Isle of Sheppey
with Alastair
I planned this trip to Sheppey some time ago and when I met Alastair in the Ashdown Forest last week I invited him along. This called for another early start (7am) on a bright, clear winter's day.
- It was not long before we saw the Richard's Pipit, one of our target birds, on the sea wall, not far from the car park. We enjoyed excellent views for the next 20 minutes or so as we moved towards the bird hide.
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| Richard's Pipit Courtesy of Alastair Gray |
- On the return leg we had a repeat performance. What a contrast to a week ago when I missed it due to the large number of people around. The other major sighting was the 60+ White-fronted Geese seen from the hide. Surprisingly we did not see the Hooded Crow.
- At lunchtime we transferred to Minster where we soon found the lovely Shorelark in the shingle opposite Barton's Point (TQ 940749). The bird was so close - less than 10 metres - and was totally unfazed by our presence. Again we managed 20 to 30 minutes of pure bliss.
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| Shorelark Courtesy of Alastair Gray |
- At Capel Fleet for the afternoon session, we missed out on Short-eared Owls but we were more than compensated by excellent views of a pair of Merlins throughout our stay as well as a couple of excellent views of the Ring-tailed Hen Harrier. Other species seen included a Peregrine and several Buzzards.
A great day out and 9 year ticks to show for our efforts.
Additions to BUBO 2016 UK Bird List:
115 Richard's Pipit
116 Stonechat
117 Skylark
118 Shore lark
119 Hen Harrier
120 Merlin
121 Red-legged Partridge
122 Stock Dove
123 Snipe
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