29/03/14 Into Kent to "twitch" Garganey and a Hoopoe

Saturday 29th March 2014
Stodmarsh NR and a visit to Snodland


Stodmarsh NR

There have been many good reports coming out of Kent lately so I decided to make a visit.  Because the Albion were playing at home to Middlesborough this afternoon, it meant an early 7 am start to get to Stodmarsh on the outskirts of Canterbury to look for my first Garganey of the year before heading for Snodland near Rochester to see the "star turn" a visiting Hoopoe.  The Hoopoe would be a new bird for me so the excitement levels were running high.

At the Marsh Hide in Stodmarsh NR there were 6 Garganey and I soon spotted 5 of them, 2 drakes and 3 females/juveniles.  I had a particularly good view of a drake and 2 females swimming out in the open about 75m away.

Drake Garganey
Library picture

Female/juvenile Garganey 
Library picture

Objective 1 achieved with some ease and it wasn't even 10 o'clock yet! 

I also saw Marsh Harriers, a Sparrowhawk, a lovely Jay, Gadwell, Mallards, Mute Swans, Coots,  Lapwings, Chaffinches, Bullfinches, Blackbirds, a Song Thrush as well as many Black-headed Gulls.





Snodland near Rochester

I had a little trouble finding the site at Snodland but eventually I reached it only to hear that I had just missed the Hoopoe.  After waiting for over 45 minutes to see if it returned we were directed by other birders to a field by the edge of a wood a few hundred metres from where we were.  

There just 50 metres away from us was this awesome bird with it's real exotic looks and colour.  

Hoopoe
Library picture

This has to be the most unusual bird I have ever seen in this country and one of the most attractive.  As it fed on the ground little did it realise it had an audience of over 20 watching on gleefully.

I was so taken with this I hardly noticed any other birds, the only one was a lovely Mistle Thrush early on.





I managed to get home to change then get to the Brighton game only to watch as they lost badly.  Never mind - the birding was superb and I had a full and eventful day,


Additions to 2014 UK Bird List:
Garganey   (182)
Hoopoe    (183)

Addition to Life List of Birds:
Hoopoe   (249)