Sept'07

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Mammals: A stoat gave excellent views as it crossed the wooden bridge beside the observation layby on 4th.

A Mink was in the same location on the 12th. Bad news for the birds!

Species List for 2007

To view the complete list of species recorded so far this year please click here.

Just reporting that the Grey Phalarope was seen again by our group at 1600 today on the Swale near to the seawall c 400m west of the KWT building. It flew in from the west, spent about five minutes on the surface 50m from us, then flew off to the east. (John Parish)

September 29

A Grey Phalarope was reported as being on Faversham Creek near The Shipwright's pub. (Rod Joiner)

We arrived today at 11.30 a couple of hours before high tide but the tide was already well in. The weather was absolutely appalling with torrential rain moving across Oare from the north. We were unable to thoroughly check the East flood because of the rain. However we noted, c500 Black-tailed Godwits, c150 Redshank, c100 Dunlins, 13 Curlew Sandpipers, 2 Little Stints, 7 Knot, 2 Snipe, 3 Turnstones, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit and 10 Avocets, a species which has been strangely mostly absent recently. There was a single juvenile Arctic Tern. We met a couple of people who had earlier seen 2 Arctic Skuas, 1 Great Skua and 2 Little Gulls. We moved to view The Swale. By now the rain was pelting down and visibility was very poor but we did see an adult Little Gull struggling its way up the river. The tide was by now exceptionally high and high tide was still an hour away! We left because the weather was too bad to continue. (Chris Abrams, Mike Gould)

We arrived this morning at about 10.15 to view the arrival of birds on the incoming tide. We located 2 Little Stints, 7 Curlew Sandpipers, c500 Black-tailed Godwits, 5 Bar-tailed Godwits, just 4 Golden Plovers, c200 Dunlins, 7 Snipe, c200 Redshank, 20 Ruff, 1 Greenshank, 1 Avocet, 7 Wigeon and 1 Water Rail. A Kingfisher showed several times today from the viewing point on the road. A Green Sandpiper was on the new western scrape.

There was a stiff northwesterly breeze and seawatching, we learnt, had been productive at Reculver. From the seawatching hide we had 2 groups of Arctic Skuas, 4 and 5 individuals respectively which made their way up The Swale and 15 Brent Geese. There was quite a large flock of Wigeon distantly on the river. Those were our only highlights.

After lunch we returned and located 3 Spotted Redshanks and 4 Knot. We met the Saganauts there, Peter Lloyd, Martin Warburton and Terrry Laws and they had doubled our earlier counts of two species, recording 4 Little Stints and 14 Curlew Sandpipers. Three Whimbrels flew in and landed on the East Flood calling noisily then a minute later 4 flew off. From the west hide we noted 1 Marsh Harrier over Sheppey, a Sparrowhawk and 8 Avocets flying down The Swale. We also met Mick Sinden who had seen 12 Little Gulls and several groups of 5 Arctic Skuas. He was unsure as to whether he was seeing the same 5 birds. (Chris Abrams, Tim Robson)

Spent 45mins in sea wall hide with Mick Sinden who obviously had an extensive sea watch this morning. I saw 9 Arctic Skuas inc 6 pale morph together at close range, 6 Gannets 1 Little Gull (apparently a small raft at mouth of creek of this sp after I left) 10 Brents, 1 Peregrine and 3 Marsh Harriers across Swale to Sheppey. On E flood 11 Snipe, 5 Little Stints, 9 Ruff, 3 Curlew Sands (missed out on numbers today) 1 Spott Red and BTG`s, Dunlin etc. On falling tide by slipway W in saltmarsh 4 Whimbrel and 1 Greenshank working the runnells. Disappointingly I could not identify a distant perched BOP which because of its brilliant white plumage I thought it could be Osprey. It was on Harty bank side ,perched on pole, white facial area, breast and belly with gleaming vent area (or so it seemed). Crown, neck and mantle appeared buff, brown. It "flopped" into the bankside with wings spread as though covering prey and showed whitish upper tail, rump area.As I say, all from a distance. I discounted juv Osprey (no white crown) and favoured a very light phase Buzzard. (Mike Roser)

I arrived at midday to a strongish northwesterly wind so I headed straight for the seawatching hide. A Cettis Warbler was singing lustily from the reedbed. Anticipating a good seawatch I entered the hide to find Murray Wright there. He said that passage was slow and so indeed it was. During my stay I noted 2 Bonxies, 60 Kittiwakes, 10 Gannets, 2 Arctic Terns and 2 Little Gulls. I moved on to the East Flood Hide. Watching from there and from the road I noted c350 Black-tailed Godwits, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, c150 Common Redshanks, 25 Common Snipe, 2 Grey Plovers, 1 Golden Plover, 5 Little Stints, 13 Curlew Sandpipers, c100 Dunlin and 25 Ringed Plovers. As I reached the road a flock of 12 Pink-footed Geese flew north over the western side of the reserve. I met Peter Lloyd who had also noted a Spoonbill which appeared from nowhere and headed off North towards Sheppey. (Chris Abrams)

Ian Harding had higher counts than me of some species noting 6 Little Stints, 3 Bar-tailed Godwits, 1 Greenshank, 1 Knot and 2 Spotted Redshanks.

09:15 - 14:00 - 13 Arctic Skuas, 36 Bonxies, 315 Kittiwakes, 16 Little Gulls, 25 Arctic Terns, 11 Sandwich Terns and 113 Gannets. Plus 2 Merlins flew north across the Swale to Sheppey, and a Peregrine flew south. (Murray Wright)

I went down this afternoon at 3.15 p.m. for a couple of hours sea watching. I was surprised that no-one else had the same idea. Immediately, I saw a flock of 100 Kittiwakes landing on the sea by the exposing mud. There were at least three Little Gulls with them. In the next two hours, I saw a total of 350 Kittiwakes, another 150 flew up the Swale in one flock and a flock of 100 were seen soaring above the South Swale reserve. Other birds included six Gannets (all juveniles which came close to the sewatch hide), one Pomarine Skua chasing Kittiwakes at the mouth of the creek, two Arctic Skuas up the Swale, seven Great Skuas, eight Little Gulls, two Common Terns, eight Arctic Terns and a Black Tern flying west up the Swale or over the flood.

A morning visit on the incoming tide. On the east flood, waders included 270 Golden Plover, 13 Little Stints, 40 Curlew Sandpipers, 550 Black-tailed Godwits, a Spotted Redshank, 230 Redshank and a Turnstone. Two Wigeon were also there. A Green Sandpiper was on the new west scrape, a Wheatear was in the grass nearby and a Greenshank was seen over both floods. Two Whimbrel were on the flats west of the slipway and single Sandwich, Little and Arctic Terns were seen over the Swale, the latter landing briefly near the slipway. A Kingfisher perched briefly on rocks by the slipway. There were 19 Shelduck at the mouth of the creek. A Pochard was seen again on the main west dyke. There were six Wheatears around Dan's Dock and another towards the Uplees copse. Opposite the cottages there were both Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers, a Mistle Thrush, single Blackcap and Chiffchaff with two Cetti's Warbler singing in the scrub. A Jay was in the cottage gardens. A flock of at least seven Long-tailed Tits with attendant Chiffchaff were in the hedge behind the east hide. The Harris Hawk was seen several times over Mocketts Hill.

I visited today at 16.45. The light was perfect on the East Flood. As it was low tide most waders were absent but I counted 15 Little Stints including one adult and 31 juvenile Curlew Sandpipers. The adult Spotted Redshank was roosting with around 250 Black-tailed Godwits. There were 10 Ruff and 2 Common Snipe. A Lttle Egret was feeding in the dyke as near as possible to the road and took no notice of anyone whatsoever. Oare really is a fantastic place for viewing birds at close quarters. (Chris Abrams)

On the East flood this morning 22 Curlew Sandpipers (all juvs), 4 Spotted Redshanks (one adult and 3 juvs), 9 Little Stints and 1 Knot. A hobby hunted starlings/waders briefly but was unsuccessful. (Paul Cox)

Further to the listings for already posted, Dick Bailey and I had the following minimum numbers from the East flood between 07.15-10.30:
Greenshank 3, Cetti's Warbler 4, Snipe 45+, Water Rail 3, Avocet 6, Black-tailed Godwit 20+, Bearded Tit 12, Ruff 30+, Dunlin 25+, Yellow,Wagtail 1, Reed Warbler 1, Golden Plover 138, Sparrowhawk 1,,Wheatear 1 (sluice), Whinchat 1 (sluice), Stonechat 1 (sluice), Green Woodpecker 1 (Sluice)

Common Seal 5 on Horseshoe Sands on incoming tide. (Keith Privett)

September 22
An afternoon visit on the rising tide. There were 30 Curlew Sandpipers on the east flood. They seemed very agitated, flying around frequently in small flocks, sometimes gaining height before dropping down again. I think some of them may leave soon. There was also four Little Stints, an adult Spotted Redshank, a drake Gadwall and drake Pintail. A Wood Sandpiper was on the new west scrape before transferring to the east flood. A Greenshank flew from the creek over the flood and a Whimbrel did the opposite. On Horse Island there were two Greenshanks and the leucistic Curlew has returned. A Little Owl was present to the east of the cottages, there were two Whinchats near the sluice and three Stonechats behind the eastern sea wall. Two-three Reed Warblers were calling from the reeds behind the sea wall. A single Chiffchaff was calling opposite the cottages. A few Swallows were moving south and one Sand Martin also. A Sparrowhawk flew over the east hide.

A visit late afternoon provided perfect views over the East flood and light conditions were superb for photography. The bird of the day was a superb Wood Sandpiper which obligingly flew from the west scrape onto the east scrape providing excellent views. Fortunately Steve Ashton was there to capture the moment.

There was not much different to note. There were c 200 Black-tailed Godwits, c150 Redshank, 1 Spotted Redshank, 4 Little Stints, 14 Curlew Sandpipers, 7 Common Snipe, 15 Ruff, 4 Golden Plovers and 20 Ringed Plovers. The eclipse Pintail was still present. (Chris Abrams)

Spent the morning at Oare Marsh, Uplees first 4 curlew, 6 oystercatchers, 17 black tailed godwit and a few redshank on the mud....In the copse 1 green woodpecker, small flock of goldfinch and linnet. Then on the East flood right in the corner by Swale hide a family group of Bearded Reedlin. Spent most of my visit photographing these... (Mick Southcott)

September 20

The period 0730-1030 included strong, but intermittent W passage of House Martins c.150 every 10-15 mins. 2 Buzzards were mixing it with corvids, a Peregrine and a Sparrowhawk all sparring over Harty bank. The East flood had 42 Curlew Sandpipers, 18 Ruff, 1 Spotted Redshank, 2 Little Stint, 20 Ringed Plovers, c.400 Black-tailed Godwits, 26 Dunlin and 2 Snipe (below the sea-wall hide). 1 Whimbrel and 2 Greenshank associated with my walk to Uplees, plus 2 Bar-tailed Godwits. 3 Wheatears were noted and the finch flocks included a party of 22 Linnets. There were 13 Seals on Horse Sands. (Mike Roser)

In addition to the above a Grey Wagtail which flew SW over the path to the West Hide circa 09:15 towards the fishing ponds was new for the year - always an uncommon species on the reserve. Also 2 Kingfishers on the the way to the West Hide and 2 singing Cetti's Warblers in the paddocks. A steady W passage of House Martins all morning. A Pintail was on the East Flood, and the regular Hobby was hunting over the flood circa midday. A Wheatear was around the East Hide. (Murray Wright)

08.00-11.30 Paddocks area, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Blackcap. From the East flood hide I had 5 Little Stints, 1 Garganey, 1 Pintail, 28 Dunlin, 37 Ringed Plovers, 2 Spotted Redshanks (1Adult; 1 juv) 7 Common Snipe. Car Park area: 1 Cetti's Warbler. (Mike Stevens)

An early morning vsit, the tide was falling and it was extremely cold with a strengthening westerly wind. On the east flood there was a flock of 31 Curlew Sandpipers (all apparently juveniles), 30 Knot, four Little Stints and three Spotted Redshanks. Amongst the duck there were three juvenile Shelduck, five Wigeon, the drake Pintail and 29 Shoveler. A pair of Mute Swans was with five fledged young but there was no sign of the white "Polish" cygnet. A Hobby was present atop the elder bush on the west flood until 8 when it was replaced by a Carrion Crow. There were single Greenshank and Green Sandpipers on the new west scrape. On the main west dyke there were single Pochard and Tufted Duck and the second brood of seven Mute Swans. There were 10 Avocets at the mouth of the creek, at least one Whimbrel on the foreshore and an Arctic Tern over the Swale. A Chiffchaff was in the car park bushes and a Wheatear and a Whinchat were by the Dan's Dock reservoir. A Little Owl was heard calling opposite the cottages where there were single Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers, two Mistle Thrushes with a Turtle Dove on the telegraph wires over the fields behind.

A brief visit on the incoming tide in the afternoon. There was notably only one Golden Plover on the east flood and an adult Little Stint was present with three juveniles. There were many House Martins over the flood and a single Sand Martin was seen. On the Swale, there were 15 Sandwich Terns resting on the last remnants of mud and fishing over the Swale.

At high tide this afternoon there was a large flock of Black-headed Gulls on The Swale where the road meets the river. The flock included half a dozen Common Gulls and a single winter adult Mediterranean Gull. (Chris Abrams)

A flying visit today at 16.00. I found 9 Curlew Sandpipers and 4 Little Stints. The Black-tailed Godwit flock numbered around 350 brds, there were 45 Ringed Plovers, c100 Dunlins and 60 Golden Plovers. I couldn't locate any Common Snipe although 7 were reported as being seen earlier. (Chris Abrams)

I managed a short seawatch from the Sea Wall hide this afternoon from 12:00 to 15:30 - perhaps a bit late in the day as the NW wind was moderating all the time. Still I managed 6 Arctic Skuas - a group of four and later a pair, which flew in low and then circled high over the Swale before heading back out east; lots of 'commic' and Sandwich Terns, plus 7 Little Terns; circa 25 Kittiwakes; 10 Gannets all well out except for one immature which headed west up the Swale. (Murray Wright)

Another early visit, I arrived at 06.55. Because it was raining I stopped in the car to overlook the East Flood. The Curlew Sandpipers and Little Stints were feeding close to the road. I counted 17 Curlew Sandpipers and 6 Little Stints. There were again numerous Ruff and 150 Black-tailed Godwits were roosting there. Snipe numbers were high with well over 20 birds noted. I then walked across to the west scrape hide. A Cettis Warbler was singing from the vegetation near the gate and a Green Woodpecker was feeding on the raised bank (another bird we don't get in Northern Ireland!). From the hide I noted a Hobby perched on a bush and got excellent 'scope views. I then walked around the East Flood noting 2 Spotted Redshanks in the area of marsh near the seawatching hide. A male Bearded Tit showed well again there and a Cetti's Warbler was singing from the top of a bush right out in the open - the best views I have ever had of this species. From the seawatching hide I watched 8 Little Terns flying up The Swale. Walking back towards the Car Park 5 Whimbrel flew over heading west. On the new western scrape there was a Green Sandpiper and a Greenshank. (Jeff Larkin)

A damp start to the day but spririts were lifted by the sight of 29 Curlew Sandpipers on the East Flood and 6 Little Stints. Also present were 25 Dunlins. By about 10:00 hours 3 Spotted Redshanks had arrived although one immediately headed off towards the creek. Behind the East Hide was a Great Spotted Woodpecker (M) and from the hide I noted 17 Ringed Plovers, 1 Stonechat (M), 2 Yellow Wagtails, 23 Common Snipe, 127 Black Tailed Godwits and 2 Garganeys. By the time I left at 12:00 there were 420+ Black-Tailed Godwits on the Flood but Curlew Sandpiper numbers had reduced to 9. Also present at that time was 1 Whimbrel and 1 Greenshank. Working around the flood anti-clockwise there was nothing of note on the creek flats but in front of the Sea Hide and further along towards the slipway I noted 9 Knots, 12 Grey Plovers, 40 Black-Tailed Godwits, 2 Curlew Sandpipers, 21 Ringed Plovers and about the same number of Dunlins. Cetti's were heard both by the car park and near the entrance to the path leading to the West hide. On the 'New' West Pool were 1 Green Sandpiper and 1 Greenshank. Finally, as I was leaving I saw Mike Gould, he'd been to the Copse and mentioned sighting 5 Wheatears, 4 Whinchats, good numbers of Whimbrel and Greeshanks and Common, Sandwich and Little Terns over the Swale. (Mike Stevens)

I arrived today shortly after 7 and spent 2 and a half hours walking around the East Flood. There was a Cetti's Warbler in the car park in the biggest bush which fortunately showed reasonably well. Most of the Black-tailed Godwits were on the mudflats along with 23 Grey Plovers, 5 Knot, c20 Ringed Plovers and c30 Dunlins. In the corner behind the seawatching hide 4 Bearded Tits showed really well including 2 males. It was very calm so this obviously helped. There were 9 Ruff and 2 Spotted redshanks in the corner of the marsh but there was a total of 23 Ruff in total on the East Flood. I counted 15 Curlew Sandpipers and 2 Little Stints but there were probably more.

There were no Golden Plovers on the flood. There were eight Yellow Wagtails mostly on the mud - we don't get these in Northern Ireland where I live. There was a single Green Sandpiper on the new western scrape and 2 Whimbrels flew over calling. (Jeff Larkin)

I am pleased to be able to relate that the road has been fixed on the descent to Oare and people will no longer be damaging the sumps of their cars! There were plenty of birds on the east flood today on the incoming tide. There was the highest total of Curlew Sandpipers so far this year - we counted 23. There were 5 Little Stints, 3 Spotted Redshanks, 1 Knot, 12 Snipe, 550 Black-tailed Godwits, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 250 Redshanks, 20 Dunlins and 400 Golden Plovers. The Kingfisher showed briefly once again and there was a single Garganey. On the mudflats were 6 Whimbrels and at least 20 Little Egrets. At 13.10 a group of 4 Arctic Skuas (3 dark and one pale phase) flew up The Swale affording excellent views. Bearded Tits called from the reeds and two Cetti's Warblers were seen chasing each other in the reedbed about 75 yards up from the car park. 2 Stonechats were near the seawatching hide. On the western side of the reserve along the seawall was a Whinchat and a single Hobby was seen. On the new scrape on the west side was a Common Sandpiper. (Chris Abrams, Jeff Larkin)

September 14

On arrival I could get no further in my car than the cottages since the road was being dug up. It gave me an opportunity to scan the paddocks etc. Unfortunately assiduous scanning produced nothing at all but I did hear 1 Cetti’s. Leaving my car at the cottages I managed to squeeze past the road repairs on foot and set off past the pull-in to circumnavigate the East Flood. From the pull-in I noted 7 Little Stints, 10 Curlew Sandpipers, 21 Ringed Plover, 11 Common Snipe and a handful of Dunlins. No Blackwits at all. Passing the car park the resident Cetti’s was in fine voice. On the flats were 56 Knots, 115 Ringed Plover, over 60 Grey Plovers and about 30 Dunlins. A Yellow Wagtail crossed the path in front of me. There was considerable Bearded Reedling activity although only 3 gave views. On the flats in front of the Sea Hide were a further 37 Grey Plovers and 30+ Dunlins. Behind the Sea Hide another Cetti’s was making its presence known. There were 2 Spotted Redshanks in the NE Corner of the Flood (3 reported later) along with 9 Ruffs and 6 Common Snipe. On the flats along the creek were 170+ Redshanks and 1 Greenshank together with 7 Curlews and 2 Whimbrels.

By 10:00 Black tailed Godwits had put in an appearance on the Flood with about 400 present. By mid-day their numbers had risen to 700+. More numerous still were Golden Plovers with 800+ arriving more or less en masse. If the Dotterel was among them I didn’t see it. A Hobby zoomed through on two occasions causing widespread alarm without, as far as I could see, meeting with any success. As I left Little Stints numbered 8 and Curlew Sandpipers 14, Spotted Redshanks 3, Common Snipe 25, Ruffs 36, Ringed Plovers 19 and Dunlin 21. 1 Greenshank put in an appearance and there were 5+ Knots among the Blackwits.

1 Little Ringed Plover and a count of 27 Common Snipe was reported. (Mike Stevens)

September 13

Another beautiful afternoon with very light easterly winds. High tide produced almost exactly the same selection of birds as yesterday in roughly the same numbers. The Golden Plover flock, minus Dotterel, unfortunately, was again present - around 700 birds. The 5 Little Stints were still around as were 15 Curlew Sandpipers, 2 Greenshanks and 2 Spotted Redshanks. Recently the latter species can often be found in the small patch of the marsh near the seawatching hide. The Harris Hawk was again seen over Sheppey. (Chris Abrams, Paul Cox)

An early morning visit, clear, calm, coolly autumnal but beautiful. Low tide, rather quiet, but on the east flood there were 12 Curlew Sandpipers, two Little Stints, a Spotted Reshank, four Gadwall, 73 Teal whilst two Water Rails showed well in the NE corner. Four Avocets flew over the flood before settling at the mouth of the creek. In the fields behind the east hide, a Wheatear was perched on the piles of earth and a Corn Bunting was with the Linnet flock. Some disturbance on the east flood revealed 13 Little Egrets and a Greenshank and a Green Sandpiper was on the new west scrape. Four Whimbrel were on the foreshore to the east of the slipway. The trees and scrub to the west of the cottages were fairly quiet, three Blackcaps were in one hawthorn bush, two Cetti's Warblers were singing and single Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers were also seen. A Peregrine was on one of the pylons in the fields behind. A single Cetti's Warbler sang near the car park and a Reed Warbler was in the trees there.

A beautiful day and viewing the East Flood in the afternoon could not have been better. There was a roost of 650 Golden Plovers, 450 Black-tailed Godwits, c200 Redshanks, 2 Greenshanks, 30 Ruff, 2 Spotted Redshanks, 12 Ringed Plovers, 1 Whimbrel, 30 Dunlins, 6 Snipe, 10 Curlew Sandpipers and 6 Little Stints including one adult. Amongst the ducks were 2 Gadwall and a Wigeon. A Kingfisher was seen as was a Hobby. On the mud as the tide lowered were 8 Avocets, 2 Grey Plovers and a Bar-tailed Godwit. 2 Brent Geese were on the exposed sandbank where the seals rest up. A Cettis Warbler called from the reeds about 50 yards from the gate near the car park. A Wheatear was on the telegraph wires beside the road. (Chris Abrams, Terry Laws, John Tilbrook)

3 Arctic Skuas (2 Dark phase and one pale phase) flew over the reserve and headed off inland. (Paul Cox)

September 11

At high tide today there were 650+ Black-tailed godwits, 550 Golden Plovers, 20 Ruff, 12 Snipe, 2 Spotted Redshanks, at least 15 Curlew Sandpipers and 2 Little Stints.

Mike spent well over one hour watching a hobby family SW of Dan's dock. En route he noted 2 Whimbrel and 1 Curlew on the flats just before they were covered by the incoming tide (the flats and not the birds!). There was nothing to be seen on the West Flood apart from one or two patches of baked earth and much vegetation. There might have been regiments of rarities there but unless they took to the air there's almost no chance of seeing them. No Little Owl could be detected from Dan's Dock but there was an immature Sedge Warbler in the brambles.

As the tide lowered there were 8 Curlew on the South Swale side of Faversham Creek and a Whimbrel flew over calling. A Little Owl was on the fence posts of the field near the East Flood hide. . (Chris Abrams, Mike Stevens)

A visit at high tide this afternoon failed to improve on numbers of birds reported earlier in the day when 17 Curlew Sandpipers, 2 Little Stints, 20 Ruff, a single Spotted Redshank, 2 Greenshanks and a Peregrine were reported. On our arrival a Hobby was chasing starlings over the East Flood. The waders were also disturbed and the Redshank flock was largely absent. 400 Black-tailed Godwits were present with 2 Snipe, 6 Knot and 10 Dunlins.

The wind was strengthening from the north west so we headed for the seawatching hide where we were rewarded with excellent views of a flock of over 50 Arctic Skuas. It was a fantastic sght! A further 14 flew up The Swale very close to us. There was scattering of Kittiwakes including a flock of 20. There werre c30 Common Terns. (Chris Abrams, Dave Howe)

A visit on the incoming tide. There were many Golden Plover on the east flood and more were pouring in (total of 750 birds) and more than one observer, independently, picked out a juvenile Dotterel amongst them at 10.30 a.m. The Dotterel was last seen at about 3 p.m.

Other waders included one Avocet, 74 Knot, a juvenile Little Stint, 17 Curlew Sandpipers, four Bar-tailed Godwits, two Whimbrel, three Spotted Redshanks, a Greenshank, a Green Sandpiper and a Turnstone. A Garganey was also present on the east flood.

Finally, and at last, in the evening, a Wood Sandpiper (the first of the year), dropped onto the east flood just before 7.

The juvenile Red-backed Shrike was again seen near the East Hide. (Mick Southcott)

September 8th

A juvenile Red-backed Shrike was reported as being on the fence near the East Flood hide late afternoon but sadly it didn't hang around.

Today was a KOS walk. 6 of us met in the car park at 9am prior to high tide. From the seawall we counted 60 Ringed Plovers, 40 Dunlin, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit and 3 Little Egrets. A flock of 8 Knot flew west and a Marsh Harrier showed distantly over Sheppey. Also very distantly we located a single Brent Goose. 3 Common and 2 Sandwich Terns were fishing in the river. A Hobby flew west over the reserve and a short time later from the seawatching hide we watched another crossing The Swale. Bearded Tits were showing occasionally in the reedbed. From the corner by the hide two Spotted Redshanks showed very well. A third was present amongst the godwit flock.

We moved on to the hide which overlooked the East Flood. From there we counted 250 Golden Plovers, 550 Black-tailed Godwits, 15 Ruff, 4 Snipe, 20 Dunlin, 6 Knot, 3 Whimbrel and 14 Curlew Sandpipers (later we met someone who had counted 17 birds). Moving on we paused to check the paddock and the adjacent scrub and found a Cetti's Warbler which showed well briefly before bursting into song. There was one Lesser Whitethroat there and a Green Woodpecker. From the road we located an immaculate juvenile Little Stint.

Checking through the ducks I eventually located a Garganey but there was no sign of the Pochards or the drake Gadwall which have been present recently. Perhaps the increase in wildfowling activity has taken care of them! (Chris Abrams, Ann Abrams, Mike Gould, Robin Mace, Roger Oliver, Heather Silk)

4 Stonechats and a Whinchat were near the sluice early in the morning. (Julian Russell, Warren Baker)

September 7th

A morning visit as the tide was coming in. Waders on the east flood included 115 Golden Plovers, one Knot, ten Curlew Sandpipers (two adults), 30 Dunlin, 20 Ruff, 540 Black-tailed Godwits, three Bar-tailed Godwits, one Whimbrel, one Spotted Redshank, 380 Redshank and four Turnstones. Ducks included one juvenile Shelduck, a drake Gadwall, one Garganey and three Pochards. 44 Ringed Plovers were on the mud to the west of the slipway and single Greenshank and Common Sandpiper were in the creek. Three more Whimbrel were on the mud as the tide receded. Two Sandwich Terns and a Common Tern were over the Swale. A Green Sandpiper was on the new west scrape, a Pochard was on the main west dyke and a Whinchat near Dan's Dock. Birds in the scrub/paddocks area included two Turtle Doves, a Green Woodpecker, two female Great Spotted Woodpeckers, two singing Cetti's Warblers,a Lesser Whitethroat and several Whitethroats. A Buzzard was seen over the Uplees Woods and a Hobby flew west over the floods.

We visited at low tide this afternoon. On the East Flood there were about 400 Black-tailed Godwits and as usual good numbers of Redshank. A single Spotted Redshank was feeding actively amongst the feeding godwits. 18 Ruff and 5 Snipe were counted. A flock of 40 Golden Plovers flew over and there were half a dozen birds at roost on the scrape. 5 juvenile Curlew Sandpipers kept loose company with a Knot and a Hobby flew over. (Chris Abrams, Mike Gould, Mick Sinden)

The tide was fairly high this evening when I visited but the Godwit flock was largely absent with only about 50 birds present. The Redshank flock, however, was as large as ever and amongst it was a Bar-tailed Godwit and a Whimbrel. There were seven Curlew Sandpipers present, two of which were adults. There were 15 Dunlin, 10 Ruff, two Snipe and a single Ringed Plover. It was fascinating to watch the large flocks of starlings descending to roost in the reedbed. (Chris Abrams)

I visited today before high tide and predictably wader numbers were lower. The only waders of note were a tight group of 6 Curlew Sandpipers of which 4 were juveniles. These birds were feeding right next to the road in a flock which included 12 Dunlins and one Knot. (Chris Abrams)

A very pleasant afternoon for a stroll around the reserve but there was nothing unexpected. The east flood held c550 Black-tailed Godwits, 2 juvenle Curlew Sandpipers and one adult, 10 Dunlins,30 Ruff and 5 Greenshank. A Water Rail called from the reedbed. The mobile flock of about 20 Yellow Wagtails was again present as was the Kingfisher. A Hobby briefly made an appearance and the Harris Hawk was visible over Sheppey. There were 2 Marsh Harriers over the reserve. A walk around the seawall revealed 20 Ringed Plovers and 15 Dunlins on the mud. 4 Whimbrel were at the point and 4 Grey Plovers flew past. There were 7 Little Egrets this side of the Swale along with 2 Grey Herons. The scrub area held a single Lesser Whitethroat.

Breezy but warm which after yesterday's chill wind was very welcome. Once again little to report from the Cottages/Paddocks etc area save 3 Lesser Whitethroat in pristine plumage. 'New' West Pool: 1 Green Sandpiper East Flood: 300+ Black Tailed Godwits 3 Curlew Sandpipers (2 Adult & 1 Juvenile) 3 Ringed Plover 4 Turnstone 7 Dunlin c 20 Ruff 2 Yellow Wagtails. Sea Hide: 13 Curlew 2 Turnstone 20 Dunlin 19 Grey Plover 5 Ringed Plover and 1 Cetti's heard and very briefly seen in bushes near car park. Nothing of any great significance perhaps but a good way to start the day before duty called. (Mike Stevens)

There was little extra of note at high tide today. There were 3 Curlew Sandpipers, two adults and 1 juvenile. Dunlin numbers were up with about 20 birds present and there were about 30 Ruff. There were c550 Black-tailed Godwits, c250 Redshank, 1 Greenshank, 7 Snipe and, 2 Ringed Plovers. There was a mobile flock of c20 Yellow Wagtails. A Kingfisher was heard. On the west scrape there was a superb Little Egret resplendent with elegant plumes. (Chris Abrams) A juvenile Spotted Redshank was roosting with the main flock of waders at 5.15 pm (Julian Russell)

A couple of hours mid-morning until noon. An unexpectedly stiff breeze making it feel decidedly chilly especially if one was sporting T-Shirt and shorts - as I was. Nothing moving opposite the cottages/ in the paddocks/scrub etc area save 1 Lesser Whitethroat and c30 Swallows congregating briefly before heading in a southerly direction. East Flood: 1 Garganey 4 Wigeon 5 Curlew Sandpipers inc 2 juvs 2 Yellow Wagtails 304 Back-Tailed Godwits 14 Dunlin 1 Greenshank 24 Ruff 180 Redshank 2 Common Snipe 1 Kingfisher from SE corner to SW No immediate sign of the Spoonbill but I didn't get to the West Flood proper nor elsewhere than the East Hide and pull-in. I was almost glad to get to the office - if only for the warmth. (Mike Stevens)

Early morning, about two hours after high tide, there were few waders on the east flood. Four Curlew Sandpipers, 32 Ruff and two Greenshank (briefly) and also ten Greylag Geese that managed to fly over the seawall to Sheppey unscathed, 75 Teal and two Avocets that flew overhead. A Green Sandpiper was on the new west scrape. A Whinchat was on the western edge of the west flood and a Little Owl on concrete blocks to the west of Dan's Dock. Nine Knot were on the mudflats in front of the seawatch hide. In the scrub area, a Hobby flew west over the cottages, there were two Turtle Doves, a juvenile Green Woodpecker, female Great Spotted Woodpecker, two Cetti's Warblers and single Blackcap and Chiffchaff and a Jay. Another Cetti's Warbler was heard near the car park. There was no sign of the Spoonbill which may have been attending the Northward Hill Countryside Fair where, I assume, shooting wildfowl was not part of the entertainment.

Managed a couple of hours at Oare first thing this am. Wildfowlers out in force.

Main sightings: Spotted Redshank, 3 Little Egret and juvenile Spoonbill on new West scrape. Juvenile Curlew Sand on East flood. 2 Marsh Harriers over and Hobby over West Side of reserve. Cettis Warblers were near the Visitor Centre and by the West Hide. 7 Common Seals were on Horse Sands. (Robin Mace)

A juvenile Dotterel was reported as being present with the Golden Plover flock until 13:50 when it then flew off.

At high tide late afternoon on the east flood there were 2 adult and one juvenile Curlew Sandpipers, c700 Black-tailed Godwits, c20 Ruff, 2 Greeenshanks, 2 Ringed Plovers, 2 Dunlin, 60 Golden Plovers (alas no further sightings of the Dotterel) and 6 Snipe.

There was no sign of any Garganey - the active wildfowling won't help there. At Dan's Dock 2 Whinchats were found and a Peregrine was observed crossing The Swale as did a Marsh Harrier.

The Spoonbill was spooked by the noise of the wildfowlers. At 18.37 it took off and flew over the Swale toward Harty/Shellness.