February Sightings

Sightings can be Emailed to:

      Martyn Wilson - martyn@wilson5834.freeserve.co.uk  

  Brendan Ryan -  brendan.ryan@yahoo.co.uk

  Marc Heath - Heathym007@aol.com   

Marc, Martyn & Brendan

28th February

A 6.00am start at Grove Ferry was rather a quiet affair with not much to report. What made the notebook were, 1 Tawny Owl, 3 Cetti's Warblers, 1 Hen Harrier (ringtail), 8 Marsh Harriers (with 3 pairs displaying), several singing Skylarks and 7 Water Pipits and, these were the only birds from Harrison's. There were 12 Fieldfares, 1 Sparrowhawk, 3 Grey Herons, 14 Meadow Pipits, 5 Shelduck, 3 Water Rails, a pair of Wigeon, 1 drake Tufted Duck, 1 Green Woodpecker and a male Stonechat. I moved on to Westbere where there seemed to be more bird life mostly made up of voiciferous Chaffinches. Here I had 2 pairs of Bullfinch, several pairs of Long-tailed Tits, 32 Tufted Duck, 3 drake Pochards, 8 Great-crested Grebes, 894 Black-headed Gulls, 11 Common Gulls, 6 Herring Gulls and a near adult Caspian Gull. Also at Westbere were, 2 Great-spotted and 1 Green Woodpecker, 5 Canada Geese, 2 Cetti's Warblers, 1 female Marsh Harrier, 2 Grey Herons, 11 Meadow Pipits, 10 Stock Doves and 2 Jays. On my way to Collard's I stopped at Trenleypark Wood with little of note except upwards of 2000 Redwings in the Horse paddock by the public  footpath (no other Thrushes with them). At Collard's during two visits I encountered, 11 Goldeneye, 1 Little Egret, 28 Wigeon, 1 Little Owl, 7 Pintail (5 drakes), 165 Tufted Duck, 28 Pochard, 12 Great-crested Grebes, 118 Shoveler, 1 Marsh Harrier and 3 Common Buzzards. In between these two visit I went to Stodmarsh and joined Alan Ashdown in the Reedbed Hide where he had just had close-up views of the Bittern in the Reeds just to the left of the hide. He had also had, 1 Kingfisher, 4 Jays, 1 Shelduck and 2 Water Rails, plus while I was there we had 7 Marsh Harriers, 2 Common Buzzards, 1500+ Black-headed Gulls and 1 Kestrel. On the way in to Stodmarsh I once again saw the white-rumped Blackbird that i'd seen a few months ago around the Cow pens opposite the Red Lion pub.

(Martyn Wilson)

I arrived at Trenley park wood at 6.30am and spent about 45 minutes walking around the area trying to get the elusive Lesser spot. Once again, I drew a blank on this but 2 Green Woodpecker and a Great spotted Woodpecker were heard. Also there were c100 Redwing early on and 3 Goldcrest and a Marsh Harrier flew west over the woods. A call from Phil at Collards telling me that he had found the red head Smew on the lake had me driving down to join him. Phil also connected with the red head Goosander and also there were 13 Goldeneye, 4 drakes, 5 Canada Geese, c150 Shoveler, c40 Tufted Duck, 6 Great crested Grebe plus a few Wigeon, Teal and Pochard. 2 Little Owls were in the same usual tree together and a brief look at Stodmarsh was quiet although Alan Ashdown was cemented into the reedbed hide in search of the Bittern. Birds here were 7 Pintail, 2 Water Rail, c100 Black headed Gull, a couple of Great crested Grebe, 2 Cetti's Warbler, 2 Treecreeper, 1 Siskin, 3 Goldcrest and a few singing Robin, Blue and Great Tits.

(Marc Heath & Phil Parker)

27th February

A late afternoon jaunt around the valley calling starting at Cow Corners where an egret amongst the cows got the heart rate up momentarily until I got the bins on it to confirm that it was a Little. What I assume to be the same bird was later amongst the cattle at Collard’s. 65 Greylags and 4 Canadas were the only other thing of note at the first stop. On to Collard’s where one Goosander was still present, along with at least 17 Goldeneye, 172 Tufted Duck, 26 Pochard, 127 Shoveler and 11 Gt-cr Grebes. At Stodmarsh the 6 Pintail were still present along with 17 Gadwall and 12 Gt-cr Grebes. The water meadows and ox box looked in excellent condition with 70 Wigeon, 110 Teal and 2 Green Sandpipers on the latter. On the Lampen Wall at dusk, I was only able to muster 4 Marsh Harriers and missed a male Hen Harrier, seen by John Hollier. Other highlights included 5 Water Pipits, 80 Fieldfare and 3 Woodcocks. Although I stayed until after dark there were no signs of any displaying Bitterns although it may be a couple of weeks too early?

(Brendan Ryan)

24th February

I had a couple of visits into the valley today, a brief look at Collards early morning and then a visit again to Collards late aftenoon with a quick look on the main lake at Stodmarsh. Birds noted this morning in foggy conditions were 17 Tufted Duck, 2 Great crested Grebe, 6 Goldeneye, 117 Shoveler and 1 Green Woodpecker. A quick listen for the Lesser spot again proved negative but in 2008, I first heard it on the 9th March so plenty of time yet. Late aftenoon I had a better look in more favourable conditions at Collards and this produced 61 Greylag Geese, 76 Tufted Duck, 7 Great crested Grebe, 20 Wigeon, 13 Pochard, 9 Goldeneye, 1 Marsh Harrier, 2 Little Egret in fields south of Collards, 12 Fieldfare and 3 Linnet. There were 204 Shoveler, 1 red head Goosander in the eastern corner, 1 Cetti's Warbler and 2 Little Owls together at Stodmarsh court farm. A quick look at Stodmarsh produced 13 Great crested Grebe, 4 Pintail, 3 drakes, 4 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Grey Heron, 2 Shelduck, 2 Water Rail, 1 Little Grebe, 4 Greylag Geese, 56 Cormorant, 1 Great spotted Woodpecker, 1 Goldcrest, 2 Bullfinch, 1 Brambling and good numbers of Blue and Great Tit in song with a few Long tailed Tit noted.

(Marc Heath)

22nd February

I started at Grove at ~7.00am. Things were quiet. The main pool held ~150 teal, 2 shelduck, 2 tufted duck, 2 swans (plus another 8 flying out to the east), 1 pied wagtail and 1 water pipit. Also from the ramp 4 marsh harriers following the swans east and Cetti's warblers calling constantly. With not much to hold the attention I decided to walk the circuit. In the paddock there were greenfinch and along the river decent numbers of blue, great and long tail tit, 2 great spotted woodpeckers were drumming one of which was located. 3 green woodpeckers were heard calling - plus more Cetti's. At the water meadows there were more teal, plus mallard, coot, 2 more swans, a little egret and 6 greylag geese. Also from the river bank I saw 4 more marsh harriers heading east and a heron up high. The main lake at Stodmarsh held a host of teal, plus mallard, cormorant, great crested grebe, 6 more shelduck, 4 pintail (3 drakes), 17 gadwall, a lone pochard and 2 flotilla's of gulls - nearly all blackheads - and a pair of marsh harriers cavorting. I met up with Martin on the Lampern wall and spent the next hour or so in and around the Alder wood (see Martyn's report) The way back to Grove was almost totally devoid of avian life and all I recollect seeing is a single  little egret flying east. I saw absolutely nothing from the marsh hide and Harrisons only held 2 shelduck, 3 teal, 2 redshank, a pied wagtail and a very bored guy from "In Focus". Turf Field hide was similarly unimpressive with 3 tufties, another pochard, a couple of gadwall and 2 more grey lags and a number of mallard. A snipe was working the bank directly in front of the hide and cause a moment of excitement as it was bobbing enthusiastically - unfortunately it was only a common snipe.  A final look at the main pool from the ramp revealed little change though some 50-odd lapwing had arrived.

(Steve Ray)
                          

Spent the morning at Stodmarsh around the Reedbed hide and the Alder Wood but noted singing Grey Partridge and Skylark at Grove Ferry on the way in. At Stodmarsh were, 4 Cetti's Warblers, 5 Great Black-backed Gulls, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, c550 Black-headed Gulls and 2 Common Gulls. There were,6 Shelducks, 1 male Hen Harrier, 5 Marsh Harriers, 46 Wigeon west, 1 Bittern, 4 Pintail, 1 Grey Wagtail and 1 Brambling with the Cahffich flock feeding on the seed provided. With Steve Ray we waited to try and photograph the Brambling and located 2 Mealy (Common) Redpolls amongst a flock of 18-24 Lesser Redpolls and 30+ Siskins in a mobile feeding flock. Also at Stodmarsh were, 17 Gadwall, 1 Pochard, 2 Green Woodpeckers, 3 Great-spotted Woodpeckers, 3 Treecreepers and many Blue, Great & Long-tailed Tits. The end of the session was joined by Steve Ashton, Mike Gould and Rik Smith and the first part of the morning in the hide with Mark Chiddwick.

(Martyn Wilson)

Despite four valley year ticks yesterday, I didn’t feel enthused to start too early and so arrive at Westbere just after 8 o/c. Highlight was a redhead Goosander and a single Bittern. Also present were 67 Tufted Duck, 2 Pochard, one Little Grebe, 21 Gt-cr Grebes, 6 Canada Geese, 1,260 Black-headed Gulls and 17 Common Gulls.  Next Stop was Collard’s where there were 18 Goldeneye, 66 Tufted Duck, 13 Pochard, 119 Shoveler, 14 Gt-cr Grebes and 6 Shelduck. I retired home at this point returning at dusk to spend and hour on the ramp. There were 10 Shelduck present suggesting with the birds seen early in the day a big arrival of returning birds. Five Marsh harriers passed on their way to roost as did 3 Corn Buntings and 2 Water Pipits. 6 Golden Plover amongst the fifty of so Lapwings was the only other thing of note.

(Brendan Ryan)

21st February

Started the morning at Westbere hearing Tawny Owl and Little Owl near Higham Farm en-route plus a Woodcock flew over. At Westbere there was the wonderous call of the dawn chorus with Caffinch, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Wren, Robin, Dunnock, Collared Dove and Woodpigeon all adding their voices as well as Blue and Great Tits. There were, 9 Cetti’s Warblers, 32 Tufted Ducks, 3 Pochards, 9 Great-crested Grebes, 2 Gadwall, 2 Canada Geese and a pair of Shovelers. Also at Westbere were, 4 Great-spotted Woodpeckers, 3 Grey Herons, 5 Cormorants, 12 Long-tailed Tits, 2 Goldcrests, 5 Siskins, a pair of Bullfinch, 26 Meadow Pipits, 1 Little Grebe and a female Marsh Harrier. There was a Green Sandpiper on the floods, 2 calling Water Rails, 1 Treecreeper, and Gulls on the lake included, 3 Lesser Black-backed, 3 Common, 64 Herring and 1872 Black-headed. On the way through to Stodmarsh I met Brendan at Cow Corner where amongst the commoner bits a Coal Tit was feeding. The Alder Wood at Stodmarsh seemed a lot quiter than of late despite the birds singing. I met up with Alan Ashdown & Steve Ashton on the Lampen Wall where we chatted and scanned Gulls. Surprise/highlight of the morning was when Alan caught sight of something flying that turned out to be a Noctule Bat that looked quite stunning in the 11.00am sunshine, the first time any of had seen a daytime Bat spp. Bits and bobs from Stodmarsh included, 1 Woodcock, 917 Black-headed Gulls (counted by Dave), 2 Lesser Redpolls, 3 Common Buzzards and a Treecreeper. I moved up to Collard’s in the hope of a raptor but was rewarded with a female Ruddy Duck on the lake which, being quite scarce now meant phone calls to Brendan and Marc. Brendan joined me within ten minutes to tick this American interloper. Also on the lake with the more usual duck spp were 2 Goosanders (1 immature male and a redhead), a Redhead Smew and 8 Goldeneye. A Common Buzzard was seen high over Stodmarsh that may have been a fouth or just one of the earlier three, it was also a year tick for Brendan.

(Martyn Wilson)

Perfect early spring weather for valley birding but I wasn’t optimistic when I started the day at Collard’s. Highlight was the first two Linnets of my valley year list but on the duck front I could only muster 82 Tufted Duck, 26 Pochard 8 Goldeneye and a single redhead Smew. On to Stodmarsh where the resident Marsh Harriers were very active with 6 birds including 4 males and two pairs displaying. 80 Wigeon flew west, while on the lake were 6 Pintail (5 drakes) and 7 Pochard. A single Little Egret flew towards the Oxbow. En route to Westbere I encountered a single Red-legged Partridge near Cow Corner. I rang Martyn upon this exciting discovery to find that he was only a hundred years away but sadly by the time he arrived the bird had vanished. I ended the morning session at Westbere checking the 1,900 Black-headed Gulls for something a little more exciting but could only conjure up 10 Common Gulls. 57 Tufted Duck were also present. My early afternoon gardening was interrupted by a call from Martyn. 11 minutes later I had joined him at Collard’s to add Ruddy Duck to the year list. Martyn picked up a Buzzard over Stodmarsh which was another year tick, while 2 Goosanders emerged from the margins of the lake to conclude a very successful day.

(Brendan Ryan)

20th February

A first winter Med Gull on Stodmarsh Lake this afternoon and a Buzzard at Under Trees Farm but generally very few birds around

(Nigel Jarman)

19th February

After a successful visit to Sheppey today with Phil Parker to see the Rough legged Buzzards which we saw very well, an adult female and juvenile and the Hooded Crow, we called in at Collards on the way back to see if the Tree Sparrow and Smew were around. We failed to connect with either of these species but we did note 3 Yellowhammer, 1 Little Owl, 1 red head Goosander, c400 Black headed Gull, 130 Greylag Geese, 10 Goldeneye including 4 drakes, c90 Shoveler, c60 Wigeon, 1 Green Woodpecker, 1 Great spotted Woodpecker, 2 Marsh Harrier, 1 Kestrel, good numbers of Pochard and Tufted Duck and 4 Great crested Grebe. A quick look in the stream opposite Stodmarsh court farm produced 3 Lesser Redpoll and 1 Green Sandpiper.

(Marc Heath & Phil Parker)

17th February

I arrived at Grove Ferry this morning to the sound of the dawn chorus, at last! Song Thrush, Blackbird, Collared Dove, Wren, Robin and Skylark were all performing and walking down the entrance track, Redwing and Fieldfare were calling in the growing light. I spent and hour at the ramp before making calls at Trenley park wood, Collards and Stodmarsh Court Farm. The following were noted: 13 Greylag Geese, 10 Marsh Harrier, 2 Hen Harrier, 1 ring tail and an adult male, 1 Skylark, 42 Mute Swan, 1 Black Swan, 42 Teal on the main pool, 1 Kingfisher, 2 Cetti's Warbler, c30 wigeon in flight over the oxbow lake, 3 Little Egret, 24 Black headed Gull, 1 Jay, 1 Tufted Duck, 1 Green Woodpecker and a few small groups of Lapwings passing over. Trenley woods did not produce the target Lesser spotted Woodpecker but 4 Great spotted Woodpecker were seen or heard, 2 Coal Tit, 1 Goldcrest and a few Blue and Great Tits there also. A Common Buzzard was in fields near Higham Farm and most fields held reasonable numbers of Redwing and Fieldfare. Collards held 27 Pochard, 1 red head Smew, c80 Shoveler, c50 Wigeon, 12 Goldeneye including 6 drakes, 1 Grey Heron plus the usual commoner ducks and Gulls. Stodmarsh Court Farm held c40 Chaffinch, 5 Yellowhammer, 1 Tree Sparrow showed a couple of times but always flighty, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Little Owl with another at Cow corner. With the drizzle starting I made my way back to the car and off home for a warm cuppa.

(Marc Heath)

16th February

I had a couple of hours over at Stodmarsh this afternoon, the sunshine soon vanishing to cloudy skies as I arrived. Not much around although I did meet Malcolm McVail who had seen 2 Mealy Redpolls in with a mixed flock of Redpoll and Siskin. He had also seen a Green Sandpiper at Cow corner. Birds I noted included 7 Marsh Harrier, 1 ring tail Hen Harrier, 2 Cetti's warbler, 5 Shelduck, 1 Great spotted woodpecker, 17 Mute Swan, 7 Pochard, c25 Fieldfare, 3 Grey Heron, 1 Great crested Grebe, 3 Snipe, 1 Water Rail, a couple of hundred Teal on the main lake with a few Gadwall and c80 Cormorant in their trees. c300 Lapwing were in the area and a steady trickle of Herring Gull west were also noted.

(Marc Heath)

15th February

A seemingly quiet morning at Grove Ferry with 7 Marsh Harriers out of roost, a male seen hunting over Stodmarsh later, 1 ringtail Hen Harrier and 25 Mute Swans out of roost with 1 Black Swan. There were two Bitterns, one landed just south of the dyke west of Green Hide and the other landed at the back of Green Hide pool. There were no waders at all but 5 Shelducks were on the main pool before three flew off. There were about 250 Lapwings that alighted from a back pool and 76 Black-headed Gulls landed on the main pool. Four Golden Plovers flew over the ramp in a north/west direction and  a few Reed Buntings and a pair of Stonechats were seen. Both Harrison's and Green Hides were devoid of birds.

(Pete Solly)

14th February

Arriving at Stodmarsh at 6.00am the light was just breaking through and a three quarter moon showing, pulling in the car park just as Mark Chidwick was leaving. I made my way towards Undertrees Farm to look for Barn Owl but after 15mins without sucsess i carried on to Marsh Hide and stood at the corner by the log pile to watch Harriers out of roost. There were 2 Hen Harriers (both ringtails) and 12 Marsh Harriers. A small flock of 25 Greylags flew up from the Marsh Hide direction, several Fieldfares left their reedbed roost and a female Stonechat sat atop a bush along the footpath. On the Lampen Wall I was joined by Steve Ray where we saw, on the lake, 1 drake Tufted Duck, 3 Pochards (2 drakes, 5 Pintail (3 drakes), 1 Shelduck c500 Teal, 3 Great-crested Grebes, 3 Great Black-backed Gulls (2 1st winter & 1 adult), and 10 Black-headed Gulls. Two redhead Goosanders flew over the lake and turned towards Collard's, also there were 17 Water Pipits, 4 Meadow Pipits and 19 Reed Buntings seen while at the Alder Wood on Undertrees side there were, 3 cock Brambling, 3 Jays, several Blackbirds and 12 Chaffinches. On the way out through the Nature Trail we encountered 3 Woodcock and a cock Bullfinch in the car park. On to Collard's and the Little Owl was sunning itself in the usual tree at Stodmarsh Court Farm and only 3 Yellowhammers were at the tyre dump. We met Marc Heath here who had heard 4 Tawny Owls and 1 Little Owl in the early hours plus had 1 Bittern and a Kingfisher from the Reedbed Hide this Morning. A single Tree Sparrow flew over us by the gate and landed close by while on the partialy frozen lake were 5 Goldeneye, 2 redhead Goosanders (probably the two we'd seen earlier), the ususal mix of ducks plus a Bittern showing well in the same place Brendan and I had seen one last week. As it appeared to be fairly quiet we moved up to Trenleypark Wood, passing Brendan at Cow Corner on the way, to look for Lesser-spotted Woodpecker. We walked the footpath down to Fordwich lakes and back not actually seeing much apart from 1 male Sparrowhawk and a few Great and Blue Tits. It was more productive where we were parked noting 2 Coal Tits, 1 Goldcrest plus more Blue and Great Tits plus several Woodpigeons. No Woodpeckers though. Brendan stopped by on his way home before we all departed, Brendan Home, Steve to Grove to finish the morning and I went to Higham farm to scan and finish my coffe when 3 Common Buzzards passed close overhead before circling high and drifting over Westbere. A single Green Sandpiper was near Cow Corner on the way out.

(Martyn Wilson & Steve Ray)

Started the day at Fordwich and Westbere where there wasn’t much to report other than 98 Tufted Duck, 8 Pochard, 20 Gt-cr Grebes and three Canada Geese. At Cow Corner where I met Martyn and Steve who were working through the valley in the other direction, the water meadows were flooded and held a few Teal, Gadwall and Shoveler along with 3 Tufted Duck and 2 Little Grebes. At Collard's there were 133 Tufted Duck, 9 Goldeneye including 4 drakes, 72 Pochard, 102 Gadwall, one Pintail, 2 Goosander and 9 Gt-cr Grebes. The Bittern once again performed well if distantly along the edge of the reeds. I gave up at this point, returning to Stodmarsh late afternoon, where I had a single Jack Snipe, 5 Corn Bunting flying towards their roost at Grove, 7 Marsh Harriers ( 5 males) 2 Hen Harriers including a fine male, and a Little Egret flew over on its way to roost at Seaton

(Brendan Ryan)

3 Crossbills just outside the recording area south of Cow Corner today, flew off towards Trenley Park Wood. On Thursday at Fordwich, A Mealy Redpoll with 6 Lesser Redpolls and 2 Goosanders (drake and redhead) flew over

(Malcolm McVail)

10th February

I made a visit into the valley after work, driving first to Collards to check out the Yellowhammer site. On arrival, it was blowing a gale so I sat in the car and looked for a few minutes. Only 3 Yellowhammer, 6 Stock Dove present and the regular Little Owl was again sat in his tree. I then moved on to Grove Ferry for an hour noting the following: c54 Teal, 5 Redshank including a paler bird, 3 Bearded Tit, 7 Tufted Duck, 1 ring tail Hen Harrier towards Stodmarsh, c77 Greylag Geese, 2 Shelduck, 14 Mute Swan and 1 Pochard. I eventually caught up with a Peregrine, a species that eluded me in January. It tried to surprise whatever was on the main pool but there was nothing there to chase! Also 12 Linnet, 1 Grey Heron, 3 Marsh Harrier, 9 Water Pipit at Harrisons, c100 Fieldfare, 1 Green Woodpecker, 1 Jay, 4 Greenfinch, 5 Mistle Thrush and c800 Lapwing over Stodmarsh distantly. There were 2 Foxes briefly together near the ramp before departing somewhere.

(Marc Heath)

1 Green Sandpiper from Harrisons Hide feeding in reed margins at noon,and 2 flocks of Siskin in the alder wood at Stod earlier which combined at intervals --c. 55 birds, but no Redpolls that I could find.

(Mike Roser)

8th February

To add to Marc's sightings already listed below, I met Pete Solly at Grove entrance gate soon after leaving Marc, who went of to twitch yesterdays Tree Sparrow, where time on the ramp produced, 10 Marsh Harriers, 2 Great-spotted and 1 Green Woodpecker, 460 Lapwings, 45 Golden Plover, 1 Little Egret and 2 Cetti's Warblers. We walked the river bank and up to Harrison's then back to the ramp via Green Hide meeting Norman McCanch at the ramp. Noted along the way were, 3 Water Pipits, 32 Mute Swans, 20 Long-tailed Tits, 1 Stonechat, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Bittern and 2 Redshanks while 1 Common Gull and 47 Black-headed Gulls were on the main pool. Pete, Norman and I all parted company and I drove to Westbere where all was much as Brendan had yesterday but a lot of disturbance from rowers had me leaving for Collard's. The fields at Higham Farm, en route, held several hundred Redwing and Fieldfare and at Collard's where I was joined by Brendan, where viewing was much improved after yesterday, 2 Bitterns were seen (one showing well, if somewhat distant, on the reed edge). There is a minimum of 10 Bitterns in the valley at the moment with 1+ at Grove, 2 or 3 at Stodmarsh, 2 at Collard's, 2 at Westbere and possibly 2 at Hersden! Duck numbers were much as yesterday and i'm sure Brendan made counts, a Water Pipit flew over us and amongst the assembled Gulls on the field was a 2nd winter Caspian Gull that, found by Brendan, we watched for 5 minutes before the roost was spooked and the Caspian flew towards Westbere.

(Martyn Wilson)

A few hours spent in the valley this morning wandering around before retiring home for breakfast at 9am. I met Martyn at the Partridge site at Grove just after 6.20am where after a few minutes a distant Grey Partridge called. We managed to call another one in quite close to us which allowed reasonable views in the growing light. As we chatted a Tawny Owl could be heard and a few Redwing and Fieldfare flew over. I picked out a dark shape flying towards us which turned out to be a Long eared Owl. It flew by us within 5 metres and flew briefly up the middle of the road before cutting into the fields, presumably to roost at Grove somewhere. Martyn left for Grove soon after and I went on to Trenley woods to see if anything was around. Parking in the hotspot I was treated to at least 3 Coal Tit, 5 Goldcrest, 2 Great spotted Woodpecker, 2 Green Woodpecker, 1 Siskin, a few Chaffinch but not the hoped for Lesser spotted Woodpecker, maybe next time. I then drove down to Stodmarsh and on the way saw the regular Little Owl near Cow Corner. I parked near Collards where I wanted to locate the wintering Tree Sparrow that has been around the Stodmarsh Court Farm area. Yellowhammers were very much in evidence with at least 25 present in the bushes and feeding on the floor along with c20 Chaffinch. I caught a brief glimpse of the Tree Sparrow but it soon vanished but luckily it arrived back a little later and showed well in a bush although as ever, photos were hard as it was never completely in view. Also here were 1 Grey Wagtail, c5 Stock Dove, and 1 Green Sandpiper was seen around the frozen puddles before flying off. A drive back through the valley after dropping my wife off at work produced 5 Skylark and plenty of Fieldfare in the fields as I made my way home.

(Marc Heath)

Pottered around in the Collard’s/ Stodmarsh area but apart from the 2nd winter Caspian Gull it was all much of the same really. I spent some time with the yellowhammer flock at Stodmarsh Court Farm where the previous day I had brief views of a dull individual with apparently no yellow in its plumage. I had seeded an area near the road in the hope of drawing the birds more into the open and today I managed much better views of the same bird which proved to have a faint yellow wash across the breast suggesting perhaps a first winter female. Still, a bit of excitement while it lasted. Around 20 Yellowhammers and a Tree Sparrow were present. 4 Brambling and plenty of Siskin were the Stodmarsh highlight while on Collard’s there were 49 Tufted Duck, 45 Pochard 4 Pintail, 5 Goldeneye and the two Bitterns mentioned by Martyn

(Brendan Ryan)

7th February

An early rise had me in the valley for 5.45 this morning where I heard a Tawny Owl at Collard's around 6.00. I met Marc at the Partridge site at Grove at 6.15 but there were no Partridge to be had, Marc had also had the Tawny Owl plus 2 Little Owls. We then proceeded to Stodmasrh and noted , 2 Water Rails, 4 Cetti's Warblers, 8 Marsh Harriers, 2 Bitterns, 2 Hen Harriers (both ringtails) and 1 Grey Heron. The lake held the usual ducks with 2 Shelduck, 3 Great-crested Grebes and 1 Pochard being the only counts made. Still over 1000 Teal to be seen. Around the Alder Wood were a flock of 40+ Siskin, but no Redpolls, 1 Great-spotted & 1 Green Woodpecker, 2 Goldcrests and plenty of Chaffinches. We had a chat with Alan in the Reedbed Hide where a Little Grebe was seen and Alan had seen a Little Egret, before I left Marc and Alan to carry on birding. Marc and Alan also had 1 Water Pipit and 2 Bullfinch here. On the Lampen Wall on the Alder Woods edge a flock of 25 Chaffiches had a smart male Brambling with them and there were 3 Jays present. A walk through the Nature Trail and around the Car Park produced 6 Woodcock (I nearly stepped on two) before I moved on to Collard's via the Jack Snipe ditch, no sign of it today. The Little Owl was again on show at Stodmarsh Court Farm and in the field opposite, with the Cows and Tyres, were 30+ Yellowhammers with 50 or so Chaffinches an a single Tree Sparrow. I had a quick look at Collard's lake but visibility was hindered by the cold North Westerly wind but did note 124 Pochards allong with most of the expected duck including 6+ Goldeneye. The Partridge field at Grove held 100 Fieldfares with just 2 Redwings noted amongst them. I returned to Stodmarsh for the final half hour where I joined Alan again in the Reedbed Hide until 1.00pm adding Kingfisher to the days tally.

(Martyn Wilson)

Hard work in the valley today with most time spent in western parts in the hope of re-finding Ferruginous Duck or Black-necked Grebe. Highlight at Westbere was 2 Bitterns, along with 64 Tufted Duck, 14 Pochard and 3,100 Black-headed Gulls. At Fordwich there were 16 Tufted Duck, 3 Pochard and 2 Goldeneye on the fishing lakes, while the Firecrest showed well in the same place as it had in November and December confirming that it is over wintering. At Collard’s duck numbers had fallen since Thursday with only 20 Tufted Duck, 3 Goldeneye and 6 Pintail. There was an influx of Pochard with 63 counted. I returned in the afternoon to boost the Goldeneye count to 5 and Tufted Duck to 38. While I was about it, I called in at Stodmarsh where there was nothing of note except 9 Pochard and it is debateable if that is in fact of note. 13 Yellowhammers at Stodmarsh Court Farm, and 2 Grey Wagtails at Hersdden were the only other entries in my note book.

(Brendan Ryan)

I had a cold walk around the loop from Stodmarsh to Grove.  It was pretty quiet but of note I had 7 Water Pipit including three from the Marsh Hide and 1 from Harrisons Drove.  The others were fly overs.
(Mike Buckland)

5th February

A quick pre-work jaunt around the valley to look for the Ferruginous Duck that was reported yesterday. Westbere was mostly frozen over with only 24 Tufted Duck and 17 Pochard on the last remaining sections of open water. Next call was Stodmarsh, where I failed to find the Jack Snipe but added Mealy Redpoll to the year list. On the mostly frozen lake there were 2,870 Teal and a redhead Smew. Final stop was at Collard’s where there was another redhead Smew, one Goosander 13 Goldeneye (8 drakes), 85 Tufted Duck and 2 Little Grebes

(Brendan Ryan)

4th February

Of interest, last Saturday I30 Jan), I took some non birding friends to the ramp at Grove Ferry. We were there for about 10 minutes and in that time, despite having telescope and binoculars, I saw not one single bird!!!  Nothing at all was on the flood, nothing in the reeds and nothing flew over! I am keen to know whether this is a record! Comments welcome!

(Chris Abrams)

As the school minibus needed a diesel top up this afternoon, I kindly offered and ventured back to work via the valley seeing Steve and Mike briefly en route. I didn't stop for long but noted 7 Yellowhammer, 3 Stock Dove, c10 Chaffinch around the tyres at the top of Stodmarsh hill. As I drove past the Jack Snipe site I glanced over the bridge but could not make out the Snipe but it might have been hiding. I then had 45 minutes at Grove after work looking for the Short eared Owl that had been reported here yesterday, more on the Planet Thanet website. No luck with the Owl but I did note 3 ring tail Hen Harrier going to Stodmarsh, 3 Marsh Harrier, 1 Kestrel, 1 Sparrowhawk, 4 Snipe, 1 Woodcock flew out of the paddock as I left and flew towards Grove country park, 15 Corn bunting into roost, 9 Mute Swan and 1 Water Pipit. There were 25 Fieldfare, 1 Bullfinch, c80 Lapwing, 2 Bearded Tit, 2 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Water Rail and 2 Pheasant.

(Marc Heath)

3rd February

In complete contrast to yesterdays weather, I arrived after work to a sunny Stodmarsh where I spent an hour or so wandering around the alder wood area. Most of the lake was frozen but I had left the scope behind but c500 Teal and a few Gadwall, Shoveler and 3 Pintail were seen. Around the alder wood were 1 Green Woodpecker, 1 Great spotted Woodpecker, 1 Jay, c20 Chaffinch, 1 Brambling, 5 Goldfinch, 6 Siskin, c10 Lesser Redpoll, 1 Mealy Redpoll, 2 Goldcrest, 8 Long tailed Tit, 1 Marsh Harrier and good numbers of the commoner birds. I then paid the stream a visit just outside the reserve and was rewarded with stunning views of a Jack Snipe. I watched for some time as it followed my every move without hardly moving,  a cracker of a bird. Although the light was not that good under the tree cover, some images were obtained. Also here were 1 Snipe and 1 Grey Wagtail.

(Marc Heath)

1st February

Duck numbers at Collard’s continue to be low despite the cold weather. This morning I could only manage 28 Tufted Duck, 24 Pochard, 10 Goldeneye and a single redhead Smew.  At Stodmarsh Bittern and Woodcock were the only birds of note. A small flock of about 10 Redpoll were in the wood but they were very mobile in the high winds and never gave adequate views to nail the mealy. I replenished Martin’s temporary feeding station along the main path by the Alder Wood and was rewarded with a single Brambing amongst around 80 Chaffinches when I returned in the early afternoon. Between visits to Stodmarsh I checked Westbere where there were 62 Tufted Duck, 10 Pochard and a Little Grebe. Blizzard conditions caused me to depart for home but I returned late afternoon after the snow and wind had abated. A brief stop at Collard’s added 5 Pintail and the Brambling was still present. The harrier roost produced about 9 Marsh Harriers and 2 or 3 ring-tailed Hen Harriers while a Little Egret flew toward Seaton. Barry Wright and John Tilbrook added a Bittern from Collard’s, 3 Woodcock and a Jack Snipe in the roadside steam just south of Stodmarsh village

(Brendan Ryan)

In weather that can only be described as freezing, I spent an hour or so at the ramp at Grove before returning home around 9am. Birds noted included 43 Mute Swan, 61 Greylag Geese, 1 Yellowhammer, a few Redwing calling in the dark, 9 Fieldfare, 161 Cormorant, 1 Kingfisher, 8 Marsh Harrier, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Pied Wagtail, 1 Pheasant, 11 Stock Dove, 2 Grey Heron and 3 Snipe. There were 3 Redshank and 1 Spotted Redshank on the right hand pool, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Skylark, 1 Little Grebe in the dyke by the Green hide and a few small groups of Lapwings moving about the reserve.

(Marc Heath)