Other Travels & Photographs

29th February

A quick stop at the pumping station this morning - 1 Pale bellied Brent goose among 350 Brents.
A few false alarms in the form of white carrier bags but no GWE this morning.
Andy Malone

28th February

Along the seafront this morning there were c.20 gadwall in the pumping station dyke plus 7 wigeon and 2 teal. The tide was out and the mudflats were fairly empty but a flock of 470 bar-tailed godwits landed far out on the 'cut'. Went over to Bossenden Wood and a stop at Graveney failed to reveal the GWE but further on at the wood, 2 firecrests, 1 goldcrest near the 'log'. Returned to Seasalter pm when it was nearly high tide and checked the roost finding; 114 redshank,12 turnstone, 46 curlew, 7 barwits, c.200 dunlin, 25 ringed plovers, 4 brents, 26 oystercatchers and just 1 black-headed gull! On the sea, 7 mergansers and a large count of 126 great crested grebes.

26th February

Another short trip this morning as still suffering from 'man flu' but Wraik Hill came up trumps with my first woodcock there but not much else except dunnocks and tits in full song. Swung over to Graveney and saw that the GWE had moved over to the other side of the road and was hunting in the ditches next to the Wey St copse, viewable from the top of the hill.

24th February

I just nipped out late morning finding the GWE still present at Graveney.  I saw it from the top of the hill after ten minutes, poking its head up from one of the ditches close to the railway line. You do need to spend a bit of time waiting for it to appear but it has always been in that area this week.

23rd February

On route to Bossenden Woods I stopped at the Graveney level crossing to see the GWE which came into view within two minutes but distant.  Spring had arrived, temperatures reaching 18 degs so I decided to have a sit and watch what turned up. Mainly blue, great and coal tits, no nuthatch but a firecrest appeared in one of the holly bushes. Returning via SS I noted all the golden plover and lapwings had departed, maybe a good day to travel north.  A short visit late pm at five revealed a SEO quartering the rough behind the Sportsman.

Coal Tit

22nd February

I went to Graveney this morning for a short visit where the GWE was still present although quite distant from the level crossing. It was near one of the large mounds, occasionally coming into view before dropping down into one of the ditches. It flew after half an hour and looked to be closer to the London Array entrance.

Great White Egret

21st February

A phone call from Barry Hunt on the train to Faversham, reported a great white egret near the Graveney level crossing. I was soon on my way and eventually had glimpses of it in a ditch a good way from the road but there is no access. I watched and waited for a couple of hours getting a few more views. It finally flew back into the marsh towards Seasalter, I managed to get some access further back near the London Array entrance plus I walked around the plots but couldn't find it. During that time I also saw a ring tailed harrier and another 'high up' buzzard, no doubt looking for food as walking through the sheep fields I saw two dead lambs plus another one floating in a dykes.

Buzzard chasing a crow!

20th February

I walked the circuit around Wraik Hill top which proved rather quiet with 5 robins, 6 blackbirds, 1 jay, 4 chaffinches, 1 goldfinch, 4 great tits, 1 blue tit and 5 magpies plus a few few crows and jackdaws etc.. Moving down to the levels I could see from the road c.100 curlew and a big flock of gulls which soon took flight. High above I could see a buzzard being mobbed by a crow, quite a rare sighting, usually just a couple of records each year. In the main dyke, just 2 teal.

A distant buzzard over the levels.

Down on the seafront the tide was up to the bottom of the beach and waders were already on the roost with; 90 redshank, 51 ringed plovers, 38 turnstones, 11 grey plovers, 6 curlews, c.200 dunlin, 41 barwits, c.150 oystercatchers and 1 cormorant. On the sea, 10 wigeon plus 26 gadwall which took off and landed back on the pumping station dyke which had ice in places. Opposite the Sportsman, c.400 golden plovers and c.150 lapwings plus 2 kestrels and a marsh harrier later.

Moved off back into Whitstable and took a walk along the Gorrell Stream finding the grey wagtail again but all the redwings had gone.

Grey Wagtail

19th February

A couple of quiet days nursing my foot, so I didn't get out on my feet very much but from the car this morning; c.40 gadwall and 2 wigeon in the pumping station dyke, then a quick visit to Hampton to see the purple sandpipers then baby sitting the twins this afternoon when I should have been out! (get my excuses in first).  Steve Reynaert  made his first visit this afternoon to Seasalter hoping to see the owls but instead saw a great white egret sitting in the field opposite the YC and Sportsman. By the time he got his camera out it had flown off but managed a couple of record shots as it flew westwards towards the sub-station, landed the other side of the Sportsman then took off again heading towards Canterbury.

Great White Egret - Steve Reynaert

16th February

After a quick visit to Swalecliffe I went back to SS to do the low tide counts but just before a quick look in the NRA dyke revealed 10 gadwall and 2 wigeon. My count section started by the ski club and and east towards the golf club where I found; 190 grey plover, c.350 golden plovers, c.2000 dunlin, 68 redshank etc. on the sea 2 red-breasted mergansers and 1 g.c.grebe. Afterwards I parked on the 'rise' 200 yards south of the Sportsman where I saw the pair of stonechats that clearly survived the cold snap.

Stonechat

I returned in the afternoon to the 'rise' where two short-eared owls were hunting over the field opposite. I sat in the car for nearly an hour and a half watching and photographing these two birds plus the ringtail harrier came over from the east and flipped over the wall, no doubt heading for Sheppey. It appears this has been a regular afternoon event as this has been witnessed the last three days at least! Two marsh harriers were also patrolling the area but the afternoons events came to an end when a dog walker illegally went out over the field, flushed one of the owls in the grass and that was that!

S.E.Owl with prey

 

Short-eared Owl

 

S.E.Owl

In the distance, the 2000 strong brent flock got up off the field behind C.Coote and went down onto the mudflats. I went there yesterday hoping to see Mike R's pale-bellied bird but only armed with binos, I couldn't find it amongst the massive flock, the biggest I've seen this winter!

Part of the Brent flock

14th February

After last Thurs evening`s KOS talk, thought I`d get out of my paradigm and use the maxim `expect the unexpected` ! Walked to Castle Coote western end to view the c.2000 Brents on the arable.Found a light-bellied Brent--distant shot attached---and whilst continuing to search, a ring-tail Hen Harrier flew through putting the geese up in a cacophany of sound.The Harrier returned twice more during the afternoon, once hunting the beach sending waders  all ways. Knot; Bar T Godwits; Grey Plovers and Avocets all noted--30 Wigeon ; 12 Teal and c. 200 Dunlin at CC point plus a gathering Oyster Catcher roost .The Sheppey Barn Owl was hunting just E of Harty Church by 3.30 and the Array boom was being hauled ashore pre-darkness. Exiting by the Sportsman caravans I flushed a Short-eared Owl--which was promptly joined by 2 more---great to have 3 together a stone`s throw from home. A vast gull roost was assembling too,in Whitstable Bay. Should get out of my paradigm a bit more!  Mike Roser

Pale-bellied Brent - Mike Roser

9th February

Another cold day, 0 degs C all the time until late evening when it dropped to -1 according to the car. The road to Wraik Hill was blocked by a police incident so I about turned and went to SS Lane and looked over the snowy levels etc.. A small patch of ice-free water was being used by gulls and 2 swans plus 8 teal were clinging to the side. A green sandpiper and snipe were seen again plus a low pass by a male marsh harrier and later a peregrine flew over, heading in the Oare direction.

View from Seasalter Lane

 

Meadow Pipit

On the other side of the road a couple meadow pipits were hawking around, one perched on the fence for a while allowing me to get a photo. Just before leaving I threw some bird food out in a couple of places to help the poor little things survive this cold.

Moved onto S.Swale and walked towards the white post finding a small flock of about 20 mipits and a scattering of knot and dunlin etc across the mudflats. I didn't stay too long here and headed back to the pumping station area and watched the waders as the tide came in up to the beach. Plenty of the common stuff with golden plovers seemingly split up from their large flocks and now scattered in threes and fours along the beach and other places.

Golden Plover

 

Grey Plover

7th February

I stopped at a stream in Whitstable that was somehow still flowing in the big freeze and was attracting lots of birds inc. c.100 redwings, song thrushes and a grey wagtail etc..

Redwing

 

Grey Wagtail

 

Grey Wagtail

 

Song Thrush

I then took a walk into Clowes Wood failing to find any crossbills but plenty of tits etc displaying plus a flock of c.20 siskins.

Siskin

6th February

Started at the pumping station and a walk along the beach, a lovely sunny morning and vitually no wind , the sea was a dead calm. The tide was nearly coming up to the beach so a few barwits and dunlin were quite close along the waters edge. The other side of the outfall were c.300 golden plover and the 'island' roost was building up. Very quickly a fog bank drifted in and reduced visibilty to about 100yds which after a wait finished the morning there.

4th February

A light dusting of snow this morning and temperatures of -1 deg C. which then dropped to -3 Degs C. mid morning along the seafront. The tide was just dropping from the beach and the roost was busy with birds.

Dunlin

On the sea, a little way out, there were 160 mallard, 8 teal and 16 wigeon and 3 g.c.grebes. On the 'island roost'; 64 barwits, 66 redshank, 4 knot, 15 grey plovers, 9 brents, c.1000 dunlin, c.200 oystercatchers, several gulls plus ringed plovers and turnstones etc. which I didn't count. There was one female wigeon on the island with the 9 brents, it looked rather sick. Moved onto S.Swale and walked up to the seawall finding lots of dunlin as the ebbing tide revealed the mudflats plus barwits etc. and 1 black-tailed godwit dropped in later.  Going back to the car along the earth bund, a pair of stonechats were feeding in the grass and a cetti's warbler was trying to burst into song.

Black-tailed Godwit

 

The reedbed was quiet except for a couple of bearded tits flying over the top.  Most of the lapwings seemed to have moved off from the coastal fields although I found a few with c.100 golden plovers along Seasalter Lane. Also here I had a large count of 74 stock doves on the fields. I had a short detour to Bossenden Wood to put out some food for the birds but it seemed quiet except for a nuthatch that flew across the road as I was driving away!

3rd February

I went back down to Seasalter Lane and spent a bit of time waiting to see if a green sandpiper would appear from somewhere. Finally, one got up calling and dropped down into a distant dyke and was not seen again. The dyke was frozen over completely, two swans looked as if they were dead as they appeared frozen into the ice but were gone when I returned later. On the fields a count of 37 stock doves plus some wood pigeons and c.150 starlings. On my second visit, a snipe dropped in, looking for some ice free water and just before I left a small bird appeared in the reeds next to the car which I quickly snapped and turned out to be a cetti's warbler.

Down at the seafront the tide was just leaving the beach attracting c.1000 dunlin, 60 barwits plus redshank, ringed plovers, 20 brent etc.. The sea looked to be frozen for about 50 yards out from the beach.

2nd February

The temperature was at freezing point most of the day so I just moved around to different places in the car. At Mallard's Farm, Graveney I caught up with a nice male yellowhammer plus a large flock of chaffinches and goldfinches. A call from Geoff Burton who had seen 2 green sandpipers along Seasalter Lane but when I arrived they had gone to ground but I counted 56 stockdoves on one of the fields.

1st February

I took a look over the Wraik Hill area finding, 2 bullfinches, 1 sparrowhawk, blue and great tits etc.. Bitterly cold, the temperature just above freezing and a biting NE wind which didn't tempt me out of the car for long. Drove over to Mallards farm, near Wey st hoping to find some yellowhammers but the only bird of note was a buzzard over the Wey St wood, (I saw it perched in a tree next to the stream that flows under the Thanet Way just to the west of Wey St. last Monday).

1st winter Common Gull

 

Mistlethrush

 

Moved back to S.Swale seeing a mistle thrush on the way and took a brief walk up to the seawall to photograph the London Array's cable layer, the 'Stemat Spirit' which is anchored in the Swale.

London Array's cablelayer, 'Stemat Spirit'

 

Close up of the cable drum and feed