Spring Update - 30th April 2013

I've managed to catch up with a good number of spring migrants now and even a good Kent rarirty.

I started to pop down to Riverside CP in Gillingham in the evenings hoping to catch up with owls or even hear a crake.  I have really targetted around Rainham Dock East and the Motney Reedbeds.  In the last few weeks I've seen a good fall of Chiffs on 15th April when I picked up my first singing Nightingale as well.  I am pretty sure there were two singing a couple of nights later, but have only had one since.  Also in the second half of April at Riverside I've seen Common Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Blackcap and Sedge Warbler, with the reisdent Cetti's singing throughout.

I took a walk from Broadstairs round the coast to Margate on Sat 27th April and whilst it seemed fairly quiete, I did pick up my first Wheatear of the spring and a really unusual Lark which I flushed from Foreness.

Then on Sunday 28th I got news of a Bonaparte's Gull at RSPB Elmley.  I jumped in the car with a bike in the boot and cycled furiously down to Wellmarsh Hide where the 1st winter bird showed brilliantly.  I managed a few photos:

This one seems to show the features pretty well.  You can even see the bubblegum pink legs...

Also one one of my evening visits to Rainham Dock East, I was looking through the viewing screen when a Long-eared Owl swept into the trees, perching on a fallen log for a while before flying off.  Fantastic!

Most recently, I was sitting in the garden on 30th April when a Med Gull flew over calling.  Not long after this, I heard a Herring Gull and casually looked up.  I was kind of surprised to see it mobbing a Hobby.

Still a bit quiet.

I still haven't seen much evidence of migration around Medway. I had three Swallows over Riverside CP from the seawall towards Motney last week and a quick walk around Berengrave today (13th)only gave up a few Chiffs and Blackcaps as well as a flyover Med Gull.

I was ringing at Sandwich on Wed (11th) and even there the migration wasn't really flowing. I processed a re-trap Tree Sparrow which was a lovely little bird and ringed a male Blackap. We flushed a couple of Grey Partridge from the Whitehouse and a Cuckoo was reported nearby.

Berengrave and Rainham Dock East

As part of my recce for the upcoming Nightingale survey, I had a brief walk around Berengrave NR and into Rainham Dock East. Walking the loop around the disused quarry/pit was enjoyable in the sunshine and accompanied by at least four singing Chiffchaff. Also about; Green Woodpecker, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Blackbird, Jay, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Wren, Dunnock and down by the small pond a Coot. Moving into Rainham Dock East I picked out a Med Gull circling amongst a few Black-headed Gulls (it tends to give itself away with its call). More singing Chiffs and from the viewing screen a single Cetti's could be heard.

Hopefully at the end of April and into May, these areas will be dripping with Nightingales.

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

Riverside CP - 16th November 2011

I spent just over an hour walking around Motney Hill this afternoon. The best of the bunch was an Adult (Winter) Med Gull on the east side of Rainham Dock on the high tide and on the bank to the east there were a few Red-legged Partridge running about. Whilst out at the RSPB bit of Motney Hill, three Red-breasted Merganser flew upriver.

Not much else of note.

Cliffe Pools - 26/05/11

A quick visit to Cliffe this morning whilst my wife went to Bluewater! Only really time to sit about by the 1st and 2nd viewing mounds which was very blustery.



View from the 2nd viewing mound. Although not as attractive to the scarcer birds which have visited the site, in years gone by it has held Broad-billed Sandpiper, Woodchat and Red-backed Shrike as well as annual Garganey.

From the 1st viewing mound there were more than 60 Avocets feeding across the black barn pools with 12 Dunlin, one Greenshank, lots of Redshank, 4 Ringed Plover, Lapwing and 100's of Shelduck. Also large numbers of Swifts moving around/through. I then took a break out the wind at the bottom of the viewing mound to look across the fields out eastwards. Not much moving about but 2 Adult summer Med Gulls flew over calling. A few Little Egrets and a Kestrel. A few Lesser Black-backed Gulls moving over and a Cettis calling from the reedbed. The only other warblers were Reed, Whitethroat and a few Blackcaps.

As I left I noted a Great-crested Grebe on the main pool and a Green woodpecker flew from one of the pilons.