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October 2005 Sightings Please email your sightings to Andy Lawson
Cliffe 29 & 30/10 The weekend was just like old times at Cliffe. On Saturday, for the second weekend running, the local shoot peppered the Radar Pool with shot and on Sunday we were all serenaded by the sweet sound of motorcycles. This resulted in very few birds being on the Radar on Saturday and the wader roost on the Flamingo Pool being disturbed on Sunday. However between the two some interesting birds were gleaned. A flock of 24 Brents on Flamingo Pool early Saturday were a rare sight actually on the Pools and were indicative of the 500 or so that moved into the inner Thames that day before flying back east again. The wader roost contained a 1000 or so Dunlin together with 163 Ringed and 294 Grey Plovers, as well as 5 Bar- tailed Godwits. Unfortunately the White-rumped Sandpiper that appeared briefly earlier in the week did not return. Also near Flamingo Pool were 35 Skylarks and a white Starling that looked strangely larger than the normal ones. The only other birds of note were a flock of 20 Corn Buntings near the Black Barn Pools. Most of the wildfowl were scared off by the shooters. On Sunday the opposite was true, the wildfowl were relatively undisturbed as there was no shooting but the motorcycles disturbed the waders, which left just after high tide. The exceptions were two Greenshank and a flock of 77 Golden Plover, both on the Radar. This flock would be expected to grow, as November is our peak time for the latter species. Last year the flock hosted a Dotterel. There was a single Pintail tucked in with 32 Wigeon on the Hidden Pool and the Kingfishers continued to perform well in the same area. Other than that the only other species of note were a flyover Redpoll (scarce in these parts even on passage), an adult Yellow-legged Gull and a Turnstone that was noted in the retreating wader flock. CBG 29 - 30 October 2005 A walk around the Shallows, Barden and Hawden this morning (29 October) produced at least 10 Redwings, as well as quite a few Song Thrushes and Blackbirds, but no Fieldfare yet. Quite a few Bullfinches also around but just a few Goldcrests were seen today. There was one Marsh Tit and a single Treecreeper with one of the small tit flocks at the Shallows. At least 26 Cormorant roosted at Haysden this evening. An hour's visit to Haysden on 30 October produced 18 Lapwing and at least 7 Rook, but little else of note. (Andy Appleton) Out with the dog this morning we recorded 6 Redpoll flying over and a Siskin in the Northfleet area (Barry Wright) Saturday 22/10/05 A quick visit to Higham marshes produced few birds though there was a Ring Ousel heard in some dense vegetataion at the back of the pond near Higham Church that unfortunately refused to show itself. Nearer to home there was a Continental Coal Tit in the small copse near to Southfleet duck Pond. (Barry Wright) Friday 21/10/05 I had just packed my 'scope and bins in the car prior to leaving for a weekend trip to the Gower in South Wales when, as I was returning to the car with luggage, I heard a familiar call. I cursed my luck as my bins were in the boot. The bird called again and there it was in the silver birch, it flicked down and across to next door and away down the gardens. Now my house in Istead Rise is on the fringe of the village but the local fields are barren arable so my garden list is only about twenty. The best birds being Red Kite and a Lesser spotted Woodpecker that spent a few minutes on our dead apple tree one August day, so this little gem most a very welcome surprise. What was it? Oh sorry, it was a Yellow-browed Warbler. Paul 15/10, Cliffe area A phone call reporting a Storm Petrel on the Thames naturally found me gravitating towards the sea wall at a rapid rate of knots, unfortunately it was seen on the Essex side for about 10 mins before disappearing into the mist never to be seen again. It is probably residing in the belly of a Great Black-backed Gull at this moment! However there were other birds moving up the Thames including 518 Brents moving up the Essex side and then out again down the Kent side, 40 Wigeon, a Fulmar, 5 Arctic Skuas, 19 Gannets and 5 Mergansers. The local shoot was shooting over the Radar and retrieving birds from there using dogs, not much fun being peppered by spent shot but they have been around the area much longer than I. They told me they have actually got some Grey Partridges in their feeding area, the first I have heard of for a couple of years so there is an up side to everything. Unusually, for this time of year, there were 101 Pochard on the Pools. They may have been pushed off from elsewhere by the shooting. A Brambling was calling from near the Radar Tower and a juv Marsh Harrier flew east over the Pools late in the day. 16/10, Cliffe Still lots of waders around. 570 Avocet, 2230 Dunlin, 1 Little Stint, 241 Grey Plovs but only 35 Ringed, 7 Bar Tail, 33 Black tails, 14 Knot and 4 Greenshanks. As well as the influx of Pochard on Saturday Shoveler numbers were up, with a total of 145 on the Pools, 130 Little Grebes were counted but there was no sign of last weeks Black-necked Grebe. Apart from a continual movement overhead of Skylarks there was little of note on the passerine front, although there were at least 3 Stonechats around the Pools. On the River there were the first Goldeneye of the autumn, no doubt they will appear on the Pools later as they usually do. From the Coast Guards 3 Arctic Skuas going east, and another 4 going east later, and to round the day off a nice drake Eider going east. 10/10 Cliffe Very little of note on the Pools apart from a Green Sandpiper and 5 Snipe. The scrub areas contained several Stonechats, a Whinchat and a small flock of Reed Buntings There were quite a few gulls on the River and they were receiving the full attention of a juv (pale creamy head) and a sub adult (some barring on the underwing) Arctic Skuas. I managed to get a visiting RSPB members group from East Grinstead on the Skuas which was pleasing as they were ticks for most of the party. The sub adult bird actually came over the Coastguards and Flamingo Pools affording good views. This was the first skua I had seen over the Pools for perhaps 10 years. Whilst watching the River 6 Brents that had been loafing on the Essex side flew upstream. A single Wheatear (scarce this year, or is it me?) was on the sea wall and two migrant Grey Wagtails worked their way west. As I returned to the Radar I found a Black-necked Grebe which was again received gratefully by the RSPB group who were just about to leave. Sunday.09/10 Just a brief visit with in the pm. We met Don Taylor at West Point where he was doing a big sit. He was on 83, but had made 85 by the time we left. These included, what is now a Cliffe rarity, a Yellowhammer and almost equally as scarce a Lesser Redpoll. Don had also seen a Turtle Dove, presumably the one Andrew Lawson had the week before. The Kingfishers were showing very well on the Ski Pool as usual and the BNG was still present but there was little else on note. Small parties of Swallows were moving south.
I finally managed to catch the late tide and in doing so bumped into a former Cliffe regular, Ron Silvester. He had not seen much but did hear the first Brambling of autumn as it flew east past Allen's Hill. Another first autumn record was that of a Goldcrest near the Watch point. Good numbers of birds on the roost, the roost site changes with the wind direction, including 126 Grey and 184 Ringed Plovers, 7 Knot, 2 juv Curlew Sands and a stint. One of the Grey Plovers was colour ringed, possibly one of Pete Pott's at Farlington. (CBG) Saturday 8th October Dartford An interesting selection of birds were noted flying over my house in Central Dartford during the morning which proved that birding can still be achieved even when burdened by domestic chores. Singles of Skylark, Brambling & Meadow Pipit were noted before I heard the sound of a couple of Continental Coal Tits fairly distantly to the East. Eventually two birds appeared and fortunately dropped into a birch overhanging my garden where I was then able to watch them for five minutes and confirm the race. They eventually took off, gained height and headed West again. I'm not sure if this race has been recorded in the Dartford area before. A third bird was heard flying over an hour later and Chaffinches were passing over at the rate of between 5-10 a minute. (Andrew Lawson)
Friday 7th October Dartford Marsh A quick walk between Littlebrook and Spider Wood after work produced several fair sized tit flocks and a couple of Chiffchaffs. Also present were good numbers of Chaffinch with a single Brambling amongst them. (Andrew Lawson) |