Northward Hill, Cliffe Pools 21-8-2012

To avoid boredom I have put the reason for recent lack of posts at end of this report.

A Bit of a double report here, despite my break from Blogging the bird spotting continued. Whenever I travel up North I always go via the M40 to see the Red Kites near junction 5. Here are a few photos I took on 3^rd August of these lovely majestic birds.

Red Kites 3-8-2012 - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

This brings me to yesterday when Wendy and I went to Northward Hill RSPB reserve, the bird sightings were poor, even the bird feeders despite being full of nuts were devoid of any activity. Wandering around the reserve sightings included Rook, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Goldfinch, Whitethroat, Wood Pigeon, Linnet, Magpie, Swallow, Starling and Heron.

Female Linnet with "grub" - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

Wood Pigeon - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

Looking out from the main viewpoint, the reservoir and mainly dried up lake contained a Little Egret, some Lapwings, Mallards, Dabchicks, Black Tailed Godwits, Moorhens, Coots,  a Redshank and 3 Teal. 22 species in all, a poor count, however the butterflies on the walk more than made up for this with a Small Tortoiseshell, a Red Admiral, several Small Coppers, Common Blues, Meadow Browns, Gatekeepers and Speckled Woods.

Common Blue - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

Small Copper - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

There was also an awful lot of Dragonflies about as well (my identifications may be a bit awry here so please correct me if I am wrong), mainly Common Darters, a few Yellow Winged Darters and a couple of what I believe were Brown Hawkers, sadly no photos of these larger Dragonflies which were constantly on the move.

Common Darter - Canon 400D + 100-400mm



Mating Common Darters - Canon 400D + 100-400mm



Yellow Winged Darter - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

Common Darter - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

Nature sometimes comes up with something new and interesting and for me it was the clouds of seeds which were being wafted around the reserve some of which caught in spiders webs leaving some interesting shapes - here is one of the hundreds of webs we saw covered in seeds.

We then moved on to Cliffe Pools but due to limited time only got as far as the viewpoint at Radar Pool. However we did get to see a huge flock of Avocets, intermixed with them on the shoreline were Grey Plovers, Ringed Plovers, Turnstones, Common Gulls, Black Headed Gulls, and Black Tailed Godwits a single Dunlin and a few Redshank. Around the edges of the pool were Little Egrets, an Oystercatcher and some Common Terns. On the pool itself were Little Grebes, Coots and Great Crested Grebes.

Meadow Brown - Canon 400D + 100-400mm (Northard Hill)

En Route back to the carpark we saw a Goldfinch, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a large mixed flock of Long Tailed Tits and Blue Tits, in the car park pool (I think it is called Flamingo) were some Pochard. Nearby some Collared Doves sat on some telephone wires whilst a few Cormorants flew overhead. This gave me an additional 15 species for the day – not great, but not bad for what ended up as a hot muggy day.

Small Tortoiseshell - Canon 400D + 100-400mm (Northard Hill)

Gatekeeper - Canon 400D + 100-400mm (Northard Hill)



Speckled Wood - Canon 400D + 100-400mm (Northard Hill)



It has been a while since my last post, apologies for that but RSI meant that anything beyond 10 minutes sat at a keyboard and mouse left me in agony for hours and sometimes days. Several months rest from a desktop now means I can do about an hour at a time without pain, so it is time for me to try and put a few posts together. Hopefully I will be back with a bit more regularity but it is dependent on me remaining pain free. If the pain comes back I will be left with just posting  a few photos and a day list, let’s hope it does not come to that.

Sevenoaks Wildfowl reserve 15-3-2012

Yesterday I went off to Sevenoaks Wildfowl Reserve, it was a nice day and I got there about 10.30. I started off at Grebe Hide overlooking West Lake, but other than a few Tufted Ducks, a Coot and a fast disappearing Cormorant, all was quiet. The bird feeders which are next to the hide were of equal low activity, only attracting one each of Great and Blue Tit so it was time to move on.

Coot - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

 I walked half way to Tyler hide where I could see out over East Lake and the islands, most of which were covered with Gulls; Black Headed, Common and Herring. On the non-Gull islands were a few Teal, Coots, Lapwings and Moorhens, I also managed to find a Snipe and a Pied Wagtail.

Long Tailed Tit - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

Long Tailed Tit with a bug in its beak which it had just dug out of the bark of the branch its perched on. Taken at Carter Hide later in the day - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

I wandered up towards Willow Hide and was pleasantly surprised at the activity from a variety of Passerines. Long Tailed Tits, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Dunnocks, Wrens, Blackbirds and Robins were all fairly vocal, I also saw a single female Blackcap. A bit further up the path I came across a Treecreeper which did its very best to avoid being photographed, and a Chiffchaff calling from the upper branches who was equally photophobic, these were the best I could get.

Treecreeper - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

Chiffchaff - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

Willow Hide gave views of Teals, Mallards, Greylag Geese, Canada Geese, Coots, a pair of Shovelers and a couple of Gadwall. A Kingfisher was heard but not seen, as was a Green Woodpecker. I left Willow Hide and made my way towards the end of the path where it looks out over fields to the North. These were being grazed upon by Greylag and Canada Geese, whilst further back Carrion Crows and Jackdaws were wandering about occasionally being joined by a Magpie or two. At the very back of the field were a couple of Fieldfares whilst a Pheasant was seen wandering about at the Eastern edge near some Rabbits. I was more than surprised to see sitting in a tree less than 50 yards away 5 Ring Necked Parakeets, they were unusually silent, not even calling when they later flew off.  

Ring Necked Parakeet - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

 Back to Willow Hide where there were no new additions but some spectacular displays of Goose bathing habits which included Canada Geese completely submerging themselves (head and everything) for up to 3 or 4 seconds and both Canada and Greylag rolling on to their backs with their legs in the air, I have never seen this behaviour before and found it fascinating.

Greylag Goose (back) and Canada Goose (fore) - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

On to Carter Hide where a pair of Gadwall kept me entertained for a while, a pair of Mute Swans, a Robin and a Long Tailed Tit paid a visit but nothing else.

Female Gadwall - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

Male Gadwall - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

 I walked back to the car park seeing a Great Crested Grebe in West Lake.

Great Crested Grebe - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

Although the majority of the birds seen yesterday were fairly common I am still amazed that for the whole walk there was a general background noise of birds, this was wonderful and contrasts heavily with most of my usual woodland walks where it can be ages between bird calls.   

Mute Swan - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

 Only 41 birds seen and another two heard, but still a very nice day at a nice venue. Those missed off the above account but seen (all from the main path around East Lake) were Chaffinch, Collared Dove, Jay, Little Grebe, Wood Pigeon, Starling, and Song Thrush.

New Hythe Lakes 11-3-2012

Wendy and I took a long walk round New Hythe Lakes on Sunday. Being a sunny day it was very busy and the amount of wildlife was down. Ocean Lake had the usual Coots, a few Mute Swans, Moorhens  and Mallards, also a pair of White Ducks (Aylesburys? White Mallards? Domestic? I know not which category they fit into). Greylag Geese were also around in increased numbers. The Dipping Pool had nothing other than Coots and Black Headed Gulls, the stroll round its north side provided sightings of Great Tits, Blue Tits, Long Tailed Tits and Chaffinches.

Mute Swan - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

The stroll between Streamside and Railway was peculiarly silent, a few Tufted Ducks and Great Crested Grebes joined the Coots on both lakes and other than the Blue, Great and Long Tailed Tits the only sightings on the path were a Wren and a Dunnock. The highlight of the day was a Kingfisher I saw briefly on the far side of Streamside. We went down to Brooklands Cafe where we ate our sandwiches watching 3 Pied Wagtails, a couple of Robins and several rabbits on the grass.

Pied Wagtail - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

After lunch we went round Brooklands Lake seeing Coots, Tufted Ducks, Black Headed Gulls and a couple of Great Crested Grebes. Walking through the Marsh we heard a couple of unsighted Ceti’s Warblers but not a lot else. This was probably due to several Motor Boats ploughing up and down the Medway, with the tide as high as it was their wash was coming over the footpath in places and one boat in particular wanted the world to know they were having fun!

Grey Herons - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

The Heron’s were nicely on display as can be seen by the photos, though the sound of someone with a chainsaw a couple of fields away caused them some alarm every time it started up again.  

Grey Heron - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

Abbey Mead had nothing different to the other lakes, just Tufties, Coots and BH Gulls. Whilst I was looking over the lake Wendy had the joy of a Long Tailed Tit nest building in front of her, apparently oblivious to her presence it flew in front of her to alight in the half built construction partially hidden in a bush, pecked around a bit then spun round in the nest to ensure all was comfy before flying off again for the next bit of material, we moved on quickly so as not to alarm it. Back over the Railway line we caught a distant Cormorant, a Green Woodpecker, and a pair of Collared Doves, the latter going through some courtship manouvres.

Great Crested Grebe - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

Our last look at Ocean lake revealed a dabchick bringing the number for the day to a sad 29 seen and 1 heard. Unlisted were the Carrion Crows, Magpies, Blackbirds, Wood Pigeons, Herring Gulls and Starlings. I am also counting a Kestrel we saw over the central reservation of the M2 on the way back home (on a low count day I need every single one I can get) Wendy would have us count the rabbits too, the list being that short I was tempted, but I have to draw the line somewhere.

Black Headed Gull - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

Northward Hill RSPB 10 - 3 - 2012

When Wendy heard about all the rabbits at Northward Hill it had to be our destination for the brief spell of sunshine on Saturday. I only took my Olympus as it was not to be a photographic trip so apologies for the sub-standard photography. We took the same route I did on Thursday and in short the sightings were quite similar. To save time (so I can get Sundays walk written as well) I will just list what was seen and expand on the differences.

Blue Tit and Great Tit - Olympus SP590UZ

The feeders were not quite as busy, probably as the seed feeder was empty, here were Goldfinches, Chaffinches, Greenfinches, Great tits, Blue Tits and Dunnocks. From the Marsh Viewpoint we saw Teal, Mallard, Lapwing, Little Grebe, Gadwall, Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Rook, Jackdaw, Heron, Wood Pigeon, Oystercatcher, Moorhen, Coot, Tufted Duck. Wigeon were still grazing though the flock looked slightly smaller.

Blue Tit and Great Tit - Olympus SP590UZ

The Shovelers and the Godwit were missing but were replaced by some Pochards and a solitary Shelduck. A pair of Mute swans were flying about not seeming to settle in any particular spot. The Sky Lark was again heard but not seen.

Blue Tit - Olympus SP590UZ

The Ernie Helmsey Viewpoint was quite quiet, but we waited patiently and were rewarded after about 15 minutes with a Marsh Harrier which was quartering the land to our west eventually landing on something in a field in the far distance. Whilst watching the Marsh Harrier a Peregrine Falcon flew over it, making its way North towards us then East. We heard a Red Legged Partridge from the orchard to our left along with a Pheasant and a Green Woodpecker alighted in a tree about 75 yards away.

Green Woodpecker - Olympus SP590UZ

Returning to the feeders I was telling Wendy about the Great Spotted Woodpecker when there it was again, on the nut feeder. House Sparrows were present instead of the Collared Doves. Also seen in the travels were Blackbird, Starling, Carrion Crow, Dunnock, Black Headed Gull, Herring Gull, Jay, Magpie, Robin and Long Tailed Tit. The homeward journey provided us with a Kestrel. Total for the day was 40 with 3 more heard.

Northward Hill RSPB 8-3-2012

Yesterday afternoon the sun shone briefly and I took the opportunity for a quick trip to Northward Hill RSPB especially as their bird feeders offer photo opportunities. All todays photos were taken at the feeders and this is where I started off my short walk. They were busy with Finches and Tits, Green, Gold and Chaff of the former and Great and Blue of the latter, a couple of Dunnocks were also nearby picking up fallen seeds from below.

Goldfinch and Greenfinch - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

Moving on to the Marsh Viewpoint a Jay took off from where it had been feeding among the bushes. At the viewpoint the left hand reservoir provided a pair of Tufted Ducks, some Mallards and a Dabchick. The right hand one was a lot busier with about 80 Wigeon, some Teal, Lapwings, Coots and Black headed Gulls, there were half a dozen Gadwall a couple of snoozing Shovelers and a solitary Black Tailed Godwit. The nearby grass held a couple of Oystercatchers probing the soft earth whilst behind the reservoirs was a pair of Canada Geese and further off a few Greylag Geese grazed.

Goldfinch - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

Greenfinch - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

The skies were surprisingly empty, a loan Heron flew past and there was a slow but steady stream of Rooks flying to and fro interspersed with a few Jackdaws, one of these passing Rooks took umbrage at a hunting Kestrel and harried it for about half a mile coming dangerously close to it on a couple of occasions. I had hoped to catch a few passerines from here, but other than a Blackbird and a distant Chaffinch the only activity around the bushes was from the numerous rabbits happily grazing.

Great Tit - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

I walked towards the Heronry as far as the Orchard, however a small logging encampment had appeared as RSPB workers were rapidly doing some repair work on the Orchard which involved a certain amount of tree felling – no passerines to be found here. I then took the scenic route back through the car park to the other viewpoint, en route I heard but could not find a Sky Lark, I also saw a Green Woodpecker that took off from the scrub about 6 feet to my left while I was watching a Robin to my right, it was about time I saw one as I had been hearing them all afternoon.

Blue Tit (facing into the afternoon sun) - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

The only new spot from the second viewpoint was of a pair of Moorhens in the field, a distant Pheasant called repeatedly but without coming into view. One last visit to the bird feeders before going home gave me a Long Tailed Tit, a Collared Dove, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and from the bushes behind me a small flock of 10 Redwings. During the 2 hour walk I had also come across Carrion Crows, Herring Gulls, Wood Pigeons, and some Starlings.

Greenfinch with afternoon sun to its right - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

The day was not quite finished, on the journey back to the M2 I caught a couple of Mistle Thrushes in a sports field and a Buzzard over the A228. Total for the trip was 40 with another couple heard but not seen.

Female Chaffinch - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

Oare Marshes 28-2-2012

Stephen and I made a visit to Oare Marshes on Tuesday. It was dull, grey and overcast all day, as this photo of a small skein of Greylags shows, it made photography difficult however it was pleasantly warm and at ground level almost windless.  

Greylag Geese - A very grey day - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

We started our day with a look over the Swale from the ramp, Redshanks, Grey Plovers and a couple of Bar Tailed Godwits were on the foreshore with a few Common and Black headed Gulls. A Pied Wagtail was also flitting around the ramp. On Sheppey there was a Marsh Harrier sat on a fence post near the church, sadly in the dull light little else was identifiable including another raptor which seemed to just disappear into the hillside.

We wandered up towards the East flood, passing a Heron looking particularly striking on our right.

Grey Heron - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

a number of Wigeon were grazing nearby and a pair of Mute Swans were partially hidden in the stream.

Wigeon - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

The East Flood was very busy with plenty of Tufted Ducks, Pintail Ducks, Shovelers, Coots, Mallards and a couple of Little Grebes occupying the water while large numbers of Lapwings, Starlings and Golden Plovers were on the islands. The islands were also home to five or six Snipe (hard to keep tabs on them as they kept moving about), four Ruff and a few Pochards.

Snipe nicely showing crown stripe - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

The West Flood is known for being very quiet but there is often something different there, no surprise then that whilst having our lunch in the hide the only activity was a couple of Mallards, three Teal and a trio of passing Greenfinches. The something different was a pair of Gadwall which flew past landing in the depths of the marsh not to be seen again, they were the only Gadwall we saw all day.

We headed back towards the East Flood, near the road was the usual chattering from the House Sparrows in the bushes, which is where we also saw a solitary Long Tailed Tit. From the hide we saw that the Golden Plover numbers had been augmented and were up to about 200, Shovelers were also present in large numbers, a Cormorant had arrived as had a Little Egret, an Oystercatcher and a Little Stint, whilst Greylag Geese could be seen grazing on the grass.

Male Shoveler - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

Female Shoveler - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

The walk up to the sluice was uneventful. Walking along the creekside we scanned the only mud flat which was yet to be covered by the incoming tide (yes I had mistimed it again, the tide was well in and only a short stretch remained above the waterline). On it were some Black Tailed Godwits, Redshanks, a large number of Dunlin and three Little Stints. A check of the length of the opposite bank gave a Curlew, some Oystercatchers and more Redshanks. Walking towards the Sea Wall hide we heard a pheasant, but it was nowhere to be seen. One of the highlights of the day was a large flock of about 2000 Brent Geese which had gathered on the Swale, their honking carrying for quite some distance to us over the dead calm water. They were quite restless, flying off in large groups, then returning about 15 minutes later – or perhaps this was just a staging post for a larger gathering elsewhere.

Brent Geese in the Swale (more arrived later) - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

From the Sea Wall Hide the Swale was flat without a ripple and the surface unbroken except for the odd nose of a Common Seal here and there. Searching Sheppey again I eventually found a Short Eared Owl towards the Shellness end, but it wasn’t around for long. The walk back to the Car Park gave us three Rock Pipits feeding among the rocks and disappearing in the holes in the revetment, they were in company of a solitary Turnstone. To our left a Cetti’s Warbler called out, however the birds we saw among the reeds were a pair of Reed Buntings whilst back at the Car Park a Wren sang briefly from a bush.

We had enough light left to wander to Dan’s Dock and back, the journey out gave us a pair of Sky Larks, for once standing out quite nicely against a grey sky and a number of Stock Doves on and around the block houses. Dan’s Dock itself was very quiet, however Stephen scoping towards Uplees and to the West found a hunting Buzzard which we watched for about 15 minutes, first perching on a telegraph pole, swooping down to take a kill, eating it back on the pole and then moving on. Stephen believed it to be a Rough Legged Buzzard but it was too far for my eyesight to confirm. We also picked out in the distance Wood Pigeons and some Rooks. On the return trip we heard a Green Woodpecker, from the West Flood area, while repeated scans of the swale gave us our last spot for the day a Great Crested Grebe.

Lapwing (on East Flood earlier) - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

Throughout the day we had seen plenty of Shelduck and the odd Avocet, other spots included Blackbird, Collared Dove, Herring Gull, Moorhen, Magpie Canada Goose and Robin. The full list was 57 seen, 3 others heard (sorry Stephen I cannot count the Rough Legged Buzzard).

Shellness Sheppey 21-2-2012

On Tuesday Alan and I went to Shellness with the aim of catching a Short Eared Owl. We got there at noon – I was late as the M2 had been closed for an accident and I had had to divert via Maidstone doubling my travel time. En route however I had seen a Buzzard overhead so not all bad news, however Alan was one up on me as he had had a Sparrowhawk pass about 10 feet from him and also had Jackdaws which I had missed. A quick look over the Sea Wall gave a couple of Turnstones and a number of Black Headed Gulls, but little else. As the tide was in we made our way down to the High Tide Roost by the gun emplacement. When we reached the riverside a check of the groynes revealed a Purple Sandpiper hidden among the Grey Plovers, Redshanks and Turnstones on the posts.

Grey Plover  - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

Turnstone and Purple Sandpiper - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

Purple Sandpiper and Grey Plover - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

By the time we got to the gun emplacement what had started out to be “nice and sunny” had deteriorated into “dull and cloudy with a blustery wind” making the scopes just a little unstable and the smaller waders a wonderful juddering blur and sadly, unidentifiable (to me). We did see several hundred Oystercatchers and to the right of them was a similarly sized mixed flock of Godwits (Black Tailed I believe), Dunlin, Grey Plovers, Redshanks and several Sanderlings. On our way back to the car park the tide had started to go out and feeding on the shore nearby was a Redshank, two Ringed Plovers, a Knot and quite a few Turnstones, as we watched more waders arrived, Grey Plovers, Dunlin, Oystercatchers and several Redshank’ this short stretch started getting very busy, a brief burst of sunshine (the last for the day) gave me enough light to get a couple of clear shots.

Five different Waders  - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

Our next viewing point was to look out seawards (East) which revealed very little except a large flock of about 150 Mallards and one Pintail Duck.

The last venue was a bit of a walk away, out into the marshland to the Sea Wall hide to have a late lunch there. Near to the gate of the nature Reserve were a few Linnets and a small flock of House Sparrows, however as we walked on activity seemed to drop off. A sad sight was seeing a couple of tractors ploughing all the fields to our right, in January this area had been home to hundreds of Brent Geese, Lapwings and Golden Plovers, today though there was nothing except a small cloud of Gulls following the distant tractors and about a dozen Red Legged Partidges who looked a little lost running alongside one of the ploughed fields. (Having read “Letters from Sheppey” Blog it looks like this ploughing has been going on for a few days).

As we neared the first bend, things picked up a little with a Little Egret to our left and three geese flying overhead a pair of Brent Geese with a white Goose. A scan with the scopes over all the fields about picked out a Kestrel on a distant fence post; a mixed flock of Golden Plovers, Lapwings and Starlings in a couple of distant fields and a two Mute Swans even further away in a gully. Nearer at hand were half a dozen Greylag Geese (no White Fronts though). A scan of the shore line revealed a large number of Shelducks and Curlews. It was about this time we picked up our first Marsh harrier of the day, but it was some distance away).

Ringed Plover (near gun emplacement earlier when there was some light)  - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

We reached the Sea Wall hide to find the ladder cut off and a Health and Safety closure notice. Why only on the hide, why not a warning in the Car Park too? A long walk to see a rotting shed on stilts, I have had better days! However I was close enough now to a small group of white geese I had seen earlier and as expected they were Domestic Geese.

The return trip picked up a bit with more sightings of Marsh Harriers quartering the wetlands, Shelducks and Curlews flew past us making their way inland and several Reed Buntings were flitting between the footpath and the reeds to our left. A Cormorant also flew past. I again checked the Lapwing fields by the bend and was surprised to see among the Plovers and Starlings a Marsh Harrier, just sat in the middle of them all. The photo is very grainy as the light was awful and they were over 500M away. I have underlined the smaller birds with little red 'x's. It was while we were watching the Marsh Harrier that a Sky Lark started to sing high above us, in the overcast sky he was easily picked out.



Marsh Harrier amidst Lapwings and Starlings  - Canon 400D + 100-400mm

We were about 400 yards from the car park when a large grey shape took off about 100 yards to our right which the binoculars revealed to be a male Hen Harrier, only the second Hen Harrier I have ever seen and my first male of the species, a fantastic sight, he kept very low to the ground heading South where we lost it close to the shore. I was glad we had made the trek after all, unfortunately I had already packed my camera up for the day. There was still one more to add to the list, in a tree next to the car park was a small flock of Corn Buntings.

Other species seen throughout the day included Magpies, Carrion Crows and Wood Pigeons. We had inevitably disturbed a few waders close to the path on our journey and I am sure Snipe were among these, however as I had not seen a stationary one, with my eyesight I am unwilling to call it. An odd day, with 38 between us, a bit low in all honesty but understandable with the ploughing and weather. In the car, BRFM radio had the news that the bridge off the island was closed due to a wardrobe fallen off the back of a lorry (I kid you not). A very odd day to be sure.