Kent - Oare Marsh and Isle of Sheppey!

Today I joined forces with Peter Alfrey for an excursion into Kent to visit Oare Marsh and Isle of Sheppey. High tide at Oare was at around mid-day therefore the start to the day was at a reasonable hour. he water levels on the marsh seemed high with the incoming shorebirds huddling on exposed areas of mud that were reasonably close to the road that leads to Visitor Centre.

Many of the interesting migrants only offered scope views with a couple of juvenile Garganey see Pete’s blog for pictures. The Bonepartes Gull was also present with  Med and Common Gull. The shorebirds were represented by Curlew Sandpiper, Ruff, Knot, Green Sand, Dunlin, Turnstone, Redshank, Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Avocet, and Black Tailed Godwit.

At high tide we stopped for lunch and then tackled Shellness on the Isle of Sheppey to catch the shorebirds on a falling tide. Terns were well represented by Little, Common and Sandwich Tern that had joined the Oystercatcher to shelter from the wind that with the heat haze was making shorebird identification somewhat tricky! Curlew, Whimbrel, Bar Tailed Godwit and Sanderling were added to the day list from this side of The Swale.

The rest of the afternoon was spent at Capel Fleet where a Corn Bunting broke into song from a nearby telegraph wire and a few passerines made it onto the day list.

The final stop of the day was at Elmley where several Marsh Harrier including a juvenile (note cream cap and fresh plumage with no signs of wear or moult in the wings or tail feathers). 

Eighty species were recorded during the day sadly many regular passerines were missing probably due to the windy conditions! Tomorrow I will be banding at Queen Mother Reservoir!

Epsom and Walton Downs - Ups and Downs!

The day began with a low flying Peregrine causing pigeon chaos in and around the garden. If my window had been open any wider it may have snatched me for breakfast. There was plenty of noise from the passerines before the garden fell silent as the peg cleared the roof. The garden does occasionally have a pile of pigeon feathers in it but the local cats get the blame for this!

Next stop was at Banstead Downs Golf Course where the birds were less numerous that previous visits but there were plenty of wild flowers in bloom which had me slightly distracted. I am a complete novice with botany but the more I looked the more flowering plants I found. I just had to keep one eye on the tee and listen out for the crack of club and whizzing golf balls!

My last stop of the day was later than expected at Epsom Downs and Walton Heath but I had arrived during the lunchtime period leaving the racecourse almost devoid of humans. The birds seemed to be on their lunch break too. 

As I walked the Gallops you could hear a mouse fart and it left me wondering why I was there. As I stepped off the main path to an area I have seen Firecrest a call stopped me in my tracks and had me engaging the camera! A Marsh Tit was checking me out busily hopping from branch to branch. This species was new for my site list and a species I do not see that often during my travels.

The corvids then started going crazy and a Buzzard honed into view. The bird managed to shake off the opposition but did not remain for long after a circuit to check me out!

The fields were covered in flowers unfortunately some of the paths were still impassable with my light footwear. 

I therefore walked on the main path to join another track which is lined with mixed woodland. The area was also fairly quiet another Marsh Tit was added to the days tally. I left as the post lunch invasion of folk began!

I have not even started looking at the photos of the plants but noticed many similarities in the flowers between the two areas!

Tice's Meadow - Well Look Who's Here!!

I took a journey to the other side of the county to visit Tice’s Meadow a site that has a band of dedicated volunteers that have transformed the place only to learn that the site is now for sale! A new hide is in the early stages of construction giving me a brief catch up with Richard Horton before seeking the prize of the morning!

I was fortunate enough to catch the bird in flight after a deer entered the area the bird was resting in sending it and a Grey Heron over to the far side of the reserve. 

The bird moved once more on the onset of rain to the grassland in front of the hide on Horton’s Mound.

To my delight I bumped into Prof an ex Beddington Farm birdwatcher and finder of SVC MEGA and first for Beddington a Cattle Egret that was nailed by numerous cameras during its stay on the Farm! I don’t actually know his real name but having been a university lecturer became known by a fitting nickname!

The morning did not improve much weather wise but it was great to catch up with Prof and a few Green and a Common Sandpiper on the lake. The weather is looking grim over the next couple of days which could interrupt ringing at Queen Mary’s Reservoir and have me out on the trail of shorebirds that are making their way back from breeding grounds!

Beddington Farm - Hanging on By a Thread!

The Tree Sparrows are amazingly enough still hanging on at the Farm but only by the thinnest of threads. I recall the days of flocks of birds that were taken for granted by the regulars at the hide. Nowadays they are harder to find as are gatherings of group members in the hide. I wonder if the opening of the public hides will bring in a wave of regular birdwatchers or will attendance depend on news of a rarity!

The closest shelter from the rain is the green corrugated hut on the north lake and I was about a mile away when the heavens opened up. The public hides are not accessible from the inner sanctum so an umbrella and cover of low scrub was the only other option available. I was however ideally placed to watch our few remaining Tree Sparrow visit one of a few robust feeder stations that is on site.

100 Acre held the majority of the shorebirds with several Common and Green Sandpiper and an LRP which flew over the wet grassland to join another I had seen on the north lake. An additional Common Sandpiper was seen later in the morning on the tern raft on the north lake.

The birds of the day were flushed from the overgrown path on 100 Acre by Andy a couple of Red Legged Partridge. The last sighting of this species was in 2005 which officially makes it a Beddington MEGA much to the dismay of the finder! I did chuckle at his reaction to this revelation. 

A Little Egret joined the gulls and wildfowl on the lake. The Shoveler was still present amongst a small army of Coot and a small group of Lapwing flew in late morning.

Nothing found of note within the gulls the rain put pay to a full count but more juvenile Herring Gull are now present.

A Sparrowhawk sent the Linnet and Goldfinch into a flying frenzy on the east side of the lake. A Kestrel and Peregrine were the other raptors seen. The latter causing gull chaos around the incinerator, which turned out to be a bad bit of timing for the camera and I.

Beddington Farm - Business As Usual!

The NE blow and rain that started early this morning had me delaying my outing to the Farm. As it turned out I missed a juvenile Yellow Legged Gull and juvenile cuckoo that Steve Gale had  found and photographed along cuckoo lane of all places.

It appeared that many of the shorebirds had gone AWOL including the Wood Sandpiper. The Farm has numerous nooks and crannies that birds find only to re appear days later, raising questions as to where they had been hiding.

The north lake was where the shorebird tally began for me a couple of Little Ringed Plover and a Common Sandpiper. A third bird of the former was seen on 100 Acre later in the day and was overall duller in plumage than the lake birds (phone pic). 

I saw my first Northern Shoveler of the year an eclipse male and a female that appeared on a small island on the east side of the north lake.

100 Acre also produced a couple of Green Sandpiper which were doing race style circuits of Jim’s bed with the lead alternating between the two birds. Numbers were down on earlier in the week and no Redshank was seen today despite there being two birds (one banded) in the week. 

(Lesser Black Backed Gull)

Gulls were up on my last visit which is unusual as in the days of landfill numbers would drop considerably on a Sunday due to the landfill being non-operational. The gulls today were split between the north lake and the wet grassland with a few stragglers resting on the surrounding roofs to the incinerator.

I recorded fifty three species during my five hour session and was beginning to melt in all the clobber as I made my way back through the operational area.

Beddington Farm - No Place Like Home!

Having spent the last fifteen years covering Beddington Farm it was not going to be an easy task to completely sever myself from the place. The inevitable happened and I finally bit the bullet and completed my induction.

The next stage was a test run to see how problematic the extended journey would be. It was stupid o clock so I guess the journey was pretty smooth. I have my own PPE kit so all was left to do was to book in at the office and then negotiate the croquet style red frames which lead to the wetland area where the first of the public hides is situated. The other hides are set on the north bank of the north lake and the last on the west side of the south lake.

The most interesting bird of the day a Wood Sandpiper was on the north lake. This bird has been at the Farm for a while now having first been found on 100 Acre. Gull numbers were not too high allowing space for shorebirds to feed along the edges of the islands.

Little Egret was also present feeding together in a shallow pool in the central area of the north lake.

I spent a couple of hours on 100 Acre looking for shorebirds. Green and Common Sandpiper were present on Jim’s bed.

A redshank was also seen on Jim’s and on the north lake. I could not find the Greenshank on any of the smaller beds but that does not mean it was not tucked away somewhere else on the Farm.

I recorded fifty species during my six hour visit. The variety of shorebirds was the overall highlight. The site is undergoing a complete makeover and the lack of stench from the landfill was a big positive. I just need to negotiate the Crystal Maze of fences that line the mounds and lakes.

The convenience of popping over to the Farm for a couple of hours have gone but the area is still a key re-fuelling point for migratory birds that traverse the City. 

I am grateful for some sound advice and have full access to the Farm once again!

London Wetland Centre - They Went That Way!

The planning office called it right this morning but unfortunately the Greenshank that had rested with a couple of Redshank on the main lake at the London Wetland Centre had not been seen since just after 0900hrs. High tide at Hammersmith Bridge was at 0636hrs and therefore had already turned by opening time. 

The next high tide was at 1856hrs (tidetimes.org) and again outside of opening hours. Reports from Rainham Marshes, Staines Reservoir and Surrey sites suggest there are shorebirds on the move. Perhaps there will be more to come in the next few days!

By the middle of the week the tides will be more in sync with the centre and with a continuation of the right conditions will push more birds up the Thames estuary and onto reserves and reservoirs as the tide rises.  

A Snipe the nearby resident Peregrine and a Blackbird with a silver ring on its right leg were the other sightings of note in a forty species tally.

Surrey Vice County - Roaming Around!

The day began yesterday with an hour garden watch at ridiculous o clock. A small flock of Canada Geese were the reward for my madness. I then moved on to Holmethorpe Sand Pits where there are no time restrictions unlike the London Wetland Centre (0930 – 1730hrs).

I recorded fifty seven species with plenty of juvenile birds to sift through as I made my way around the site. A family party of Bullfinch were observed on the Moors an area which I have regularly seen this species.

I saw my first UK Kingfisher of the year at Mercers Lake having seen a couple of birds in Singapore. That adventure seems such a long time ago now! 

I was making my way back to Banstead Golf Course when the A217 became snagged with traffic so I diverted to Canons Farm to have a wander around whilst the situation cleared itself. I had earlier reported a Marbled White from Holmethorpe (my first of the year) but soon realized they were everywhere in the fields surrounding the old Legal and General building! A handful of Yellowhammer was taking full advantage of the conditions. A Little Owl was also heard calling and a Hobby passed overhead. Twenty seven species recorded in a couple of hours stay.

By the time I reached Banstead Golf Course the sun was at its hottest many birds sitting tight and not singing much. Fourteen species recorded during my search in the more shaded areas.

I am still configuring a battle plan for the autumn period which will include a couple of days a week bird banding at Queen Mary’s Reservoir with the Hersham Ringing Group!