December

By December the bulk of the reserves wintering flocks of waders & wildfowl are once again present on the pools.

Dabbling duck species such as teal, wigeon, shoveler, mallard, gadwall and pintail can be seen on the lagoons and northern pools with numbers reaching the low thousands in wet winters. The dabblers are supplemented by hundreds of diving duck, principally pochard and tufted duck, with smaller numbers of goldeneye plus the occasional scaup.

The lagoons also support good numbers of little egrets & grebes, the resident little and great-crested grebes are regularly joined by red-necked, black-necked and slavonian grebes and the odd diver.

However, the main winter bird spectacle is provided by the large high tide wader roost when birds move off the Thames mudflats to roost on the pools whilst their feeding grounds are covered. Species like redshank, grey and ringed plover number on the hundreds with up to 2000 lapwing and 7000 dunlin forming an impressive site as they wheel over the lagoons.

A good range of wintering raptors can be seen in the area including hen and marsh harrier, merlin and peregrine plus all 5 owl species.

Finally other wintering birds include large flocks of fieldfares and redwings attracted to the hawthorns, plus a range of smaller passerines including flocks of skylark, meadow pipit, goldfinch, chaffinch, linnet, and both reed and corn buntings, most of which favour the seed-rich weedy areas of the reserve and surrounding marshes.

Suitable birding high tides (taken from Medway Tide Tables)

watch from 1 hour either side of high tide.

1/12; 12.11

2/12; 12.53

3/12; 13.36

4/12; 14.20

5/12; 15.08

6/12; 16.00

10/12; 7.24 (watch on falling tide)

11/12; 8.33

12/12; 9.37

13/12; 10.34

14/12; 11.26

15/12; 12.12

16/12; 12.57

17/12; 13.39

18/12; 14.18

19/12; 14.56

20/12; 15.33

26/12; 7.49 (watch on falling tide)

27/12; 8.57

28/12; 10.01

29/12; 10.58

30/12; 11.50

31/12; 12.40

Latest Sightings

5/12; 1 peregrine chasing buzzing waders offshore, c.1150 lapwing, 130 grey plover, 60 ringed plover, 3100 dunlin.

7/12; 150+ little grebe, 2 kingfisher, 25 linnet.

8/12; c.500 dabbling duck, mainly teal & shoveler with smaller #s of wigeon, mallard, gadwall & 20 pintail, c.500 large gulls inc 100+ great black-backed, 1 short-eared owl.

13/12; 2 greenshank, 1 bullfinch,

15/12; 182 little grebe, 1 male peregrine chasing dunlin, 1 kestrel, c.1000 lapwing, c.200 grey plover, c.50 black-tailed godwit, 2 greenshank, 2500 dunlin.

19/12; c.225 grey plover, c.235 black-tailed godwit, c.4000 dunlin

22/12; 1 yng male marsh harrier, c.1100 lapwing, 2 kingfisher.