November 2006 Sightings

Ashenbank Wood - Paul Larkin ©

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.

Sunday 26th November Dartford Marshes & Greenhithe

The gulls were back! About 400 Herring Gulls, 50 Lesser Black-Backed Gulls and 20 Greater-Black Backed Gulls feeding on the rubbish being sorted.  These birds, it seems, come here to make the most of the 'overtime' being worked on this site when other sites nearby are closed. 500 Starlings were also present.

The New Diggings Pit held 9 Wigeon, 4 Gadwall, 1 Pochard, 3 Tufted Duck and the female Ruddy Duck along with an all white (bar black primaried) Black Headed Gull amongst the 700 other Black Headed Gulls. A pair of Kestrels hovered nearby.

Across the road there were 5 Ring-Necked Parakeets in the trees adjacent to the Glaxo Pools whilst a Little Egret fed around the pools as did 4 Shoveler.

I took a (depressing) look at what's left of Littlebrook.  A large Gull roost held 500+ Lesser Black Backeds and several thousand Black Heads.

The Thames also had several thousand newly arrived Black Heads along with 200 Lesser Black-Backs, 20 Greater Black Backeds, 15 Herring Gull and 3 Adult and 1 3rd winter Yellow Legged Gulls. 210 Redshank were again roosting on the Kent side.

(Andrew Lawson)

Lesser Black Backed Gull (presumed intermedius) - Andrew Lawson ©

Sunday 26th November Sevenoaks Reserve

Saw my first Siskins this winter, with a flock of approx 30 birds feeding on the alders near the river Darent.
The Red-crested Pochard was still to be seen, but no sign of the Goldeneye or Goosander from the previous week.
(Ray Baker)

Saturday 25th November Grove Green, Maidstone

Just back from a short holiday but before I left on Saturday I had a pair of blackcap feeding in my garden on Grove Green Maidstone at about 09.45.

(Bill Stoneham)

Saturday 25th November Wrotham/Trottiscliffe

A Common Buzzard sitting in the field bordered by Wrotham Water Lane this afternoon. Feeding on worms. I managed to get within 50 metres of it in the car.
(Steve Nunn)

Saturday 25th November New Hythe

It was mercifully dry yesterday as I arrived at New Hythe at a gentlemanly hour to carry out my montly count. It was also sufficiently mild for my hands to dispense with their winter plumage. I recorded 52 species, but failed to set eyes on the Ferruginous Duck, despite the fact that fellow Saganaut Martin Warburton and Sagadog Flossie had seen it an hour earlier.
My highlights were the 2 Goosander, including a fine male, and a drake Goldeneye. Compared with a month before Coot were slightly up at 635, Tufted well up at 295 and Pochard had quadrupled to 76. Gadwall had also quadrupled to 75 and Shoveler leapt to 45. I would like to congratulate all these species on a good showing, but few of them subscribe to Kosnet, so I won't bother.
Great-crested Grebes were steady at 23; they seem to vary little from month to month in a normal year, but Dabchicks were up to at least 8. Blackbirds had increased from 5 to 31, reflecting the usual late November increase in W. Kent, although Sevenoaks WR shows no evidence of this to date. Song Thrushes were also more in evidence and there were about 50 Redwings. Best Passerines were a pair of Stonechats and 2 separate Chiffchaffs, late arrivals from who knows where.
The most interesting sight was of 2 Green Woodpeckers squaring up to each other on the grassy sward by the sewage works. They were shaking their heads rythmically from side to side several times and then up and down. BWP describes this as a threat display, probably over winter territory, although the birds were not close enough to see if they were both males. Has anyone else seen this behaviour?
Altogether this was an entertaining and involving trip.
(Martin Coath)

Saturday 25th November Dartford Marshes & Greenhithe

A quick jaunt down to the New Diggings to start with. I scanned the recycling centre and found that all 2000 Herring Gulls had gone. The pit had 3 Wigeon, 4 Gadwall, 5 Little Grebe, 5 Lapwing, 300+ Black Headed Gull, 50+ Common Gull and 34 Lesser Black Backed Gull. The marshy field held 15 Pied Wagtail and 1 Redshank.
I drove to Greenhithe and parked up. 226 Redshank were roosting on the Kent side and other waders present were 1 Oystercatcher and 3 Curlew. The larger Gulls were roosting on the Thurrock side and were nearly all Lesser Black Backeds. 1 2nd winter Yellow Legged Gull patrolled the river and a grey wagtail flew over.
(Andrew Lawson)

Sunday 19th November Dartford & Crayford Marshes

For the first weekend in a while, all was quiet on the twitching front so I spent a couple of hours on Dartford Marshes. A quick look at the 'new diggings' revealed high numbers of Gulls including an unusually high number of Herring Gulls. A quick glance at the recycling centre nearby showed that a major arrival of Herring Gulls had taken place. Other birds on the pit: 15 Gadwall, 4 Little Grebe, 3 Pochard, 8 Wigeon, 1 Lapwing & 2 Green Sandpiper.
I drove round to Crayford to view the Gulls and counted 2000 Herring Gulls. One of the workmen confirmed that there were only 50 'small' gulls present a few days before and he was intrigued to know where they had all come from, as was I, especially as I don't recall seeing this number before in Dartford. Perhaps they get numbers like this over at Rainham?
My first impression was that some were Northern Argentatus and some of my photographs seem to confirm that. However, some (most?) of the birds I photographed were Western/British Argenteus as these birds were slighter built with smaller, rounded heads. So it's difficult to say why so many would arrive in one go.  There was also one 'yellow legged' Argentatus which is in the pic below.
The walk back turned up a Firecrest which was feeding and singing above the path.
(Andrew Lawson)

Herring Gulls (mainly!) - Andrew Lawson ©

Sunday 19th November Sevenoaks Reserve

Seen at the Sevenoaks Reserve on Saturday 18th :-
1 drake Goldeneye
2 female Goosander
2 male Mandarin & 1 female
1 peculiarly pale female Red-crested Pochard
(Ray Baker)

Saturday 18th November New Hythe

Just for a change Flossie and I walked round the lakes this morning. Frost was still on the ground and the Ferruginous duck on Brooklands lake.

After years of famine, sightings of Rook a plenty in recent weeks and another today:a single over the sunken marsh.

A male Blackcap there was a bit of a surprise.

Male and female Goldeneye still on Abbeymead and 2 Snipe on Kidney lake.No sign late morning of the pair of Goosander on Sewage works/Mill steam lake re ported earlier by Terry Laws.

Two separate sightings of Sparrowhawk (probably the same bird).
(Martin Warburton)

Saturday 18th November Barming, Maidstone

13 Lapwings present on the field at adjacent to Barming Church, Maidstone on Saturday and a noticeable increase numbers of Fieldfares/Redwings...but no Hawfinches (as yet!).
(Adam Whitehouse)

Wednesday 15th November Allhallows sea front

A relaxing ebb tide count on seats along the front only, at a pleasant 16 oC.
Little Egret - 2.
Brent Goose - 82, inc. only 1 x 4 juvs.
Shelduck - 2, also 24 Y. est.
Pintail - 1 f. w.
Marsh Harrier - 1 2nd. Y. m. south off Thames, a migrant.
Oystercatcher - 140.
Ringed Plover - 26.
Grey Plover - 34.
Golden Plover - 9.
Dunlin - 450.
Knot - 20, arrived from nw. with Black Tails.
Redshank - 80.
Curlew - 67.
Black Tailed Godwit - 510 , arrived from nw.
Bar Tailed Godwit - 15.
Turnstone - 22.
Med. Gull - 1 FW. on pebbles, flew inland.
Common Gull - 22 ads, 1 FW. at roost.
Chaffinch - 12 w.
Red Admiral - 1 in garden am

(Trevor Bowley)

Sunday 12th November Cliffe RSPB

The Little Auks were still present on Alpha Pool and were feeding amongst the 20+ Little Grebes. Also one adult Med Gull along with a first winter Yellow Legged Gull. 100s of Redshank on Higham Bight and a Chiffchaff below the radar.

(Richard Bonser)

Yellow Legged Gull - Richard Bonser ©

Meditteranean Gull - Richard Bonser ©

Saturday 11th November Cliffe RSPB

Mary and I went to the Alpha pool for good views of our first Little Auk - I'd have no chance sea-watching with my eyesight!!!-and later had very good view of a beautiful male Hen Harrier hunting in the field to the east of the second mound. (Mike Tuckey)

Thursday 9th November Cliffe RSPB

Little auk showed well at Cliffe on Alpha pool.

(James Hunter)

Little Auk - James Hunter ©

Wednesday 8th November Cliffe RSPB

Quite a good selection of birds this afternoon on high tide at Cliffe, mainly on the Flamingo Pool. These included; 245 shelduck, 64 shoveler, 85 tufted duck, 1 hunting peregrine, 455 lapwing, 220 grey plover, 130 ringed plover, c.3000 dunlin, 535 black'wit, 475 avocet, 1 greenshank, 425 herring gull, 185 GBB gull, 35 LBB gull, 2 yellow-legged gull, 4 corn bunting.

(Michael Ellison)

Monday 6th November New Hythe

Flossie took me for a walk round the lakes this morning in the sunshine.

Good views of the Ferruginous duck on Brooklands. I assume it is the same bird as earler in the year but it is much more obliging often out in the middle of the lake associating with the Pochard.

The male Goldeneye is still on Abbeymead and Cetti's warbler still in song around the lake.

The only waders were 20 Lapwing flying up river and a single Snipe over the western scrub.

No sign of the Green Sandpiper on Kidney lake ,which Flossie's friend Terry saw yesterday.

Vying with the Ferruginous duck for bird of the day was a Rook west of the railway- quite a rarity for New Hythe.

A number of Common Darter still about  also one or two Migrant Hawker and a Red Admiral.
(Martin Warburton)

Saturday 4th November Greenhithe 3pm - 4pm

250+ Dunlin, 400 Redshank and a few Curlew were present. 400+ Lesser Backed Gulls and 6 Yellow Legged Gulls were on the Thurrock side of the river.  The only close large gull on the Kent side was this bird:

General opinion was in favour of 'hybrid' with some others suggesting Lesser Backed Backed Gull or 'omissus' Herring Gull.

(Andrew Lawson)

Friday 3rd November 2006 Cliffe Pools RSPB

Time of visit: 09:40 - 15.30
High tide at Gravesend 10.40

The walk from St Helen's church via Buttway Lane to the footpath by the radar tower yielded collared dove, blackbird, magpie, crow, blue tit, pied wagtail, rook, chaffinch, house sparrow, pheasant and great tit.
Viewing the Pools from the public footpath from the tower, and the view point at the bottom of the hill I saw herring gull, shelduck, lapwing, redshank, little egret, great crested grebe, black headed gull, coot, avocet, oystercatcher, grey plover and great black-backed gull.  There was also a huge flock of black-tailed godwit and an even larger flock of dunlin.  These 2 flocks lifted off and swirled around and away to the back of the reserve with only small numbers settling near their original position.
As I made my way between the pools I added grey heron, wigeon, mallard, little grebe, shoveler, jackdaw, robin, woodpigeon, tufted duck, dunnock, canada goose, starling, pochard and teal.  Going down Pickles Way I saw song thrush, a small flock of fieldfare flushed from some bushes as I passed, goldfinch and long-tailed tit.
There was a curlew on the mud at the mouth of Cliffe creek, and as I looked back from there across the reserve I saw a male hen harrier.  The walk back to Cliffe added meadow pipit and pintail.
(Warren Mann)

Friday 3rd November Grain sea front

08.30 to 11.30 hrs.  0/8 cloud,  nw 1 - 2,  HT.   10.10 hrs.  5 oC. at 08.00 hrs.
Assume all species flying west into Thames, unless otherwise  indicated:
  Red Throated Diver -  2.
  Great Crested Grebe -  6.
  Heron -  1.
  Cormorant -  5.
  Brent Goose -  30.
  Shelduck -  8.
  Wigeon -  12.
  Red Breasted Merganser -  2.
  Pochard -  1 dr. with 18 Scoter.
  Common Scoter -  224 imms, inc.  1 flock 180, also 53 se.
  Lapwing -  108.
  Dunlin -  15.
  Herring Gull -  360.
  Common Gull -  5.
  Little Auk -  4, also 1 e. all between 09.50 to 11.00  hrs.
  Meadow Pipit -  4.
  Chaffinch -  6.
  Skylark -  30.
  Green Woodpecker -  1 on sea front.
  Small Tortoise -  2.
(Trevor Bowley)