West Point – Cliffe

A new Big Sit site – 13th May 2004

By Don Taylor

Following discussion with various parties and knowledge that our Northward Hill ‘circle' was unlikely to be so productive this spring, I decided to switch our allegiance to Cliffe, where the areas of interest were all considerably closer to the chosen circle at West Point. The one consideration for future years, we discovered, was the choice of day. With the constant noise from the works behind West Point, a Sunday would provide a more peaceful occasion and a better opportunity to hear calls and songs more easily. Bob Davison was keen to take part yet again and his friend Chris had hoped to join us, but couldn't at the last minute. Nigel Matthews arranged to be present throughout the day and his extra pairs of eyes and ears proved crucial to our success. Whether four pairs would have produced those elusive raptors on the day we shall never know.

Bob picked me up from Loose at 2.15am under a surprisingly cloudless sky. We parked near the pub beyond the quarries at Cliffe, where Nigel met us in time to start our Big Sit just after 3am. The cloud cover had increased and there was a cold, moderate north wind blowing and for much of the morning we certainly felt the cold, exposed as we were on top of the hillock that has been christened ‘West Point'. There was plenty to listen to and we noted ten species in the first half-an-hour. Nightingales sang and BH Gulls , Common Terns and Oystercatchers all called noisily from their breeding colonies or scattered nests. Redshank , Mallard , Lapwing and Avocet all added their voices, followed by Coot and Moorhen – 10 by 3.34am. The first Cuckoo was heard calling at 3.47am.

There is a wide ‘shelf' just below the top of West Point, which is in the shade for much of the morning and limits any viewing to the southeast, so we decided to view from the top of our ‘circle' area and moved up just before 4am in the hope that any calls from owls would be more easily heard. It proved a fortuitous move, as Bob sighted a large owl flying around the edge of the quarry, which turned out to be a Long-eared Owl and it dropped down towards the North Quarry. The dawn chorus commenced shortly after the owl disappeared, with song from Song Thrushes , Blackbirds and a Robin , while a Woodpigeon added his cooing to the increasing volume of sound, which included calls from the pools of Canada and Greylag Geese . A Pheasant called and a Grey Heron – number 20 at 4.30am – flew from the direction of the North Quarry. A Little Egret flew low E below us, a Carrion Crow called, as did three LBB Gulls as they flew overhead and a Blackcap sang, confirming the good variety of species that can be experienced from this spot.

As the light improved, the pattern of vapour trails in the colourful dawn sky was most attractive but the wind felt cold. The silhouettes of various waterfowl became increasingly easy to identify, as the light improved and Shelduck , Tufted Duck , and GC Grebe were quickly added. The first of several Jackdaws flew by and the songs of both Wren and Chiffchaff – number 30 at 4.52am – rang out clearly. We dropped back down to the lower half of our circle just before 5am, an immature GBB Gull flew over and song from the first of several Whitethroats was heard. A Chaffinch sang and a pair of Pochard swam together in the pool beneath us. The first of several Feral Pigeons flew by and a Herring Gull flew over. A Green Woodpecker could be seen perched atop a power-line pole less than 100 metres distant, two Magpies flew by, a perched Starling was identified and a Dunnock – number 40 at 5.25am – sang. A Cormorant was noted as it flew up the Thames and a flock of Black-tailed Godwits could be seen on the edge of a more distant pool, as the sun's rays lit up the pools, and two Swifts flew overhead. A Stock Dove flew past and a Greenfinch and a Goldfinch , in quick succession, alighted atop hawthorns below us. A distant drake Ruddy Duck was easy to identify, with his gleaming white face, two Collared Doves flew by and the first Swallow was seen. Both Great Tit – number 50 at 5.50am – and Blue Tit appeared in the hawthorns beneath us and a distant Little Grebe was identified – only two others were seen all day. As we could only feel the benefit of the sun on the upper deck, we encamped on the top of West Point, where and when it was also time for some refreshments.

A Mute Swan flew onto the pools and by carefully scanning a part-tilled field, Nigel discovered a pair of Red-legged Partridges , that was particularly difficult to relocate, as they squatted motionless. A distant flock of about 10 Dunlin could be seen on a pool that's virtually impossible to see from the first ramp, but clearly visible from West Point. A pair of Teal was present in the same area, from which a lone Greenshank flew just after 7am. A House Martin appeared amongst a flock of Swifts and a Turtle Dove was seen as it perched on a power-line below us. While I struggled to confirm the identity of another small duck near the Teal, a drake Shoveler – number 60 at 7.25am – proved rather easier and a lone Sand Martin that flew very close, was a welcome addition. Clearer views through my 20-60x zoom lens, enabled me to enjoy the pleasure of identifying a drake Garganey , possibly the same bird that we'd found during the Big Walk the previous Sunday. A GS Woodpecker flew over the quarry, a Kestrel circled in the distance, as some warmth from the sun was greatly appreciated. A flock of five Gadwall flew from the pools and just before 8am Nigel spotted a Short-eared Owl hunting over the area of scrub beyond the pools – another most welcome bonus species. It felt comfortable sitting in the occasional sunshine on this splendid vantage point, from which we could scan virtually all the pools, a little of Higham Bight, the Thames and Cliffe marshes but sadly, not Halstow Marshes, where we might well have seen a Marsh Harrier.

With high tide due at around 8.45am, much of our effort was concentrated on scanning the Thames for possible additions, like the Kittiwakes, maybe, which we had seen there on the 9th. Bob managed to identify a 2nd summer Common Gull – a very useful addition – that was feeding in mid-channel, but nothing else was added in that stretch of water. While scanning the Alpha Pool, a Skylark was seen dropping into the grassy field for a second time, enabling that species to be added at 8.45am. A most welcome flock of about 10 Bar-tailed Godwits flew in and alighted on the edge of the Flamingo Pool, two in their attractive orange summer plumage, and two Turnstones – number 70 at 9.02am – could be seen at rest on a much closer mud spit. A Jay disappeared into a hawthorn bush beneath us, to be seen flying back in the other direction a little later – a pattern that was repeated quite often during the day. It was a pity a Bullfinch couldn't have done the same. A Long-tailed Tit was heard calling, before it flew up onto a power-line for all to see. Persistent scanning revealed the presence of a House Sparrow on a rooftop to the east and another Linnet was seen by all so that it too could be added to the list just before 10am. During the day House Sparrows were seen on a number of occasions flying in front of West Point, to and from the same building.

The second of only two raptor species seen during the day was first noted at 11.20, when a Hobby appeared, mobbed by a couple of Herring Gulls, which it easily evaded. A Pied Wagtail was eventually added to the list nearly half-an-hour later, when one was found perched on the ‘House Sparrow' building. Finding additional species was proving extremely slow by late morning, the distances being just too far to identify small passerines like Stonechat, Whinchat, Wheatear, Meadow Pipit, Sedge and Reed Warblers and Reed Bunting, all of which were known to be in the area. We also knew that the Rooks from the Northward Hill rookery flew to and from there and the rubbish dump on the other side of the Thames, but the distances involved made positive identification virtually impossible. However, large numbers were also feeding someway out on Cliffe marshes and their feeding behaviour and manner of flight were convincing enough and we'd put Rook on the list by 1.30pm. An hour later we were thankfully appreciating the warmth of the sun's rays on our backs. Nearly 70% of the sky remained covered by high cumulus clouds, but the wind had dropped. Another Turtle Dove, that ‘purred', may have felt the same way! Nigel was convinced that he'd heard short bursts of Lesser Whitethroat song and went exploring to satisfy himself that he had. He found two males in song no further than 200 metres away, though one was only using the preliminary sub-song, rather than the full 'rattle'. At least Bob should be able to hear the song at some stage and may even have done so already, but for the occasional, slightly confusing, part-song bursts from Chaffinches.

There was a welcome bonus at 3.30pm, when Nigel heard an unfamiliar gull call. We were quickly able to identify it for him when two Mediterranean Gulls – an adult and a 2nd summer bird – flew overhead. They really are a spectacular species. We continued to scan for those difficult passerines, as well as searching for Whimbrel and anticipating that a Peregrine would eventually appear, while listening for a Lesser Whitethroat to sing again. As the tide rose for a second time, some 200 Common Terns could be seen feeding in mid-Thames off Cliffe Creek, but nothing new could be seen, as we scanned in the hope of discovering a Sandwich Tern or maybe a Black Tern – two had been seen the previous evening. Just before 5.30pm the ‘rattle' song of the Lesser Whitethroat was heard.

Paul Larkin joined us for a short while, to check on how we were doing, as he had set a record of 84, some years earlier, from a point just below the radar tower on Allen's Hill, some 500 metres east-northeast of West Point. After he left, a Yellow Wagtail – number 80 at 6.20pm – called as it flew W right overhead, a welcome bonus as we'd had no joy trying to see it within its breeding territory close to the Alpha Pool. This landmark total, equalling our highest at Northward Hill the previous year, was much appreciated and spurred us to find even more species. With only a narrow area of mud remaining in Higham Bight, it was just possible to see a wader or two and a Curlew was positively identified. About twenty minutes later, as less and less mud remained uncovered, two flocks of medium sized waders could be seen flying over the Thames. Fortunately, one flock came ever closer, as Nigel kept his binoculars glued to it, while I attempted to get my ‘scope focussed on the birds, and they eventually alighted on the muddy strip stretching north from just below us. As they alighted they clearly showed the white rumps and pale tails of Grey Plover . Bob was sure that he hadn't seen the black underwing axillaries, so we looked carefully at them as they rested, but, remembering the tail pattern, there was no doubt about our identification. Somewhat surprisingly, while looking at the plovers, a lone Whimbrel appeared and joined them. This spate of activity was extremely exciting and we felt that even 85 species was possible, as there must be a chance of seeing a Peregrine, maybe a Sparrowhawk and a Barn Owl. Bob sighted a small, immature gull that appeared to fly from the pool beneath us – just as the Mediterranean Gulls had done – but neither Nigel nor I managed to pick it up to confirm the identification of what was probably a Little Gull. A cold, east wind rose at around 7.15. Another species we hadn't yet seen or heard was Mistle Thrush and they are known to feed on the short grass between the Black Barn and Cliffe, but not apparently this afternoon within our view. We continued to scan the sky for a raptor and the marshes for a Barn Owl. During one scan there was a shout of “ White Stork” from Nigel, as, quite incredibly, one appeared in his telescope vision, flying low over Cliffe marshes and eventually landing for us all to see. We'd reached a total of 84 by 7.40pm. As the light began to fade the chances of either raptor appearing seemed increasingly remote and we all concentrated on scanning the surrounding marshland for a Barn Owl to break Paul's record. By 8.30pm we'd had no sign of one and decided to call it a day – a most rewarding day.