Waiting For Migrants

 21st

A cold easterly wind still blowing, as all month so not much hope for migrants. The only birds of note were 2 Canadas on the marsh opposite the LA and a distant peregrine. Late pm 2 ravens put in an appearance followed by buzzard and the best, a ringtail flying across the road where I managed to get a few shots.

22nd

Strangely I got up early and was out just before seven, a lovely still day, the sea like a piece of glass and hardly anyone about.  I stopped at the NRA to look over the sea and found 51 red-throated divers resting on the water a fair way out plus 22 grebes. As the tide left the beach there were still good numbers of waders coming in to feed, c.1000 knot, c.1500 dunlin and I stopped counting grey plovers at 150, could have been three times that number.

On the fields there were 71 curlews, and 38 crows and from the LA 2 buzzards and whilst having coffee there I saw a CRANE fly over towards Faversham. I managed a record shot but it was a long way off, the photo is only 600 pix across. Also a group of 4 ravens. A big flock of c.2000 starlings were flying about all day plus saw 2 greylags late afternoon.

Still on The Local Patch - egrets and harrier

 8th Mar

Still plenty of waders about on the flats......took a walk along the path to L.Array flushing two grey partridges but nothing more except a buzzard........returned late pm to see the great white egret.

9th Mar

Returned seeing a distant raven perched on a drinking trough....took a few photos....late pm I saw the GWE again.

I took a distant speck shot of a peregrine, just to see how the camera performed, its only 410 pix wide.

12th Mar.

I saw a Med gull and some lesser black backed gulls from the beach and then at LA a merlin.

14th

Another unpleasant day with cold winds but I had a good bit of luck with a shot of the ringtail harrier that came closer than they normally do. Also a chiffchaff by the NRA.

Harriers, Great White Egret at Seasalter

 6th March

6th March

Not been out for four days after a skin cancer on my forehead was removed at Canterbury, bit of a headache.  So first day out took a short visit to the London Array watch point as crowds of people were along the seafront. 

An hour at LA produced 2 peregrines, 1 Great white egret, 4 ravens, marsh harrier and ringtail harrier, 3 buzzards.

7th March

The tide was just leaving the beach which attracted c2000 knot and similar numbers of knot and a big number of brents in the distance. At the pumping station 2 Canada geese flew over the railway line towards Sheppey. By the pub field 15 golden plovers, 2 lapwings and walking towards C.Coote 9 shelduck and a little egret.

Late afternoon another dusk watch seeing the great white still present plus the male hen harrier again also one barn owl out and a sparrowhawk and 2 kestrels.

As the sun went down it was quite a sight as it sunk down over Cleve Hill.

Hen Harrier and White- Fronted Geese at Seasalter

 27th Feb

Seasalter; PM visit, I saw barn owl, 2 peregrines, buzzards, a male hen harrier, 2 egrets,  raven and 9 wigeon on the marsh.

1st March

A walk along the seafront at SS ticking off the waders for the month list and on the way home saw 65 whitefronts about to land on the 'Alberta Field', the first time I have ever seen geese there.