowhawk
despite regularly scanning the largely clear skies for something
'beefier'. The Sparrowhawk seen at Cooper St somewhat alarmed one
of the 2 Common Snipe seen this morning. Two Curlew also
noted in this area. A good day for a walk even if the birding was so-so.
(Ben Ring)
Saturday
4th March 2006 South Swale
11: 30 - 16:00hrs
Started from
the west end of Whitstable Golf Course, very little about apart from the
usual gulls. Along Seasalter Beach were the usual suspects - a few
Turnstones, Dunlin, Redshank, Oystercatcher and Grey Plover.
Past the Sportsman Inn I dropped down to the reeds and was delighted to
see that there were 27 Bearded Tit clearly on display. There were a
lot of stonechat around - I usually see 3 or 4 pairs along this
stretch, but there were at least 30 birds today. Marsh Harriers
were very active, I saw 5 in all, and there was a lot of interaction
between the pairs - I saw what might have been food passing, but it was
too far off to be certain. At Castle Coote there were about 50 Shelduck
and 8 Teal. Moving along to Faversham Creek for the incoming tide
there were 8 Avocet, 100s of Shelduck, 12 Bar-tailed
Godwit, 9 Little Plover and 2 Curlew. Heading
back, there was a kestrel hovering without even flapping its wings (I'm sure the wind
was stronger than the 8mph forecasted), and I counted 7 Snow Bunting on
the beach. There was a Kingfisher on the drainage outlet, but as usual he saw me before I saw
him, and he was gone in a flash of blue. Tide was
pretty much all the way in by now, but there was very little to see in the
sea (apart from gulls) - it was very choppy but I did see one Great-Crested Grebe. (Keith Pankhurst)
Saturday
4th March 2006 Pegwell Bay
I popped down in the afternoon to watch the last knockings of the dropping
tide. I counted 1800 Black-headed Gull; c400 Common Gull,
670 Herring Gull, 13 Shelduck, 59 Wigeon, 100 Golden
Plover, 2 Peregrine and 350 Starling flew north to
roost. (Phil M)
Saturday 4th March 2006 Stodmarsh NNR
A
cold but sunny am saw me at Stodmarsh car park for 8:15. Minus 2ºC,
rising to 6ºC by 12:30. Light breeze. A heavy overnight frost left a lot
of white & the dykes & majority of main lake remained frozen
over. Starting at the Reedbed Hide, I noted a Water Rail fly across
the frozen water but nothing else but distant birds on the main lake. The
start of the wooded part of the nature trail brought my first Firecrest
of the year & a drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker. There
was plenty of song & a pair of Dunnock was more intent in
chasing each other around a pile of twigs than worrying about me almost
able to stand on them! Further courtship activity was in evidence, with
the ever-dependable Marsh Harriers displaying over the main lake. A
few small pockets of Mallard & Shoveler stood around on the ice
there & a nesting Mute kept a frosty eye on me as I made my way
past the Tower Hide & on to the hi-light, a Penduline Tit! At
9:30 ish, looking toward Grove over the reeds, a Reed Bunting sat
in a tree & then chased off a near bird, which took up a temporary
perch nearer to fellow observer, & me who had originally alerted me to
the Penduline Tits presence. This provided good but fleeting views
before flying off into the reeds further along the track. I waited for a
few minutes & then it reappeared, feeding on the bulrushes for a
couple of minutes, before disappearing again. We did not have long to wait
(I was joined by another observer) before a sharp call to my left &
this Penduline Tit was sitting in a small tree to my left & I
swear I could have prodded it with my scope tripod leg! Not fancying this
possibility, the Penduline Tit flew behind us & perched in a
near tree on the lake-side for a preen, again affording comparatively
great views (if not a little 'twiggy') It sat for perhaps a couple of
minutes & then disappeared for good. I carried on around the reserve
but sadly nothing could match that & so very little of note went in my
book. Three Rose-Ringed Parakeets squawked from trees across the
railway line & perhaps 4 Kestrels were seen (all male) on the
way back to the Stodmarsh car park. The larger flock of Siskins/Redpolls
avoided me today but I did see a couple of Siskins feeding in the
alders. A very fortunate sighting on a lovely sunny morning. (Ben Ring)
Saturday 4th March 2006 Ramsgate
After seeing the conditions outside were looking good for a bit of Buzzard
passage I kept my binoculars at hand in the hope one or two might drift
over the house. At 12.45 all the local Gulls went potty outside but
I couldn’t see the cause the at 1.00pm after another really big reaction
from the Gulls I spotted a single Common Buzzard circling
quite high up in the clear cloudless sky about a quarter of a mile s/east
of the front garden. I really
should have gone out and visited one of the local raptor watching spots
this
morning. Also the day before yesterday (late afternoon) I saw a huge
amount of Wood Pigeons flying n/east over the estate, which is
unusual. Well over 500 birds? (Phil M)
Friday
3rd March 2006 River Dover
These Wood Duck arrived in the River Dour at River Nr Dover
today, they made a nice picture while it was snowing.
(Graham
Crick)
Friday
3rd March 2006 Mary
Bax's Stone
A superb
male Hen Harrier was quartering the golf course opposite Mary Bax's
Stone this morning, as i stopped to watch he slowly drifted over the road
up over the embankment by the Clay Pigeon shoot and, with the height
afforded by my Rangier, watched him fly lazily across the flooded pastures
behind Mary Bax's Stone. What a way to start the working day (6.55am)
(Martyn Wilson)
Friday
3rd March 2006 Pegwell Bay
I popped down for the incoming tide which was reasonably boring. Apart
from a Little Egret and 2 Peregrine all the stuff I saw was
'daily grind'
stuff. The counts turned up - c60 Brent, 10 Shelduck, 27 Wigeon,
155 Great Black Backed Gull, 43 Lesser Black Backed Gull,
780 Dunlin, 17 Sanderling, 290 Knot, 233 Bar-tailed
Godwit, 260 Grey Plover and 1 Ringed Plover. (Phil M)
Friday 3rd March 2006 Ramsgate cemetery
A short walk round the place this morning in
very calm cold weather produced the most of the things you would expect at
this time of year, both Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers, a
calling Sparrowhawk in trees along the western wall, 4 Jays
but no winter Thrushes on there spring 'stop of' yet. Also on my walk home
from work this morning, one Redwing and a 'weeing' Chiffchaff
in trees along St Luke’s Avenue. (Craig)
Thursday
2nd March 2006 Dover
The daily walk into work provided not one, but two Water
Rail along Barton Path, one has now been present for about two months,
and although this was the first time I had seen the one up by Beaconsfield
Road, it has been present for at least two weeks. There was also Chiffchaff
and Grey Wagtail by the river here. A couple of Redwing were
in the Charlton Green
churchyard. The river by B&Q held the regular Grey Heron and Cormorant
whilst a Kingfisher was seen just below the bowls club and again in
Pencester Gardens, as were 2 Wrens. Prince of Wales pier had just a
single Ringed Plover and Rock Pipit, and a full
summer-plumage Great Crested Grebe was in the main harbour (Keith
Shepherd)
Thursday
2nd March 2006 Pegwell Bay
I arrived around 9.30am - soon joined by young Craig who rejoiced over the
sighting of his first Daisy sighting in ages. You've gotta start getting
out a bit
more Craig? Along with the aforementioned Daisy we added Bumble Bee soon
after. Craig was in second heaven. Bird wise - a single migrant Common
Buzzard flew over and headed inland also a flock of c50 migrating
Carrion Crows. Otherwise: 2 Peregrine, 1 male Hen Harrier,
3-4 Sparrowhawk, 31 Brent, 4 distant Divers, 5 Corn
Bunting and 12 Fieldfare in the horse paddocks on the clifftop.
(Phil and 'young' Craig)
Wednesday 1st March 2006 Chamber's Wall & Minster Thanet
A few problems with my PC have kept me off-line recently, so I have a bit
of catching up to do. Birding has been pretty good - another
encounter with the Shore Lark in Ramsgate Harbour on 27th Feb and a
very interesting 1st yr Herring Gull - seen on Ramsgate Main
Beach (28th Feb) Details will be posted on the February pages shortly, so
please check the archive later this week! I dropped Bev at work, just
after 09.00hrs, then headed across to Chamber's Wall. A freezing NW
breeze did little to inspire confidence, but I was well prepared and
walked across to the coast, noting little more than a few Meadow Pipits
and a Skylark. A noisy flock of Brents were disturbed from
fields beyond the Oyster Farm and, after a couple of circuits, decided to
settle on the sea to the west of Coldharbour Lagoon. By the time I reached
them, a small group had left the water and were resting on the beach. A
scan revealed the Black Brant as the closest bird - what a result.
I crept across the shingle and managed to get several nice images,
including one showing the extent of the neck ring. I also had good
views of a restless flock of 9 Snow Buntings, a female Stonechat,
3 Goldfinch and a nice assortment of common waders. Out at sea, all
I managed to record were three small bunches of Teal - weird? After
a couple of hours of this icy assault, I decided on a change and
drove across to Minster. Parking in Station Approach, I made my way down
the track to the Water Treatment Works and the scrubby area beyond. A
fantastic flock of 85+ Pied Wagtails were gathered around the
settling tanks and I found 2 Chiffchaffs feeding in the shelter of
the hedge on the eastern side of the compound. Two pairs of Bullfinches
gave fleeting views as they moved through the dense hawthorn scrub and I
had a chance to watch a female Sparrowhawk, hunting the
marsh on the Ash side of the river, flushing a nice flock of 64 Golden
Plover as it skimmed the fields. (Dylan)
Wednesday 1st March 2006 Stodmarsh Harrier roost 17-18hrs
Decided to go and check out the harrier roost at Stodmarsh this evening.
My previous experiences of such an 'event' have usually involved
standing on the ramp at Grove (or somewhere on Sheppey) freezing to death
only to glimpse a distant ringtail drop into the reeds immediately after
spotting it in near darkness ! Not so tonight. I set up my
scope on the eastern side of the lake on the track to the tower hide with
my back to the setting sun. I counted about 7 Marsh
Harriers in the first 30 mins, but from about 17.30 onwards, the Hen
Harriers came in. There was a constant stream of them - must
have been 5 ring tails and 4 males - criss-crossing each other and flying
low over the reeds right in front of me. They flew about for ages
before dropping into the reeds giving exceptional views. I'd
definitely recommend going along and seeing this before they leave us
soon. (Scott)
Wednesday 1st March 2006 Pfizer car park 1st March
09.15hrs
I saw a large raptor being mobbed by crows on my way in to work this
morning. I ran back to my car to get my bins. I thought it might be
a March migrant Common Buzzard (right on cue!) but it turned out to
be a Marsh Harrier. Pity it wasn't Phil's Red Kite!
(Scott)
Wednesday 1st March 2006 Ramsgate Harbour
Today I saw a Red Kite over Ramsgate Harbour
at 13:01 heading ENE.
(Simon Mount)
Wednesday
March 1st 2006 Ramsgate and Pegwell Bay
A right result just before I left for Pegwell - after getting my bike out
of the shed the local Gulls went absolutely berserk. I had to wait for
what seemed like ages (probably 2 minutes!) before a stunning Red Kite
appeared from the east and sauntered through at about 200 feet or so -
gleaming in the early afternoon sun. As it flew through the sun I jumped
on my bike and
cycled down to the mound along the Haine Road for another look. The tide
was still high when I got to Pegwell and there wasn’t too much about
other than the usual. At 14.50 after seeing all the birds go up over
Sandwich I picked up a Common Buzzard getting mobbed by a gang of
Crows
and then whilst telling 2 birders the Kite tale from earlier - I spotted
10 Bean Geese which flew right over the hide and straight out to sea. The biggest flock
of Bean Geese I’ve ever seen in Pegwell. Other bits included: 2 Little
Egrets, 1 Peregrine, 1 Hen Harrier (a ring-tail), 39
Brent, 7 Shelduck, 63 Wigeon, 4 Shoveler, 18 Teal, 170
Bar-tailed Godwit, 50 Lapwing and c1000 Golden Plover. (Phil M)
Wednesday March 1st 2006 Grove Ferry
I
spent about one hour at Grove Ferry this afternoon in splendid sunshine
from the ramp Teal, Gadwall, Shelduck, lapwing, Redshank were seen
along with Great-crested Grebe, Kingfisher, Snipe, Male & Female
Marsh Harrier were giving good displays over the reeds, at the small
feeding station I observed Reed Buntings and 1 Robin Feeding
from a Hanging Fat-ball the 1st time I have seen this its only
recently I noted a Robin in my garden feeding on a feeder full of
sunflower harts, as I was heading back to the car I observed a mixed flock
of Geese come in to land Greylag & White-fronted Geese and 10 Bean
Geese flew over head towards the boathouse and kept going, (Gadget)
Wednesday 1st March 2006 Minnis Bay,
Brooksend & Netherhale
I had a brisk early morning walk from Minnis Bay to
Brooksend and Netherhale and then back to Minnis Bay. The wind had dropped
a bit, and it was nice and sunny, but still cold, with ice on the puddles
and some of the dykes. A few bits included 15 Shoveler, 20 Lesser
Redpoll, 1 Brambling, 1 Common Buzzard, 31 Golden
Plovers, 2 Canada Geese and 72 Greylag Geese. (Tim
Hodge)
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