Thursday 31st
May 2007 Margate
Cemetery
Late News
Friday 25th May 2007 Today, like recent days started off with good
activity around the cemetery/horse paddocks, with breeding warblers in
good song and a good movement of Swifts and Swallows. With
recent days producing a mixture of in-different weather including a spell
of warm southerly winds it was the best chance of getting some scarce
migrants. At 10:25am, a Honey Buzzard headed east over the garden
of rest this being a record 5th bird for the spring, and
perhaps a good sign of things to come. The allotments were busy with at
least several Whitethroats, a male Cuckoo, 2 Lesser
Whitethroats and good numbers of Linnets. With this
lively bird activity taking place I headed into the cemetery but this only
produced a single Chiffchaff although a very good record of 2 Goldcrest
so late on in spring was interesting. Very late records of both Fieldfares
and Redwings have also occurred here in the past with at least
the latter attempting to breed on three occasions (all failed attempts),
but with no signs of either, at 11:20am I once again headed straight back
into the allotments. Slowly the allotment holders began to depart giving
me free reign of the area. All of a sudden while watching a Hobby
there was a bit of a commotion between Whitethroats in the NE
corner. At first nothing was showing but then out of a small bit of
bramble at 11:35am, was the star bird of the day, an adult male Red-backed
Shrike. This is the 9th record of this bird here but
only the 2nd male ever recorded. After carrying out some
environmental consultancy work this morning my camera battery level was
extremely low, and was unable to take any more pictures, but did just
manage to grab a few record shots through the video (and will be shown
later). This bird continued to show in the same location giving excellent
views up to 5.00pm, feeding around bramble and elderberry trees catching
bees and insects and at one point throwing up a pellet of its victims
caught throughout the day. It then headed towards the garden of rest and
was eventually relocated by Dave Gilbert at 5:10 – 5:30pm, but no sign
there after, and not present next day. (Steve Tomlinson)
Monday
28th May 2007 Margate Cemetery and Minster Marshes
A glorious start to the day saw me wandering around
Margate Cemetery just after 06.30hrs. Steve Tomlinson had told me the
location of a, rather confiding, pair of Jays, and a
species I was keen to photograph. Sure enough, one of the birds put on a
splendid show in the early morning sunshine before being disturbed by an
over flying Hobby. A Goldcrest was
singing in a large conifer and a Chiffchaff could be
heard a little further towards the "Garden of Rest". The
allotments held good numbers of Linnet and Common
Whitethroat whilst high overhead large numbers of House
Martin and Swift were searching the skies for
insects. With my pics secured I then drove across to Minster for my
regular walk around the marsh. I hoped that the heavy rain, of Sunday,
might have persuaded a few late migrants to drop in - wishful thinking as
it turned out. Still good numbers of summer visitors to be seen. Turtle
Dove, Cuckoo, Reed & Sedge
Warbler, Common & Lesser Whitethroat,
Swallow and Swift all being recorded as
I walked the track to the water treatment plant. A scan of the power
station revealed a Peregrine perched high on the rim of
one of the cooling towers, the only other raptor being the resident male Kestrel.
Little Grebe, Moorhen, Coot
and, best of all, a pair of Tufted Duck were noted in the
various dykes. With time rapidly running out, I made my way back to the
car, being very fortunate to find two newly fledged Lesser
Whitethroat chicks in the Hawthorn hedge close to the level
crossing. I took a couple of quick pics as their parents scolded me from
the depths of the tangled brambles close by. I left them in peace
wondering just how quickly the adults must have settled down to breed
after arriving from their massive journey from Africa. (Dylan)
Friday 25th May 2007 King's Wood
We
spent yesterday evening hanging around the clearings of King's Wood in the
dusk. The expected Woodcock did not appear, but we were rewarded by
the sight and various sounds of Nightjars, there were at least three
churring in the area that we walked, and two together came within a few
feet of us, clapping their wings at our intrusion. They could also
be seen and heard flying low over the young trees of the clearing,
presumably catching insects in the still night air. (Steve Coates)
Thursday 24th May 2007 West Ramsgate
A Honey Buzzard was viewed flying west
over Ramsgate from my 5th floor balcony this afternoon being
mobbed by 2 Carrion Crows at 2.05pm. (Craig S)
Wednesday 23rd May 2007 Newington Thanet
After a huge commotion amongst the local Gulls, two Red Kites were
seen circling across the road from my house at 11.15. After over five
minutes they eventually glided off west. Even rarer for my gaff there was
a Jay
seen flying around the gardens 2 days ago. (Phil M)
Wednesday 23rd May 2007 Reculver
Another lovely sunny morning out on the marshes was further improved when
a Bee-eater flew over calling at 0800, heading steadily NW without
stopping. (Tim Hodge)
Tuesday/Wednesday
22nd & 23rd May 2007 Dumpton garden
What a difference a day makes! Tuesday morning a
chilly grey affair, yet today the whole of Thanet bathed in glorious
sunshine. A few bits to report from around the garden headed by the
bizarre record of a Fulmar flying over the winter wheat
field beyond my garden hedge, not surprisingly, it was a garden tick!. 2
male Common Whitethroats can be heard singing along the
Vine Close gardens and a Yellow Wagtail was in the wheat
field on Tuesday when a Curlew flew north in the murk.
The glorious conditions today tempted a large feeding flock of Swifts
overhead, with a couple of Swallows and a handful of House
Martins in attendance plus one of the local pairs of Sparrowhawks
put on a nice aerial display over West Dumpton Lane. The Dunnock
family is still very evident around the garden, spending a lot of time
foraging on the compost heap. (Dylan)
Monday
21st May 2007 Dumpton garden
I got up early to check the moth trap, a complete
waste of effort! It was a bright enough start to the day, although the
Northerly breeze was rather chilly and cloud cover increased as the
morning progressed. I spent some time enjoying the antics of two
recently fledged Dunnocks as they harried their parents.
The cock Blackbird belted out his song from the top of
the garden hedge whilst the local Sparrowhawks caused
alarm, amongst the House Sparrows and Starlings,
as they patrolled the Vine Close gardens. A couple of times the Newland's
Farm Swallows appeared over the field beyond the hedgerow
and a party of 5 House Martins passed overhead into
the breeze. The first Swifts, of the day, appeared
at 08.23hrs - 3 birds chasing across the sky, "screaming"
as they went. The highlight came in the form of a 1st summer Cormorant
(only my 2nd garden record!) as it flew directly overhead towards the
coast at Broadstairs. (Dylan)
Sunday
20th May 2007 Reculver
A lovely sunny morning out on the marshes between Reculver and
Coldharbour. An adult male Montagu’s Harrier hunting at the
eastern end of the Oyster Farm was the best bird. A few other bits
included 2 adult Mediterranean Gulls flying west along the beach, 2
Grey Plovers, 1 Dunlin, 4 Common Sandpipers, 7 Little
Egrets, 120 Swallows W, 40 Yellow Wagtails, 6 Wheatears
and good numbers of Sedge and Reed Warblers along the dykes.
(Tim
Hodge)
Sunday
20th May 2007 Clowes Wood & Stodmarsh NNR
It proved to be an expensive drive across to Clowes
Wood, the back box fell off of my exhaust at 03.50hrs, meaning a less than
silent drive through Broad Oak and Tyler Hill. To cap it all I only heard
one Nightjar "churring" very briefly at
04.12hrs and failed to record a single Woodcock despite conditions being
bright and still. Nightingales provided a deafening
backdrop to the dawn chorus. A lone Long-eared, joined
the multitude of Tawny Owls heralding the sunrise. Turtle
Dove, Common Whitethroat, Willow
Warbler, Blackcap and Chiffchaff
were all enthusiastically proclaiming their presence, whilst Goldcrest,
Great Spotted Woodpecker, Song Thrush
& Blackbird were all noted collecting food for hungry
broods scattered about this superb woodland. I headed back towards
Thanet as quietly as I could, stopping at Grove Ferry for a very enjoyable
circuit around the reserve in the company of Martyn, Steve & Allan
(KOS Stour Valley Crew). Can't claim to have recorded anything out of the
ordinary. Plenty of Marsh Harriers on display plus the
usual mix of Reed, Sedge & Cetti's
Warblers, a "booming" Bittern near to
the Marsh Hide, 4 Hobby, 1 Kingfisher, 1
Sparrowhawk, Bearded Tit, Common
Whitethroat, Garden Warbler, Blackcap,
Bullfinch, Cuckoo, 4 Little
Egret, 20+ Common Terns and so much more - a
cracking distraction from the £150 "Kwikfit" fix! (Dylan)
Saturday
19th May 2007 Minster Marshes
As there is a game of footie to be watched I had a leisurely stroll,
around Minster Marshes, in preparation for the afternoon's session of
shouting at the tele. A bright morning being a nice bonus. I had been made
aware of the local rumblings about the lack of Turtle
Doves - Spring shooting in Cyprus being quoted as a
reason? What planet are these clowns on? Turtle
Doves in Kent migrate from Africa over the Pyrenees
(study the ring recovery data) hence Cyprus doesn't enter the
equation. So with that out of the way, there were 7 Turtle Doves
males "purring" between the railway station and the water
treatment works - so locally, at least, the numbers seem to be fairly
stable. 2 male Lesser Whitethroat sang from the hawthorns
beside the track, Cetti's Warbler were encountered around
the area, with new territories being established all along the Stour
Valley, this species is a real winner in the "Global
Warming" scenario. Overhead there was a steady stream of Common
Swift heading into the strengthening W-SW wind. A distant Cuckoo
called, whilst Common Whitethroat, Sedge
& Reed Warbler, Blackcap
and Swallow made up the bulk of migrant records. The
only raptor was a male Kestrel, a supporting cast of passerines
included Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Linnet,
Song Thrush, Robin, Wren
and Dunnock. (Dylan)
Friday
18th May 2007 North Foreland and Foreness
At North Foreland and Foreness this morning: - 11 Wheatears,
2 Whinchats, 3 Whitethroats and singles of Blackcap and Lesser
Whitethroat. (Simon Mount)
Friday
18th May 2007 Stoneless Pegwell
My usual visit this morning between
07-00 & 10-00hrs produced nothing out of the ordinary but noticeable
influx of up to 6 Turtle Doves between the sites. (Ben Ring)
Friday 18th May 2007 Margate
Cemetery Old News
Highlights for May 9th up to 17th 2007
Wednesday 9th May 2007
Star birds of the day were 2 Honey Buzzards,
which showed very well over the horse paddocks at 9:10am, certainly
upsetting the resident gulls. Both birds hung around for 10 minutes
eventually heading west at 9:20am. Also today a Blue-headed Wagtail
was by the garden of rest, with 1 Cuckoo, 3 Blackcaps, 1 Lesser
Whitethroat, 30 Swifts, 6 Corn Buntings and a Chaffinch
(the latter very scarce here in May) also noted.
Saturday 12th May 2007
Although very quiet there was still some good birds
around. 2 Serins showed briefly in the allotments at 10:15am, then
headed west, and a late Redwing was in the crematorium. A total of
6 Yellow Wagtails and 50 Swifts were also noted.
Sunday 13th May 2007
The only bird of interest was a singing Reed
Warbler in bramble by the rubbish dump.
Thursday 17th May 2007
2 Spotted Flycatchers and a Hobby were
new arrivals today.
(Steve Tomlinson)
Thursday
17th May 2007 Dumpton Thanet
In overcast and damp conditions a Red Kite flew over Dumpton
cricket ground at 9.15 Identification proved troublesome at first with its
very dark appearance in the bad light but its deep forked seemed to
suggest its identity. (Rae Boulden)
Wednesday 16th May 2007 Ash Garden
Have
had the rare treat of a visit to my garden by a Turtle Dove this
lunchtime. It hung around for about 10 minutes as I tried to get some
decent photos - bizarrely it was too close most of the time & yes, my
grass does need cutting! (Ben Ring)
Tuesday 15th May 2007 North Foreland
At North Foreland this morning a Hobby off the
sea at 08:00, 2 Turtle Doves feeding among the horses and singles
of Garden Warbler, Whitethroat and Spotted Flycatcher.
Also an increase in numbers of Swallows and House Martins.
(Simon Mount)
Tuesday 15th May 2007 Foreness Point
The only birds of any note today were a pair of Peregrines circling
in the area at 9.45 for 10mins before moving South. (Rae Boulden)
Monday 14th May 2007 North Foreland
This morning, the only bird of noteworthy was a Spotted
Flycatcher. (Simon Mount)
Sunday 13th May 2007 North Foreland
At North Foreland this morning: - 1 Marsh Harrier
SW at 08:05 and a Peregrine heading S 15 minutes later. 8 Yellow
Wagtails and singles of Reed Warbler, Willow Warbler, Blackcap and Chiffchaff.
In the afternoon, a Hobby heading W along the coast.
(Simon Mount)
Sunday
13th May 2007 Ash Levels
I parked at Goldstone and walked down the drove out
onto the Levels. I was hoping that there would be a few migrants about and
so it proved. A Turtle Dove "purred" from the
old garden, with a second further along the track Common
Whitethroat, Garden Warbler, Chiffchaff,
Sedge & Reed Warbler were all noted
as I walked down to the river. Overhead a steady stream of Swallows
headed NW into the murky distance. I did see a few House Martins,
but they seemed to be local residents around the isolated nesting sites on
the farm buildings. I found 4 Wheatears on the water
meadows and watched one of the Barn Owls fly back to the
nest box, having been hunting on the Minster side of the river. Yellow
Wagtails were thinly spread; I hope that this is just a
consequence of the recent weather patterns and not a genuine reduction in
nesting population of the marsh. On the positive side was the presence of
at least 9 pairs of Lapwing, 3 pairs of Yellowhammer
and the discovery of two singing Cetti's Warblers in new
territories. A cracking walk around the marsh produced a fabulous finale
when I discovered 2 pairs of Tree Sparrows back at a
traditional nest site. I walked back to my car a very happy birder.
(Dylan)
Sunday 13th May 2007 North Foreland and
Foreness
An early morning cycle around the area showed some new arrivals with a Hobby
in off the sea at Port Regis and a Wood Warbler in song there. A
party of 7 Common Sandpipers were at rest in Joss Bay with about 50
Swallows feeding along cliffs. At Foreness there were 7 Wheatears
a majority were female sand In the park 1 Reed Warbler singing.
(Rae Boulden)
Saturday 12th May 207 Pegwell Bay
I walked from the garage to Stonelees and back
between 6
and 7.45am. Highlights were Barn Owl, Nightingale and Cetti's
Warbler at Stonelees. In the bay I noted 2 Little Tern, 3
Common Tern, c30 Sandwich Tern, 1 Brent Goose, 2 Little
Egret, 4 Whimbrel, 3 Bar-tailed Godwit, 1 Sanderling,
1 Turnstone, c30 Dunlin and a steady passage of hirundines
NW. A brief look at Little Cliffs End Farm produced a cracking male Wheatear
and a singing Corn Bunting over towards Cliffs End. An
equally brief look at Ramsgate Harbour produced 3 Rock Pipit and
c10 Turnstone. Total of 70 species in 2.5 hours (but no
raptors). (Nick Lever)
Saturday 12th May 207 Grove Ferry &
Stodmarsh NNR
Another blustery day & did 'the circuit' between
7:15 & noon
anti-clockwise, starting at Grove Ferry. Quite a few people around to
assist with the regulars big count in the Stour Valley (94 species when I
asked at around 11am). Highlights were watching a pair of squabbling male Cuckoos
along the river, in the company of Dylan, (when I first saw the birds I'm
sure there were 3 so perhaps a female settled down, unseen, to watch the
outcome!) my first Wheatear of the year (thanks Dylan!) first Garden
Warblers nearing the Stodmarsh end (3 birds seen), a low flying Hobby
by the Lampen Wall (a further 2 later when I returned to the Ramp) & a
pair of Avocet seen from the Ramp on the pool to the right. (Ben
Ring)
Friday 11th May 2007 Ramsgate Harbour
A quick walk - the long way! (Via the Harbour) - into
Ramsgate Town Centre this afternoon - 1600 - was rewarded with my first
ever Sandwich Tern. It was diving regularly for about ten minutes
within the harbour walls on the Casino side but it then flew off towards
Westcliff (of Ramsgate). Also there were 6 Turnstones, 2 Great
Black Backed Gulls and upwards of 200 Herring Hulls of various
ages. (Baz)
Friday 11th May 2007 Ellington Park Ramsgate
There was a Wood Warbler singing near the
bandstand in Ellington Park at 8am. (Nick Lever)
Friday 11th May 2007 Stonelees
Visited the sites between 4 & 7pm & only bit
of excitement came in the form of a Barn Owl (5:15pm) which
appeared from over Stone Lees & proceeded to hunt the rough pasture
directly opposite in the Country Park. I was able to watch it for around 5
minutes before it headed in the direction of the garage - great stuff!
(Ben Ring)
Friday 11th May 2007 Foreness
A walk around Foreness confirmed reports of Swallows, House Martins
and Sand Martins on the move, although no swifts were apparent.
Sandwich
Terns were flying into the northerly breeze, to add to three gannets
seen earlier this morning. A Wheatear was being kept company
by some of the many local House Sparrows on the pumping station
fence, and an unexpected Yellow Wagtail was flushed from the wide
grass ride. Little Owl on the way to work this morning. (Steve Coates)
Friday 11th May 2007
Dumpton Thanet
These crazy winds continue! An early morning scan revealed a few Swifts
over the garden, heading WNW, and a single Greenshank
providing an added bonus as it battled its' way towards Broadstairs. A
male Sparrowhawk was watched hunting the gardens along
West Dumpton Lane, as I fetched a loaf of bread from the local shop.
Nothing much else of interest. The pair of Herring Gulls,
nesting on the bungalow opposite, were collecting nesting material from
the garden and the two recently fledged juvenile Blackbirds
were foraging on the compost heap, one posing nicely for the camera!
(Dylan)
Thursday 10th May 2007
Minnis to Reculver and back
Cycled from Minnis to Reculver and back at 1500-1600.
A lot of westward movement over sea and sea wall - over 800 Swifts,
300 Swallows, 150 House Martins, 4 Common Terns. Also
about 20 Wheatears and 10 Yellow Wagtails on beach. (Bob
Hinge)
Wednesday
9th May 2007
Chamber’s Wall
An adult male Montagu’s Harrier flew west over Chamber’s Wall
this morning. (Tim Hodge)
Wednesday
9th May 2007 North Foreland
to Botany Bay (& back)
Out early for a dawn start. I parked the
car at the bottom of Elmwood Avenue and proceeded to walk the clifftop
above Joss Bay. A male Kestrel perched on a telegraph
pole and a lone Yellow Wagtail flew south over the golf
course. I continued towards Kingsgate Bay, finding a Garden
Warbler singing at the end of Convent Avenue and a Whimbrel
on the beach in the bay itself. A scan through the small group of gulls
present revealed little more than a 2nd summer Great Black-back
amidst the various immature Herring Gulls. A Curlew,
3 Oystercatcher and a flock of 53 Turnstone
made up the rest of the avian interest on the beach. A male Sedge
Warbler was in full song in the scrub besides the Captain
Digby and I noted a few Swallows moving purposefully
along the clifftop as I neared the Fairness Inn and Botany Bay. The sea
was almost devoid of birdlife, just an odd Fulmar and a
couple of Cormorant being of interest. My return journey
provided little of note, although a group of 5, summer plumaged, Sanderling
had joined the waders in Kingsgate Bay. I walked down the steps
to the beach and played around with my digi-scoping gear for a while. Back
home in time to make Bev a cuppa at 07.30hrs. (Dylan)
Tuesday 8th May 2007 North Foreland
At North Foreland this morning: - 1 Common Buzzard
present in the area, 3 Garden Warblers, and singles of Sedge
Warbler, Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Yellow Wagtail. A pure
albino Starling feeding on the golf course. The only other thing
was a flock of 38 Carrion Crows high up heading WNW along the coast
and out to sea at 07:15. (Simon Mount)
Monday 7th
May 2007 Ramsgate
There was 2 Swifts in Ramsgate this afternoon
I spotted them on the walk home from Craigs house in the flipping rain!! I
got soaked. The first I've seen after just getting back from 2 weeks away
on holiday. (Phil M)
Monday 7th May 2007 North
Foreland
A Honey Buzzard seen 3 times today, presumably
the same one from late yesterday afternoon. It was being heavily mobbed by
10 Carrion Crows and 4 Magpies while trying to rest in a
Holm Oak at 10:00. In the early afternoon it did a few circuits of the
area being chased by 4-5 Crows. Again I saw a Crow actually strike the
Buzzard on the lower back, where it appeared to displace feathers. On the
upper side of the right wing, the bird also had a distinct pale patch at
the base of the primaries, which contrasted with the grey of the rest of
the wings and back. In the rest of the area I saw 1 Blackcap and a
few Swallows moving through. (Simon Mount)
Monday 7th May 2007 Restharrow
Scrape and Minster Marshes
An early morning drive over to Sandwich Bay to have a look at Restharrow
Scrape. The rising sun is perfect for getting good pics of any birds using
the pool. There were 6 Tufted Duck, 7 Oystercatcher,
9 Lapwing, 2 Little Ringed Plover,
1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 2 Redshank and a Grey
Heron present whilst overhead a few Swallows
were searching the skies for wind-blown insects. Corn Buntings
were singing from any prominent vantage points, thus very conspicuous and
in stark contrast to Friday, when I couldn't locate a single bird (A
report of my 24 hour listing attempt will be posted shortly) Leaving
Sandwich, I then drove across to Minster and had a slow stroll around the
area. Plenty of common migrants have now taken up territories around the
marsh. I counted 2 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Nightingale,
17 Common Whitethroat, 3 Blackcap, and 2
Chiffchaff plus large numbers of both Reed
& Sedge Warbler. A Common Sandpiper
was seen along the river and a female Marsh Harrier was
hunting over a field of oilseed rape behind the station. As I headed back
towards the car a pair of Turtle Doves flew past adding
another migrant species to my notebook. (Dylan)
Sunday 6th May 2007 North Foreland
At North Foreland today, at least 2 Honey Buzzards.
The first one at 11:10hrs last seen heading fairly high over Broadstairs
and Westwood towards Manston. A dark individual. Then at 15:05hrs another
one heading from North Foreland then coasting down towards Ramsgate. At
15:50 another sighting of perhaps the same one over Northdown Park. This
bird gave superb low views overhead as it was mobbed by Carrion Crows.
It was chased towards North Foreland and stayed in the area for around 30
minutes, being constantly chased by 3-4 Crows before heading SW inland. One
Crow kept trying to peck the tail of the Honey Buzzard, succeeding a few
times. It also tried to peck it on the back, once hitting it so hard that
the poor Honey Buzzard tumbled about 20ft in an uncontrolled spiral. This
individual was grey above and the usual clear markings below. (Simon
Mount)
Thursday 3rd May 2007 Minnis Bay
Minnis Bay Beach at 10.15 am - Dull and Windy. 99 Bar-tailed
Godwits in full range of plumages along water line, and 3 Brent
Geese just offshore (Bob Hinge)
Wednesday 2nd May 2007 North Foreland
At North Foreland this morning an Osprey
heading NW along the coast at 06:40hrs. (Simon Mount)
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