Cliffe, Shuart and Grove Ferry

Cliffe Pools - 22/05/2012:
I drove to the BB pools and then up to the sea wall.  Not a huge amount around and the water levels are still quite high.  A single Hobby zipped through and a Cuckoo was calling from between the mounds again.  A young Stonechat was up near the sea wall.  Not much else to report.  Some of the Avocets were with chicks though.

M2 J5-6:
A Red Kite over the motorway was nice to see, albeit being unable to stop and have a good look!

Shuart - 23/05/2012:
I walked from the end of the lane along the track to the railway line and back.  A single Turtle Dove calling from along the track and a very persistent Cuckoo moving around the area.  Two Yellow Wags over the fields and plenty of Swifts.  Singing Cettis, Lesser Whitethroat, Whitethroat, Chiff, Blackcap, Sedge and Reed Warblers.

Grove Ferry - 23/05/2012:
A few Buzzards up along the ridge, the usual Marsh Harriers and at least 5 Hobby .  Plenty of singing warblers and two drake Garganey on the pool from the viewing mound.  Also amongst the many Gadwall was a single drake Wigeon.

My camera is broken at the moment, so no pics for a while...

Some updates.

I've not birded that much in Medway this year, but did see the Long-tailed Duck again in January at Chatham Maritime and went out for the Red-necked Grebe at Cliffe:


Red-necked Grebe - Timber Lake, Cliffe Pools, Kent on 16th Feb.

I went across to see the Hooded Merganser at Whetsted GP's on 29th Feb:


Hooded Merganser - Whetsted Gravel Pits on 29th Feb.

On Thursday 15th March I went across to Sheppey and spent a few hours around Elmley RSPB. Good for raptors, but not much else other than two Med Gulls flying over. I found a couple of Marsh Harriers, a single ringtail Hen Harrier, a Peregrine, a Merlin and this Short-eared Owl:


Short-eared Owl, Elmley RSPB on 15th March.

I heard my first singing Chiffchaff this morning in the garden and have just got the moth trap running again. So far I've only had a few species:
Hebrew Character
Common Quaker
Early Grey
CLouded Drab
Small Quaker

Shellness and Raptor Watch point - 28/11/2011

A quick trip round Shellness didn't reveal anything spectaculae on the rarity front, but was made up for in numbers. Loads and loads of Mallard on the sea which seemed a little unusal and mixed in with them some Common Scoter. On the beaches were plenty of Sanderling and Turnstone whilst round at the wader roost it was choc-a-block with Oystercatcher, Grey Plover, Knot, Dunlin and Barwits. Walking back to the car park, a Short-eared Owl flew over. The only other BoPs were a pair of hunting Marsh Harrier and a Kestrel.

Fromt the Raptor Watchpoint, I only picked up a couple of Marsh Harriers, a Kestrel, the usual Corn Bunts on the wires and a drop-in Green Sandpiper.

Shellness and Swale NNR then on to the Raptor Watch Point 08/11/2011

I went for an afternoon out at Shellness hoping to do a bit of seawatching, but visibility wasn't good and other than 16 Common Scoter, there wasn't anything passing the point. So I walked out to the wader roost at Shellness. A good selection of waders including Knot, Barwit, Dunlin, Turnstone, Redshank, Oystercatcher, Curlew and Sanderling. I did find what seems to be a leucistic Dunlin as well (see pic). Out at the point a flock of 13 Snow Buntings were rising from the roped off wader roost, circling about then landing again out of sight. Then back to the car and a quick look in the bushes around the car park revealed just a single Goldcrest. Although there was also a colour-ringed Mipit (yellow ring on right leg, but couldn't make out the lettering.

I then started to head back and stopped at the little ramp by the boats. Whilst looking at some Sanderling, I saw a bird flicker up onto one of the telegraph poles - a quick check in the bins and it was a Great Grey Shrike. My first in Kent and a self-found one! It went out of sight, but I track it down behind the mound on a fence post and managed a few pics.

Then, still buzzing, I went round to the Raptor Watchpoint at Capel Fleet and was immediately greeted with superb views of three Short-eared Owls(more pics). Just as I was leaving, I saw a very tall white Egret in the ditch behind the watchpoint and as it took off, I clamped the bins on it and confirmed my suspicion that it was in fact a Great White Egret. One of two in the area at the moment.

Along with a few Marsh Harrier, this didn't make a bad afternoon birding on Sheppy!



Dunlin



Great Grey Shrike



Short-eared Owl

Riverside CP - 19th October 2011

I walked from the main car park around Eastcourt Meadows then out to Horrid Hill and back in to the visitor centre before heading off out to Motney Hill and back. The most interesting bird was a Peregrine which powered in towards a group of waders, which it completely missed before alighting on the old causeway some distance out (record shot attached). Also, good numbers of Avocet (c450), Brent Goose (170) and Great-crested Grebe (20). I also saw two Greenshank, one Marsh Harrier, one Sparrowhawk and one Kestrel. A bit of movement with 20 Chaffinch passing over and four Skylark as well as a few Reed Bunting.


Peregrine Falcon.

I really need to get a digiscoping kit as holding my digital camera to the telescope lens just results in too much shake for any decent shots. I've tried a couple below:


Curlew.


LBBG.


Greenshank.

Riverside CP - 9th and 10th October 2011

Just a quick update from two very brief visits to Riverside CP over the last couple of days as I have now moved house to Rainham.

On Sunday, I walked out and round Horrid Hill, but the tide was way out. A few Curlew, Grey Plover, Oystercatcher, Redshank and Lapwing about on the mud. I did manage to pick up a male Marsh Harrier hunting over Nor Marsh.

Today, I parked nearer Motney Hill and walked along the sea wall for a bit. The tide was out again and much the same birds were on the mud. There was a strange LBB Gull on the mud with a charcoal grey mantle and wings but completely black wing tips with no visible mirrors. Then the male Marsh Harrier passed over the mud putting a few bits up into the air, including a Greenshank. I heard two Cetti's Warblers in the reedbeds opposite the sea wall.

Cliffe Pools - 27/09/2011 PALLID HARRIER

I arrived on site early this morning, just after the sunrise. My aim - the Pallid Harrier which roosted there on the 26th for the second time. I walked up to the 1st Viewing Mound over the Black Barn pools and there were only two other birders there! Anyway, one of the RSPB guys, Rolf spotted a Harrier on the other side of the track as it headed down towards the Black Barn. A quick check before it landed confirmed it was the illusive Pallid! The bird landed on a small grassy mound and sat preening itself for 20 minutes or so before taking off again, seemingly hunting. It then landed again but now out of sight. However, it went up again when the sheep came trotting into the field. This time is headed back towards the Thames then across East out across the Isle of Grain. A really stunning bird and all the features were easy enough to pick up. The really obvious pale collar which extended onto the nape, the pale trailing edge or hand of the wing, the rufous, unstreaked belly and breast. However, looking at some photos of the bird, the wing tip is not pale, but appears dark. This doesn't question the Id, but is an interesting feature nonetheless. The other thing I learnt about Pallid Harriers is that the iris is pale in Juv males but not Juv females, making this bird a male. Cool bird and only the third Kent record and the first since 2002.

Also on the reserve were 3 Curlew Sands, 13 Dunlin, 5 Ruff, 6 Blackwits, 2 Barwits (circled over 1st Black Barn pool but didn't land), Lapwing, Avocet and Green Sanpiper. Just before I left, a Marsh Harrier passed through. Again, there was a Black-necked Grebe on Flamingo.