Seasalter District - JANUARY 09

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More of my Photographs

31st.Jan.

A 20 minute visit tonight at 4.30 produced a male hen harrier which continued westards and 1 marsh harrier coming in from the east and went down on one of the pasture fields.

A look at Wraik Hill produced; 5 long t.tits, several great and blue tits in song, 1 jay, 1 great spot etc. A heron flew across the Levels as I drove to the seafront. First stop by the Ski Club revealed empty mudflats apart from c.125 grey plovers plus a handful of curlew and redhank etc. what few waders there have been this winter were already starting to move back to breeding grounds (yesterday a flock of c.500 dunlin), February and March usually very quiet months.  At the pumping station 29 knot and 8 lapwing close to the outfall plus black-headed gulls etc. At S.Swale reseve, 1 marsh harrier, c.500 starlings and 150 lapwings on the pasture plus 1 golden plover, 9 linnets and 4 snow buntings on the beach, 12 mipits, 2 song thrushes and 1 cock stonechat along the path.

30th.Jan.

0900-1230 Initially a cold frosty landscape 0degC but hazy sun and the tide as distant as it gets! Walked to the red sluice starting with c. 620 Lapwings and a handful of Golden Plovers in the emergent arable. 3 Snow Buntings flew down the beach from the W and alighted on the breakwater at start of seawall; Meadow Pips, Blackbirds and a couple of Song Thrushes were active and two separate flocks of Linnets totalled c. 65 birds. With the second beach feeding flock were 3 more Snow Buntings( towards Castle Coote)I felt these were separate birds---could be wrong!!A Peregrine was on a Nagden pylon, male and female Marsh Harriers were evident, the former spiralling at a great height.The Mute Swan herd remains at around 75 birds together with the black interloper.Avocets roosting on the Ncreek bank numbered 36 and a small party of 8 Bar T Godwits were noted.A single Stonechat was around the dismantled hay bales and a Rock Pipit was at the W end of Castle Coote.Brent were disbursed and not in their high tide numbers at the `top end`. No seals ---What influences their appearance on Horse Sands? No disturbances today--19 a peak count this month--but none today! Wader conting was a distant thought and the air was distinctly cool as I left Regds (Mike Roser)

27th. Jan.

A fleeting pm.visit seeing a little owl, the first for several years.

26th.Jan.

After yesterday, it was like a spring day, only 4 degs. lovely sunshine and no wind. Starting at S.Swale, 24 goldfinches landed in a bush opp. the PH., in the wet cropped fields c.300 lapwings plus a similar amount of starlings, several skylarks were singing and 14 mipits were moving about in the grass. Only 2 dog walkers so there was a good chance of finding the 5 snow buntings, which I soon located 100yds west from the start of the wall sitting on the breakwaters. (more photos)

The tide was rapidly coming in bringing close c.1000 wigeon, 35 pintail plus a few teal that were sat on the dead calm sea.  The reedbed was quiet apart from a couple of wrens and reed buntings, 28 linnets flew west and circled back again, 1 peregrine flew north over towards Sheppey whilst c.200 brent flew west.  A look at the roost, near the Ski Club revealed 78 ringed plovers and c.80 dunlin. Far out on the sea 120 g.c.grebes, 22 mergansers and 1 common scoter.

24th.Jan.

1130-1600 walking to Fav creek; after yesterday`s horrendous conditions it was positively balmy(or nearly!) A New Year bonus was 5 Snow Buntings 200 m east of Castle Coote style--2 bright males standing out--feeding on the tide wrack.Male and female Marsh Harriers were patrolling a reedy dyke; a pair of Stonechats were to and fro among the reeds;a seaside Song Thrush was devouring marine crustacea and a pair of Green Woodpeckers were looking for Russian timber; but the tide was outgoing and a millpond.43 Avocets were on the south side of Fav creek with an array of usual waders. Returning ,my second bonus bird was a Merlin atop the Castle Coote elder bush ,allowing an approach to 200m then swiftly away over the arable in shallow low undulations, alighting in a field and remaining motionless for the next fifteen minutes! 1200 Brent were making a cacophony of sound and the Mute Swan herd numbered 70.4 Red Br Mergs were preening on Castle Coote shoreline; a Peregrine was on Cleve pylon;19 Seals were hauled out on Horse Sands and Whitstable Bay was white with thousands of gulls as I came off the marsh.(Mike Roser)

The tide was up all morning with a calm glassy sea and a check on the 'island' roost produced; 25 lapwings, 18 brents, plus c.100 oystercatchers. On the beach, a group of 60 redshank and a scattering of turnstones feeding along the tideline, on the sea 2 g.c.grebes. Miles out in the channel rafts of duck, presumed wigeon.  Further west beyond the Sportsman, the second field held c.1000 lapwings, in the reedbeds, 3 reedbuntings, 1 wren, and 4 mipits in the grass.  Hoping to catch up with 5 snowbuntings, I was sort of encouraged when a dog walker had seen them further west by the boat wreck but had flown. Whilst walking on, 1 heron, 3 marsh harriers, 3 linnets and on the sea 28 shelduck, plus 17 Konik horses (grazing on the grassy bank - not seahorses)! No luck with the snowbuntings but returning heard they were seen by the start of the wall. By this time lots of people and dogs were up and about and of course they no sign of the 'snows'.  I could only content myself with a view of a redshank perched on a post close to the beach!

21st.Jan.

A visit late morning to Oare to catch up with the great northern diver but this afternoon managed a short visit to SS scanning from the 'car'  but managed to see a short-eared owl flying west over the reedbed, parallel to the seawall plus a barn owl again around Cleve Hill.

20th. Jan.

Afternoon visit to Seasalter. Five Snow Buntings feeding below the sea wall between start of wall and white post. Marsh Harrier and Barn Owl hunting over the plots, seen from the pumping station, and one Little Egret on the beach there at 4pm.   Still no access to website as, apparently, now have the wrong version of Contribute. (Geoff Burton)

18th Jan.

A walk with five members from the Whitstable Natural History Society along the S.Swale reserve produced 44 species.  Going beyond Castle Coote to the Red Sluice we saw 6 stonechats, c.500 lapwings, the return of c.600 knot and c.200 dunlin, 6 mergansers, 2 marsh harriers, c.200 wigeon, 40 teal, 76 mute swans, c.30 linnets, 55 golden plover, 1 rock pipit, a c.buzzard on Sheppey, c.600 brents near the creek and leaving early, a peregrine flying west along the beach.

Returned late afternoon to do a harrier roost count from the top of Cleve Hill where I could scan over towards C.Coote.  As last month very little evidence of roosting harriers with only 1 male seen but I had long views of a barn owl plus 4 hares and a fox.

15th.Jan.

Along SS Lane 2 gadwall were in the dyke along with 2 mute swans and in the bushes 2 goldfinches plus 1 overflying mipit.  At the seafront by the pumping station 1 lesser black-backed gull sporting a large orange/red plastic ring and a metal ring on the other leg. On the South Swale reserve, quiet, 1 egret flew past, 19 stock doves, 250 lapwings, 1 mipit plus 9 grey geese flew over towards Sheppey.

13th.Jan.

A twenty minute visit to check the high tide roost this afternoon; 98 ringed plovers, 400 dunlin plus a few turnstones and redshank scattered along the water's edge.  The only bird of interest on the sea was a red-throated diver just off the outfall.

11th.Jan.

Yesterday, I aborted SS after early morning fog again so today I had high hopes but a longish walk around the plots produced virtually nothing apart from 1 mipit, a couple of reed buntings, c.30 golden plovers o/f, 1 green w.pker. and crows etc.. Looking seaward there were 24 mallard loitering around the outfall and 70 brent geese in the shallows as the tide came in up to the beach.  There was quite a collection of gulls, including one dark mantled herring gull , clearly larger than the others, pink legs and large bill which appears, I believe to be of the Scandinavian 'argentatus' race.

I then had a quick visit to Oare Marsh before returning at high tide to see; 30 ringed plovers, c.175 dunlin, c.40 turnstones and 6 redshank on the beach roost.

9th.Jan.

Yet another foggy morning after yesterday's whiteout, although not quite as bad, the fog clearing rolling away at times and a chill of -4 degs.  At the pumping station 20 mallard were swimming at the mouth of the outfall plus a collection of mixed gulls and c.50 lapwing on the beach!  Further west at S.Swale, 1 stonechat, 3 mipits, 1 reed bunting, 2 wrens and 32 brent on the sea by the start of the wall.  Didn't go further and returned to the NRA pumping station where a marsh harrier was flying west and a walk up to the bridge on the plots revealed 4 water rails on the ice. Lastly, a rare sighting of a tufted duck flying west, hugging the coastline.

7th.Jan.

0845-1230  Initially an icy pall of mist was hanging over the area and Whit Bay shoreline was a white frozen crust. Diverted traffic from Thanet Way was snailing around an icy Graveney Road. Song Thrushes and Blackbirds commuted from beach to reed beds; Lapwings were few-- and Golden Plovers-- far between.Unseen Bearded Tits pinged and a Peregrine was a predatory silhouette atop a Cleve pylon.A female Marsh Harrier perched close on a fence post and interested an adult male bird for a couple of minutes. A flock of 8 Linnets were beach feeders and as the tide dropped east of Castle Coote a mass of mixed wader sps descended to feed including c.150 Knot.The Brent numbers are again significant--over 1000--and largely concentrated at the `top end` where the Mute Swan herd--yes all Mutes--of 75 includes one Black interloper.A cocked tail disappearing into rough grass raised my hopes but it was a Wren ( Where`s this end`s Dartford Warbler please?) A mute Jack Snipe was as surprised as I ,when flushed conveniently at my feet from herbage on the leaside of the wall--it straightlined for 100m and dropped unseen again into the seawall area.Horse Sands were well stocked with Wigeon ; a couple of Red B Mergs and four Gt C Grebes plus 2 Seals completed the winter scene. Mike Roser

6th.Jan.

Another freezing morning, three jays on my feeder at Wraik Hill but nothing else. Made my way to the seafront where c.50 golden plovers were on the 'hard' by the pumping station plus the usual selection of waders and it was nice to see a small flock of c.150 knot again! At the S.Swale reserve; 6 - 7 song thrushes along the grass bund, 4 marsh harriers, 2 mute swans, 1 reed bunting, 3 mipits, 8 blackbirds and only 2 stonechats (there have been up to 6 recently), no sign either of the cetti's warblers but up near the white post 1 -2 bearded tits called from the reedbed.

Walking further on around the bend I came across the 6 snow buntings which were feeding at the bottom of the apron and ocassionally coming up to the wall amongst the vegetation,they made their way east towards the start of the wall.

3rd.Jan.

Put out some food for the birds at Wraik Hill, -3degs, then went over to Nagden and Sandbanks Lane to look at the redwings and fieldfares as reported by Mike Roser. Arrived at the Sportsman and walked west beyond the white post but could not find the snow buntings. Found 7 linnets that were new for the year along with 2 skylarks, the brent flock had moved to the far western end of the marsh. 2 marsh harriers and along the wall, 1 female stonechat and 6 mipits were the only small birds to be seen.

2nd.Jan.

Wraik Hill proved quiet except for blue/great tits, robins, 2 jays, 1 grt.spot, plus a blackandwhitebird which I 've seen in past years at the same spot!  The seafront was much the same, the mudflats devoid of flocks of dunlin and knot that could always be seen in past years but 12 bewick swans on the water's edge, opposite the YC brightened up the morning along with 4 marsh harriers together that swept in over the pasture from the west.  The bewicks later flying SW towards Oare marsh or Nagden maybe. Behind the huts a male stonechat and 6 snow buntings were reported earlier by the white post.

1st. Jan.  

Could only manage a couple of hours at Seasalter this morning and found only 42 species which was not much of a start for the year. Most of the small birds had disappeared during the cold weather, greenfinch, linnet and stonechats being absent from my list.