Seasalter District  MARCH 10

Email sightings to Mike Gould:  click here

Other Travels & Photographs

 

29th March

Had a look over Wraik Hill this morning but at the top a ringing group were busy so went down to the bottom slope where a chiffchaff and blackcap were singing plus all the usual tits and finches etc.. Over the Levels 4 lapwings were chasing off crows etc and at the seafront all was quiet except for 1 g.c.grebe, no waders on the beach. A look over the plots revealed 6 ponies have appeared, small black, brown and white with a shaggy appearance, no doubt they have been 'dumped', but they could help with the grazing, (the authorities have been alerted). Nothing new at S.Swale except a huge drum being taken out to sea.

28th March

Checked the plots this morning and walked out to the conifers finding; 7 mipits, 2 dunnocks, 3 wrens, 2 blue tits, 2 cormorants, 1 pheasant, 4+ skylarks, 1 swallow, 3 reed buntings, 7 wood pigeons, 2 teal and 1 curlew. The tide was high but no sign of any waders on the beach.

25th March

A walk along S.Swale this morning produced; 1 chiffchaff singing from the bushes opposite the Sportsman PH., 1 wheatear on the beach by the huts, the linnet flock had increased to about 25 birds, a male marsh harrier was again looking over the reedbed, 2 pied wagtails on the wall, 2 pairs of mallard in the dykes, numerous reed buntings c.20, many feeding on insects around the seawall, several bearded tits were calling from the reeds and skylarks were singing over the arable. The tide was out but 19 brents were still present plus curlews and lots of oystercatchers

Reed Bunting

23rd March

Just for the record--this pm---1 Wheatear; 3 Linnets; 2 Ringed Plovers doing beach survey; 15 Blk T Godwits west towards Oare; 54 Brent at Castle Coote; numerous singing Skylarks; and an adult female Marsh Harrier over Swale from Sheppey quartering the dykes east of white post and looking interested at the Sportsman reed bed. Mike Roser

20th March

Migrant chiffchaff in my garden yesterday and today but after a visit to the woods Seasalter remained its quiet self. But there were signs of hope with a cetti's singing on the plots, a stonechat had returned along with a couple of great tits. The tide was out and a look over the seawall revealed a vast nothingness, all the waders had cleared out. A short visit yesterday to check the roost produced zero, although a pied wagtail did patrol the beach area. Further on, at S.Swale a walk up as far as the wall produced; 5 linnets, 3 reed buntings, c.6 mipits, 4-5 skylarks and half a dozen bearded tits in the large reedbed. Also a flock of c.750 starlings were wheeling around the Sportsman PH..

13th March

A quick tour of the district, first stopping at Broomfield Gate finding 8 redpolls at the entrance. After checking out Bossenden Wood I called in at Seasalter seeing c.200 fieldfares plus a few redwings at Graveney cherry orchard. Very quiet along the coast but the hightide roost held c.90 turnstones, 40 ringed plover, 2 sanderling, c.300 dunlin and c.30 redshank. Along SS Lane one of the fields held 117 stock doves.

Redshank

9th March

The SS. district was caught up in a space warp this morning and I found myself in BOSSENDEN WOOD where I proceeded to find; 2 marsh tits, 2 nuthatches, 4 treecreepers, 3 coal tits, 1 bullfinch plus green and great spotted woodpeckers. Returned via Seasalter Lane to find 127 stock doves (a record count) in the same field alongside the road as yesterday plus a similar amount of lapwings.

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8th March

A short tour around the area revealed very little although 2 peregrines having a mid-air confrontation between the Levels and Wraik Hill brightened up the morning. One of the fields alongside Seasalter Lane held 62 lapwings and 1 stock dove which is unusual. A walk around the plots was uneventful and not worthy of a mention. From the road just west of the Sportsman 1 egret and 6 golden plover were feeding. 

6th March

Took a walk around part of CLOWES WOOD this morning finding the two nuthatches still present, a welcome return, also a treecreeper was singing plus c.10 long-tailed tits, blue and greats and a green woodpecker.

Long-tailed tit

A buzzard flew low over the tops of the trees which was a new bird for me in this area.

3rd March

A short stop to look over Wraik Hill finding; 1 grt spot., 1 green wpker, 1 kestrel plus a few chaffinches and blue tits etc.. On the Levels, 1 grey heron and a good number of lapwings displaying on the back fields. On the plots; 4 pheasants, 2 mallards, 2 mipits, 5 skylarks, 1 chaffinch, 2 reed buntings, 2 greenfinches and a moorhen. Further on, past the Sportsman I walked up as far as the seawall seeing; 9 skylarks in the field behind, 2 song thrushes, 2 stock doves and 1 marsh harrier flew over from Sheppey. The tide was out and the mudflats seemed to hold mainly oystercatchers.

2nd March

A good selection of ducks on the Swale this morning, including c2000 Wigeon, 9 Gadwall, 28 Pintail, 26 Shoveler, c75 Common Scoter (mainly females) and 16 Red-breasted Merganser.  There were still about 50 Brent Geese on the far side of the Swale, but only 4 at Castle Coote.  Also noted were 14 Great Crested Grebe, just 1 Little Egret, 2 Marsh Harrier, plus the usual waders.  With more than a hint of Spring in the air I half expected to see an early Wheatear or two along the concrete wall, but passerines were generally thin on the ground, with just 1 Rock Pipit on the beach near Castle Coote and a few Bearded Tits pinging in the reedbeds at the east end of the reserve the only records of note. (Ian Shepherd)