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...

Nightingales and Stilts - 6th May 2012

0530 - Nightingale survey at Riverside CP.  Only one singing, but a Turtle Dove purring in the background made for a pleasing sound to show the Maltese shooters that the birds will somehow get through.  Also about were a few Reed Warblers, one Lesser Whitethroat, lots of Whitethroat, a couple of Willow Warblers and a few Chiffs.

1615 - A quick trip over to Elmley for the Black-winged Stilts; 4 of them!  Loads about on Elmley as well. Up to 4 SEO's, 2 or 3 Marsh Harriers, 3 Spotted Redshanks, 4 Greenshanks, 5 Whimbrel, 3 Barwits and a few Yellow Wags about.

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.