September Sightings

Sightings can be Emailed to:

Marc, Martyn & Brendan

                   Martyn Wilson - martyn@wilson5834.freeserve.co.uk                                                   Brendan Ryan -  brendan.ryan@yahoo.co.uk

                            Marc Heath    - Heathym007@aol.com                  

                      Number of species recorded in the valley this year so far = 169

                         Butterfly Sightings         

30th September

Another morning of not seeing much. 6.00am-12.30pm with the following birds recorded:- 1 Green Sandpiper, 3 Grey Herons, 2 Ruff, 14 Bar-headed and 18 Barnacle Geese plus 2 hybrids. Several hundred Sand Martins left roost and a couple of thousand hirundines moved mainly south throughout the morning (95% Swallows). There was 1 Water Rail, c1100 Lapwings, 2 Kestrels, 1 Garganey, 66 Wigeon, 1 Pintail and 3 Dunlin. Highlight of the day was at 10.00am when a SPITFIRE flew east over the ramp nice and low (superb aircraft). Back to birding, there were 4 Marsh Harriers, 17 Snipe, 3 Yellow Wagtails, 2 Cetti's Warblers, 1 Green Woodpecker and 3 Chiffchaffs. Also 23 Golden Plovers, many Bearded Tits, 3 Jays, 3 Pheasants and 2 Sparrowhawks. Feeding on the ramp were, 8 Greenfinch, 2 Goldfinch, 3 Reed Buntings, 1 Dunnock, 8 Blue Tits and 1 Great Tit. We also added 1 Little Stint, 52 Black-headed Gulls, 1 Common Gull, and 1200+ Teal. There was an eastward movement of 86 Carrion Crows, 50 Jackdaws and 18 Cormorants.

(Martyn Wilson, Alan Ashdown & Pete Solly)

28th September

A quick half hour on the ramp this evening on the way home from work. There was a distinct late autumn/winter feel with Teal (1,230) and Lapwing(830) dominating the scene. Amongst them were One Little Stint, 2 Dunlin, 3 Ruff, 8 Golden Plover, a Green Sandpiper and 13 Wigeon. There was a steady passage of Swallows with about 490 passing south during this period

(Brendan Ryan)

27th September

"This morning at Grove was relatively quiet.  However there were some pleasant episodes including a large movement of at least 3,000 hirundines (over 90% of which were Swallows) going east along the valley which attracted a single hunting Hobby.  The very vocal, and showy, Bearded Tits and numbered in excess of 50 birds.  Waders were somewhat low in numbers with at least 4 Ruff, andsingle Dunlin, Green Sandpiper and Little Stint. However there were good numbers of Lapwing, c20 Snipe and, in the later part of the morning, 33 Golden Plover.  Teal and Gadwall were present in good numbers plus a single Pintail and 42 Wigeon."

(John Cantelo)

26th September

I had a relaxing 2 hours this afternoon on the ramp at Grove in pleasant sunshine. The following birds were noted between 3.30 - 5.30pm: 1 Tufted Duck, 3 Pochard, 2 Yellow Wagtail, 4 Goldfinch, 20 Canada Geese, 174 Black headed Gull, the ramp itself held 6 Blue Tit, 2 Great Tit, 28 Greenfinch, 4 Reed Bunting and 4 Collared Dove, other birds: 2 Pheasant on the bird table, 30 Linnet, 3 Ruff, 2 Green Sandpiper, 1 Water Rail heard, 35 Wigeon, 4 Mute Swan, 12 Snipe, 1 Kestrel, 1/2 Ring necked Parakeet heard, 2 Meadow Pipit, 42 Swallow through, 2 Pintail, c300 Greylag Geese, 1 Kingfisher, 2 Marsh Harrier, c250 Lapwing and 1 Cetti's Warbler.

(Marc Heath)

25th September

I paid a brief visit to the ramp at Grove between 2.15 - 3pm and armed only with binoculars managed to see the following birds: There were 7 Collared Dove feeding on the ramp along with 33 Greenfinch, hopefully a Brambling will join up with the flock in the winter. Other birds: 30 Wigeon, 3 Pied Wagtail, 26 Swallow, 1 Great spotted Woodpecker, 1 Little Stint, 7 Snipe, 3 Blue Tit, 9 Black headed Gull, 5 Cormorant, a few small parties of Bearded Tit were heard from the ramp, c500 Teal, 1 Green Woodpecker, 2 Ruff, 6 Greylag Geese, 1 Hybrid Goose, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 3 Reed Bunting, 1 Skylark, 1 Grey Heron, 3 Linnet, c450 Lapwing and a couple of Long tailed Tits called as i left the reserve.

(Marc Heath)

24th September

Another seven hours for myself and Alan, from 5.30am. Today we had, 1 Greenshank from early am then 6 Greenshanks flew in at 12.18pm, also, 3 Green Sandpipers, 2 Water Rails, 5 Grey Herons, 4 Cetti's Warblers and 3 Marsh Harriers. We noted 49 Wigeon, 47 Bearded Tits, 4 Ruff, 3 Little Stints, 11 Snipe and c480 Lapwings. Feeding on the ramp were, 65 Greenfinches, 3 Goldfinch, 10 Blue Tits, 2 great Tits, 3 Dunnocks, 16 Reed Buntings, 6 Collared doves and a female Chaffinch. There was 1 Black-tailed Godwit east and 4 Black-tailed Godwits on the reserve, 2 Mistle Thrushes, 2 Pied Wagtails, 2 Kestrels, 4 Whinchats and a Peregrine at 8.48. Also there were 12 Golden Plovers, 3 Dunlin, 1 eclipse Garganey, 27 Black-headed Gulls and 2 Sparrowhawks. A steady flow of hirundines were milling about, Swallows & House Martins and there were c900 Teal. There were 14 Meadow Pipits, 8 Yellow Wagtails, 1 Hobby and a distant Common Buzzard over Sarre Penn (Barry Wright). This morning 143 Carrion Crows passed to the east as did 37 Jackdaws, 3 Rooks and 24 Cormorants. Eleven Mute Swans were loafing around.

(Martyn Wilson & Alan Ashdown)

23rd September

Alan and I again started early, at 5.30, meeting Marc at the gate. Marc had 2 Tawny owls earlier, at 5.10,in the Stodmarsh/Collards area. John Cantelo joined us at 8.40 and this is what we recorded despite a heavy mist most of the morning, 2 Greehshanks, 5 Green Sandpipers, 2 Water Rails, 14 Bar-head and 18 Barnacle Geese. We saw 5 Ruff, 4 Dunlin, 2 Kingfishers, 1 Reed Warbler, 41 Yellow Wagtails, 58 Bearded Tits and 5 Grey Herons. There was 1 Jay, 3 Marsh Harriers, 32 Canada Geese, 1 Green Woodpecker and 100+ hirundines, mostly Swallows. Feeding on the ramp today were, 9 Blue Tits, 32 Greenfinches, 3 Goldfinches, 7 Collared Doves, 11 Reed Buntings, 2 Great Tits and a male Blackcap. Highlight of the day was at 10.42 when Alan called an overhead raptor that turned out to be a juvenile Honey Buzzard. Year list tick for both Marc and I. Also today were, 2 Pied Wagtails, 3 Little Stints, 1 Sedge Warbler, 4 Black-tailed Godwits, 9 Snipe, 1 Cetti's Warbler and 1+ Ring-necked Parakeet heard. There was, 1 Kestrel, 1 Great-spotted Woodpecker, 1 Goldcrest, 1 Tufted Duck, 2 Hobbies, 60 Black-headed Gulls, 1 Common Gull, 1 Wigeon and a Sparrowhawk. Alan and myself eventually left at 12.40pm.

(Martyn Wilson, Marc Heath, Alan Ashdown and John Cantelo)

After a morning at Bockhill, I did a tour of the valley in the afternoon stopping at Cow Corner, Collard's, Stodmarsh and finally Grove. Highlights included a Common Buzzard and 6 Chiffchaffs at Stodmarsh, and at Grove, 3 Little Stints, 2 Dunlin, 2 Black-tailed Godwits, 7 Ruff, a Spotted Redshank, 4 Green Sandpipers and a Ruddy Duck. There were 2 Clouded Yellows by the entrance track.

(Brendan Ryan)

22nd September

Alan and I started at silly o'clock again, 5.40, and stayed til 12.15 with non stop rain from 8.45. Birds seen were, 1 Greenshank, 4 Green Sandpipers, 5 Grey Herons, 14 Bar-head and 18 Barnacle Geese. There were 8 Marsh Harriers (6 juv, 2 fem, 1 male), 7 Cetti's Warblers, 8 Ruff and 2 Water Rails (one of which was repeatedly stabbing a dead fish and consuming it?). There were 14 Snipe, 4 Little Stints. 3 Dunlin, 7 Wigeon, 7+ Bearded Tits, 863 Teal and 2 Yellow Wagtails. Also today were, 1 Jay, 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Kingfishers, 1 Great-spotted Woodpecker, 1 Garganey, 1 Little Grebe and 2 Pied Wagtails. Feeding on the ramp were, 18 Greenfinches, 8 Collared Doves, 11 Blue Tits, 2 Great Tits, 5 Goldfinhes, 1 female Blackcap and 22 Reed Buntings. The rest included, 47 Black-headed Gulls, 1 Kestrel, 24 Sand Martins, 1 Green Woodpecker, 2 Ring-necked Parakeets, 1 Little Egret and a Pheasant.

(Martyn Wilson & Alan Ashdown)

21st September

Grove today 5.45am-1.00pm, 4 Grey Herons, 3 Cetti's Warblers, 14 Bar-head, 18 Barnacle and 176 Greylag Gese. Waders included, 6 Green Sandpipers, 7 Dunlin, 5 Little Stints, 6 Ruff, 4 Black-tailed Godwits and c800 Lapwings. There were 2 Sparrowhawks, 12 Bearded Tits, 1 Water Rail, 2 Green Woodpeckers, 2 Jays, 2 Marsh Harriers and 8 Collared Doves. A walk round the bushes between Grove and marsh hide revealed only 1 Whitethroat, 1 Lesser Whitethroat and 1 male Blackcap plus several Blue Tits and Dunnocks. There were 2 Kestrels, 3 Sedge Warblers, 1 Long-tailed Tit, 1 Little Egret, 3 Yellow Wagtails and 11 Snipe. Swallows were still moving through in small numbers all east. I also saw 1 Pochard, 2 Pintail, 9 Wigeon, 7 Black-headed & 2 Lesser black backed Gulls, 1 Pied Wagtail, 2 Mute Swans, 1+ Hobby and c800 Teal.

(Martyn Wilson)

20th September

Despite having received regular updates from Martyn on birds present earlier in the day, optimism got the better of me and I spent a couple of hours after work at Grove Ferry hoping that some new waders might have dropped in. As usual my optimism was misplaced and the birds present were similar to the previous day. Numbers recorded included 5 Little Stints, 6 Green Sandpipers, 5 Dunlin, 7 Ruff, 33 Snipe, 2 Wigeon and 2 Pintail. Highlight was a male Peregrine making several attempts to catch Teal before heading off towards Stodmarsh.

(Brendan Ryan)

I made another brief visit to the ramp at Grove again after work between 4.15 - 5pm and recorded the following birds: 1 Black tailed Godwit, 5 Ruff, 1 Dunlin, 1 Little Stint, 10 Wigeon, 3 Pintail 3 Garganey, 1 Grey Heron, 2 Yellow Wagtail, c150 Greylag Geesee, 1 Canada Goose and good numbers of Teal and Lapwing. The Curlew Sandpiper had been reported prior to my arrival at the ramp but could not be relocated despite a good search.

(Marc Heath)

Marc had already started early this morning recording Tawny Owl at Collard's at 4.33 and another at Stodmarsh at 5.00, i met him at the gate at Grove at 5.30. Marc left at 7.45 and i stayed until 1.00pm. Birds recorded at Grove Ferry today were, 1 Greenshank, 5 Green Sandpipers, 4 Cetti's Warblers, 2 Water Rails and 3 Canada Geese. The 14 Bar-heads and 18 Barnacles left at 6.30 and there were 220 Greylags. There were 7 Black-tailed Godwits, 8 Ruff, 5 Dunlin, 2 Kingfishers and still 7 Little Stints, but no sign today of the Temminck's. Also today were 2 Sparrowhawks, 4 Marsh Harriers, 3 Whinchats, 3 Pied Wagtails and 9 Yellow Wagtails. Eight Collared Doves were feeding on the ramp as were 14 Greenfinches and there were 34+ Reed Buntings around as well. There were 7 Wigeon, 4 Grey Herons, 2 Kestrels, 1 Willow Warbler and several Bearded Tits. There is still a few Reed & Sedge Warblers and there was 2 Hobbies, 1 Great-spotted Woodpecker, 1 Stock Dove and 3 Pintail. The Green Woodpecker called by the entrance gate as i left.

(Martyn Wilson)

19th September

Another day at Grove Ferry from 5.30am until 2.15pm. Today i had, 1 Greenshank, 7 Green sandpipers, 2 Water Rails, 7 Grey Herons and 4 Cetti's Warblers. The 14 Bar-headed Geese were again on the mian pool with 16 Barnacle Geese and 220 Greylag, and they all left together at 6.30. There were 9 ruff, 7 Little Stints, 5 Marsh Harriers, 1 Black-tailed Godwit and the Temminck's Stint still. A Curlew Sandpiper on the main pool so i telephoned Brendan & Marc, who both need it for the year list, but unfortunately after two fushings by Marsh Harriers finally dissapeared over the back out of view when flushed by a Heron, Marc got a brief glimpse as it dissapeared! There were several Yellow Wagtails and Bearded Tits, 34 Snipe, 6 Pied Wagtails, 7 Pochards and 7 Dunlin. Sand Martins were very numerous feeding over the reserve this morning and there was a steady trickle of hirundines throughout the morning, mainly Sand Martins and Swallows with a scattering of House Martins. There were 26 Golden Plovers,1 Whitethroat, 1 Kingfisher,4 Wigeon west and 12 on th main pool, 1 Whinchat, 2+ Sparrowhawks and 2 Common Buzzards. Four Tufted Ducks were seen, 1 Little Egret, 3 Hobbies, 5 Pintail (1 eclipse drake) and 8 Black-headed Gulls. There was a steady trickle of Meadow Pipits still moving west.

(Martyn Wilson)

Visits before and after work in search of Martyn's Curlew Sandpiper but with no success. 6 Little Stints were still present in the evening along with 3 Dunlin, 6 Black-tailed Godwits, 5 Green Sandpipers, and 7 Ruff. A single Hobby flew over the area at dusk. A mixed flock of Bar-headed and Barnacle Geese including 15 of the latter arrived as it was getting dark.

(Brendan Ryan)

18th September

I began at the ramp today at 5.30am. At 6.20 22 Bar-headed Geese and 8 Barnacle Geese left from a back pool and headed of in the direction of Wingham Bird Park! I was joined by Marc at 11.00am and i left at 3.00pm leaving Marc attempting to get more pictoral satisfaction with a certain Kingfisher. Birds recorded today were, 1 Greenshank, 3 Hobbies, 16 Grey Herons, 12 Ruff and several hundred Swallows left their reedbed roost just before light. A further 2500+ Swallows were moving west throughout the day. There were 3 Dunlin, 6 Marsh Harriers, 5 Green Sandpipers, 6 Black-tailed Godwits and several Bearded Tits. A Flock of 19 Wigeon flew west at 7.10 and a further 12 were on the main pool. There were 28 Snipe, 1 Turtle Dove, 6 Pied Wagtails, 8+ Linnets, 5 Kestrels, 8 Cetti's Warblers and a few Sedge Warblers.  Also today were, 2 Green Woodpeckers, 1 Stock Dove, 1 Jay, 2 Whinchats, 2 Water Rails and 1 Pochard. There were also 2 Little Stints, 1 Temminck's Stint, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Little Grebe and several Yellow Wagtails. As well as the high number of Swallows c3000 House Martins were also heading west and there must have been several Sand Martins but, i only saw three. There was 1 Kingfisher, 8 Greenfinches, 2 Pheasants, 4 Pintail (1 eclipse drake), 18 Black-headed Gulls, 158 Greylag Geese and 1 hybrid Canada/Greylag. Meadow Pipits were also moving west, mostly singularly but at least two flocks of 15+ also. Teal are up to 850, there were 66 Golden Plovers, 1 juvenile Lesser black backed Gull, 1 Garganey, 1 Common Gull, 1 Whitethroat and 2 Great-spotted Woodpeckers.

(Martyn Wilson & Marc Heath)

17th September

Well just Alan and I started early today, 5.15 on the ramp, joined later by Brendan and, much later, by John Cantello. This is what we recorded, 5 Cetti's Warblers, 7 Grey Herons, 4 Water Rail and 1 Greenshank, heard only. Again no sign of the Crakes, but water levels have dropped so there is no suitable habitat in view! A flock of 60+ Sand Martins left roost eastwards at 5.50 and we saw 3 Marsh Harriers and heard the usual Green Woodpecker. Several Bearded Tits, 20+, were seen and 24 Wigeon flew west, with a further 6 on the main pool. There were 3 Green sandpipers, 12 Snipe, 4 Ruff and a Hobby at 7.05 and again at 11.00. A Lesser Whitethroat was in ramp side bushes, 4 Black-tailed Godwits and a Spotted Redshank on Egret pool and there were 4 Little Stints from the ramp. A Grasshopper Warbler was by Egret pool along the Drove, while the only birds at the dried up Harrison's hide were 1 Greylag, 4 Stock Doves and 9 Pied Wagtails. Also today were 1 Little Grebe, 1 Kingfisher (Thankfully Marc missed this photo opportunity), 1 Tufted Duck and 1 Pochard. There were 6 Ring-necked Parakeets, 34 Golden Plovers and when flushed by 2 Herons 8 Dunlin appeared from nowhere and flew of east. There were sevaral Reed Buntings, a few Reed Warblers, 3 Dunnocks and 148 Black-headed Gulls. A ninth Dunlin was later seen from the ramp.

(Martyn, Alan, Brendan & John)

In addition to the birds noted by Martyn above, there was a second Grasshopper Warbler near the Marsh Hide and two Whinchats, a Blackcap, a Whitethroat and 35 Reed Buntings in the same area. There was a small but steady movement of Meadow Pipits all morning which gave a distinctly autumn feel to the day.

(Brendan Ryan)

16th September

Marc, Alan and I met at the entrance gate just after 5.00 this morning and proceeded to the ramp listeninng out for Owls in the darkness. We were joined by Pete just before light but no sound of any Owls, although 34 Bar-headed Geese flew out from the main pool in the semi-darkness. There was no sign of any Spotted Crakes in a brief search early am, but rhere were 2 Spotted Redshanks from the ramp plus another 2 on the Egret pool with 4 Black-tailed Godwits. There were 13 Grey Herons together on the right hand pool from the ramp, also 16 Snipe, 5 Wigeon, 9 Tufted Ducks, 5 Water Rails and 5 Marsh Harriers. One Peregrine passed through early, there were 6 Green Sandpipers, 7 Ruff, 4 Pied Wagtails, 6 Pochards and 2 Kestrels. The walk to marsh hide revealed nothing, but a Whinchat at the hide. Several Linnets were around the fields by Harrison's Drove, 60+ Yellow Wagtails left roost and several Bearded Tits were seen. There was a single Little Grebe from green hide (1st since late winter) and liitle else, while from the ramp were, 3 Dunlin, 1 Little Stint, 1 Greenshank, 95 Black-headed Gulls and increasing numbers of Teal, 800+, There was 1 Jay, 2 Corn Buntings (rare at the Grove end), 4 Common Gulls, 2 Wheatears, 2 Ring-necked Parakeets, 1 Turtle Dove and a Sparrowhawk. The only hirundines seen were several Swallows all moving north!

(Martyn, Marc, Alan, Pete, Brendan & Norman McCanch)

By the time I arrive at the ramp, Martyn, Marc et al had cleaned up so I didn't stay too long and went to check out Collard's, but the misty conditions meant that it was difficult to make much out. I returned to the valley in the afternoon in sunny conditions and checked out the lagoon at Hersden. There were a large number of gulls there (310 Black-headed, 160 Herring Gulls and 4 Ls black backs) but one Green Sandpier was the only wader. Other birds noted included 5 Chiffchaffs, 2 Cetti's Warblers, a Grey Wagtail and 2 Water Rails. While walking back to the car, a Honey Buzzard circled over the industrail estate before drifting off north. At Grove there were 180 Black-headed Gulls, single Green sandpipers and Ruff plus two Dunlins. Stodmarsh was fairly quiet with 5 Chiffchaffs and a treecreeper being the highlight. Finally a second visit of the day to Collard's where there had been a large increase in Wigeon numbers ( around 50) and a single Hobby

Brendan Ryan)

14th September

There was a Little Stint feeding on the right hand pool from the ramp this evening. Scanning the high numbers of Wildfowl and Geese, 10 + Common Snipe were noted, along with 3 Green Sandpipers and 3 Wigeon. The Egret pool held 5 Black-tailed Godwits, 2 Spotted Redshanks and the Spotted Crake put in an appearance. There was 9 Goldfinches on the thistle tops at the bottom of the ramp.

(Steve Ashton)

13th September

I paid a brief visit to Grove tonight between 18.15 - 19.30 in the chance of getting a decent photo of the adult Spotted Crake, i have seen this bird a few times now but so far my photo attempts have not been that good. At 18.30 the adult Spotted Crake showed well on the Egret pool for 15 mins but the light was fading but a few shots were taken. Other birds seen: 2 Greenshank heard, 1 Spotted Redshank heard, 1 Grey Heron, 2 Water Rail, 1 Black tailed Godwit, c5 Bearded Tit, c500 Lapwing from the ramp in poor light and c100 Swallow over the Green hide.

(Marc Heath)

Grove Ferry c8.10 - c11.30am. Arriving at Grove this morning as Brendan Ryan was leaving, it was clear who'd had the better of the day.  The Spotted Crake failed to show by 11:00, although Water Rails had no reservations in doing so. A Great-spotted Woodpecker vainly tried to keep spot fans happy, by perching close-by on wooden fence rails.  Waders behaved rather better with two Little Stint, a Dunlin, 6 Green Sandpipers, three Black-tailed Godwit, four Ruff and c600 Lapwing being present. The latter were thoroughly spooked by two Peregrines which loudly, and acrobatically, disputed ownership of  airspace above the Green Hide.  Looking into the light made a careful examination of the ducks problematical, but there were a few Wigeon and a single Pintail present. The Harrison Drove Hide pool was parched and birdless.  Although the habitat looked good, the Marsh Hide pool was so deserted it was tempting to assume that it had been buzzed by a BoP.   Migrants were hard work with no sign of much passing through other than a flock of 17 Yellow Wagtails and some very high flying hirundines.
(John Cantelo)

Early morning vist before work was quite hard work although 2 Little Stints from the ramp were the first of the autumn. Other waders included Green Sandpiper and Ruff and the only other bird of note was a Grey Wagtail. Other observers reported Spotted Crakes on the Egret and Ballion's Pools

(Brendan Ryan)

12th September

Birds seen tonight between 5 - 7pm in the Green hide: some time was spent chasing 2 Spotted Redshanks all round the pool, trying to get a decent photo. also present was 3 Bearded Tits,1 Reed Warbler, 1 male and 1 female kingfisher, 1 Grey heron, 1 Hobby, 11 Common Snipe, 2 Green Sandpipers over, 2 Pochard, along with the usual Lapwing, Mallard and Teal.

(Steve Ashton)

11th September

A quick walk around the reserve this evening in warm sunshine, with high numbers of Greylag, Mallard and Teal from the ramp. Also there were high numbers of Lapwing, along with 3 Ruff and 1 Green Sandpiper. The green hide held Mallard and Teal, with Lapwing, 10+ Comon Snipe, 5 Black-tailed Godwits and 2 Greenshank. A Grey Heron was on the tern raft, a Hobby was seen gliding across the reed beds, and a Sparrowhawk was noted on the way to the Baillons pool. There were 2 Moorhen noted on the Baillons pool, and the Spotted Crake was again observed briefly on the back of the Egret pool. On the way out, a Green and Great-spotted Woodpecker was seen ,along with numerous Bats around the reserve entrance gate.

(Steve Ashton)

10th September

Marc heard a Tawny Owl at Grove Ferry bridge at 3.48 plus a further 3 in the Stodmarsh area before i met him at the gate just before 5.00am, so Grove Ferry today from 4.50am until 12.40pm. The adult Spotted Crake once again showed well between 6.30 & 7.10am on the Egret pool whilst 150+ Sand Martins past east and 100+ Yellow Wagtails left roost in the early hours. There were 5 Greenshanks from marsh hide plus a Black-tailed Godwit and 2 Black-tailed Godwits were on Egret pool. There were 6+ Grey Herons, 4 Marsh Harriers, 6 Cetti's Warblers, several Bearded Tits, 3 Water Rails and 13 Snipe. Two male Kingfishers were seen from green hide (and yes i did succumb, see photo below) as were 2 female Wigeon and 2 Ruff. One or two Hobbies were seen on several occasions and there was 1 Green Woodpecker, 1 Pochard, 1 Tufted Duck and 1 Chiffchaff. Sedge Warblers were numerous, predominantly juveniles, while a few Reed Warblers were also recorded. There were 2 Kestrels, a juvenile Turtle Dove, 1 Little Egret, 4 Common Terns, flew North/East, 1 Green Sandpiper and 153 Black-headed Gulls. Lapwing and Teal numbers are slowly increasing.

As a note i got some stick today by the others with my obsession with the Kingfishers, with such a magnificent bird on the local patch its hard to ignore. I kind of promised not to put another photo of them on but as Martyn has, here is another shot.

(Martyn Wilson, Marc Heath, Alan Ashdown & Steve Ashton)

Reports of Black Terns at Bough Beech prompted me to spend the afternoon checking all the major areas of water in the valley but apart from a large number of Gulls feeding over Hersden and a Hobby at Collard's there wasn't much to trouble the note book and no terns of any description. Late afternoon till dusk was spent at Grove where there were a single Pintail, 2 Green Sandpipers, 4 Black-tailed Godwits, 2 Ruff, a Common Sandpipier and a Little Egret. 2 Hobbys and a Peregrine was reported to me by other  birders. In another futile mission I spend a couple of hours checking the fields and hedges between Stodmarsh and Grove looking for migrants but had to content myself with 5 Whinchats just south of the Marsh Hide. Conditions in front of the Marsh Hide look good and clearly some recent management work has been done and today there were a single Green Sandpiper and Greenshank. this is an area that is fairly neglected after the spring but may be worth checking more regularly from now on. As I left Grove, there was a pre roost gathering of around 460 Swallows. Didn't see any Kingfishers but I did wonder what Marc was doing at Grove at 3.48? I wonder if he is having problems sleeping!

(Brendan Ryan)

9th September

5.00am - midday at Grove Ferry today and the adult Spotted Crake put in an apearance between 6.18 & 7.00 on the Egret pool while only 3 Yellow Wagtails were noted out of roost. The 14 Bar-headed Geese along with the single Barnacle and the hybrid Goose sp are still in residence and a Hobby flew over the Egret pool at 6.10. There were 8 Grey Herons, 4 Cetti's Warblers, 3 Marsh Harriers, 6 Snipe, 2 Ruff and 4 Green Sandpipers. A Greenshank was heard but not seen, 2 adult and 2 juvenile Water Rails were logged and several Bearded Tits. There was an easterly movement of 150+ Sand Martins while several House Martins fed over the paddocks and houses, with a few Swallows for company. The Cormorant and Crow numbers are building up so, counting will soon take place. There were 4 Whinchats in fields near marsh hide, 8 Pied Wagtails from Harrison's, 1 Little Egret, 1 Kestrel, 1 Jay and 1 Chiffchaff. Also there were 7 Pochards, 5 Tufted Ducks and a small number of Reed and Sedge Warblers.

(Martyn Wilson & Alan Ashdown)

8th September

At Grove Ferry this morning there were 3 Ruff, 4 Green Sandpipers, a female Pintail, 8 Tufted Duck, 14 Bar-headed Geese, a Barnacle Goose, a male Marsh Harrier, 2 Little Egrets and a Ring-necked Parakeet. The Grove/Stodmarsh circuit produced a single Whinchat, 12 Chiffchaffs, a Willow Warbler and 11 Cetti's Warblers. There were 204 Shoverler on the lake at Stodmarsh as well as 3 Gt-cr Grebes. Nearby at Collard's there was a party of 10 Pintail, 4 Wigeon and 16 Gt-cr Grebes

(Brendan Ryan)

7th September

Called into Grove Ferry for a couple of hours on the way home from work. There was a good selection of waders scattered around the various pools, some of which are begining to dry up again. There were 6 Green Sandpipers together, One Common Sandpiper, 2 Ruff, single Greenshank and Ringed Plovers and 3 Black-tailed Godwits. 155 Yellow Wagtails flew into roost although the final total might have been higher as they seemed to be still coming in when I left. I spent sometime staking out all the recent crake spots but only saw a Water rail and a handful of Moorhens. Some interesting sightings had been reported in the book in Harrison's Drove hide including a juv Spotted Crake on the Ballion's Pool today and a Honey Buzzard, Common Buzzard and 3 Wheatears yesterday

(Brendan Ryan)

6th September

A quick visit to Grove produced a single Garganey, 4 Ruff, a single Wood Sandpiper, 2-3 Green Sandpipers, 3 Whinchat, Hobby and Little Egret.  The Spotted Crake was apparently still present, but not showing when I was looking.  Also reported earlier were a couple of Swift,
(John Cantelo)

A brief visit to the ramp at Grove Ferry on the way to work this morning produced single Common Sandpiper, Garganey and Grey Wagtail plus 2 Ruff. At Collard's there were 2 wigeon, 83 Gadwall and 14 Gt-cr Grebes

(Brendan Ryan)

5th September

Grove Ferry (16.00 - 19.00hrs)   An excellent afternoon spent at the reserve, although nothing to get the adrenalin pumping, it was great to be out birding. Birds seen included an eclipse drake Pintail (from the ramp), 7 Green & 1 Wood Sandpiper, 2 Ruff, 2 Golden Plover, c25 Common Snipe, 3 Marsh Harrier and 300+ Lapwing. All of the pools have some water, of varying levels, yet the Harrison's Drove pool looks particularly arid! 7 Whinchat were feeding around the reedbed by the bends south of the Baillon's Pool and I was pleased to note 2 Swifts drifting west beyond the reserve boundary. A juvenile Sparrowhawk caused panic amongst the gathered waders and there were large numbers of Yellow Wagtails dropping into the reedbeds as I walked back towards the car.

(Dylan Wrathall)  

4th September

A couple of hours at Grove Ferry early this morning, 5 am until 7 am, and all the weekends Wildfowl were still present. There were approx 60 Yellow Wagtails leaving roost noted, and with the wind dropping, there was a lot of activity in the reed beds, with Bearded Tits, Sedge and Reed Warblers noted. There was a high number of Reed Buntings as well. 5 Winchats were  seen along the path from the river to the Harrisons Drove hide. The Spotted Crake showed well on and off from the Egret pool, and to my suprise, another adult Spotted Crake showed on the opposite side of the pool. Although i lost the one i was watching into the reeds, i feel sure it could not of covered the distance to the opposite side in the time i located the second bird. I suspect that there were 2 birds showing this morning. Whilst watching the Spotted Crake, 2 Green Sandpipers and a Ruff landed before flying off after 10 minutes. The  Wood Sandpiper was on the Baillons pool, and a Water Rail was seen as well.

(Steve Ashton)

3rd September

Marc and I met at the gate at 5.00am for the intention of trying to connect with the adult Crake as early as possible. Weather conditions were atrocious with strong WSW winds and little flurries of rain, so not much to report. We were joined by Steve at 6.00 and at 6.35 (same time as yesterday) the adult Spotted Crake showed on the Egret pool, on and off until 7.00 and 16 Barnacle Geese flew west over at 5.50. The 14 Bar-heads, 1 Barnacle and 1 hybrid were still present and a Hobby was hunting around green hide at 6.00. There were 7 Marsh Harriers, at least 40 Yellow Wagtails (probably more) out of roost, 1 Wood Sandpiper, 3 Ruff, 2 Garganey and again no sign of the juvenile Spotted Crake at Baillon's. A small passage of Sand Martins moving west early am, a few Swallows and 1 Swift at 10.00. Other birds noted were 2 Kestrels, 2 Green Sandpipers, 2 Little Egrets, 1 Kingfisher, 5 Pochards, 7 Snipe and 2 Grey Herons.  There was also 8 Bearded Tits, 2 Wigeon, 1 Tufted Duck and 7 Golden Plovers, while the "golden Lapwing is now moulting into it's green plumage. I joined Brendan in a search for Whinchat's and we discovered at least 10  in the fields leading to marsh hide.

(Martyn Wilson, Marc Heath, Steve Ashton & Brendan Ryan)

The strong WSW winds made birding difficult throughout the day. Spent an hour looking for the Spotted Crake mid morning but without sucess so returned late afternoon and finally connected with the elusive bird after a further half an hour. Other birds noted today included 3 Green Sandpipers, and a single Common Sandpiper. A Redstart was reported from Harrison's Drove in the morning but could not be re-located. There was a single Whinchat on Harrison's Drove this evening which may be additional to the group of 10 noted in the morning. 10 equals the previous record count for the site made in Sept 1997. On Collard's there were 14 Gt-cr grebes but little else of note

(Brendan Ryan)

2nd September

Alan and I started at Grove at 5.00am and was joined by Marc at 10.00am until we all left in the rain at 1.10pm. Birds today were, 1 Greenshank, 14 Bar-headed Geese, 1 Barnacle Goose and 10 Wigeon. The Tawny Owl called once at 5.50 and 100+ Yellow Wagtails left roost by 6.15. The juvenile Wood Sandpiper was still on Baillon's pool but no sign today of the juvenile Spotted Crake! There were 3 Green Sandpipers, 5 Marsh Harriers, 4 Cetti's Warblers, 1 Jay and several Bearded Tits. At the Egret pool north of Harison's Drove by the river were 2 juvenile & 2 adult Water Rails and also an adult Spotted Crake that showed intermitently from 6.35-7.30. Also today were 2 Green Woodpeckers, 9 Snipe, 1 Kingfisher, 4 Ringed Plovers, 8 Pied Wagtails, 3 Grey Herons and 2 Stock Doves. There was 1 Kestrel, 1 Turtle Dove, 3 Ruff, 4 Garganey, 7 Goldfinches, 9 Greenfinches and 23 Black-headed Gulls. Greylag Geese are increasing with c350, the 5 hybrids are still present and Teal are increasing, at least 500 indivduals. Hirundines moving west in little waves were Sand Martins first thing, little Groups of Swallows and several hundred House Martins mid morning til 1.00pm, one Swift was also noted. Only 3 of each Reed and Sedge Warblers were seen plus 5 Pochards.

(Martyn Wilson, Alan Ashdown & Marc Heath)

1st September

Left work early and spent a couple of hours late afternoon around Grove ferry.  Wader numbers seem to have dropped off sharply with 650 Lapwings, but only a single Green Sandpiper and Ruff and the usual Wood Sandpiper on Ballion's pool.  Raptors were represented by a single Sparrowhawk, a male Marsh Harrier and 2 Kestrels. There were 7 Whinchats together along Harrison's Drove by start of the path to the Marsh Hide and 5 Yellow Wagtails in the fields with cows.

(Brendan Ryan)

I paid a brief visit to Grove between midday - 1.30pm today and in sunny conditions saw the following birds: 2 Green Woodpecker, 2 Dunlin, 6 Wigeon, 1 Ruff, c350 Greylag, 6 Goldfinch, 3 Pochard, 1 Pied Wagtail, 26 Canada Geese, 4 Garganey from the ramp, 2 Snipe, 1 Marsh Harrier, 5 Cormorant, 1 Kestrel, 4 Cetti's Warbler, 2 Bullfinch heard, 1 Mistle Thrush, 3 Linnet, 1 Great spotted Woodpecker, 1 Whitethroat and a few Bearded Tits seen flying low over the reeds around the reserve. There seemed to be a steady movement West of hirundines, mainly Sand Martin with the odd swallow in with them.

(Marc Heath)