0830—1200 Initially still and 3deg; fresh W and rain imminent by close of play. I circuited the creek and associated ponds from Oare village. 21 Little Grebe were located and the Kingfisher was very mobile. 4 Long-tailed Tits were in hawthorns ; a Cettis was singing at head of the creek, and 6 Little Egrets were feeding in the low…
Author: Michael
Oare Marshes
0730-1015 It was just above freezing with minimal cloud but less of a W/ NW blow than predicted. For 150 m on the entrance road a Sparrowhawk was in low level attack mode, hugging the shaded side of the hedgerow. A dozen Fieldfares were at early breakfast in the hawthorns, with others to the rear of the shrubbery, in what…
Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve
4-11-17 Water rail x 1 (calling at Long Lake), peregrine x 1. 29-10-17 Redpoll x 3, siskin x 5, redwing x 3, all near the goat paddock. Also grey wagtail x 1. 28-10-17 Water rail x 1, wigeon x 2 (male and female), all seen from Willow Hide.
Oare Marshes
0715-1215 Eye watering in 2 deg of near still W air, following Sunday`s extravaganza in the northerlies, per Murray W and Neil B.! Tide was on the turn as I walked W. A male Marsh Harrier harried by a continuously vocal Raven over the W flood was a good start—20+ Greenfinches were at Dan`s Dock and Skylarksong greeted the sun`s…
Oare Marshes
1400-1530 A stiff W breeze and intermittent sun. Following on from the early morning substantial thrush movement through Seasalter there was not one to be seen this PM! Noted 3 Little Stints on the E flood and 12 Ruff with the Redshank / Blk T Godwit flock. The duck Garganey was withTeal in the SE aspect and the Long-billed Dowitcher…
Oare Marshes
08:15-12:15 It was a cloudy morning with a freshening SW wind and a low tide. Amongst the ducks on the east flood were a Garganey and a pair of Pintails. Waders included the juvenile Little Ringed Plover with a droopy wing, two Little Stints, a single Knot amongst the Black-tailed Godwits and, later in the morning, the adult Long-billed Dowitcher…
Oare Marshes
A cool SW at 11deg. Walked west into TQ beyond FSB. Greenfinch numbers exceeded 20 at Uplees copse; Golden Plovers came high off the Sheppey shoreline; Meadow Pipits were mobile around the piles of Bladder-wrack and 2 Rock Pipits were with them. A duck Goldeneye flew W and dropped into the South Deep channel where accumulatively westward, there were at…
Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve
22-10-17 Little grebe x 2, swallow x 1, house martin x 1, gadwall x 12, shoveler x 4, little egret x 2, wigeon x 1, grey wagtail x 1, green sandpiper x 1 (seen from Tyler Hide). 20-10-17 Kingfisher x 1 (seen from Tyler Hide), also greylag/Canada goose hybrid x 2. 14-10-17 Peregrine x 1, sparrowhawk x 1, kingfisher x…
Oare Marshes
17th October 2017 08.00 to 12.00hrs Dry and calm around 14C – High Tide at roughly 11.30 Spent a pleasant 4 hours this morning, amassing a total of 21 wader species. The Wilson’s Phalarope and Long-billed Dowitcher are still present. The Phalarope seems to like following Teal closely and feeding in their wake. 3 Green Sandpipers were seen over the…
Oare Marshes
1430—1630 Great to still have the opportunity to view the long staying, clock-wise spinning E flood Wilson`s Phalarope; following a bit of Balkans travel. The bird habitually was in close tow with Teal or Shoveler, picking / jabbing minutia in the disturbed water in the wake of the ducks. Not quite symbiosis ; so maybe `commensalism` ?? Whichever, one heck…