August 2007 Sightings
Please email your sightings to Andy Lawson
If you live, or for that matter visit, any site in North or West Kent then I would be delighted to hear from you! Sightings would be appreciated from Sheppey in the North to Dartford & Tunbridge Wells to the West and then back to Maidstone in the East.
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'Lapwing field' Dartford © Andrew Lawson |
Friday 31st August Elmley & Capel Fleet
There have been two Osprey visiting Elmley for the past ten days or so. They appear to be an adult and a juvenile. This morning they were fishing together at low tide, and between catches were resting on rocks or wooden spars out on the mud-flats. Hopefully they will stay for a few weeks.
Also saw a female Merlin, five Buzzards at Capel Fleet, numerous Hobby and Peregrine.
(Rob Clements)
Friday 31st August Bough Beech
I spent 4 hours at this celebrated reservoir. It was low tide: the depth has fallen from its April peak of 213 ft. to 201 ft.. This does not worry the 90 GC Grebes. The Geese were very spirited with 580 Greylags, 560 Canadas and, unusually, 10 Barnacles, exulting in their promotion by BOU to dual category A/C2 (as Greylags) At one point about 500 Canadas flew low above me, bomb doors closed, yelling their heads off - a memorable moment. Dabbling ducks have increased with 47 Teal, 46 Gadwall, 22 Shoveler and 5 Wigeon. Waders are doing less well, with 9 Common and 2 Green Sands + single RP and Dunlin. 30 Cormorants, 19 Herons, 3 Little Egrets and 300 Coot and 69 Moorhens completed the aquatic mix.
Raptors were only represented by 2 Kestrels and a Hobby, but the latter dashed about spectacularly over the North Lake without achieving a great deal. I know the feeling, although we Saganauts do not actually dash about a great deal.
Passerine migrants were few and the best land birds were 7 Green and 4 GS Woodpeckers, 22 Pied and 4 Grey Wagtails, 30 Chiffs, 5 Nuthatches and 27 Linnets. I heard just 2 Blackbirds and encountered neither Song nor Mistle Thrush.
Altogether I recorded 58 sp., being let down this time by Collared Dove, Greenfinch, Goldfinch and Goldcrest. Shame on them!
(Martin Coath)
Thursday 30th August Cliffe RSPB
Quick lunchtime visit to Cliffe today. Lots of house and sand martins over Radar pool and plenty of waders at the blackbarn end of Radar pool. Redshank, greenshank, blackwit, common and green sandpiper, dunlin, ringed plover and lapwing. Some others as well I think, which a more expect eye would have got a name to. Little owl sitting in a field of stubble as well.
(David Payne)
Wednesday 29th August Swale NNR, Sheppey
On the reserve this morning were:-
130 Teal,
80 Mallard,
6 Gadwall,
5 Snipe,
7 Green Sandpiper,
1 Kingfisher,
1 Cettis Warbler
(Derek Faulkner)
Monday 27th August Dartford Marshes
Late afternoon is not a bad time to drive down to the Thames as the chavs are packing up there motorbikes and illegal dogs into their untaxed transits and heading off down the pub for a fight. Probably.
The tide was receding and the gulls were dropping onto the mud as we arrived. In total we found 6 Yellow Legged Gulls; 2 adults, 3 sub-adults and 1 3rd winter. A Clouded Yellow butterfly zoomed along the river wall although I did relocate it a little later by the Darenth barrier. A very fresh and bright individual.
An adult Common Tern headed downriver, a Common Sandpiper fluttered and called as it flew onto the river Darent and a Yellow Wagtail headed over. Two Dunlin flew in just as the gates were about to be locked so we glanced at them before dashing back to the car and headed for home.
(Andrew Lawson)
Monday 27th August Hadlow
Just got back from my final full walk of my patch for August. Quite an interesting morning with 46 species being recorded. The highlights were a female Whinchat, ( Where were you Adrian?) a pair of Hobbies dueling overhead, and a Common Buzzard soared high over the migrant alley. Four species of rapter in one visit is a first for my patch. (Sparrow Hawk and kestrel were the others)
Just outside Poultwood golf course, is a pair of Oak trees linked by a hedgerow, these were full of birds, in a feeding flock, including Treecreeper, Nuthatch, willow Warbler, Blue, Coal, and Great tit and at least 8 Spotted Flycatchers.
A total of 66 for species for August is a new high, one up on last years previous high, but I might get a few more on my shorter walks this week. Maybe even improve on the year total of 94!
(Warren Baker)
Monday 27th August Swale NNR, Sheppey
There was a S.E. Owl on the reserve early this morning, being harrassed by a Marsh Harrier. Along the Harty Road there were 12 Corn Buntings.
(Derek Faulkner)
Sunday 26th August Sevenoaks KWT
Sevenoaks Reserve did not feature in the movements of terns experienced by many inland sites in the South-east, possibly because it is surrounded by tall trees, which makes it less visible to birds flying over than a more open site. However the northerlies did increase Teal from 15 to 53, Gadwall from 1 to 5 and Shoveler from 0 to 12. 5 Snipe arrived - quite an early date. The change in the weather this weekend changed the focus to passerines and their allies. This morning I saw 6 Green Woodpeckers, 3 Swifts, 20 distant hirundines, 35 Robins, 2 Whinchats just off the reserve, but only 1 Blackbird; also Whitethroat, 2 Blackcaps and 23 Chiffchaffs. I missed LSW, 2 Kingfishers and the 3 Spotted Flies, which have been hanging round the car park for the last 2 weeks.
The highlight of the morning was a splendid fresh plumaged Wood Warbler. For those who regularly watch the coastal hotspots this may be an annual treat, but this was my first here since 1983 and my first in Kent since 1990. It was no. 100 for me for Sevenoaks this year, but I was not applauded all the way back to the pavilion.
(Martin Coath)
Sunday 25th August Wouldham
Three Peregrine north of the village this morning, a flock of 8 Curlew flying over (the first since April) and, along the river, 2 Green Sandpiper, 4 Common Sandpiper (9 yesterday) and a Kingfisher.
(Ian Shepherd)
Friday 24th August Dartford
Walking into work this morning through Dartford stunning views of a sparrowhawk mullering a sparrow right in right of me. I could hear the frantic squeaks of the sparrow as it was transported off to meet its fate. As I crossed Millpond Road 2 shovelers flew over with a group of Canada geese. Great stuff - now time for work.....................
(James Hunter)
Thursday 23rd August Shellness, Sheppey
A quick visit to Shellness, Sheppey, between 06:45-07:45 this morning resulted in 2x adult Arctic Skuas (1 dark morph), with 1 across the beach down to 30ft harassing Sandwich Terns, 15 Gannets and 3 Black Terns.
(Adam Whitehouse)
Wednesday 22nd August Bough Beech
Bough Beech 4:30 - 6:00 in strong winds and grey murky conditions the white-winged black tern was seen on and off in the company of 2 juv and 1 moulting adult black terns, though often at long range. 4 turnstones flew through calling as they went and single common and green sandpipers were present on the North lake. The highlight was probably getting back into the car!
(James Hunter)
Wednesday 22nd August Greenhithe
A twenty minute stop off at Greenhithe on my way back from Thanet turned up 34 Common Tern, 3 Arctic Tern (2 juvs), 5 Black Tern and 9 Sandwich Tern. All headed west and all spiralled up and went over the bridge. They never go under!
Also 17 Oystercatcher and 9 Ringed Plover.
(Andrew Lawson)
Tuesday 21st August Shellness, Sheppey
Considering the wind Shellness was a bit disappointing today but there was quite a bit of rain in the morning and visibility varied from poor to nearly zero. Birds seen included 30 Arctic Skuas, 3 Fulmars, 30 Kittiwakes, 230 Gannets, 13 Black Terns and 23 C. Scoters [all males but one]. There were 2 Wheatears on the road near Muswell.
(Dick Elvy)
Tuesday 21st August Bough Beech Reservoir
A juvenile White-winged Black Tern was at Bough Beech Reservoir at lunch time with two Black Terns, at least one Arctic Tern and a few Little Egrets.
(Andy Appleton)
Sunday 19th August Haysden & Hawden
A Yellowhammer, two Linnets, one Reed Warbler, two Willow Warblers (in the Shallows) and about 20 Chiffchaff were at Haysden. There were 29 Mute Swans (27 on Barden and two at Hawden), a Kingfisher at Hawden and two juvenile Wrens by the Medway (cute).
(Andy Appleton)
Friday 17th August Greenhithe
Seven adult Yellow Legged Gulls present with one at close range on the southern shore. Also 400 LBB Gulls roosting over at Thurrock and a family party of 6 Oystercatcher.
(Andrew Lawson)