Elmley Marshes - September 2010

Reporting Your Sightings

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Still a good month for passage waders. Numbers of juveniles of some species like little stint and curlew sandpiper can reach their peaks this month (eg. 130 curlew sands in 1999), while the last of other species like LRP and common sandpiper are moving through. The first big wader roosts of the winter occur on the high "spring" tides, and large numbers of lapwing and golden plovers are present in the fields. There is still the chance of an unusual wader - a red-necked phalarope and a buff-breasted sandpiper in 1999, a white-rumped sandpiper in '96 and a pectoral sandpiper in '95.

Wintering raptors like merlin, buzzard and hen harrier are seen much more regularly, while lingering osprey and hobby can still be found.

The trees around Kingshill farm are worth a look in the right conditions for grounded migrants - flycatchers, warblers, redstart etc are all likely.

The first major arrivals of wintering waterfowl - mainly wigeon and teal - swell the numbers of ducks on the reserve. On the Swale, numbers of Brent geese build up. Spoonbills are occasional visitors at this time of year - there were 5 in September 1999.

30th: 1jf hen harrier, 2 merlin

29th: 6 buzzard, 1 wheatear

27th: 2 little stint, 1 hobby, 1 peregrine, 1 Med gull, 1 yellow wagtail

20th: 1 peregrine, 2 buzzard, 81 ringed plover, 1 stonechat, 1 whinchat, 1 wheatear, 1 reed warbler, 1 chiffchaff

19th: 150 grey plover, 14 golden plover, 26 knot, 14 bar-tailed godwit, 3 green sandpiper, 1 greenshank, 2 common tern, 1 barn owl, 2 hobby, 1 kingfisher, 2 wheatear

18th: 1 buzzard, 10 swallow, 4 sand martin, 2 chiffchaff

17th: 3 little stint, 4 greenshank, 5 green sandpiper, 3 peregrine, 1 merlin, 8+ buzzard, 1 sparrowhawk, 2 wheatear

16th: 1 little stint, 1 ruff, 2 greenshank, 1 whimbrel, 3 green sandpiper, 1 hobby, 1 merlin, 1 peregrine, 1 wheatear

15th: 5 little stint, 5 curlew sandpiper, 1 greenshank, 1 spotted redshank, 1 green sandpiper

14th: 1j Temminck's stint, 5 little stint, 5 curlew sandpiper, 112 dunlin, 50 ringed plover, 2 barn owl, 2 wheatear, 50+ swallow S, 10+ sand martin S

13th: 12 little stint, 21 curlew sandpiper, 120 dunlin, 150 ringed plover, 1 LRP, 205 avocet, 13 bar-tailed godwit, 1 spotted redshank, 2 merlin, 2 peregrine, 12 grey partridge

12th: 1 garganey, 10 little stint, 28 curlew sandpiper, 2 greenshank, 6 green sandpiper, 2 common sandpiper, 77 grey plover, 2 whimbrel, 18 knot, 7 bar-tailed godwit, 75 black-tailed godwit, 190 dunlin, 140 ringed plover, 3 spotted redshank, 1 ruff

11th: 1 spoonbill, 24 curlew sandpiper, 6 little stint, 193 dunlin, 223 ringed plover, 1 common sandpiper, 25 black-tailed godwit, 2 turnstone, 3 spotted redshank, 5 bar-tailed godwit, 1 golden plover, 3 green sandpiper, 2 ruff, 1 merlin, 1 peregrine, 2 hobby, 2 swift, 1 cuckoo, 2 whinchat, 4 wheatear, 1 chiffchaff, 670 teal

9th: 7 buzzard, 4 sparrowhawk, 3 hobby, 2 merlin, 2 peregrine, 5 little stint, 4 curlew sandpiper, 30+ golden plover, 2 bar-tailed godwit, 6 green sandpiper, 2 common sandpiper, 2 ruff, 1 wheatear

8th: 6 little stint, 6 curlew sandpiper, 39 dunlin, 140 ringed plover, 21 turnstone, 1 spotted redshank, 5 greenshank, 4 common sandpiper, 2 ruff, 4 hobby, 3 buzzard, 1 peregrine, 1 swift, 350 wigeon

7th: 6 little stint, 3 curlew sandpiper, 2 spotted redshank, 1 ruff, 5 green sandpiper, 50+ yellow wagtail, 1 reed warbler, 1 lesser whitethroat

6th: 1j pectoral sandpiper, 6 curlew sandpiper, 6 little stint, 5 ruff, 1 merlin, 1 peregrine, 1 buzzard, 2 whinchat

3rd: 3 garganey, 3 greenshank, 3 spotted redshank, 9 curlew sandpiper, 3 ruff, 42 ringed plover, 30 dunlin, 1 common sandpiper, 1j cuckoo

2nd: 5 little stint, 19 curlew sandpiper, 48 ringed plover, 57 dunlin, 8 green sandpiper, 2 common sandpiper, 3 ruff, 2 spotted redshank, 1 greenshank, 1f merlin, 1j peregrine, 3 buzzard, 1 hobby

1st: 1j red-necked phalarope, 7 little stint, 16 curlew sandpiper, 7 ruff, 2 greenshank, 2 spotted redshank, 3 common sandpiper, 1 green sandpiper, 25 black-tailed godwit, 120 avocet, 45 ringed plover, 67 dunlin, 20 snipe, 1 peregrine, 3 buzzard, 1f merlin, 2 hobby, 1 swift, 3 wheatear, 9 wigeon,