The Quiet Period

I 've not been out too much over the last few weeks, its either to windy, raining, too busy or got out of the habit!  However, a few notes on the days I have been out.

21st. Jan.   A trip to Ramsgate to see the great northern diver then a rainy trip to Dungeness on the 22nd, too wet to get out of the car - waste of time that was!

Rock Pipit and G.N. Diver at Ramsgate Harbour

23rd.  Another trip to Ramsgate harbour, the diver performing well in the sunlight and on the way back home I stopped at Hampton clocking the two purple sandpipers.

Great Northern Diver at Ramsgate 

Purple Sandpiper at Hampton

24th.  A dull quiet morning at SS the only excitement being another great northern diver swimming just off the Ski Club.

25th. A walk up to C.Coote  the only thing of note being a red admiral basking in the sun.

3rd Feb.  A bit of a break from going out due to the weather etc. but I ventured out to SS but to didn't find much, just coming back with a head cold (still with me today 13th).

6th.  A short walk over the plots revealed a dozen snipe, the most I have seen this winter. Also similar numbers of mipits plus a marsh harrier. Later I went to Hampton finding the two purple sandpipers plus a Med. gull.

7th.  A bright morning but still windy so I went over to Bossenden Wood finding the usual selection of tits, treecreepers and nuthatches.

10th.  A drive out with the other half pausing to see the Med. gull at Hampton and late pm I saw a shag just off the harbour arm at Herne Bay. Only had the point and shoot with me which only went 50mm or 1x, so a heavy crop to get some sort of record shot.

Shag. A massive crop as taken with a 50mm lens on my Sony

11th.  A visit to SS on a beautiful frosty morning, sun and no wind, how strange. I didn't see anything unusual but 6 red-breasted mergansers were nice to find.  Out on the plots a dozen reed buntings, 6 long tailed tits, 2 stonechats, 1 snipe, 2 cetti's etc..  On the mudflats, c.150 knot, 60 brents plus representatives of the other wader species but no godwits for me. A decent morning finishing up with 48 species.

12th. Looked after the twins this morning but went to Grove pm finding a SEO and a barn owl around the paddock. 

Close to home the past few days

13th January

A trip to the patch revealed a big wader influx, no doubt due to the cold weather as it was only 3 degrees C. The tide was out but the good seeing conditions produced  large bar-tailed godwit numbers, c.700 plus c.4000 knot and more dunlin, maybe 5-6000.  On the plots the SEO was cruising about but it seemed quiet there except for the odd reed bunting and chaffinch etc. Opposite the Sportsman about 900 golden plovers were resting.

14th

Another visit to SS and birds were of similar numbers, c.1000 barwits, and c.5000 each of knot and dunlin.  I then headed up to Bossenden finding the usual tits, treecreepers, goldcrest and a fine male lesser spotted woodpecker.

16th

Down on the plots birding was quiet, cold, ice on all the puddles but the dykes were ice free where 30 teal were settled. On the football field there were a couple of skylarks plus lots of lapwings.

17th

A sunny and cold morning, only 1 deg and an intensive walk around the plots with my lucky mascot produced 5 new month ticks inc., blackcap, water rail, snipe, shoveler and lesser black-backed gull also 2 SEOs were flying around along with stonechats and goldfinches.  I scoped 74 seals on Horse Sands and on the sea a dozen gadwall plus lots of barwits closer in on the mud.

19th

PM. I went to Kemsley to see the c.30000 starling spectacular. When I got home took a photo of the moon.

20th

Down to SS again, this time the dykes were frozen over, the poor kingfisher diving in at the end of the outfall to find food. C.1000 dunlin were up and down the shore plus three or four sanderling and out on the sea 2 red-throated divers. I then went up to the woods again hoping for firecrest which I hadn't seen yet.  Luck was with me and I saw 1-2 birds plus goldcrests, treecreepers, coal, marsh, grt. blue and long-tailed tits plus nuthatches, however, no decent photos except for one poor coal tit that may have contracted avian pox?

I saw this coal tit on the other side of the wood, appears to might have 'avian pox' maybe?

pm. Another short trip to SS for some photos, more of a scenic type though but I did see a group of 5 little grebes at Graveney.

Rain Stopped Play

With the onset of the awful wet weather it was a good time to earn some brownie points and give the lounge a once over.  However, after getting most done I couldn't miss the lovely morning on the 6th and got out for a couple of hours.  The flat calm and sunny conditions enabled me to give the Seasalter bay a good scan, finding 2 red-throated divers, 78 g.c.grebes, 5 mergansers, 83 ringed plovers, 9 sanderling plus plenty of dunlin and few turnstones on the high tide roost.

Out again on the 8th and down to SS finding 4 mergansers this time plus the grebes and on the plots 1 SEO. and  1 stonechat. I didn't stay long as it looked quiet and went see the birds at Bossenden.

Later in the afternoon I went back to SS finding 3 SEOs, 2-3 marsh harriers and 5 red-legged partridges (which over the last few years have been extremely rare). 

9th. Today, seemed fairly quiet at SS, I had a walk around the plots seeing 2 SEOs and discovered a sheep in the 'river' and pretty exhausted, unfortunately on the other side. I had the shepherds number and called him to which he responded after about 20 minutes, hopefully he managed to save it.

After that I made a social visit to the 'Swalecliffe posse' picking up gannet and eider ticks for the year.

The End of 2015 And Start Of 2016

December 31st

A morning out with the camera  to  Bossenden Woods where the marsh tits have been on show along with the nuthatches and coal tits.

January 1st

A late start (as usual), I didn't get in until 1.00 am after 'the celebrations' but I was on the patch at 8.45 am hoping for a good start to the year. I headed for The Sportsman 'rise' as yesterday pm Mark Chidwick had seen 2 Canada geese, now a rare sighting but alas they were nowhere to be seen plus I learnt, 2 ravens and a green sandpiper were seen early earlier, so not a good start. However, I picked a lot of the commoner stuff including 3 marsh harriers, kestrel, c.600 lapwings then over to the seafront to tick off all the waders inc. bar-tailed and black-tailed godwits, knot, dunlin and grey plover etc. plus a big count of 141 seals on the Horse Sands.

Back to SS Lane finding gadwall, teal and 2 little grebes plus a sparrowhawk fly pass as I was having coffee.

Returning to the seafront and pumping station revealed kingfisher, SEO, goldcrest, a handsome male greenfinch (I don't see many on the plots), a couple of wrens, cetti's, robin, stonechat, grn wpker., and reed buntings and I noted blackbirds everywhere. 

Several teal and gadwall were in the 'river' along with several coots and moorhens. Just off the outfall a red-throated diver was close inshore plus a couple of g.c.grebes and the incoming tide revealed 3 sanderling, ringed plovers and turnstones. After a short break allowing the tide to come up further, 4 brents had appeared and opposite the Sportsman a large flock of golden plover had landed.

Moving west to the sub-station 'pull in' and meeting this morning's raven finder, Julian Russell I added another 2 SEOs, total of 3 for the day, 1 pheasant, some fieldfares and just as I was about to wrap it up a small flock of wigeon rose up from one of the dykes ...........but no ravens! However, not a bad haul for 5 hours in the field, a total of 64 species including feral pigeon. No sign of linnets, jackdaw or rook, the tide was out all am. so virtually no sea-watching, might have got shoveler in the dykes, and merlin and peregrine were possible as was snipe. 

Now, a few days decorating the lounge!!!!!!

Hen Harrier Xmas Present

Its been fairly quiet again over the last couple of weeks but with a few tasty moments plus a few days off giving the garage a re-hash and de-clutter. 

9th

I spent an hour or so at Seasalter photographing the dunlin etc..

Then over to Swalecliffe hoping to photograph the two yellow-legged gulls but they had flown before I got there. However, two herring gulls, the argentatus  race from Scandinavia were fairly close where their larger size, darker mantle and paler yellow bill with an orange spot rather than a red spot could be seen.

I then went over to Hampton where I found just one purple sandpiper on the beach.

12th Dec.

A walk around the plots produced the SEO, song thrush and 8-9 long-tailed tits (month tick), c.40 goldfinches, 2 stonechats, 6 reed buntings and a great tit (another month tick).  From the Sportsman, 5 golden plovers with the curlew and c.40 lapwings. Just on the LNR, the little grebe posed briefly for a nano second in the ditch next to the large reedbed.

13th

A very late start, didn't wake until 8.52 (Xmas party at the Marine hotel) but down to Seasalter as Geoff had seen 3 snow buntings whilst I was asleep! A long walk to nearly  C.Coote did not produce the needed tick, however, I did see plenty of dogs along the beach!  I also noticed the EA had been along the seawall and had cut down the three large willows again that grow on the apron and attract reed buntings and goldcrests to name a few.  Behind the YC., c.300 lapwings dropped into the field, one of the largest gatherings this winter here.  

Meeting Geoff back at the pumping station 'beach bench' for coffee, we saw 3 little gulls, 3 red throats, 1 linnet, 2 mergansers and 3 gannets plus the c.600 dunlin that have adopted Seasalter for their winter roosting quarters.

14th

Went to Swalecliffe for a very short visit seeing a distant red-necked grebe before quickly responding to the washing machine repair man who was only ten minutes away. An hour later I was back, seeing the great northern diver and good views of a short-eared owl.

 Quite fond of crabs

The SEO seemed un-phased by all the humans and dogs in the area and gave some easy photo opportunites. 

15th

At Seasalter I had an unproductive visit but managed to tick off black-tailed godwit, grey heron and another sighting of kingfisher and marsh harrier. Finished early due to the rain.

16th

A visit to the Stodmarsh Reedbed hide produced little except the usual marsh harriers, no hen's or bitterns.

17th

Today, a visit to Grove and the Feast hide but only found gadwall and mallard etc..

 23rd

After a few domestic duties and awful weather I ventured out to SS again, oddly in the sun and blue sky, what a strange experience. The tide was in and the waders were desperate for their photos to be taken on this lovely morning and this I did all morning, somehow missing Steve Ray who was doing the same further along the beach.

It you stand still, with very slow movements, birds will often approach quite close, doesn't easily mix with a general bird-watching session. However, spending all this time with them interesting behaviour can be observed, it was interesting to see how a turnstone dealt with a cockle.

Yummy

It was such a lovely day and I had brownie points that enabled me to go over to Grove again this time hoping a glimpse of a hen harrier. Apart from a young couple I was the only person there but I had fine views of SEO, 2 barn owls and.......success, a female hen harrier plus a peregrine on the walk back.

24th

The morning didn't work out well, a late start as a request, or more of an order 'peel all the potatoes for the family tomorrow'. This done, a quick check around Whitstable Castle for the hoopoe reported two days ago then over the Swalecliffe, not much here, but then lost interest and joined the family down the town.

However, after a quick trip to Tesco in the afternoon I nipped down to SS, just taking the bins and met Dave Brown who told me he had just seen a male hen harrier, raven and shortie. A couple of minutes later the harrier re-appeared and gave excellent views, I've not seen one for years at SS. What lessons have I learnt before.....'never go out without the camera' ........but it probably wouldn't be there if I had the camera!

HAPPY XMAS AND NEW YEAR.

The First few Days of December

1st December

A very mild day again, the car registering 13degs, the tide was out and a light wind from the SW. and another visit to the patch.  Nothing much to report, on the plots 15 gadwall, 13 teal plus stonechat, chaffinch cetti's etc.. Out over the mudflats, the usual dunlin, ringed plover, 2 egrets and a large flock of knot numbering c.2000.

The next few days I thought it was time to look around the county starting with an uneventful trip on the 2nd to the Reedbed hide, Stodmarsh, just distant harriers.  

The next day I went to Dungeness seeing the long-eared owl tucked away in the bushes, no point in trying to photograph that one.  Further on, the Scott hide was empty, lovely, nice views of kingfisher which landed on posts in front of the hide and further out large numbers of assorted duck including a pair of goosander. Best of all was a water rail walking down below past the hide giving a chance of a few close shots.

 Later I was joined by a chap with a small bridge camera that sounded like a phone going off when he kept switching it on plus the beep, beep of the focus confirmation kept sounding off all the time as he seemed to be taking photos all the time of very distant duck! I suppose you have to start somewhere, should I have said something?

The next few days I didn't do much birding although on Sunday 6th after a lunch out with friends we took a quick look over Seasalter marshes finding a SE Owl and later a barn owl.

Mon. 7th

I made another visit to SS mopping up a few more species for the month. It was nice to see sanderling numbers are increasing with 14 feeding with the c.500 flock of dunlin one of which was still in breeding plumage. Also a big count of 26 great black-backed gulls.

Dunlin, still in breeding plumage!

A call from the Swalecliffe HQ announced their yellow-legged gull was on show again plus a friend. I nipped along  there as Yellow legged would be new for my Whitstable WUDCA list. Sure enough, they were still on show along with 132 G.B.B gulls that Geoff had counted earlier. 

8th 

Today, the late start after the rain was much the same as all week, plenty of dunlin and the sanderling numbers must be c.15-18 and G.B.B.Gulls numbered 38.

The c.2000 knot flock was still present but other waders were thinly spread. On the plots a SEO was flushed and a couple of duck shoveler were in the dyke although I think I should call it the 'river' as its bigger than the Stour in places.

PM. I went to Grove finding a couple of barn owls and harriers plus lots of fieldfares coming into roost.