May 2007 Sightings

Wouldham - Ian Shepherd ©

Hi all,

I'm currently in the process of moving house and I'll be offline for as long as it takes me to get set up with another Broadband provider at my new home. Many thanks to all of my contributors and I hope to have everything up and running again soon.

Cheers,

Andy.

Please email your sightings to Andy Lawson

If you live, or for that matter visit, any site west of the A249 between the Sheppey bridge and Maidstone and then west to Dartford and Tunbridge Wells (roughly...) then I would be delighted to hear from you.

I can also be contacted on Tel: 07766 694549.

Sunday 13th May Dartford

A quick look at the flooded field revealed that 5 pairs of Lapwings have successfully hatched young with 4 broods of four birds and a further two young making 18 chicks in total.  This is amazing. Four of the young are now fully fledged and two of the birds were flying short distances across the pools.  A sixth and final pair are still sitting: fingers crossed!

The highlight was finding four newly hatched Redshank chicks feeding at the back of the pools.  Two Little Ringed Plover were also present.

Anyone interested in conservation is welcome to email me and I will happily show them this site. I reckon we could learn alot from it.

(Andrew Lawson)

Saturday 12th May Mote Park, Maidstone

Over the park this morning was a pair of Cuckoo chasing each other around the edges of the Lake and Marsh, a male Bullfinch was by the coach house, a male Reed Bunting sang by the Weir, the Nightingale was still singing in its usual spot, a Turtle Dove was calling in the hedge on the northern edge of the meadow area by the bridge, and a total of 7 Blackcaps, 10 Chiff Chaffs, 8 Reed Warblers, 1 Willow Warbler and 20 Whitethroats were singing throughout my visit.
(Simon Ginnaw)
http://www.motepark.blogspot.com

Saturday 12th May Sevenoaks KWT Reserve

The goose families are having an eventful time. The Egyptian family are down to 3 young, and a Crow was seen to snatch a Canada gosling, but it was to big to carry any distance and was unceremonially dropped, unharmed. Our long time resident Barnacle, sire of several hybrid broods, has been joined by another bird, hopefully female. The sexes are said to be similar, but one bird had more strongly marked flanks.

I was searching the gravel islands for LRPs and noticed a distant group of 4; a closer look revealed that they were RPs and that a Dunlin was with them. These are both uncommon birds in West Kent and brought my year list at the WR to 90. A Lapwing was displaying, a Common Sandpiper feeding and 2 LBBGs were still hanging about after 6 weeks. 35 Swifts added class to the airspace.

After this I set out for the AONB that is Sevenoaks landfill site. There were still 150 Herring Gulls and 35 LBBGs, and a Lesser Whitethroat completed a rewarding morning.
(Martin Coath)

Saturday 12th May Swanscombe

Visit to Swanscombe and edge of Botany Marsh 7.30am today, didn't beat the security men in and was instructed to keep to public footpath only. Saw 2 ringed plovers and good number of swifts and House Martins, Cuckoo calling, 5 lapwings, very quiet otherwise.

(Dr David Payne)

Saturday 12th May Dartford & Bluewater

A Cetti's Warbler singing on the west side of Bluewater was the first I've had here.  A Hobby was hawking over Wilmot Park, West Dartford in the afternoon.

(Andrew Lawson)

Saturday 12th May Grain

West Lane, Bucks Pound, North Level & Lees Marshes,  also northern limit of Grain sea wall, from London Stone, east to Cockleshell Beach, ne. corner of Grain  marsh.
10.15 to 14.30 hrs.  4/8 cloud,  variable.  sw 4 - 5, gusty,  mild, generally sunny, one three   minute shower.  HT. 08.50 hrs.  13 oC. at 09.30  hrs.  Later,  19 oC. at
15.00 hrs. 
   Little Grebe -  1 pr. Reserve pool, WL.
   Little Egret -  1 at Reserve pool, WL.  2 along  Grain n. sea wall fleets.
   Brent Goose -  15 offshore, London Stone.
   Black Brant -  1 with the Brent.
   Canada Goose -  2 horsefield, WL.   Mute Swan -  1 pr. WL.
   Shelduck -  10 NL.  Also 2 on tideline Y. est.

   Tufted -  3 dr. + 2 ff.  sea wall fleet.   Pochard -  1 pr. sea wall fleet.
   Ruddy duck -  1 dr. WL main fleet.  Also 3 dr. + 1  f. at Reserve pool

(Janet & Trevor Bowley)  

Thursday 10th May Boxley

An early morning visit to do one of my Breeding Bird Survey counts today produced a couple of surprises, namely 2 Common Buzzards over the downs and a Ring Ouzel on an area of short turf near the eastern end of the site.

(Ian Shepherd)

Wednesday 9th May Sevenoaks KWT Reserve

Highlights today were 8 LRPs and a pair of Egyptian Geese showing well from the Tyler Hide with 5 small young as well as an adopted Canada gosling; plenty of singing warblers and wildfowl progeny.
(Martin Coath)

Wednesday 9th May Dartford

The small flooded field has 4 pairs of Lapwings with 11 chicks on the go between them.  It is amazing to see how one small barren field full of rank grass can so easily be turned into a breeding bird haven during the course of one winter.

Also 8 Redshank present.

(Andrew Lawson)

Tuesday 8th May New Hythe

3 Common Tern, 1 Little Egret, 2 Hobby, 2 Turtle Dove. Also 1 Grizzled Skipper in the east scrub was a patch tick for me, 1 Green Hairstreak in the west scrub and a hatch of Red Eyed Damselflies, plus 2 Water Vole seen well.

(Terry Laws)

Tuesday 8th May New Hythe

Three Saganauts met up partly by accident at New Hythe today. The weather was fine, but became very windy. The highlights were a Little Egret flying into the heronry, Hobby, 3 Common Terns flirting with the wind  and 20 LT Tits comprising two family parties. I carried out a fairly comprehensive count during a 5 hour visit, but the strong wind made it difficult to hear all that was on offer. Main totals were 2 Cuckoos, 30 Swifts, 9 Nightingales, 35 Sand Martins, 7 Cetti's, 10 Reed, 5 Garden and 4 Willow Warblers, 18 Blackcaps, 28 Whitethroats and a Lesser, 10 Chiffchaffs, and a 4 Spotted Chaser. 60 species was a fair reward.
Oh, I nearly forgot: as we approached the corner of Brooklands and the Sunken Marsh we became aware of an interesting quartet of Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Nightingale and Song Thrush, but as we drew nearer it became clear that there were only 3 birds, as one was producing nightingale like notes interspersed with clear Song Thrush triple notes. We could not put a name to this singer at TQ 713613. Neither eccentric Marsh Warbler nor Thrush-nightingale seem right.
(Martin Coath)

Saturday 5th May Haysden

My first Turtle Dove of the year was heard but not seen near the Shallows and after looking for this bird I walked along the road and was rewarded when two Whimbrel flew low west over my head - surprisingly these were my first Whimbrel for Haysden.

The only other wader seen today was a single Lapwing. A lone Swallow and two Common Terns were over Haysden Lake and the usual warblers were all noted (Lesser Whitethroat, Whitethroat, Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and Reed Warbler).  A Roe Deer was as surprised to see me as I was it, and soon legged it.

(Andy Appleton)

Saturday 5th May Botany Marshes, Northfleet

In the scrub by Manor Road, no sign of Thursday's blackcaps but 10 whitethroat and 1 Lesser Whitethroat both seen and heard. Cetti's warbler audible from scrub. A cuckoo followed us around and posed helpfully at close range on telegraph wires along Green Manor Way. No shortage of reed buntings again but all male. Just a few hirundines and swifts left from Thursday. Two small tortoiseshell butterflies on bank adjacent to Manor Road.
(Alan Lean)

Saturday 5th May - Mote Park, Maidstone

Over the park this morning was a singing Nightingale, 3 Cuckoos - 1 in the marsh and 2 around the lake, a pair of Bullfinches, a Common Sandpiper - flew from the mud by the inlet, 13 Blackaps, 18 Whitethroats, 3 Reed Warblers, 1 Willow Warbler, 5 Chiff Chaff, 3 Treecreepers by the bridge, there were 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls on the lake, plus a pair of Canada Geese had 6 goslings.
(Simon Ginnaw)
http://www.motepark.blogspot.com/

Saturday 5th May Fawkham Woods, nr Longfield

A totally unexpected female Ring Ouzel in Churchdown Woods along Fawkham Road just south of Longfield at 13:00 today.

(John Young)

Friday 4th May Burham

I made a most pleasant visit to Burham yesterday afternoon (4th May) from 15.20 to 16.50. I visited the area by the church and then went along the Medway to the water pumping station. I list below my sightings, the highlight of which was a peregrine dropping vertically at speed into the reed beds on Holborough marshes.
Cormorant (2), grey heron (3), greylag goose (33); Canada goose (45), shelduck (18), mallard (8 including a female with 4 juv), kestrel (1), peregrine falcon (1), pheasant (3), moorhen (2), coot (5), lapwing (8), common sandpiper (1), lesser black-backed gull (2), herring gull (3), woodpigeon (17), cuckoo (1), swift (1), green woodpecker (2), sand martin (3), swallow (2), meadow pipit (1), wren (1), dunnock (1), robin (1), nightingale (3 all near to the pumping station), blackbird (14), song thrush (1), reed warbler (4), whitethroat (3), blackcap (2), chiffchaff (1), great tit (2), magpie (8), carrion crow (16), starling (c125), chaffinch (6), greenfinch (3).

(Bill Stoneham)

Thursday 3rd May Wouldham

Wader passage continued today, with an unprecedented number of Greenshank along the river this morning.  A flock of 26 present first thing eventually flew off towards the east, and was followed by a more typical party of 3 about 3 hours later.  That's more Greenshank in one morning than I have seen here in the whole of the last 5 years!
(Ian Shepherd)

Thursday 3rd May Botany Marshes, Northfleet

A visit to Botany Marshes, Northfleet - in the fields, 4 Lapwing, a pair Greylags, just the one heron. Along Green Manor Way, 4 Reed Buntings all male and sudden arrival of hundreds of swift and house martins with a few swallows mixed in. Swifts flying low enough to hear the wing clicks. In the reeds, young Reed Warblers visible. Later in scrub by Manor Road, at least 5 whitethroats and a pair of Blackcaps.

(Alan Lean)

Thursday 3rd May Sevenoaks Reserve

As Ray said below, many Garden Warblers singing!  I had 14 birds singing as I walked around the reserve and this must be my highest day total ever, anywhere.  The other highlight was 2 Whimbrel heading over North - that'll upset the locals!

Other birds seen included: Blackcap 5, Little Ringed Plover 4, Green Sandpiper 1, Common Sandpiper 3, Swift 200+, House Martin 30+, Sand Martin 2, Swallow 10+, Egyptian Goose, Lapwing 3, G C Grebe 3, Chiffchaff 8, Gadwall 3, Teal 2, Reed Warbler 2, Sedge Warbler 2, Ring Necked Parakeet 1, Reed Bunting 4, Green Woodpecker 2, GSW 1, Shelduck 2, Treecreeper 2, Long Tailed Tit 4 family parties, Wren 20+ etc. (Andrew Lawson)

Wednesday 2nd May Sevenoaks Reserve

Enjoyed a sunny walk round Sevenoaks Reserve on Tuesday morning - highlights were 3 Common Sandpipers, 4 Little Ringed Plovers, many Garden Warblers singing and my first Common Swifts this year. There was also a Reed Warbler signing in the tiny patch of reeds just behind the Willow Hide (ie on the river side). Not the most assiduous of note takers, but I can't recall seeing this species previously on the site, but don't really go there that often.....
(Ray Baker)

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Tuesday 1st May Wouldham

A nice sprinkling of passage waders along the river this morning.  The first bird I saw when I opened the bedroom curtains was a Greenshank on the mud opposite, with a single Common Sandpiper there as well.  Later on 4 Whimbrel were flushed from the river-bank by a passing boat, but best of the lot was a party of 6 Avocet that landed a little way downstream, 2 of which remained until at least 1230.  Having had to wait 18 years for the first Avocet on my home patch, on Christmas Eve 2006, I was surprised and delighted to see this species here again so soon!  Also of interest today was a single Little Egret along the river and a Peregrine to the northwest of the village.

(Ian Shepherd)

Tuesday 1st May Mote Park, Maidstone

Of note on this morning's walk round the Park was 18 Whitethroats, 1 male Bullfinch, 1 Willow Warbler, 7 Chiff Chaff, 7 Blackcaps, 3 Reed Warblers, a singing Nightingale, and 1 Cuckoo.  Yesterday a Garden Warbler was singing in one of the hedges.
(Simon Ginnaw)
www.motepark.blogspot.com

Tuesday 1st May Lower Shorne

Brief lunchtime visit Lower Shorne near railway, 30 Stock Doves in field by Queen's farm Lane (also there  yesterday) and lots and lots of swifts (est >30) over the marsh road to fort, (none here yesterday!).
(Dr David Payne)
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