Jan2010sightings

Almost the same clan out this morning except, Phil was replaced by Pete Solly. One Woodcock was seen flying past the ramp, having been flushed from the path by Marc who, had made an early start hoping for Long-eared Owl. No luck with LEO but 1 Tawny Owl calling along the river. There were no Swans out this morning, either wild or Mutes but there were, 4 Hen Harriers including 2 males. Only 7 Marsh Harriers seen today and the rest of the morning was a fairly quiet affair. Marc left early, Brendan moved on to Stodmarsh as did Mark. Alan sat in Green hide all morning while Pete and I did the Grove circuit. Steve Ashton and Mike Gould joined us at the green hide for a spot of Bittern bashhing early afterrnoon. There was 1 Corn Bunting, 1 Linnet, 2 Little Egrets out high north, 2 Shelducks, and 2 Kestrels. A single Water Rail was seen and a further 2 heard as were 4 Cetti's Warblers. Also seen were 1 Pied Wagtail, 1 Green Woodpecker, 2 Redshanks, 3+ Water Pipits, 4 Bitterns (all from green hide) and there was a singl Golden Plover in with 600+ Lapwings on the fields adjacent to the industrial estate. There were 2 Jays and 1 Kingfisher along the river and several Blue and Great Tits while, Fieldfares still dominate the orchards with a few Redwings with them. On leaving the reserve as I passed the small dyke behind the White House between the road and Harrison's Drove there were, 8 Little Grebes, 3 Little Egrets, 1 Grtey Heron and a single Green Sandpiper.

Spent a little time on the ramp early morning failing to see any swans emerge from the roost and went from there to Stodmarsh, stopping briefly to confirm that many 1000s of Fieldfare are still resident in the Grove orchards. A mixed flock of 50 Siskin and Redpolls were near the car park but I couldn’t find any looking like Mealys. Still plenty of Teal on the lake but I didn’t bother counting them and instead counted the Mallard for a change. Along with 227 of them there were 6 Pintail and 15 Pochard. One Bittern sighting was the only other thing of note. At Collard’s there were 54 Tufted Duck, 89 Pochard, 4 Shelduck and 11 Goldeneye including 4 drakes. Martyn phoned from Grove to say that he could see a Golden Plover with a flock of Lapwings over Upstreet. From my distant vantage point I was able to add GP to the year list. I next checked out the bunting feeding station where about 18 Reed Buntings remained along with three Grey Wagtails including one that was singing. I checked Westbere from Cow Corner and managed to count 17 Tufted Duck and 15 Pochard before the sailing boats disturbed them. There were a further 7 Tufted Duck on Hersden Lake.

A full contingent of locals at Grove Ferry today, perhaps the lure of a possible Penduline Tit sighting was the inducement! Marc Heath, Steve Ray, Alan Ashdown and I met early and was soon joined by Phil Parker and later Brendan Ryan and then Steve Ashton and Mark Chidwick, a full house. Alan had a Tawny Owl on Grove Hill as he drove in and as we walked the entrance track we encountered 4 Woodcocks and, from the ramp there were 9 Shelducks, 2 Pintail, 2 Tufted Ducks and 12 Wigeon. Then at around 7.30ish a 1st winter/sub-adult Bewick's Swan flew up from the back pools and out towards Chislet/Marshside, follwowed shortly after by 2 adult Whooper Swans also, 14 Marsh Harriers out of roost and 1 adult male Hen Harrier. The only waders seen were, 2 Snipe 3 Cur-loo, 1 Redshank and a couple hundred Lapwings. The green hide held 1 Pochard and 9 Tufted Ducks while Sparrowhawk, Water Rail and Grey Heron were seen from here too while, Alan had a Green Sandpiper early afternoon. A couple of Cetti's Warblers were heard, a 5th Woodcock was seen by the Oxbow and Bullfinch's seem to be increasing with 6 seen along the river between the Oxbow and the Grove Ferry Inn. Fieldfares and Redwing still a plenty and there were 5 Water Pipits from Harrison's. As I was leaving there were 3 Curlews on the roadside floods and a quick call to Brendan, who was just reaching the GF carpark, had him ticking them of his year list as they flew over towards Harrison's.

I started the day, like everyone else it seemed, at Grove in the hope of re-locating the Penduline Tit. Sadly I was too late for the Whooper Swans, which would have been a valley tick. 2 Parakeets in the car park was a good (or possibly bad) start but it was all down hill from there. I walked the Grove-Stodmarsh circuit but it was fairly quite from a single Woodcock and three Stonechat. Stodmarsh Lake held 105 Gadwall, 4 Pintail, 5 Wigeon, 1,310 Teal and 8 Pochard but passerines seemed very thin on the ground apart from an unusually high number of encounters with Bullfinches. I managed to add 2 Curlew to the year list thanks to a timely call from Martyn but I have still yet to see a Golden Plover for the year. At Collard’s there were 4 Goosander, 7 Goldeneye, 65 Pochard and 53 Tufted Duck. I returned to Grove in the afternoon in the hope of catching up with the swans. 10 Shelduck, 4 Pintail and a little Egret were seen from the ramp. At 3.40 the 2 Whoopers and single sub adult Bewick flew in and landed on the right hand Ramp pool. They were subsequently were reported to have flown off west but by that time I had re-located to the Lampen wall where 4 Hen Harriers inc 2 males where the highlight. 8 Marsh Harriers, a single Bittern, 2 Whitefronts and about 5,000 Fieldfares were also seen.

A brief visit to Grove Ferry before work this morning at 7.30am produced 2 ring tail Hen Harrier, 3 Little Egret, 1 drake Pintail, 19 Greylag Geese, 2 Green Woodpecker, 3 Shelduck, c400 Lapwing, 4 Marsh Harrier, 10 Mute Swan, c330 Teal, 1 Tufted Duck, c9 Chaffinch feeding on the ramp and a few hundred Fieldfare towards the orchards to start their daily feeding frenzy. A visit back after work to Grove for an hour in sunny conditions produced 17 Mute swan, 1 Grey Heron, 98 Greylag Geese, 2 Marsh Harrier, 1 Water Pipit on the main pool, 5 Shoveler, 1 Linnet, c400 Lapwing, 2 Hen Harrier, 1 ringtail and 1 adult male, 1 Corn Bunting, 1 Ring necked Parakeet, 2 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Bearded Tit, 1 Little Egret, 7 Long tailed Tit and c7000 Fieldfare going to roost.

I made a couple of visits into the valley today before and after Uni. An hour at the ramp this morning at Grove Ferry from 7.30am produced 91 Greylag Geese, 1 Green Woodpecker, 5 Shoveler, 2 Shelduck, 9 Mute Swan, 1 Cetti's Warbler which still seem a bit thin on the ground, 10 Marsh Harrier passed through Grove, 7 Pintail on the main lake, c80 Wigeon which appeared from the back pools, c400 Lapwing, 3 Little Egret, 1 Golden Plover and 2 Curlew which flew in from the west and landed on the field behind the back pools. A quick stop at Collards after Uni in sunny conditions produced c500 Wigeon, 1 Little Grebe, 2 Marsh Harrier, 1 Common Buzzard, 6 Goldeneye and 2 Little Owl were calling near Stodmarsh Court Farm. I had an hour or so at Stodmarsh until 4.15pm, birds noted were 3 Marsh Harrier, 5 Pintail, 8 Tufted Duck, 4 Great crested Grebe, c50 Wigeon, 2 Bittern, 1 from the reedbed hide and 1 flew along the Lampern Wall. A look in the alder wood was quiet but nearby there were c16 Lesser Redpoll, 1 Siskin, c20 Chaffinch and c8 Goldfinch. 1 Ring tail Hen Harrier was also seen flying in from the North.

A Penduline Tit was watched from the David Feast hide at 10.30 this morning associating with a Long-tailed Tit flock.

A brief visit to Grove Ferry tonight in finger numbing temperatures produced the first Merlin of the year which chased a Skylark near the river for c40 seconds before finally being rewarded with its dinner. Other birds noted were 11 Mute Swan, 3 Shoveler, 31 Teal, 6 Tufted Duck, 43 Greylag Geese, 3 Marsh Harrier, c90 Lapwing and 2 ring tail Hen Harrier towards Stodmarsh.

A stark contrast to yesterday's dark dank mizzerling (Phil Parker) conditions where, I couldn't be arsed to write a report. Although 3 Hen Harriers and a couple of Mealy Redpolls were good birds for the day. Today started with 2 Tawny Owls calling by Stodmarsh Court Farm on my way in and, after meeting Mark Chidwick and Alan Ashdown in the carpark we made our way to Marsh Hide and while those two comforted themselves within the hide I watched from the corner by the dyke hoping for a better look at Harriers leaving roost. It worked, the first of 5 Hen Harriers was a male out just after 7.00 followed by 2 ringtails, a second male and a final ringtail. There was 1 Sparrowhawk and 11 Marsh Harriers (19 yesterday) and with 221 Greylag Geese there were 5 White-fronted Geese flying west. At least 4000 Fieldfars were on the move along the river and from within the hide we saw 3 Little Egrets, 1 Shelduck, 1 Green Woodpecker and at 7.50 3 sub-adult Whooper Swans flying west. Also there were, 8+ Snipe, 4 Water Pipits, 2 Pied Wagtails, 1 Grey Heron, 1 Redshank and a Bittern. Two more Bitterns were seen from Reedbed Hide. In and around the Alder Wood where I met up with Brendan there were, 30 odd Lesser Redpolls, 2-3 Mealy Redpolls, 20+ Siskins, 18 Long-tailed Tits, 6 Goldfinch, 20 Chaffinch and 1 Jay. Cetti's Warblers seem to have survived the cold spell with 6 heard while on the lake were, 4 Pintail, 3 Great-crested Grebes, 12 Gadwall, 600+ Teal and 380 Black-headed Gulls. On the way back to the car I encountered 6 Woodcocks. Joining Brendan at Collard's passing the Little Owl at Stod Crt Farm on the way where the redhead Smew was still present plus, 10 Goldeneye (3 drakes), 1 Bittern, 1 Grey Wagtail and the usaul collection of ducks- Wigeon, Teal, Shoveler, Tufted, Pochard etc etc etc. Another Little Owl was seen at Cow Corner as was a single Common Buzzard.

First port of call was Cow Corner where a Bittern flying towards Hersden was virtually first birds of the day. A flock of around 150 Greylags contained the same three Whitefronts that were in the same fields at the end of 2009. Although light conditions weren’t great I spent some time scanning Collard’s where there had been a notable increase in Wigeon numbers with at least 670 present. Last weeks redhead Smew was still there, but tufted numbers had dropped to 46 and Pochard to 35. A Chiffchaff was calling from the kale field and the first Cormorants had returned to their nest sites in Alders on the lakes edge. Nearby there were 17 Yellowhammers around the Cow feeders at Stodmarsh Court Farm. On to Stodmarsh where there were 3 Pintail, 6 Pochard and 3 Gt-cr Grebes on the main lake. There were still plenty of Redpolls and Siskins in the Alder Wood, with at least one bird showing characteristics of Mealy Redpoll. A flyover Redshank was my only addition to the year list and I flushed a single Woodcock. Around midday the sun unexpectedly came out so Martyn and I returned to Collard’s where a Bittern, Grey Wagtail and 10 Goldeneye were added to the earlier sightings

Another miserable dark and damp day that didn’t inspire an early start or keep me in the field for too long. A single wet looking Buzzard was sitting in a road side tree as I drove to Stodmarsh. I didn’t bother with Collard’s in view of the light conditions. I spent much of my time stomping through the Jack Snipe field but I wasn’t able to raise a snipe of any description. I retuned to Stodmarsh via Undertrees Farm where I found a mixed flock of finches including many Siskins and Redpolls. At least three Redpoll sported brilliantly white wing bars and tramlines on their mantles, this along with their bulky size and general greyish cast was sufficient to add Mealy Redpoll to the year list. On the way home there was a single Little Egret in fields opposite Stodmarsh Court Farm.

After finishing uni this afternoon, I cycled over from Canterbury around the outskirts of the valley and ended up at Grove for an hour until 4pm. Fieldfare were very evident all around the valley with c10,000 seen throughout the journey with most flying into roost along middle drove. A Coal Tit was calling as I passed through Trenley Wood and a single Great spot and Green Woodpecker noted. At Grove in dull conditions were 3 Marsh Harrier, 3 Hen Harrier including 2 males hassling the Fieldfares behind Harrisons area, 11 Snipe, 3 Water Pipit, 1 Tufted Duck, 1 Mistle Thrush, 5 Shelduck on the main pool, 12 Greylag Geese, 14 Mute Swan, 2 Cetti's Warbler, c250 Teal and c300 Lapwing.

A Tawny Owl was calling near Fordwich as I passed through this morning and then met with Mark Chidwick at Stodmarsh car park. From here we made our way to the small bridge between Undertrees and the Marsh Hide to watch the dawn break and, hope to see a Barn Owl but, alas, no luck. A woodcock was flushed along the path approaching the bridge and as dawn rose we saw 1 Bittern at 7.05 the first of 4 at Stomarsh today and 2 Hen Harriers, one being the 'not quite' adult male with a brown saddle. Also 14 Marsh Harriers, 3 Water Rails 2 Cetti's Warblers and 1 Kestrel. Then came a phone call from Brendan who was but yards away, on the Lampen Wall watching a Black-necked Grebe that he'd just found, so Mark, Pete Solly (who joined us for 'dawn watch') and I met up with Brendan and Steve Ray who were still on the Grebe. Also here were 3 more Bitterns (as mentioned), 2 Pintail, 5 Tufted Duck, 9 Pochards, 3 Wigeon, 1 Great-crested Grebe plus many Mallard and Teal. At the Alder Wood there was a 40+ flock of Siskins and Redpolls and feeding on the ground were 30 Chaffinch, 12 Reed Bunting and several Blue & Great Tits, a few Blackbirds and 2 Jays. Steve Ray and I went back to the orchard where we had watched the Hen Harrier chasing Fieldfare yesterday and again there were 3000+ Fieldfare avery small number of Redwings, about one to every 350 Fieldfares and again the juvenile male Hen Harrier was searching for a 'large thrush' dinner, this was the third Hen Harrier of trhe day. From here I met up again with Brendan at Collard's where ther were 7 Goosanders (1 drake), 1 redhead Smew, 10 Goldeneye, 3 Bitterns and the first 2 Common Buzzards of the year being watched by Brendan as I pulled up. A stop at Grove Ferry on the way home produced, 2 Stonechats, 1 more Bittern and 16 Water Pipits at Harrison's but, very little else. We believe there were 7 possibly 8 Bitterns in the Stour Valley today. This is also the best Bittern year since the Grove Ferry end wa opened up and hopefully as the past three years a male has stayed and boomed throughout the summer this time, a female might stay as well and hey who knows the patter of tiny Bittern feet may be possible.

This is the best winter that I can recall for Bitterns and today was a quite exceptional day in which I enjoyed 12 different sightings involving probably 8 different birds including 4 at Stodmarsh, 3 at Collard’s, and one at Grove. The day started well with a Woodcock at Trenly Park and then a Black-necked Grebe at Stodmarsh discovered just after dawn, Also at Stodmarsh there were around 30 Redpolls, 20 Siskins, a single Brambling in the Alder Wood and 2 Treecreepers that were new for the year. One the lake there were 2 Pintail, 3 Wigeon. Viewing conditions at Collard’s were excellent and I spent a couple of hours scanning the lake from my distant viewing point. Highlights include the aforementioned Bitterns, 2 of which were sitting out in the open. On the duck front there were 10 Goldeneye, 76 Tufted Duck, one redhead Smew, 390 Wigeon and 47 Shoveler. 5 Goosander flew in from the west and later two more appeared. A large Saker like falcon was harassing the wildfowl but it had a mix of features that suggested that it was a falconer’s hybrid. Other raptors at this site included 5 Marsh Harriers, 2 Buzzards and a Sparrow Hawk. Martyn had joined me at Collard’s and from there were went to Grove which was quite apart from an obligatory Bittern, 2 Stonechats and 17 Water Pipits by Harrison’s Drove hide. I next went to Fordwich to look for crests but with no luck and from there went to Westbere where disappointingly I failed to see any Bitterns. Duck numbers had dropped dramatically with only 19 Tufted Duck and a few Mallard. I did manage to flush 2 Woodcock. The last part of the afternoon was spent with John Cantelo on the Lampen Wall. The grebe was still present and had been joined by 2 Shelduck, yet another new bird for the year. After 2 more Bittern sightings and 2 Hen Harriers including the male, I called it a day after nine very pleasurable hours in the field.

Not that much of a report today due to damp drizzly/showery weather conditions, however, some decent sightings made the note book. One of the first birds of the morning was a Peregrine east past Harrison's at 7.35am, there were 4 Hen Harriers (1 male), 12 Marsh Harriers and, apart from a large movement of Fieldfares the only other bird of note was a Bittern at the feast hide. On the way to Stodmarsh we stopped at the black barn where Brendan was watching the thrushes. We spent some time here watching 3000+ Fieldfares plus Redwings and Blackbirds being constantly harrased by a juvenile male Hen Harrier. All attempts of obtaining photographs were nigh on impossible due to the horrendous light conditions. There were another 1000+ Fieldfares in the orchards above Stodmarsh and at Stodmarsh 4 Woodcocks were seen. The finch flock feeding on the Lampen Wall beside the Alder Wood held 20 Chaffinch, 8 Goldfinch, 1 Brambling, 1 Greenfinch, several Blue and Great Tits, 3 Robins and 14+ Lesser Redpolls while 30 Siskins and 1 or 2 more Lesser Redpolls were in the Alders above the feeding flock. Three Bitterns were seen from the Reedbed Hide as were 6 Wigeon and 1 Water Rail showed well by the nature trail bridge and another two were heard wailing otherwise not much else was noted.

Bad news – another miserable day with dark dank conditions, so bad that it was virtually impossible to view Collard’s, I don’t think that I have birded in the valley this year in anything approaching good conditions. Good news- no duck counting because of the poor viewing conditions; the weather forecast for tomorrow includes some sun and most importantly Cetti’s Warblers seem to have survived the cold spell with at least 5 birds between the ramp and Harrison’s Drove this afternoon. Much of the morning was spend watching Fieldfare in the orchards at Grove. I estimate that at least 3,000 birds were present. I was joined by Martyn and Steve R and we watched a ringtail Hen Harrier quartering the orchard for about half an hour trying to catch a fieldfare. There were at least a further 1,000 Fieldfare in the orchard at Grove Hill. At Stodmarsh a good selection of birds were feeding on grain and sunflower seeds along the path by the Alder Wood. A single Brambling and 3 Redpoll were the highlight but there were also at least 10 Reed Buntings, 40 Chaffinches and several tits joining in the feeding frenzy. Collectively we encountered 4 Woodcock in and around the Alder Wood. On the way home I managed to grill 70 Reed Buntings at a pheasant feeder but alas I wasn’t able to find any of their smaller cousins. The weather improved slightly in the afternoon so I made my first visit of the year to Grove Ferry for the dusk patrol. This proved to be a great vantage point to watch flocks of fieldfare flying to roost. As well as the birds from the orchards that we had watched earlier in the day huge flocks were coming in from the Preston direction and from the Ash Levels. I estimate that at least 20,000 birds were involved. Many were stopping in the fields beyond Harrison’s, these were easier to observe and in checking one flock of about 1,000 birds I encountered only 2 Redwing. Other things seen at Grove this evening included one Little Egret, one Water Pipit, 5 Corn Buntings, 2 Hen Harriers, 5 Linnets and a Bittern right in front of Harrison’s hide

A couple of visits into the valley today at various times, making visits to Westbere, Collards, Stodmarsh and Grove just before dusk. Birds noted at Westbere were 6 Water Rail, 15 Great crested Grebe, 2 Jay, 2 Great spotted Woodpecker, 84 Pochard, 70 Tufted Duck, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Brambling by the entrance, 1 Woodcock, 1 Bullfinch, 2 Treecreeper, 1 red head Smew but no sign of the Mandarin. The first Green Sandpiper of the year was heard and seen by the river. A quick look at Collards produced 1 Kingfisher, 4 Goldeneye, c500 Wigeon, c300 Teal with good numbers of Tufted Duck and Pochard. Stodmarsh held 1 Bittern with a probable 5 Bittern seen today by other birders, 2 Bullfinch, 2 Great spotted Woodpecker, 1 Brambling, 6 Lesser Redpoll, 10 Siskin, c400 Teal, 1 Snipe, 2 Marsh Harrier and in the fields above Stodmarsh were 2 adult White fronted Geese with c300 Greylag Geese. A look at Grove late afternoon produced 9 White fronted Geese, 2 adults, in the field just east of the ramp, also 2 Marsh Harrier, 2 Little Egret, 2 Snipe, 2 Sparrowhawk, 2 Kestrel, 4 Linnet, 26 Corn Bunting, 2 Grey Heron and a spectacle of c5000 Fieldfare and Redwing going to roost.

The redhead Smew and a Goldeneye were still present on Westbere Lake this morning, together with 25 Canada Geese. There were several more Canada Geese plus 17 Greylags in the fields below Cow Corner until they were all disturbed by a shooter. Earlier two Curlew had flown in and landed in the field just across the river.

Another day in the snowy Stour Valley seeing a Tawny Owl between Cow Corner and Collie Corner at car window level as I came in this morning, watching it watching me as I poodle past at 12mph. Mark Chidwick met me in the car park and we birded the circuit. Noted today were, 2 Woodcocks, 1 Pied Wagtail, 5 Cetti's Warblers, 12 Marsh Harriers, 2 Hen Harriers (juvenile male & juvenile female), 2 Little Egrets, 1 male Kestrel and yet again many Fieldfares. There were 3 Grey Herons, 1 Snipe, 5 Water Rails and on the partialy unfrozen lake were 1485 Teal and 574 Mallards, no Gadwll or Shoveler, Pochards or Tufted but, there were 18 Gadwall on Undertrees fish ponds. A flock of 18 Siskins were on the edge of the Alder Wood with 2 Goldfinch and there were a dozen plus Chaffinches in the wood, plenty of Blue, Great & Long-tailed Tits around and several Robins. What I thought were the first 2 Greenfinches of the year were at the first corner by the Alder Wood but, Steve Ashton had had one same place yesterday. A stop in reedbed hide for a cup of tea had us watching 6 Bearded Tits, a Stonechat and a Cettis Warbler while a Bittern flew over and out towards Grove. Brendan was at Westbere again and called to say he ahd found a Knot and, as Mark hadn't seen Mandarin in the valley or Smew we headed for the three. There were 30+ Yellowhammers in the cow field opposite Stodmarsh Court Farmon the way. No sign of the Knot when we arrived but the redhead Smew was showing as was the drake Mandarin, a Bittern was seen here although Brendan had already seen two. Brendan will put a fuller account of Westbere and Collard's up later. Leaving Westbere for Collard's, passing a Littke Owl at Cow Corner, where I eventually caught up with Brendan and snow showers once again made viewing difficult but, a Sparrowhawk, 3 Bitterns and 8 Goldeneye were highlights. Back down to Stodmarsh with Brendan where the only additions for me was a drake Goosander on the lake. At the orchards on leaving there were still plenty of Fieldfare and Redwing feeding on windfall apples and on the top fields there were 5 Canada Geese and 2 adult White-fronted Geese with the 200+ flock of Greylags, both new additions to the year list.

Westbere was again the main focus of activity this morning after an early abandonment at Collard’s because of poor visibility. I flushed a Bittern and woodcock as I made my way to my designated viewing point. 2 more Bittern sightings suggest that at least two birds were present. On the duck front yesterday’s Mandarin was still present along with a redhead Smew and Goldeneye. Tufted Duck numbered 91 and Pochard 152. The most bizarre sighting was a Knot standing on the ice which was so unexpected that it took me a little time to work out what it was. Sadly just as Sue arrived and before Martyn had time to get there it walked out of sight and we weren’t able to relocate it. A Little Grebe- new for the tear and 2 Cetti’s Warblers still hanging on were the only other notable occurrences. Next on to Collard’s where I was joined by Martyn. Poor light and intermittent snow showers again made viewing at this site difficult. However we were treated to three different Bitterns flying in quick succession across the lake. On the lake there were 8 Goldeneye, 56 Pochard, 32 Tufted Duck and a single Pintail. On to Stodmarsh where Martyn found a drake Goosander and at least 3 Cetti’s Warblers were heard, giving hope that they may have survived the worst of the weather. En route to checking the orchards we came across 2 Whitefronts amongst the Greylags in fields between Stodmarsh and Seaton. The last part of the day was spent checking the orchards between Grove and Stodmarsh, where once again there were several thousand Fieldfare and Redwings along with smaller numbers of Blackbirds and Song Thrushes.

A frustrating day as there were clearly lots of birds around but viewing condition, with strong winds and frequent snow showers were difficult. Not being sure what the roads to Stodmarsh would be like, I decided to walk along the river from Fordwich to Westbere. A Kingfisher in the stream at Fordwich bridge was a good start, a chiffchaff feeding on the river bank was an unexpected find and Dunnock and Redwing were welcomed additions to the year list. Fordwich Lakes were totally frozen so I was encouraged when I arrived at Westbere to find most of the lake unfrozen. I set about counting the duck in the hope of finding something good driven in by the cold weather. The results were as follows, 154 Pochard, 123 Tufted Duck, 1 Goldeneye, 44 Shoveler, 80 Gadwall and 6 Wigeon. Highlight came in the form of a drake Mandarin. There were impressive number of gulls present including 3,480 Herring Gulls and other notable records included 2 Woodcock, a Marsh Harrier and a Bittern the latter having been flushed from the river bank. A single Cetti’s Warbler ( plus another at Stodmarsh) might be the last in the valley for some considerable time if the cold weather doesn’t abate. Martyn had joined me to twitch the Mandarin and together we went off to check out Collard’s. A small flock of around 15 Linnets at the view point was an unexpected surprise as this is very rare in the valley before March. Unfortunately visibility was poor and after notching up 5 Goldeneye, we gave up and spent the remainder of the afternoon pottering around Stodmarsh but to no avail. The final act was to check out the orchards between Grove and Stodmarsh. These were stacked with Fieldfare and Redwing but again viewing conditions were poor and we decided that the rare thrush will have to wait until tomorrow and gave up and when home.

After eventually locating the Mandarin (many thanks for the call), I made my way back to the railway crossing, seeing 2 Goosanders to the east of the ‘island’. Later in the afternoon from the house, we could see 5 Goldeneye and a lone Shelduck amongst the other ducks on Westbere Lake. As darkness fell, a group of 37 Cormorants flew towards Collards and 40 + were still out on the fishing platforms. Also at dusk, a Woodcock flew over the garden.

I Arrived at Stodmarsh at 7.00am with strong NNE winds and eventually several snow showers, the lakes were all frozen and covered with a dusting of snow and, the only open water were the fish ponds at Undertrees that were only partially frozen and on here were a single drake Wigeon, 9 Gadwall, 4 Mallards and 12 Coots. Looking up towards the orchards there was 3000+ Fieldfares in the air descending on the many fallen apples. A Woodcock flew up the path in front of me here. From the Reedbed hide I noticed a couple of Marsh Harriers in the air and so scanned left to right from Tower hide to the Adlder Wood and counted 25 Marsh Harriers all in the air, the most i've ever seen in one scan. There were 160 Lapwings standing on the ice. A Hen Harrier flew over the path near the Alder Wood (juvenile female) and a single Bullfinch called on the corner. A further 2 Woodcocks seen near the carpark plus my fourth of the day seen at Westbere. Joined by Tim Gutsell we spent some time in the hide before seeing what was on offer in the wood. There was 1 Green Woodpecker, 12 Chaffinches, 2 Snipe, 1 Pied Wagtail, 3 Cetti's Warblers, 1 Water Pipit, 3 Pintail (over the lake), 1 adult Peregrine, 2 Bearded Tits, 1 Jay, 1 Grey Wagtail and only 40 odd Cormorants. There were 2 Yellowhammers by the entrance as I left for Westbere after a phone call from Brendan about a Mandarin he'd just found, I caught up with Brendan and the rest is posted although, the Little Owl was at Stodmarsh Court Farm and there were 40 Skylarks on the snow covered top fields next to the orchards on the road in.

(Martyn Wilson)

Woodcock - Martyn Wilson ©

A Jack Snipe was flushed at Stodmarsh this afternoon along with 2 Common Snipe. Also seen were 2 Woodcock, 3 Bullfinch and c30 Siskin.

I spent a few hours in the valley today trying to get year ticks and hopefully a few quality birds. Mark Chidwick was already on the ramp when I arrived at 7.40am and we walked the Grove circuit. I then made visits to Stodmarsh and Collards. Birds noted were 2 Hen Harrier, 1 male, 4 Marsh Harrier, 4 Bearded Tit, 4 Stonechat, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Peregrine, 1 Grey Heron, 5 Water Rail, 12 Mute Swan, 1 Great crested Grebe on the river, 6 Snipe and 5 Cetti's Warbler. Whilst sitting in the Feast hide, a male Goosander flew up from the river and flew over the ramp and later, it or another male was on collards. A quick look near cow Corner produced 1 Little Owl, 1 Coal Tit, 2 Goldrest, 1 Treecreeper and 4 Yellowhammer. Collards was mostly frozen but birds noted were 9 Goldeneye, 3 drakes, c200 Shoveler, c61 Tufted Duck, c500 Wigeon, 111 Pochard, 2 Pintail, 30 Great Black backed Gull, 3 Marsh Harrier and lesser numbers of Gadwall and Teal. Near Stodmarsh Court farm were 25 Yellowhammer, 1 Grey Wagtail feeding in with the cows and 2 Common Buzzard causing chaos amongst the corvids. There were 4 Yellowhammer at the entrance to Stodmarsh car park and also noted here were c500 Lapwing, c100 Golden Plover but interestingly not a single Bittern sighting by a number of birders who had been looking for a number of hours. Presumably, they may have gone to the rivers or towards the coast. In the alder wood were 10 Siskin, 1 Woodcock, a few Chaffinch and 1 Brambling (first of the year) which proved hard to get a photo of despite the dark light. A brief look back at Grove late afternoon produced 2 Hen Harrier, 1 male, 5 Marsh Harrier, 1 Barn Owl that appeared at 3.25pm and hunted for 30 minutes near the back pools, 60 Corn Bunting together in a tree near the Feast hide and a spectacular sight of c7000 Fieldfare going to roost over middle drove and Stodmarsh.

I arrived at a snowy and totaly frozen over Grove Ferry this morning at 7.45am where I spent an hour wandering before work. Birds noted were 15 Snipe, 2 Marsh Harrier, 3 Bearded Tit, 1 Ruff, the first this year was standing on the frozen main pool with c200 Lapwing, 7 Meadow Pipit, 1 Bullfinch heard, 1 Golden Plover, 1 Greenfinch and as I visited the Green hide, a Bittern flew over and landed in the reeds for a minute or so before flying towards the ramp. Also 1 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Skylark, 2 Water Rail, 1 Peregrine, 3 Water Pipit, 1 Sparrowhawk, 2 Mute Swan, 1 Redwing, 1 Woodcock and c10 Goldfinch. A brief visit back after work produced 2 Marsh Harrier, 8 Snipe and c1500 Fieldfare going to roost.

I walked from Westbere down the footpath to the river for about an hour this morning and saw the following birds: 1 Mute Swan, 12 Mallard, 4 Cormorant, 1 Bittern, 1 Grey Heron, 1 Marsh Harrier, several Water Rail (heard), 1 Kingfisher, 1 Green and 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers and small groups of Long-tailed, Great and Blue Tits plus the usual Robins, Wrens, Blackbirds etc. There was also a pair of Siskins feeding in an Alder tree, 1 Reed Bunting, a party of at least 6 Bullfinches and a single Chiffchaff. There was some ice on the lake, but most of the water was still open. However, there were very few ducks about and all of the many gulls were down the other end of the lake.

A welcome return to Phil Parker who's broken ankle has now heeled and been given the all clear. We made a start at Grove Ferry with a good new year start for Phil with his first Bittern flying past the ramp at 7.23. Loads of Greylags left roost and there were several Fieldfares with 6+ Redwing, 2 Grey Herons, 2 Cetti's Warblers and 3 Hen Harriers, A vallley year tick came in the shape of Bearded Tit when two were heard also we had, 1 Snipe, 6 Marsh Harriers, 1 Pied Wagtail, 5 Water Pipits, 1 Meadow Pipit and a couple of Reed Buntings. We left here to go to Collard's seeing the Little Owl at SC Farm on the way. At Collards were 5 Goldeney (2 drakes), 4 Pintail (2 drakes), 44 Tufted Ducks, 116 Pochard plus Gadwall, Shoveler, Teal and many Wigeon. A single Little Grebe was seen here as well and, on my second vist at midday when I did the duck counts, there was a redhead Smew on show, telephone calls to Brendan & Marc had them both adding it to their year lists but, no sign of the two Goosanders that Brendan saw yesterday. Onward to Stodmarsh where not much more was seen except a Yellowhammer on the entrance, a Woodcock by the carpark and very litte else. Phil left for home and I went to Reedbed hide where Mark Chidwick was planted. Less Bittern activity today with only four seen with one only 2 metres from the hide yet remained mostly unseen in the reeds. Four more Bearded Tits seen here too. The Golden Plovers on the hill opposite with the Lapwings only numbered ten but, another year tick was a Chiffchaff calling behind the hide. The two Gull roosts at Stodmarsh and Cow Corner are enlarging quite rapidly now but as yet nothing extraordinary could be found just, Herring (argentatus & argenteus), Lesser & Great Black-backs, Black-headed and Common, the later being more numerous than the ONE we had new years day.

I made my first proper visit of the year into the valley this morning, although not for to long. I was out at silly o'clock (4.45am) where I spent quite some time listening for Owls. I then made brief visits to Cow Corner and Collards before returning home for parent duties. Birds noted were 8 Tawny Owls with most calling 30 minutes before dawn, 5 Little Owls, 1 Mistle Thrush, a few Redwing heard, c200 Fieldfare, 1 Grey Heron, 18 Mute Swan, 1 Grey Partridge calling at Grove in the usual hotspot, 2 Yellowhammer, 3 Great crested Grebe, 5 Marsh Harrier over Collards, 2 Sparrowhawk and 7 Golden Plover in with c800 Lapwing. There were 2 Corn Bunting south, 1 Siskin, 65 Greylag Geese, 1 Linnet, 2 Goldfinch, 2 Goldeneye, 1 Little Grebe as well as good numbers of Wigeon with Tufted Duck, Pochard, Gadwall, Shoveler and Teal noted. A few thousand Gulls were over Westbere.

When I left Stodmarsh the bird was exactly where he described it and it was in a roadside tree. When I pulled up (2.30pm) it flew down the field gliding about three to four feet above the ground, where it landed in full view. When I got out the car to look through binoculars it flew into the trees.

It was too large for sparrowhawk and the light flight and agility did suggest Goshawk. I would say that I am not convinced that it is in full adult plumage since it was very clearly brown above.

Most of today was spent in the Reedbed Hide with a little jaunt out t the edge of Trenleypark Wood and then back to the Reedbed Hide. A Tawny Owl was calling somewhere near the Alder Wood as I pulled into Stodmarsh carpark at 7.00am and soon after arriving at the hide was joined by Mark Chidwick then Robin Blyth, with Robin seeing a Barn Owl quartering the field between the hide and the carpark as he passed. Tim Gutsell joined us at 8.45 after seeing a Goshawk near Trenleypark Wood by Higham Farm at 8.35 (hence our trip out). A later look here could not relocte it but, as I had seen one at Grove on 29th of November it may be worth keeping an eye out for, as it may well be wintering. A very good day for Bitterns as we had 15 sightings of 6, possibly 7 Bitterns throughout the morning with at least two seeming to be new arrivals. Also today were, 2 Little Owls (1 Cow Corner & 1 Stod Court Farm), 4 Great-crested Grebes, 2 Water Rails, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 2 Coal Tits, many Fieldfare, 1 Woodcock, 1 Mistle Thrush, 3 Bullfinches, 1 Jay, 70 Golden Plovers and 2+ Water Pipits.

A late start arriving in the valley early afternoon. After a brief stop at Cow Corner to pick up Coal Tit for the year list, I spent a long time at Collard’s where viewing conditions (good light and light winds) were better than they had been for several days. Highlight was a pair of Goosander, along with seven Goldeneye including one drake. 75 Tufted Duck, 86 Pochard and 3 Pintail were also present along with the usual numbers of wigeon, shoveler and gadwall. I spent the remainder of the day until duck on the Lampen Wall. 1,480 Teal were present on the main lake with 2 Pintail. 2 Hen Harriers appeared at the roost including a fine male which performed well off and on for over an hour. Marsh Harrier numbers were more difficult to pin down but I estimate that there were at least 15 birds. Other raptors were represented by single Sparrow Hawk and Peregrine. Numbers of Fieldfare were impressive with at least 3,000 birds but not a single Redwing, which sadly I still need for my pathetically small year list. Chris Cox had a Barn Owl and 2 Woodcock after I had left.

A very pleasant amble around parts of the middle Stour valley today between 6.30am and 3.30pm. Starting at Grove Ferry where heavy snow showers forced us from the ramp to take refuge in the hides but, glorious sunshine for much of the day after then, after Grove we looked at Cow Corner, Collards and Stodmarsh and, between the three of us, Sue Morton, Mark Chidwick and myself plus Brendan on a couple of occasions, we recorded 79 species. Not bad for an unintencice saunter. A couple of glaring ommisions were, Greenfinch and Bearded Tit although, the later sp is not as common as it once was here in the valley and, we could not find the three White-fronted Geese that had been on show yesterday, still, highlights included, 5 Woodcocks, 20 Marsh Harriers, 3 Hen Harriers (adult male, juvenile male & juvenile female), 4 Water Pipits, 1 Bittern, 1 Grey Wagtail, Peregrine and a Lesser Redpoll.

Little Grebe 2, Great-crested Grebe, Cormorant 343, Bittern 1, Little Egret 1, Grey Heron, Mute Swan, Greylag Goose 322, Shelduck 1, Wigeon, Gadwall, Teal, Mallard, Pintail 3 (1 drake), Shoveler, Pochard,Tufted Duck, Goldeneye 1, Marsh Harrier 20, Hen Harrier 3, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Peregrine, Pheasant, Water Rail, Moorhen, Coot, Golden Plover 1, Snipe, Woodcock 5, Redshank 4, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Stock Dove 38, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Little Owl 1, Tawny Owl 1, Green Woodpecker, Great-spotted Woodpecker, Skylark 18, Meadow Pipit, Water Pipit 4, Grey Wagtail 1, Pied Wagtail 1, Wren, Stonechat 2, Blackbird, Fieldfare, Song Thrush, Redwing, Mistle Thrush, Cetti's Warbler 1, Goldcrest 1, Long-tailed Tit 30+, Coal Tit 2, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Jay, Magpie, Jackdaw, Rook Carrion Crow, Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Siskin 1, Lesser Redpoll 1, Bullfinch 2, Yellowhammer 2 and Reed Bunting.