May 2008 Sw

By the beginning of May most of the summer visitor/passage migrants have been seen. Most notable absentee so far is Little Tern. Other possible additions include Cuckoo, Whinchat and Garden Warbler and some wader species. Rarer birds that have been seen in May have included Black Kite, three Golden Orioles and an Icterine Warbler. Bonaparte's Gull was seen ten years ago but that seems an unlikely candidate for a reprise!

31st - sunny, calm and warm! Only the second Reed Warbler of the spring was singing in pine corner and along the east bank, a single Corn Bunting was briefly on the beach and a juvenile Stonechat was in the scrub; probably a fairly local breeder. Two late Yellow Wagtails flew west.

30th - cloudy with a light to moderate northerly wind. A single Great Crested Grebe was close inshore and parties of 20 Common Scoters west and 40 east were noted. A Hobby was seen, a Common Sandpiper was on the beach where 15 Turnstones were counted. Gulls included single first-summer Mediterranean and Common Gulls. The male Wheatear was again on the beach after a night unsuitable for migration and 11 Swallows headed belatedly west.

29th - cloudy with a light SE wind. A Grey Wagtail came in high from the east and appeared to drop into the sewage works, a late Yellow Wagtail was seen over the grassland and the beach and a male Wheatear, probably Greenland, was on the shingle ridge. A party of ten Sanderling were on the shoreline, a Common Sandpiper was in the brook and a drake Tufted Duck flew west. Successful breeding was indicated by two juvenile Greenfinches in the wood and a fledged juvenile House Sparrow begging for food in the churchyard.

27th - cloudy with a light NE wind. Bird of the day was our first Spotted Flycatcher of the year in the churchyard and then presumably, but not necessarily, the same bird in the trees near the sewage works entrance. On the beach, there was a party of 15 Ringed Plovers, clearly migrants, 28 Turnstones and a Knot not in summer plumage. Out at sea, there was a single Fulmar, a party of 11 Gannets, and smaller numbers as well, and 12 Shelduck west. There were three Common Sandpipers in the brook and also in the sewage works, a Sparrowhawk carying prey over the estate, and four House Martins west. A single Stock Dove on the beach was the first of the month, there were seven Swifts circling over the caravan park and an adult Great Tit was feeding two fledged young.

25th - there were two summer plumage Dunlin on the beach and a Common Sandpiper in the upper brook.

24th - cloudy with moderate NE winds. Two Fulmars and a Common Scoter flew east and an adult Kittiwake flew west. There were at least seven Common Sandpipers on the beach (two were seen in the brook also) and a single Grey Plover and 14 Turnstones. A party of 12 Long-tailed Tits (mostly juveniles) by the scout hut was the first seen here for some time. Little else of note save for a single House Martin heading east over the beach.

A Red Admiral (apparently scarce this year) and Small and Green-veined Whites were seen.

22nd - light cloud, calm at first then a light easterly wind. Early signs of some movement with a Dunlin on the beach, only the second this month, and a Bar-tailed Godwit west, only the third this year. A Common Sandpiper was in the brook, a Hobby came in off the sea directly over the obs and a pair of Shoveler flew east. At 8 a.m., a ringtail Montagu's Harrier flew east close in over the beach. This was only the second record for the site. Barry Hunt also saw the bird fly east by Herne Bay Downs and, some time later, Tim Hodge watched it hunting over the fields at Coldharbour. Other birds east included single first-summer Mediterranean Gull and Common Gull and an adult Kittiwake. Our first breeding Sedge Warbler seems settled and almost invisible and inaudible. However, when a Great Tit landed in its bramble patch of choice, it emerged to see it off and gave a few snatches of song. One of the better days in recent times!

21st - sunny, calm then just a light easterly wind. Warmer. A much pleasanter but ultimately just as quiet morning; a Great Spotted Woodpecker flew west over the football pitch and sewage works and a single House Martin, only the second here this month, drifted north over the beach and out to sea.

Wren - Geoff Burton

19th - cloudy at times with a moderate NNE wind. A group of four Crossbills flew west directly over the obs at 7.35 a.m. This is the fourth party recorded flying west here all within a period between this date and 1st July. A Hobby flew west and another ten Swallows flew west. On cue, the first juvenile Starlings were seen.

Juvenile Starling - Geoff Burton

18th - a Common Sandpiper was in the brook and a female Wheatear was also seen.

17th - cloudy with the NE winds persisting. A quiet day most notable for the sight of a Hobby taking a Skylark and landing on the beach with its prey and, later, two Hobbies chasing each other out over the sea. It has been very poor for waders here this month and so a flock of ten Sanderling on the beach, in various stages of summer dress, was a welcome sight. A few Swallows continue to head west despite the conditions and seven were counted today.

15th - cloudy with a little rain but the NE wind persists. Very quiet; a Hobby was seen briefly as it skirted the churchyard and headed into the estate. A party of six Swallows flew NE into the wind, a single Yellow Wagtail flew east high over the football pitch as a single Swift circled overhead.

14th - as ever! 50 Gannets and nine Common Scoters east and another two Grey Plovers.

13th - weather as usual only more so! 19 Gannets and a party of five Common Scoters flew east into the wind. Three Grey Plovers dropped in, the first this month, but were put off staying by dog walkers. 22 Swallows flew west. Presumably they have tired of waiting for a favourable wind.

12th - again sunny and again with moderate NE winds we seem stuck with. A single Great Crested Grebe flew close inshore and five Gannets also flew east. Two Common Sandpipers were on the beach and two first-summer Mediterranean Gulls fle weast over the estate. Two Swifts were seen over the estate and 22 Swallows and four Yellow Wagtails headed west.

Speckled Woods and Green-veined Whites were much in evidence today.

Alarmingly, there were at least a dozen dead eels floating in the brook just up from the sluice and, by the sluice itself, even greater numbers of dead shrimps. Black-headed Gulls and a Carrion Crow were seen to take some of the eels. When I spoke to the Environment Agency they were aware of this "event". They suggested that it might be the result of a lack of oxygen in the water caused by the recent hot weather although I would be surprised if the adaptable eels would be caught out by this. Alternatively, they suggested that it might have been caused by polution from the industrial estate upstream. Apparently, they have been trying to identify the source of polution in the brook since February. I asked whether they had taken samples of the water and the dead eels and shrimps for analysis but was told that this "event" was on too small a scale to warrant the costs involved!

10th - sunny with light easterly winds. Little of note: a single Turtle Dove flew west (only the fourth individual this year so far) and one Sand Martin and eight Swallows also flew west. Three Little Egrets also flew west along the beach.

A Holly Blue was seen by the obs.

9th - today was Andy's duck day; at 6.05 a.m., three drake Tufted Ducks chased a female east close inshore then headed back west now accompanied by a Teal. Later a drake Pochard flew west; in addition ten Shelduck were seen and two lots of two Mute Swans flew west and a party of three swam east a long way out at sea. Also, 15 Gannets flew west, there were four Curlews on the beach and a single Yellow Wagtail was also seen.

8th - sunny and warm with a light easterly wind. The dominance of clear skies and easterly winds continues. A single Curlew circled over the beach, a first-summer Mediterranean Gull and a Yellow Wagtail flew west and the Sedge Warbler sand for its 12th day.

Three young fox cubs were seen in the sewage works.

7th - there were 12 Common Sandpipers on the beach whilst two Brent Geese circled over the beach before heading west and then, later, back east. Single Turtle Dove and Yellow Wagtail were noted and a female Marsh Harrier flew high east.

6th - more sunny weather with moderate easterly winds. At last the Little Terns are back; two flew east close inshore and later a party of six flew rapidly west out at sea. A Great Crested Grebe was close inshore and a Common Sandpiper was in the brook.

Speckled Wood and Green-veined White butterflies were seen.

5th - sunny with light easterly winds. The struggle continues! Highlight of the day was a flock of 14 Mute Swans ( a large number for this site) which flew low over the area coming in from , and leaving to, the east much to the apparent ignorance of the many dog walkers in their shadow. Otherwise, there appears to be two pairs of Ringed Plovers tentatively holding territory against the odds, a first-summer Mediterranean Gull was on the beach, the Sedge Warbler continues to give it everything, but is now favouring the rapidly growing Alexanders, and two Swifts, three Sand Martins and c20 Swallows flew west whlist a cock Yellow Wagtail settled briefly on the football pitch.

4th - Greg Herne saw our second Greenshank of the spring and two Common Sandpipers.

He also noted three Speckled Wood butterflies.

3rd - sunny with light SE winds. There were seven Common Sandpipers resting on the shoreline as the tide came in but no other migrant waders. Offshore two Fulmars flew east and about 18 Gannets appeared to be going nowhere in particular. Three Yellow Wagtails flew west but there was few other signs of vis.mig.

Our first Large White of the year brought the total of butterflies seen to nine.

2nd - Some sunshine and a brisk SW wind that kept the temperature down. The sea was quiet save for a Shelduck east and two Greylag Geese west. At about 9 a.m., a single Bar-tailed Godwit flew west and a single Common Tern loafed offshore awhile. Visible migration was light but included a single Sand Martin, 27 Swallows and seven Goldfinches, all west. Just before 11, two drake Common Scoters flew west.

1st - sunny with light southerly winds. A quiet morning to kick off the month. An adult Kittiwake flew west and a trickle of vis.mig included one Sand Martin, 17 Swallows, one Yellow Wagtail, 15 Goldfinches and three Linnets. A Wheatear was again present on the shingle ridge, the Sedge Warbler continued to belt it out in the scrub and a cock Reed Bunting was singing in the grassland. A total of 47 species for the start of the month.