22/11/2014 A Red Letter Day on Sheppey with Raptors All Over the Place

Saturday 22nd November 2014
Isle of Sheppey - Shellness and Capel Fleet
Paul and Group

This was the first time our group had been on Sheppey - amazing really when you think this would be my 3rd visit this month!  The weather forecast was gloomy with cloud all day and a strong possibility of showers.  Nevertheless, nine of us made the trip and expectations were high.  My only constraint was having to be back home by 17.15 in time to watch a live screening of "The Barber of Seville" from the New York Met. at our local cinema.

• First stop, at 09.30, was Shellness and the walk along the raised banks to the hide.  On the way, Andrew spotted the male Hen Harrier off to our left as it hunted over the marsh.  After good views of this, our primary target for the day, we soon saw the first of many Marsh Harriers of the day.  Paul picked out a flock of White-fronted Geese flying away to our right and soon after we enjoyed excellent ground views of the same birds after they returned.  Birds were coming thick and fast by now and just before we arrived at the hide we were given a real treat when 14 + Bearded Tits were spotted flying over the reed bed to relocate nearby.  Soon after we saw a Ring-tailed Hen Harrier, a Merlin flew by, a Peregrine was spotted and the Kestrel/s were with us all day. 

In barely 90 minutes we had seen almost all of our target birds for the day - truly amazing!

• Next stop was the concrete bunker, by the River Swale, where we looked for waders on the spit at high tide - the pick of the bunch being the Golden Plovers.  As we headed back to the car a Short-eared Owl was spotted hunting over the marsh just to our left, by the raised bank we had walked along to the hide earlier.  We were ecstatic as we watched this magnificent spectacle unfold in front of our very eyes.  Lo and behold a second one soon appeared, for a short while, before it was chased off by the other.  At the car park we disturbed the male Hen Harrier so we enjoyed further spectacular close range views of this lovely Raptor.

This was turning out to be one  the richest birding experience we have ever had with Raptors everywhere we turned!

• Our final stop was Capel Fleet, a short drive away on the return route.  This was now, in effect, a bonus as we had already achieved our aims for the day.  We enjoyed views of our third Short-eared Owl, many more Marsh Harriers, a Buzzard and yet another view of the male Hen Harrier Hunting over the fields to our right.  We did manage to add to our sightings list when we viewed Corn Buntings perches near the top of a nearby bush. 

What an amazing day - I even managed to leave early, listen to the Albion game at Norwich on the car radio and get home in good time to watch the opera at the cinema!





Today's species list: 
Bar-tailed Godwit
Bearded Tit
Black-headed Gull
Blackbird
Brent Goose
Buzzard
Carrion Crow
Cetti's Warbler (heard)
Common Gull
Cormorant   (10)
Corn Bunting
Curlew
Dunlin
Dunnock
Golden Plover
Great Black-backed Gull
Grey Heron
Grey Plover
Greylag Goose
Hen Harrier   (20)
Herring Gull
House Sparrow
Kestrel
Lapwing
Little Egret
Little Grebe
Magpie
Mallard
Marsh Harrier
Meadow Pipit    (30)
Merlin  
Moorhen
Mute Swan
Oystercatcher
Peregrine Falcon
Pheasant
Pied Wagtail
Redshank
Reed Bunting
Robin   (40)
Rock Pipit  
Shelduck
Short-eared Owl
Skylark
Snipe
Starling
Stonechat
Turnstone
White-fronted Goose
Woodpigeon   (50)

19/11/2014 Rough-legged Buzzard again!

Wednesday 19th November 2014
Jevington

Friends Alan and Shaun from the East Grinstead RSP Local Group, who hadn't seen the Rough-legged Buzzard, planned to travel to Jevington so I said I would show them where to go.  It was another chance to see this lovely bird.

Within minutes of getting there we saw the Buzzard in all it's glory and we literally sat back and enjoyed 30 minutes or so of it's splendid flight routine, including the special hover action.  




Rough-legged Buzzard
Library picture

Also seen were 100+ Stock Doves, a Great-spotted Woodpecker, a few Meadow Pipits, a few Fieldfares and numerous Carrion Crows.

We moved on to Belle Tout wood to look for the 2 Tawny Owls that had been seen since our last try a few days ago but again we had no luck.

A lovely afternoon!

17/11/2014 Blashford Lakes and Franklin's Gull again

Monday 17th November 2014
Blashford Lakes

Paul, Alastair and I headed west into Hampshire on a wet and cold Monday morning hoping to catch the Ferruginous Duck and the Franklin's Gull at Blashford Lakes.   If it was still there, we also planned to go to Hengistbury, near Bournemouth, in Dorset to see the Isabelline Shrike.


With no news from Dorset we made for Blashford Lakes first.  Here, at least, we could shelter from the rain in the hides. We searched Ivy Lake for the Ferruginous Duck but to no avail.  Then we moved to Kingfisher Lake but again we drew a blank.

• Our only hope was the Franklin's Gull so we moved to Ibsley Water in good time to get prime seats in the Tern Hide.  True to form, the lovely gull arrived at 15.30 and landed just in front of us but half way across the lake.  This was still much closer than on my previous visit a couple of weeks ago and, with the light the best it had been all day, we got great views.

• Whilst we were waiting for the star item to arrive we managed to find some other, interesting birds on the lake.  The Long-tailed Duck was perhaps the pick of the bunch but there were also male and female Goldeneye, Goosanders, Ruddy Ducks and a Black-necked Grebe.

Several birders arrived from Dorset and confirmed that the Isabelline Shrike had left and that the weather there had been as bad as it had been here.  We felt vindicated in deciding not to travel there.



Today's species list:
Franklin's Gull
Long-tailed Duck
Herring Gull
Little Gull
Black-headed Gull
Yellow-legged Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Egyptian Goose
Mute Swan
Greylag Goose   (10)
Canada Goose
Wigeon
Gadwall
Teal
Pintail
Shoveler
Mallard
Tufted Duck
Pochard
Ruddy Duck   (20)
Goldeneye
Goosander
Little Grebe
Great Crested Grebe
Black-necked Grebe
Cormorant
Grey Heron
Sparrowhawk
Common Buzzard
Kestrel   (30)
Moorhen
Coot
Green Sandpiper
Woodpigeon
Collared Dove
Kingfisher
Green Woodpecker
Robin
Wren
Dunnock   (40)
Blackbird
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Nuthatch
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Greenfinch   (50)weather
Goldfinch
Siskin
Bullfinch




A great day out with friends Paul and Alastair.  In such atrocious weather we were lucky to get the rich birding experience we did.  

The close views of the Franklin's Gull alone were worth the long journey and the range of birds seen provided an added bonus.

16/11/2014. Cliffe Pools with East Grinstead RSPB Group

Sunday 16th November 2014
Cliffe Pools with the East Grinstead RSPB Group

Ten of us enjoyed a lovely walk around Cliffe Pools just outside of Rochester on the North Kent coast.

• The highlight was the sighting of the drake Goldeneye closely followed by the sight of the Marsh Harriers and the Pintails.

Today's Species List:
Wren
Long-tailed Tit
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Stonechat
Robin
House Sparrow
Dunnock
Goldfinch
Linnet   (10)
Chaffinch
Meadow Pipit
Pied Wagtail
Starling
Song Thrush
Blackbird
Mistle Thrush
Fieldfare
Magpie
Jackdaw   (20)
Rook
Carrion Crow
Green Woodpecker
Collared Dove
Woodpigeon
Pheasant
Golden Plover
Lapwing
Snipe
Redshank   (30)
Little Egret
Grey Heron
Moorhen
Coot
Little Grebe
Great Crested Grebe
Teal
Wigeon
Shoveler
Pintail   (40)
Gadwall
Mallard
Tufted Duck
Pochard
Goldeneye
Greylag Goose
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Black-headed Gull
Herring Gull   (50)
Great Black-backed Gull
Cormorant
Kestrel
Marsh Harrier




What a lovely way to commemorate my late brother Michael's 68th birthday!

15/11/2014 Staying Local

Saturday 15th November 2014
Ashdown Forest

Spent the morning on my patch.  Despite the early rain, it was very good.

• The highlight was the sight of Stonechats and Woodlarks.

In the evening I caught sight of the Ring-tailed Hen Harrier, in the dark, just after 16.30

13/11/2014 Hen Harriers, Merlin and lots of Marsh Harriers on The Isle of Sheppey.

Thursday 13th November 2014
Isle of Sheppey

Brian and I made the long trip north to the Isle Of Sheppey in the Thames Estuary.  We were after birds of prey today, starting at Shellness about 11.00 then relocating to Capel Fleet for the roost at 14.30.  We managed to watch some waders from the concrete bunker for about an hour after lunch.

• Brian found the "bird of the week" when he spotted a male Hen Harrier emerging from a vegetable patch onto the marsh at Shellness around 11.00.  We enjoyed 10 minutes or so of this majestic raptor as it moved low over the ground towards the Swale.  One of my hopes for the week was to show Brian  this bird but I expected it to be in the Ashdown Forest, near my home, and not in Kent.  He was as delighted as was I!  An hour later from the H1 hide I spotted a Ring-tailed Hen Harrier in virtually the same place, this bird also showing well for several minutes before flying off over the dyke and out of sight.  From the same hide we also saw several Marsh Harriers, Geese, a Heron and many passerines.

Male Hen Harrier
Library picture

• Next stop was the concrete bunker to spot waders on the River Swale.  The predominant bird here was the Oystercatcher but there were also good numbers of Gull, Grey Plover, Dunlin, Turnstone and Sanderling. 

• We relocated to Capel Fleet where we soon saw a superb Merlin on the pile of hay bales close to the viewing area - a truly amazing experience.  This was the first of several excellent views and the second day in succession where we were priviliged to be in the company of this prize bird of prey. 

Merlin flying
Library picture

 

Merlin
Library picture

• Marsh Harriers were abundant and around 16.00 we saw 20+ in the distance near Elmley Marsh.  Just before we called it a day we saw the Short-eared Owl flying towards us in the fading light - not the best of views but a welcome sight and another 15 minutes of joy.

Short-eared Owl
Library picture

Today's species list:
Stonechat
Robin
Meadow Pipit
Skylark
Starling
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Collared Dove
Woodpigeon
Pheasant   (10)
Grey Plover
Dunlin
Sanderling
Turnstone
Oystercatcher
Curlew
Little Egret
Grey Heron
Coot
Little Grebe   (20)
Greylag Goose
Brent Goose
Mute Swan
Black-headed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Cormorant
Short-eared Owl
Merlin
Kestrel   (30)
Hen Harrier
Marsh Harrier
Buzzard




Final species count for this visit = 102   SUPERB!

• A fitting final day, with Brian spotting, for himself, his first ever male Hen Harrier. 

• Overall we have had a super four days and seen a range of birds with quite a lot that would not be found in Cumbria to where Brian returns tomorrow. 

12/11/2014 Dungeness and another birding bonanza!

Wednesday 12th November 2014
Dungeness
with Brian and Paul

The highlight of Brian's visit was always going to be a trip to Dungeness and despite a slow start it lived up to expectations. 

We left Uckfield at 06.30 to start our day with some seawatching from the fishing boats.  We joined Plodding Birder and 4 others in dry but blustery conditions.  Paul had high hopes after yesterday afternoon's report of a Leach's Petrel and 9 Pomarine Skuas.  Although we managed to spot a distant Pomarine Skua and a small group of Red-breasted Mergansers, things turned out to be very quiet.  We then went in search of a Black Redstart for Brian but the conditions were unfavourable and we didn't see any.

Around 10.00 we decided that it was time to pick up the tempo and see some interesting birds so we headed for the ARC Hanson Hide.  On the way we saw our first Great White Egret of the day. At the hide we quickly located the Slavonian Grebe

Slavonian Grebe
Library picture

and soon afterwards we found a second one.  There were several Goldeneye around including both sexes.  Our star item however was the female Smew seen at the far end of the water.  This lovely redhead had only been here a few days and we were a bit surprised to see it so early in the winter. 




Female Smew - a" Redhead"

Paul spotted the first Spotted Redshank of the day on one of the few islands remaining after the recent heavy rainfall. 

 

Spotted Redshank
Library picture

On the reserve we found another 2 Spotted Redshanks and 7 Greenshanks.  The next "big" event was our sighting of the Cattle Egret in the fields adjacent to the Denge Hide.  

Cattle Egret
Library picture

  Quite soon after we were afforded superb views of a Bittern flying across us.  Then a stunning female Merlin flew ahead of us, leaving us gobsmacked. 

Merlin (f)
Library picture

By this time we were joking of having seen Cattle Egrets and Great White Egrets but no Little Egrets; this was corrected on the way back to the centre when we saw up to 3 of them and a further 4 Great White's flying over the water before settling on the edge. 

We ended the day on Walland Marsh where the star species were the Marsh Harriers and the fleeting views we got of the Bearded Tits in the reeds in front of us.   


Today's species list:

Barnacle Goose

Bearded Tit

Bittern

Blackbird

Blackcap

Black-headed Gull

Blue Tit

Barnacle Goose Bearded Tit Bittern   (10) Blackbird Blackcap Black-headed Gull Blue Tit Brent Goose Buzzard Carrion Crow Cattle Egret Cetti's Warbler Chaffinch   (20) Chiffchaff Collared Dove Coot Cormorant Dunnock Fieldfare Gadwall Gannet Goldcrest Golden Plover   (30) Goldeneye Goldfinch Great Black-backed Gull Great Crested Grebe Great Tit Great White Egret Great-spotted Woodpecker Greenshank Grey Heron Herring Gull   (40) House Sparrow Kestrel Kingfisher Lapwing Little Egret Long-tailed Tit Magpie Mallard Marsh Harrier Meadow Pipit   (50) Merlin Mistle Thrush Moorhen Mute Swan Peregrine Pied Wagtail Pintail Pochard Pomarine Skua Raven   (60) Red-breasted Merganser Redwing Reed Bunting Robin Rook Shoveler Slavonian Grebe Smew Song Thrush Spotted Redshank   (70) Starling Teal Tree Sparrow Tufted Duck Water Rail Wigeon Woodpigeon Wren

Paul can't be with us for Brian's final day tomorrow so what a send off he arranged with some stunning birds including no fewer than 4 "lifers" for Brian.

11/11/2014 Brian (cont) Rough-legged Buzzard

Tuesday 11th November 2014
Groombridge Lagoons, Jevington and Belle Tout
with Paul and Brian

Up at the crack of dawn to show Brian the Ringtail Hen Harrier.

Today was also my first chance to show Brian our little project at the Groombridge Lagoons for the Sussex Amphibian and Reptile Society.  I was also delighted to have Paul along to give us an experienced birder's survey of the site.  The highlights included our first Redwing sighting of the autumn and first ever sightings here of  Snipe, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Siskin and Collared Dove.  At the end of week 6 we have seen a remarkable 43 species on this tiny site.

After coffee Paul, Brian and I headed off to Jevington to see the Rough-legged Buzzard that was still showing well.  We spent a delightful hour watching this bird as it used the favourable winds to give us a  masterclass in hovering. 




Rough-legged Buzzard
Library picture



Rough-legged Buzzard
Library picture

Our next stop was Belle Tout Wood to look for the Yellow-browed Warbler and the Tawny Owls that had been seen there recently.  Unfortunately our efforts were in vain and we were unable to see either species. 

Our final stop was to see the Ringtail Hen Harrier return at the end of the day but, once again, we were unsuccessful.

Today's Species List:
Collared Dove
Chaffinch
Little Grebe
Magpie
Redwing
Stock Dove
Pied Wagtail
Jay
Woodpigeon
Blackbird    (10)
Siskin
Chiffchaff
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Moorhen
Coot
Robin
Goldfinch
Herring Gull
Song Thrush   (20)
Snipe
Grey Wagtail
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Dunnock
Reed Bunting
Fieldfare
Starling
Linnet
Meadow Pipit   (30)
Rough-legged Buzzard
Goldcrest




A much quieter day, by choice, but with a star species to make it a memorable one.

10/11/2014 Brian visits - Firecrests, Marsh Tit and Red Kites but no Hen Harrier or Mandarin

Monday 10th November 2014
Brian Day 1
Staying local a.m. and Arundel p.m.

Despite the awful rain, expectations were high as Brian and I took up our place in the Ashdown Forest just after dawn to look for the Ring-tailed Hen Harrier.  Reports from the previous evening confirmed that it had gone to roost as normal.  Unfortunately we were unsuccessful and we missed the bird, the obvious reason being that it had left before we arrived.

Next stop was Weirwood Reservoir where I was sure we would see the resident  Marsh Tit and the reliable Mandarins.



Marsh Tit
Library picture

While we appreciated repeated views of the former the latter did not show in the time we were on site.  The Nuthatch was the pick of the other birds seen. 




Nuthatch
Library picture

After a refreshing breakfast at home we headed west to Arundel, picking up Paul on the way, hoping for better luck.  At the Watercress Beds we had no luck with the Mandarins but at the Waterwoods we saw a pair of Firecrests,  




Firecrest
Library picture

our pick of the day and the target species. Suddenly the whole day seemed better.   The couple of Goldcrests somehow seemed to be a sideshow. 

Goldcrest
Library picture

Last stop was The Burgh, on the outskirts of Arundel, where we had magnificent views, all afternoon, of Red Kites  with a conservative estimate of 15 seen. 

Red Kite
 Library picture

Also seen were numerous Buzzards and Kestrels.  A single Corn Bunting flew by and landed on a nearby bush, enabling us to get great views. 




Corn Bunting
Library picture

 
No visit to the Burgh is complete without good views of the Grey Partridge and ours was no exception. 

Grey Partridge
Library picture

Several Ravens flew over to add to the occasion. 

Raven
Library picture

Remarkably, throughout the day, there were no other birders or dog walkers around - very welcome and perhaps to be expected with the uncertain weather conditions. 


Today's species list:
Goldcrest
Firecrest
Wren
Marsh Tit
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Treecreeper
Nuthatch
Robin
Dunnock   (10)
Greenfinch
Goldfinch
Linnet
Chaffinch
Reed Bunting
Corn Bunting
Meadow Pipit
Grey Wagtail
Pied Wagtail
Skylark   (20)
Blackbird
Jay
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Raven
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Collared Dove
Stock Dove
Woodpigeon
Grey Partridge   (30)
Pheasant
Lapwing
Moorhen
Coot
Little Grebe
Gadwall
Mallard
Tufted Duck
Pochard
Greylag Goose   (40)
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Black-headed Gull
Common Gull
Herring Gull
Cormorant
Kestrel
Sparrowhawk
Buzzard
Red Kite   (50)
House Sparrow
Starling

Not bad for our first day!