July09

Oare Marshes Latest Sightings

July 2009

Reporting Your Sightings

To help keep this page as up-to-date and informative as possible, please send your sightings and any pictures taken onsite (please see 'Guidelines for submissions' on the KOS Photo Gallery for details of how to resize your pics etc.) to Murray Wright by clicking here.

Species List for 2009

To view the complete list of species recorded so far this year please click here.

153 species have been recorded in the area so far this year.

July 30th
(05:50-11:00) Mostly sunny with a fresh and strengthening W wind. Marc Heath, a scarce (but increasingly frequent?) summer visitor from the Stour valley, was already onsite (since 04:45!) when I arrived and had already noted a Peregrine flying over near the cottages as he drove in, 5 Hobbies on the west side, 98 Little Egrets flying west, a Little Owl in the horse paddock and a Blackcap opposite the cottages. We walked down to the sea wall noting a Common Sandpiper on the East Flood and 8 Turnstones flying west. From the top of the slipway 5 Common Terns were fishing close in on the Swale, 6 Grey Plovers flew high west and a few Whimbrel were on the saltmarsh to the west. Walking east along the sea wall there were 11+ Yellow Wagtails along the foreshore (with birds being seen and heard all around the patch throughout the morning) and Bearded Tits 'pinging' well in the reeds. A careful scan through the wader roost on the East Flood from Faversham Creek produced 2 adult Curlew Sandpipers, circa 50 Dunlin, 1 Knot, 15 Greenshanks, 12+ Ruff, 37 Avocets, 1 Whimbrel, 3-4 Turnstones and circa 90 Golden Plovers, plus the usual numerous Black-tailed Godwits and Redshanks. There was also a single Garganey and a dozen or so Common Terns (including 2 juveniles) on the flood. From the road a Green Sandpiper was added to the wader list. 3 Turtle Doves were around the scrub/paddocks, plus a single Lesser Whitethroat. Small numbers of Swifts were flying west. Marc left at around 08:30 and I was joined by Philip Goacher on a short visit from the North for a walk to Uplees and back. A Common Buzzard was over Mocketts on Sheppey, plus several Marsh Harriers. We noted at least 4 Green Sandpipers and a few more Yellow Wagtails on the 'West' Flood, from where earlier Philip had seen circa 40 Little Egrets take flight. The Wheatear was on the short grassy area at Uplees again, and the copse held a single Willow Warbler, a pair of Turtle Doves and 2 juvenile Green Woodpeckers. Heading back east a Corn Bunting dropped into the bushes around Dan's Dock, lingering just long enough for me to get a quick record shot. We made another circuit of the East Flood where the Curlew Sandpiper 'flock' had increased to a year high of 5 summer plumage adults.

(Murray Wright)

Whimbrel © Marc Heath

Corn Bunting © Murray Wright

July 29th
(05:50-11:00) Overcast with a little drizzly rain early on, a light SSW wind picking up later. 2 juvenile Mediterranean Gulls were amongst the Black-headed Gulls on the East Flood first thing, plus 1 Common Sandpiper, and the 'white' Starling was prominent again. 2 Turtle Doves were on the wires, and 2 Lesser Whitethroats were amongst the Common Whitethroats in the scrub/paddocks. I couldn't find any Curlew Sandpipers on the East Flood at high tide, but there were 48 Dunlins, 1 Knot, 3 Golden Plovers, 10 Greenshank, 12 Ruff, 35 Avocets, circa 600 Black-tailed Godwits and circa 300 Redshanks. A second Common Sandpiper was along Faversham Creek, and 3 Common Snipe flew west from Nagden. 7 Common Terns (including two juveniles) were feeding on the Swale. 3 Yellow Wagtails were along the sea wall with several more heard flying over. 4 Greenshanks (may have come off the East Flood as the tide fell) and 7 Whimbrels were on the mud west of the slipway, plus 2 adult Common Gulls. An immature Water Rail was on the West 'Flood'. I headed down to Uplees for the first time for a few weeks. A female Wheatear was on the short grassy area near the copse, and single Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff were noted in the copse, plus 2 Turtle Doves (one 'purring' and posing nicely), a male Great Spotted Woodpecker and 2 juvenile Green Woodpeckers. 4 Great Crested Grebes were on the Swale, plus 4 Common Terns, and on the mud there was a Common Sandpiper, 6 Whimbrel, 4 Curlew and 6 Little Egrets. When I got back to the East Flood the Golden Plover flock had grown to 52.

(Murray Wright)

3 Curlew Sandpipers and an adult Mediterranean Gull were on the East Flood this evening.

(Julian Russell)

Turtle Dove © Murray Wright

Wheatear © Murray Wright

July 28th
(06:30-08:00) Warm and sunny with a freshening SSW wind. A short visit before duty called to see what the tide had brought in. I met up with Julian who was already onsite. Amongst the many Redshanks, Black-tailed Godwits and Black-headed Gulls on the East Flood we saw 2 Curlew Sandpipers, 1 Knot, circa 20 Dunlins, 3 juvenile Little Ringed Plovers, 6 Ruff, 6 Greenshanks, 36 Avocets and 3 Common Terns. A Kingfisher flew west in front of the East Hide. Up to 24 Little Egrets were on the West Flood. A Migrant Hawker posed in the grass along Faversham Creek. The pair of Grey Partridges were present again east of the cottages, an OMYT for Julian.

(Murray Wright)

Migrant Hawker © Murray Wright

July 27th
The weather dampened my expectations, so spent time in the respective hides. From no Black-tailed Godwits at midday it was surprising how rapid the build up by 13:30 when I left, considering some 3+ hours before high tide. Numerous Common Terns feeding around the creek mouth and my first returning Grey Plover in dismantling summer garb! Also 3 Bar-tailed Godwits amongst Curlews and 5-6 Whimbrel. Golden Plovers gathering on the East Flood too, which remains Grey Heron thigh deep at reeds margins.

(Mike Roser)

(14:40-17:10) Sunshine and shower (there was only one while I was onsite!) with a moderate SW wind. A visit to coincide with the incoming tide - high tide was around 16:45. Waders noted on the East Flood included 1 adult Curlew Sandpiper, circa 25 Dunlins, 12 Greenshank sheltering behind the main island as usual, 9 Ruff, 28 Golden Plovers, 32 Avocets and 2 Whimbrel. I bumped into Jim Maynard who'd seen 6 Whimbrel on the flood earlier, plus a dozen more flying over. Also, on the flood there was a Sandwich Tern, 9 Common Terns including one juvenile with another seven flying over, 18 Cormorants and an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull. A brief shower had us seeking shelter in the East Hide, where we were joined by Julian Russell who'd seen a Rock Pipit by the slipway this morning. Julian picked up a smart juvenile Mediterranean Gull flying in from the east which settled amongst the many Black-headed Gulls. A Common Buzzard was hanging in the wind over Mocketts again. Lots of Sand Martins were gathering over the flood around the time I left, and 2 Yellow Wagtails flew east.

(Murray Wright)

Mediterranean Gull © Murray Wright

Ruff © Murray Wright

Dunlin © Murray Wright

July 26th
(05:15-11:15) Mostly sunny with a strengthening S wind. I made an earlier start this morning to catch the remains of the high tide roost on the East Flood, arriving as birds were starting to head back out to the Swale. Amongst the many Black-tailed Godwits and Redshanks there was a single Curlew Sandpiper, circa 25 Dunlin, 9 Greenshanks, 9 Ruff and 18 Avocets. A Peregrine was on the pylons east of Faversham Creek. A gathering of 27 Common Terns was feeding on the Swale, plus a Great Crested Grebe on the water. 5 Yellow Wagtails were along the sea wall east of the car park. On the West Flood there were 37 Little Egrets mostly hidden from view by the rushes until they took flight and eventually dispersed, plus 3 Green Sandpipers. A juvenile Marsh Harrier was perched in a bush out in the sheep pastures. I met up with Dick Bailey and Keith Privett who were looking to year tick Curlew Sandpiper, however, by this time the East Flood was almost devoid of waders except for a few Ruff and a couple of Dunlin. The scrub/paddocks was alive with Common Whitethroats, Reed and Sedge Warblers, and 4 Willow Warblers were the first here since 9th May, plus 4-5 Lesser Whitethroats, a dozen or so Long-tailed Tits and good numbers of Linnets. 3 Turtle Doves were on the wires and a Hobby was chasing prey over the fields to the south. The pair of Grey Partridges showed well in their usual field. Small numbers of Swallows, Sand Martins and Swifts were moving west throughout the morning. From the creek we picked up a Curlew Sandpiper in flight over the flood for a minute or so before it dropped out of view behind a tussock, but eventually giving itself up and showing well - mission accomplised for Dick and Keith! Bearded Tits were 'pinging' well from the reeds around the flood. 2 Ringed Plovers were on the mud from the Sea Wall hide, and a Turnstone was near the end of the slipway, with 11 Whimbrel on the mud to the west.

(Murray Wright)

Curlew Sandpiper © Murray Wright

July 25th
(06:30-11:30) Sunny and warm with a light SW wind. Yesterday's heavy showers had raised the water level on the East Flood a bit with some of the nice muddy areas now submerged again, hopefully the KWT will remove a board from the sluice soon? 3 Turtle Doves (including one juvenile) were on the wires west of the cottages, and a male Sparrowhawk flew west behind the West Hide. I met up with Steve Clinch who picked up a (silent) adult Mediterranean Gull flying north. We made a circuit of the East Flood. The tide was already well out and still falling, so the flood was a bit quiet: 4 Dunlins, 3 Greenshanks, 9 Avocets and 8 Ruff, and a bit later 32 Golden Plovers dropped in. One of the Grey Partridges was in the favoured field again. 7 Whimbrel were on the mud and saltmarsh west of the slipway. An adult Water Rail showed well on the West 'Flood', plus 3 Green Sandpipers and a couple of Little Egrets. 2 Marsh Harriers (an adult female and a juvenile) were over the flood. Shortly before I left circa 150 Black-tailed Godwits and circa 200 Redshanks had gathered on the East Flood.

(Murray Wright)

Spent a few hours before and over high tide today watching the east flood wader roost. The first juv Black-wit was sitting on the island, and two juv Dunlin were with the small flock of about 30 birds. Also 1 Curlew Sandpiper feeding close to the road was a different bird to last weekend. 40 Golden Plover, mainly on the closest island and about 8 Ruff around the flood. 8 Greenshank in their usual spot behind the main island and easily 700 Black wits. A flock of 8 Whimbrel circled over calling continuously with one bird dropping in amongst the Black-wits for a while. 1 summer plumaged Knot was seen after the flock flushed. 2 (including 1 juv) Turtle Dove were calling from the wires above the paintball camp and a few Swallow passed west overhead. 2 Sandwich and 4 Common Tern were roosting with the BH Gulls.

(Mike Buckland)

July 24th
(12:30-15:30) Sunshine and heavy showers with a strong and blustery SW wind. I popped down this afternoon to see what high tide would produce. I was joined from around 14:00 by Geoff for a stroll around the East Flood. The wader roost consisted of 1 adult Curlew Sandpiper, circa 50 Dunlin, 2 Golden Plovers (an adult and a juvenile), 1 juvenile Little Ringed Plover, 18 Greenshanks, circa 300 Redshanks, 11 Ruff (including the blue-flagged bird again), circa 700 Black-tailed Godwits and 25 Avocets, plus there were 23 Cormorants, 3 Common Terns, a single Sandwich Tern and circa 300 Black-headed Gulls. A Common Buzzard was hanging over Mocketts on Sheppey, and 6 Common Terns flew west along the Swale. A female Marsh Harrier was over the West Flood. The 'white' Starling was present again, and a Yellow Wagtail flew over. We lingered 5 minutes too long and, deservedly, got thoroughly soaked by the first of some very heavy showers!

(Murray Wright)

July 23rd
(06:30-11:45) A cloudy start with a few spots of rain, but soon sunny again with a moderate SW wind. A look at the West 'Flood' produced 4 well grown juvenile Water Rails (presumably all from the same brood), plus 14 Little Egrets and a Green Sandpiper. An adult Water Rail was sunning itself on the edge of the reeds along the northern edge of the East Flood, but no 'singing' this morning. The 'white' Starling was again prominent around the reserve. 2 juvenile Green Woodpeckers and a juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker were in the trees opposite the cottages, and 2 adult Turtle Doves were on the wires. The pair of Grey Partridges were in the field east of the cottages again. Waders on the East Flood on the rising tide included 1 adult Curlew Sandpiper, 23 Dunlins, 2 bright summer plumage Turnstones, 3 Little Ringed Plovers (an adult and two juveniles), 18 Golden Plovers, 8 Greenshanks, 8 Ruff and 23 Avocets. A few Swallows were moving west throughout the morning.

(Murray Wright)

Little Ringed Plover © Murray Wright

July 22nd
(06:30-11:30) Mostly sunny and warm with a strong SE-SW wind. I left well before high tide to twitch the Blue-cheeked Bee-eater at St. Margaret's (what an absolute stonker - and congratulations to the the Bockhill gang on another great find), but waders seen on the East Flood this morning before I left included 4 juvenile Little Ringed Plovers, 2 Curlew Sandpipers, 34 Dunlins, 3 Green Sandpipers, 14 Greenshanks, circa 250 Redshanks, 11 Ruff and 1 Reeve, circa 600 Black-tailed Godwits and 23 Avocets, plus there were 1 Sandwich Tern and 3 Common Terns, and a Kingfisher flew east over the flood. The Water Rail was 'singing' again. 4 Yellow Wagtails were along the sea wall east of the car park. 11 Whimbrel were on the mud around the slipway. 19 Little Egrets and 1 Green Sandpiper were on the West Flood. A Peregrine was on the first pylon east of Faversham Creek.

(Murray Wright)

17 Golden Plover on the mud at Uplees pre-high tide, plus 5 Common Sandpipers.

(Sean Huggins)

July 21st

(06:35-12:05) Cloudy with a light to moderate SE wind. Murray had also just arrived. We met two of the "ladies that walk" who had been turned round on their circuit by a cob Mute Swan on the path. On the east flood, there were five Little Ringed Plovers (four juveniles) close to the road, an adult Curlew Sandpiper and a flock of c25 Dunlin and a Water Rail could be heard "singing". The juvenile Cuckoo was seen on the corrugated roof of a shed by the path to the west hide, and later in the paddock, there was a female and a juvenile Green Woodpecker, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and two Turtle Doves. A Hobby was seen several times hunting over the scrub and perched on the nearby pylons. There were four Yellow Wagtails on the rocks below the sea wall, including two juveniles, a Common Sandpiper on the foreshore and three adult Common Gulls around the slipway. There were three Shovelers on the new west scrape but few dabbling ducks generally. A juvenile Marsh Harrier and a female Sparrowhawk were seen over the west flood. As the tide came in, waders on the east flood included two Golden Plovers, a Knot, 19 Greenshank and seven Turnstones flew over the flood and way eastwards. I met Mike Roser who had been as far as the Uplees copse where he had seen a party of eight Common Sandpipers, two Ringed Plovers and a Bar-tailed Godwit. Amongst the many butterflies, was a Small Copper on the path near the east hide.

(Geoff Burton)

An excellent morning wader watching which started at Uplees with a singleton of Bar-tailed Godwit, 5 Avocets and a party of 8 Common Sandpipers by the Uplees slipway, 3 Whimbrel and 2 Curlew with 2 Ringed Plovers. At the East Flood met Geoff for a 20mins chat noting the large party of Greenshank adjacent to the Black-tailed Godwits which I felt were close to 750 in number. Golden Plovers, Turnstones, Little Ringed Plovers and Knot took the morning total to 17 wader species - no Curlew Sand, Spotted Redshank or Green Sand - could have been 20 species! Nice to note Turtle Doves still in the locale. Initially also a group of 8 Grey Herons were on the West Flood.

(Mike Roser)

Little Ringed Plover © Geoff Burton

Green Woodpecker © Geoff Burton

July 19th
(05:40-10:30) Plenty of cloud around again today and a strong W wind. A well grown juvenile Cuckoo was being fed by its Dunnock foster parents in the scrub/paddocks, and 3 Turtle Doves (two adults and a juvenile) were on the wires. 4 Yellow Wagtails flew south near the East Hide. The wader roost on the East Flood at high tide this morning contained: 1 Curlew Sandpiper, 11 Dunlin, 5 Knot, 1 Spotted Redshank, 12 Greenshanks, circa 250 Redshanks, 1 or 2 Common Sandpipers, up to 600 Black-tailed Godwits and 23 Avocets, plus 2 Common Terns with another 7 flying over. 33 Curlews were on the mud around the mouth of Faversham Creek, and there were 5 Whimbrel on the saltmarsh west of the slipway. A Peregrine was on the Oare pylon.

(Murray Wright)

Cuckoo © Murray Wright

July 18th
(06:00-10:30) A mix of bright sunshine and heavy cloud with a strong WNW wind. Circa 100 Swifts flew west during the first hour. Just 1 Curlew Sandpiper was noted on the East Flood at high tide this morning, plus 1 Spotted Redshank, 16 Greenshank, circa 300 Redshank, 14 Dunlin, 3 Knot, 7 Ruff, circa 500 Black-tailed Godwits and 23 Avocets. 2 Whimbrel flew west over the reserve and eight more were on the saltmarsh west of the slipway. A Great Crested Grebe was on the Swale, plus several Common Terns fishing. A Green Sandpiper was on the West Flood, plus 6 Little Egrets. The 'albino' Starling was prominent around the East Flood again. 2 Yellow Wagtails flew east over the reserve.

(Murray Wright)

Ruff © Murray Wright

July 17th
(06:20-08:00) Mostly sunny but with heavy, threatening cloud nearby and a freshening SW wind. Arrived at the same time as Geoff and we had a quick stomp around the East Flood - I only had time for a short visit before duty called, but Geoff stayed on and will post a full report later. I could hear a Corn Bunting singing from somewhere around the East Flood, but it went unseen. We both heard a Spotted Redshank calling amongst the roosting waders. An adult Little Ringed Plover was feeding close to the road. A juvenile Little Tern was showing well fishing on the flood - nice to see and it would be interesting to know where it had come from. The 'albino' Starling was seen flying with other Starlings around the flood, and later posed nicely on the wires along the road, unfortunately we were on the other side of the flood at the time! 17 Greenshanks were flying around before settling on the flood. 18 Little Egrets were counted over the West Flood. A Whimbrel was on the slipway with one or two more flying over. A Peregrine was circling over the Swale, and later there were two - one perched on each of the pylons either side of Faversham Creek. We headed round to the creek for a better look at the wader roost on the flood (the light is far better from this side a.m. and you can see what's behind the main island). We located the Spotted Redshank, a smart moulting adult, and there were now 3 summer plumage Curlew Sandpipers, plus 4 Knot, circa 20 Dunlin, 6 Ruff and circa 500 Black-tailed Godwits, plus 1 Golden Plover care of Steve Clinch who arrived just before I had to leave. Not a bad hour and three-quarters at all!

(Murray Wright)

On the East Flood this morning: 2 Mediterranean Gulls, 3 Curlew Sandpiper in the main Black-tailed Godwit flock, 10-14 Dunlin in several flocks, 5-6 Knot most in fading summer plumage, 9+ Ruff/Reeve, 4-5 Golden Plover and 16 Avocet. 8 Whimbrel flew over Faversham Creek to the west. The Lesser Whitethroat was in bushes by the entrance to West Flood. Just before the main Black-tailed Godwit flock was flushed around 10:00, a stint-sized wader was seen. We had enough time to get size comparison with Redshank and Dunlin - far smaller! At this stage, after circa 10 seconds, it was flushed along with the other birds! Gut reaction was the feeding movement was far slower than 'normal' Little Stint, and that it had a grey/mottled head, shoulders and upper breast, akin to a Temminck's Stint that I saw at Pulborough Brooks last week. But I can only really report: stint (sp) .

(Francis Tusa)

Late afternoon there were 1 Spotted Redshank, 1 Curlew Sandpiper, 1 Common Sandpiper, circa 250 Redshanks, 4 Ruff and 1 Whimbrel on the East Flood.

(Julian Russell)

July 16th
(05:30-10:30) Sunny and warm with a light SW wind. Met John Pymm along Faversham Creek. At high tide on the East Flood: 2 adult Curlew Sandpipers again, 23 Dunlin, 2 Knot, 1 Green Sandpiper, 2 Golden Plovers, 7 Ruff, 11 Greenshanks, circa 250 Redshanks, circa 350 Black-tailed Godwits, 1 Whimbrel and 20 Avocets, plus 2 Common Terns. A Peregrine flew west over the creek and landed on the pylon to the south-west of the cottages. The pair of Grey Partridge were in the field to the east of the cottages again. 5 Turtle Doves (two juveniles) were in the scrub/paddocks, plus the male Lesser Whitethroat still singing intermittently there. 7 Whimbrels were on the mud west of the slipway.

(Murray Wright)

Curlew Sandpipers © Murray Wright

(13:30-17:45) By the time I left more than 700 Black-tailed Godwits had appeared at the East Flood along with 3 Knot, 2 Greenshank, 10 or so Dunlins, 11 Avocets, around 300 Redshanks and having disappeared earlier in the day, the 2 splendidly plumaged Curlew Sandpipers had returned. Earlier a Little Tern was reported on the East Flood (there were 3 Commons when I arrived) and 2 Whimbrel. Of this latter species there was a small flock of 9 heading down the creek and later 2 were circling the East Flood. The 'white' Starling showed well on fields by the West Scrape. I was told that it was albinistic, but that doesn't seem right since it has a yellowish bill and dark eyes - leucistic? Anyway, diverting in a minor way.

(Mike Stevens)

July 15th
(05:15-11:00) Sunshine and heavy squally showers on a strong and blustery SE-SW wind. With high tide around 05:40 there were plenty of birds on the East Flood from the off. An adult Little Ringed Plover was feeding close to the road as I locked the car. I made my way round to Faversham Creek to get a better look over the flood, and located the 2 smart summer plumage Curlew Sandpipers first seen yesterday p.m. feeding behind the main island - a year tick for me and my first since Quail on 13th June. There were also 43 Dunlin, 3 Knot (two in summer plumage), 9 Greenshanks, 5 Ruff, circa 500 Redshanks, circa 350 Black-tailed Godwits (although nearer 500 later in the morning) and 23 Avocets. I was joined by Steve Clinch on a quick pre-work visit to twitch the Curlew Sands, getting a good soaking in the process! Steve located a female Garganey which swam the length of the flood before flying west. Also, a Sandwich Tern dropped in for a quick wash, and there were also 2 Common Terns. An albinitsic Starling (plumage mostly white but with a yellow bill) was feeding with other Starlings amongst the cattle in front of the East Hide. At around 08:25 a noisy and large flock (for Oare) of circa 150 Knot flew in and circled a few times with around 60-70 alighting on the flood, while the others flew low south-west - most were in summer plumage. 4 Turtle Doves were on the wires opposite the cottages, with a female Great Spotted Woodpecker on one of the telephone poles, and a male Sparrowhawk was sitting in the dead trees. 5 Whimbrel were on the mud west of the slipway. 7 Common Terns were feeding along the Swale. A Yellow Wagtail was along the sea wall to the east. A pair of particularly ragged looking Marsh Harriers were hunting around the reserve throughout the morning.

(Murray Wright)

On the East Flood this evening there was 1 adult Curlew Sandpiper, 36 Knot, 2 Greenshank and 6 Ruff.

(Julian Russell)

July 13th

(14.30-16.00) Lovely sunny afternoon and loads of butterflies and dragonflies were taking advantage of the warmth. The best sighting of the day for me was my first Clouded Yellow of the year. There were less waders than mentioned yesterday but 2 Golden Plovers were on he flood. Bearded Tits showed well, despite a reasonably stiff breeze. Water levels are too high at present. I hope a board can be taken out of the sluice soon. Great Common Tern photo, Murray! Well done!

(Chris Abrams)

July 12th
(05:15-10:30) Rain and cloud clearing on a brisk SSW wind from around 09:00 and then mostly sunny. I arrived a bit earlier to see what was on the East Flood on the receding tide. Plenty of birds but no more variety than recently: 24 Dunlins, 1 non-breeding plumage Knot, 9 Greenshank, circa 500 Redshank, 19 Avocets, circa 300 Black-tailed Godwits, 1 Curlew, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Green Sandpiper, 4 Ruff, and 1 Reeve, and 2 Common Terns. One of the Ruff was the blue-flagged colour - ringed bird from the Dutch study (ringed in the Netherlands on 29/3/08) making its first appearance of the 'autumn' (first seen at Oare in 2008 on July 11th). A Little Owl was in the scrub/paddocks, plus a male Sparrowhawk flew west, and 5 Turtle Doves (two juveniles) were on the wires running west from the cottages. 2 Green Sandpipers flew up from the West Flood. The pair of Grey Partridges were in their favoured field east of the cottages. Amongst several Marsh Harriers this morning was the first juvenile I've seen here this year, which flew east over the reserve. 4 Whimbrel were on the mud west of the slipway. Small numbers of Swifts were moving west throughout the morning.

(Murray Wright)

July 11th
(06:15-10:45) Mostly cloudy with a bit of drizzly rain and a SW breeze. Continuing the fairly quiet theme of late. On the East Flood during the morning there were 8 Dunlin, 1 faded summer plumage Knot, 1 Common Sandpiper, 3 Ruff and 1 Reeve, 1 Greenshank, 2 Avocets, circa 100 Redshanks, circa 75 Black-tailed Godwits and 3 Common Terns, plus a Kingfisher flew towards the sluice. The pair of Grey Partridge were in the field to the east of the cottages again, and 4 Turtle Doves (including two juveniles) were on the wires to the west. 5 Whimbrel were on the mud around the slipway, plus an adult Common Gull, and 13 Avocets and 16 Curlews were around the mouth of Faversham Creek. I met Julian Russell and we listened to a Water Rail 'singing' from the West Flood. Along the sea wall Julian showed me a Roesel's Bush-Cricket and a Wasp Spider - which was nice!

(Murray Wright)

July 10th

(06:20-11:40) Sunny but quite cool in the moderate NW wind and, with the tide on its way out, not a lot was expected or realised. Murray arrived about the same time for a pre-Tesco raid and later I saw Malcolm McVail, Chris Abrams, Andy Bowers and Steve Clinch - so not a bad birder haul. On the east flood, a or the drake Wigeon came in but soon headed off towards Sheppey, there were two male Ruff and later Greenshank, Common Sandpiper and a non-breeding plumage Knot were also seen. Little else to report: a juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker was on the telegraph poles opposite the cottages, two juvenile Yellow Wagtails paused briefly on the wires along the road and a Common Buzzard landed atop Mocketts Hill. Few of the small passage waders appear to have arrived in the county yet (I've seen a few Dunlin locally) but it would be timely if the water level were lowered so that there's some mud to welcome them.

There were many Rough Darters along the sea wall together with Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper, Small and Green-veined Whites, Painted Lady (pristine), Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell.

(Geoff Burton)

On the East Flood this evening there were 1 Knot, 1 Dunlin, 2 Ruff, 1 Common Sandpiper and 2 Common Terns.

(Julian Russell)

July 9th
(06:00-10:50) Bright and sunny with a brisk NW wind. 5 Turtle Doves (including two juveniles) were near the cottages. On the East Flood: 4 Dunlins (plus two more which came in with some godwits but didn't settle), 1 Green Sandpiper (plus two more flew over and dropped onto the West Flood), 3 Ruffs and 1 Reeve, 2 Greenshanks, circa 300 Redshanks, circa 150 Black-tailed Godwits, 3 Avocets and 3 Common Terns. 4 Whimbrel and 10 Avocets were along the Swale.

(Murray Wright)

(13:30-16:30) A blustery day to say the least and one on which I nearly got blown off my bike while cycling along the sea wall. Were it not for my increasingly massive bulk I might well have found myself in the drink, bike, scope and all! At high tide there were 600+ Black-tailed Godwits on the East Flood along with 8 Avocets, 4 Greenshanks, 1 Common Sandpiper, 4 Ruff and about 150 Redshanks. A Turtle Dove was on the wires close to the viewing pull-in, and 2 Peregrines were hunting along the sea wall on the west side. A Marsh Harrier was seen east of the Ferry Inn and later another put in an appearance over the East Flood.

(Mike Stevens)

July 8th
(06:00-10:30) Cloudy with a cool WNW breeze. As I arrived a Peregrine flew west from the Oare pylon and made a failed attack on a flock of racing pigeons. Met up with Geoff who'd arrived before me and seen a Green Sandpiper on the West Flood, plus a Water Rail singing there, and several Whimbrel on the mud by the slipway. 4 Turtle Doves were on the wires and trees opposite the cottages including our first juvenile. A Little Owl was by the horse paddock, plus a female Green Woodpecker with a juvenile on one of the telephone poles, and the regular singing Lesser Whitetroat and Cetti's Warbler. A Greenshank was feeding at the mouth of Faversham Creek, plus 15 Avocets, 3 Whimbrels, 27 Curlews and 3 Little Egrets. A Little Tern was feeding off of Castle Coote. An adult Common Gull was on a post along the slipway. 5 Ruff and 1 Reeve were on the East Flood, plus 2 Common Sandpipers, 2 Greenshanks, circa 300 Redshanks and circa 50 Black-tailed Godwits. The female Tufted Duck still had all nine small ducklings in tow, and the female Gadwall still had all ten now well grown ducklings intact (first seen on 3rd June).

(Murray Wright)

July 5th
(06:00-12:00) Overnight cloud and rain clearing and then increasingly hot and sunny. A Turtle Dove was in the road with lots of Collared Doves, Stock Doves and Wood Pigeons as I drove in. A Barn Owl was hunting over the field to the east of the Ferry Inn on Sheppey, presumably having waited for the rain to stop. A Cuckoo was singing well towards Uplees copse. 2 Yellow Wagtails flew west over the reserve. I met up with Philip Goacher. A Hobby shot west over the scrub/paddocks. A Little Owl was mobbed by a juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker in the copse opposite the cottages, a Turtle Dove flew up onto one of the bushes there and started 'purring' with another heard to the west, plus a singing Cetti's Warbler and the ever present male Lesser Whitethroat still 'rattling' away. We were joined by Keith Privett who'd seen 5 Whimbrel on the mud to the west of the slipway. The pair of Grey Partridges were in the field to the east of the cottages again. 4 male Ruff were on the East Flood, plus single Green and Common Sandpipers and 2 Greenshanks. 22 Curlews were on the mud east of Faversham Creek, plus 8 Common Terns and 1 or 2 Great Crested Grebes on the Swale. A Common Buzzard was mobbed by Kestrels over Mocketts. As high tide neared there were circa 200 Black-tailed Godwits and circa 150 Redshanks roosting on the East Flood, and 2 more Greenshanks dropped in.

(Murray Wright)

July 4th
(06:15-11:15) Hot, sunny and calm, a light ENE sea breeze picking up later. 8 juvenile Bearded Tits were posing well near the sluice. The pair of Grey Partridges were in their preferred field east of the cottages. 5 Avocets, 21 Curlews and 7 Little Egrets were around the mouth of Faversham Creek, and 1 Little Tern and 3 Common Terns (a pair with a juvenile) were along the Swale. 2 Whimbrel were west of the slipway and three more flew west. 3 adult Mediterranean Gulls circled high over the reserve before drifting west. A Small Tortoiseshell was along the sea wall east of the car park. On the East Flood during the morning (high tide circa 10:50): up to 6 Greenshanks (four of which flew off north just before high tide), 2 male Ruff, 1 Green Sandpiper, 7 Avocets (including three juveniles again), circa 200 Black-tailed Godwits, circa 300 Redshanks, 2 Common Terns and 3 Little Egrets.

(Murray Wright)

July 3rd

(06:35-10:30) Cloudy and rather misty at first but brightening later. The wind had changed around to the south. Two male Ruffs and a Green Sandpiper were amongst the waders on the east flood. In the scrub, both male and female Cuckoos were heard, a Turtle Dove sang opposite the cottages and the persistent Lesser Whitethroat sang in the corner of the paddock. The pair of Grey Partridges were in the "usual" field east of the cottages, a pair of Shelduck had seven ducklings on the Creek and a duck Tufted Duck had nine newly-hatched ducklings in the NE corner of the east flood. In the reed-bed, Bearded Tits were both active and vocal. On the incoming tide, there was a Greenshank east of the causeway, three Whimbrel, a summer plumage Bar-tailed Godwit and two sub-adult Great Black-backed Gulls to the west of the causeway. Two more Bar-tailed Godwits flew west over the watch house.

(Geoff Burton)

July 2nd
(06:15-11:00) After some early mist it was hot and sunny again with a pleasant ENE breeze. A glorious summer's morning, but despite the best efforts of myself, Philip Goacher and Bobby the Newfoundland it was hard going. A Little Ringed Plover was on the East Flood early on, but later flew south-west. 2 Cuckoos (a male and a female) were in the scrub/paddocks, plus 1 Turtle Dove and 1 Lesser Whitethroat, and a Cetti's Warbler was singing near the West Hide. On the East Flood at high tide: 1 Greenshank, 1 Green Sandpiper, 3 Ruff, 3 Avocets (two juveniles), circa 50 Redshanks, circa 200 Black-tailed Godwits, a pair of Common Terns and 4 Little Egrets. A Whimbrel was along the foreshore east of the slipway. A Common Buzzard was over Mocketts. 3 Little Terns, 5 Common Terns and a Sandwich Tern were feeding along the Swale. 3 Marsh Harriers (two males and a female) were around the reserve again.

(Murray Wright)

July 1st
(06:15-11:00) Overcast most of the morning with a freshening ENE breeze pegging the temperature back a few degrees, but brighter and warmer later. A Spotted Redshank dropped onto the East Flood at high tide, but as seems to be the case lately only stayed for a few minutes before flying west - it appeared to drop on to the West Flood, but there was no sign of it there later. Also on the East Flood this morning: 1 Green Sandpiper, 2 Ruff, circa 75 Redshanks (including 1 well grown juvenile), up to 200 Black-tailed Godwits, 13 Avocets (including three juveniles), the eclipse drake Wigeon again, 3 female Pochards with well grown broods of 7, 8 and 9 ducklings surviving, 6 Little Egrets, 2 Common Terns and circa 200 Black-headed Gulls, but no sign of any Little Gulls. A Greenshank and 5 Whimbrel flew west during the morning. 2 more Whimbrel were on the mud west of the slipway as the tide started to fall, plus 1 Curlew and 1 adult Common Gull, and a Common Sandpiper was on the slipway. 3 Marsh Harriers (two males and a female) were hunting around the reserve. 4 Little Terns were fishing on the Swale looking towards Castle Coote. 2 Peregrines were on the first pylon east of Faversham Creek. The pair of Grey Partridges were in the mown field just to the east of the cottages again. A female Great Spotted Woodpecker was pecking away near the disabled parking bay, plus a Cetti's Warbler showing well and the male Lesser Whitethroat singing there still, and a Turtle Dove was in the trees opposite the cottages.

(Murray Wright)

(17:00-18:20) A short visit as the tide came in again. There were two male Ruff on the east flood and a Greenshank and a summer plumage Golden Plover circled over the flood without apparently landing. On the rapidly disappearing mud west of the causeway, there was a single Ringed Plover and Common Sandpiper.

(Geoff Burton)