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…
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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.…
Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve
24 -4-17 Second grey heron on nest with 3 large chicks (North Lake). 23-4-17 Redshank x 2, little-ringed plover x 7, reed warbler x 3 (all singing, heard from Slingsby Hide), shelduck x 2, great-crested grebe with 3 young on the West Lake and a pair on East Lake with 2 young, grey wagtail x 2 (male and female on…
Oare Marshes
0800-0845 A breakfast break at Oare produced a distant calling Cuckoo , which then circuited the W marsh calling and hotly pursued by a Magpie. Swallows were moving through in small numbers; a Reed Warbler was loud in the car-park reed-bed with a Water Rail even louder, although unseen. Whimbrels were in the saltmarsh and a Common Tern was resting…
17th April 2017
A 2 hour seawatch in chilly NE conditions gave us 12 Whimbrel, 72 Common Scoter, 2 Red-throated Divers, 28 Dunlin and 2 Velvet Scoter, all moving up channel.
Oare Marshes
06:50-11:00 – sunny but very cold in the fresh northerly wind. There were at least six Whimbrel on the saltmarsh west of the slipway. Ducks on the east flood included 51 Teal, 33 Shoveler, 14 Gadwall and a pair of Wigeon. Amongst the flock of c500 Black-tailed Godwits was the pale individual and a female Bar-tailed Godwit. In the scrub…