Seen at 1300 hrs actively feeding/wading on east flood – Marsh sandpiper. Looking from east flood hide towards sluice, the bird was in the last small bay before the island where 10 shell ducks were roosting. Bill too long and slim for a woodsand, legs too long and head/breast/underparts ashy grey to whitish. Did anybody else see the bird? John…
Author: Michael
Oare Marshes
1330—-1500 With the prevailing cold NE wind, conditions were not ideal for lingering! There had been a significant arrival of Swifts in the locale, and Swallows, Sand Martins and House Martins were also hawking over the E flood in numbers. 24 drake Gadwall were amongst the waterfowl, an adult Great Black-backed Gull looked sadly about to expire; but Lesser Black-…
Oare Marshes
1630-1715. 10 deg and a NE wind. Scanned the E flood from the mobile hide. 3 Great Black-backed Gulls, per photos– 2nd calendar year birds, at different stages of development– were slightly surprising visitors. Unlike the Black-headed Gulls and several duck, they were not concerned by the large overflying raptor. 14 drake and 2 duck Gadwall were present, with several…
Oare Marshes
A cool, misty atmospheric morning. Walked west past the FSB. Pulses of Swallows were already passing westward; 2 pairs of Little Grebes were in the main dyke, and Shoveler; Gadwall and Tufted Duck were paired in various dyke localities. A cock Stonechat was in breeding dress and 2 Wheatears were just west of the copse in very suitable breeding habitat.…
Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve
1-5-17 Artic tern x 2, common sandpiper x 1, swift x 10, little ringed plover x 8 (including some mating), redshank x 3, shelduck x 2, garden warbler x 9, grey wagtail x 1 (islands on East Lake), common buzzard x 1, reed warbler x 5, sand martin x 4. 30-4-17 Common sandpiper x 1 (Sutton Hide), green sandpiper x…
Oare Marshes
11:05-12:40 – Julian Russell reported a Spoonbill on the east flood and also that a Turtle Dove had returned to its station on the weather vane. I dropped into see them; the Spoonbill, initially asleep, performed well feeding in the NW corner of the east flood. A flock of 28 Knot came in with five in Red breeding plumage though…
Oare Marshes
15:20-17:00 – cloudy with a light NW wind and cool. I arrived to be informed by Dave Perrin that a Curlew Sandpiper had been on the east flood but had flown out when a Marsh Harrier had flown over the flood. It was not in full breeding plumage but had a few patches of red on the underparts. An early…
Oare Marshes
It was 5 deg and feeling like 0 deg.Over the E flood, Swallows and Sand Martins were `hawking` unseen diptera, and surprisingly 17 Knot were with the Black-tailed Godwitsclose to the road, but were spooked before any chance of a pic. It was eye-watering walking west; Whimbrels were scattered around the saltings and muddy foreshore with upwards of 20 birds…
Oare Marshes
06:35-11:10 – sunny with a moderate NW wind and cold. A Cuckoo was calling, and showed well, in the scrub opposite the cottages, and a Nightingale sang but didn’t reveal itself. A Sparrowhawk was chased by about 30 Jackdaws to the west over Uplees. Ducks on the east flood included the pair of Wigeon and a drake Pochard. There were…
Oare Marshes
0745—0930. 0745—0930: Big skies; high clouds and subtle dawn light. A steady, light passage of Swallows; Whitethroats now evident in all the shrubberies and hedgerows and a Cuckoo distantly calling. Linnets busy collecting nesting material ,particularly `down` from the reed-mace heads.A combination of Sedge and Reed Warblers vying with Cetti`s for decibels. Mediterranean Gulls called, high, and lost in the sun.…