Elmley Marshes - May 2008

The breeding waders on the marsh will all have young, with avocets becoming increasingly vocal and aggressive as they protect their chicks. Spring wader passage is at it's peak, with large numbers of whimbrel present on the marsh early in the month; summer plumaged shore waders like dunlin, grey plover, bar-tailed godwit and turnstone can be seen roosting on the Flood at high tide and the roosts may include species like little stint and curlew sandpiper. Ruff, greenshank and wood sandpiper are all annual spring visitors and May is the best month for scarcer waders like red-necked phalarope and Temminck's stint.
Duck broods (including shelduck, gadwall, shoveler, pochard & tufted duck) can be seen on the bigger ditches and fleets.
In suitable conditions, black terns and little gulls can be found over the reserve, or out on the Swale, where little terns are also regularly seen.

Newly arrived hobbys hunt dragonflies over the reserve and the resident Sheppey marsh harriers provide daily sightings.
May is on of those months when anything can turn up - purple heron and golden oriole in 2004, blue-winged teal and black-necked grebe in 2000, black-winged stilts in 1998, 2006 & 2008, collared pratincole and Boneparte's gull in 1998 and osprey in 1997 & 2008.

28th: 1M garganey

27th: 1 Temminck's stint, 2M garganey, 1 hobby, 4+ marsh harrier, 1 barn owl, 1 common sandpiper, 8 turnstone, 11 black-tailed godwit, 10+ little egret, 2 grey partridge

26th: 1M garganey, 1 common buzzard

23rd: 1 Temminck's stint, 1 wood sandpiper, 1M garganey, 1 1st-summer little gull

20th: 1 Temminck's stint, 1M garganey, 2 hobby, 1 peregrine, 1 common buzzard, 4+ marsh harrier, 270 black-tailed godwit, 3 dunlin, 1 knot, 1 sanderling, 1 little gull, 1 Med gull, 100+ swift E

19th: 1 Temminck's stint, 1 osprey W, 1 little gull, 3 hobby, 1st avocet chicks

18th: 3 Temminck's stint, 4 garganey, 1 little gull, 300 black-tailed godwit, 1 bar-tailed godwit, dunlin, 1 common sandpiper, 300 swift

16th: 1 black tern, 1M garganey, 1 little gull, 3 hobby

13th: 1 Temminck's stint, 89 black-tailed godwit, 1 bar-tailed godwit, 1 whimbrel, 2 greenshank, 1m ruff, 1 dunlin, 15 turnstone, 3m pintail, 1m teal, 3m garganey, 4+ marsh harrier, 1 1st-summer little gull

9th: 3 Temminck's stint, 2 ruff, 1 common sandpiper, 3 dunlin, 10 turnstone, 4 greenshank, 1 whimbrel, 15 black-tailed godwit, 2m garganey, 2m pintail, 1m wigeon, 1pr teal, 1 1st-summer little gull, 2 little tern, 4 adult Med gull, 5+ marsh harrier, 2 common buzzard, 6+ little egret, 20+ yellow wagtail

8th: 3 Temminck's stint, 2 wood sandpiper, 1 peregrine

7th: 4 Temminck's stint, 1 short-eared owl

6th: 1 wood sandpiper, 1 little gull, 1 turnstone, 1 common sandpiper, 6 whimbrel, 1M pintail, 2 Med gull, 1 hobby, 1M wheatear

4th: 2 black-winged stilt, 1 Temminck's stint, 1M garganey

3rd: 7 yellow wagtail (access track), 2 hobby, 3 corn bunting, 2 swallow, 2 little owl, 2 green woodpecker, 1 whitethroat (Kingshill Farm), 22 whimbrel, 2 great crested grebe, 3 sedge warbler (track to hides), 2 black-winged stilts, 4 dunlin, 42 turnstone, 20 black-tailed godwit, 230 avocet, 1 common sandpiper, 4 common tern, 2 little tern, 1M pintail, 1 wheatear (flood: All per. Gavin Coultrip)

2nd: 2 garganey (Sharfleet flood), 2 hobby, greenshank, escaped gyr still present

1st: 2 garganey, 2 hobby, greenshank