Northward Hill - May 2008

The wood is alive with birdsong throughout the month. Nightingales take centre stage, with usually 12-15 pairs. Blackcap is the commonest woodland warbler, with smaller numbers of other species eg. chiffchaff, willow & garden warbler and lesser whitethroat. Turtle doves "purr" from dense cover and you may be lucky enough to hear the "squeaky gate" begging call of a young long-eared owl. Bullfinch and yellowhammer are just about hanging on as breeding species on the reserve. The tree canopy now largely obscures the activity in the heronry, but birds can be glimpsed and there is still plenty of coming and going of herons and egrets.
Out on the marsh, nesting waders will have young, and regular passage waders can include greenshank, ruff and common sandpiper. Water rail can be heard squealing from the reed fleets and a quartering marsh harrier will sometimes be joined by one of the local barn owls. Overhead, squadrons of swifts and hirundines feed above the reservoirs.
Northward Hill is not renowned for producing rare birds, but previous Mays have seen white storks in 1998 & 2004, black-winged stilts in '95 & '98, marsh sandpiper in '94 and rose-coloured starling in '76. There have also been 3 records of icterine warbler and several wood warblers and golden orioles.

31st: 1 marsh harrier, 1 common buzzard (Cliffe Pools); 1 common buzzard (N. Hill - possibly Cliffe bird)

30th: 2 hobby, 2+ marsh harrier, 1 barn owl, 1 ad. Med gull, 2M Cetti's warbler, 1 great crested grebe (N. Hill)

29th: 7+ nightingale, 1 barn owl, 1 corn bunting (N. Hill)

28th: 2M garganey (N. Hill); 1 1st-summer little gull, 150 swift, 5 swallow (Shorne)

27th: 1M garganey, 1F marsh harrier, 1 little owl, 1 barn owl, 1j long-eared owl, 2 cuckoo, 1 common sandpiper (N. Hill); 3 greenshank (Shorne); 1 grasshopper warbler, 1 long-eared owl, 1 pomarine skua (Cliffe Pools)

26th: 1 Arctic tern, 1 little tern (Cliffe Pools)

25th: 1 black tern, 2+ little gull, 1 barn owl, 4+ little egret, 3 curlew (Cliffe Pools)

23rd: 1 1st-summer little gull, 3M Cetti's warbler, 1M stonechat, 13 gadwall, 1M shoveler, 1 cuckoo (Shorne)

22nd: 2F marsh harrier, 1 sparrowhawk, 1 garden warbler (N. Hill)

20th: 1F marsh harrier, 1 hobby, 2 cuckoo, 1M Cetti's warbler, 50+ swift E, 1 great crested grebe (N. Hill)

19th: 1 imm M marsh harrier, 20+ swift E, 1M Cetti's warbler (N. Hill)

18th: 2 pintail, 1 wigeon, 1 teal, 4+ little egret, 1 greenshank, 19 black-tailed godwit, 11 whimbrel, 1 marsh harrier, 1 turtle dove, 7+ nightingale, 1 willow warbler, 2 stonechat, 1 corn bunting (Cliffe Pools)

17th: 2 tree pipit, 1 tawny owl (N. Hill)

16th: 1 greenshank, 1 water rail, 20+ redshank, 15+ lapwing, 1 cuckoo, 5 swift, 2 swallow, 1M Cetti's warbler (Shorne)

14th: 1 greenshank, 1 common sandpiper, 1m wigeon, 2+ corn bunting (N. Hill)

11th: 2F marsh harrier, 1 peregrine, 2 sparrowhawk, 2 hobby, 1m wigeon, 1 1st-summer & 2+ adult Med gull, 2 greenshank, 1j long-eared owl, 1M tawny owl, 2m Cetti's warbler, 10+ nightingale, 2 garden warbler, 2+ yellow wagtail, 4+ bearded tit, 2m corn bunting (N. Hill); 1 red kite N, 1 peregrine, 6+ greenshank, 10 whimbrel, 120+ dunlin, 2 Sandwich tern, 1 1st-summer little gull, 2 pomarine skua (River), 1 tawny owl, 1 willow warbler (a mixed singer) (Cliffe Pools)

10th: 2+ adult Med gull, 3 marsh harrier, 1 common buzzard, 3+ hobby (N. Hill)

9th: 1m red-footed falcon (briefly along Bromhey farm access track), 3 hobby,

8 corn bunting, 1adult & 1juv long-eared owl (N. Hill)

8th: 2 little stint, greenshank, whimbrel, 2 grasshopper warbler (Cliffe Pools)

7th: 1 wood sandpiper, 2 ruff, 1 whimbrel, 33 redshank, 1 1st-summer little gull, 1F marsh harrier, 1 yellowhammer, 1 lesser whitethroat, 2 Cetti's warbler, 2 nightingale, swift (Shorne); 1 hobby (N. Hill)

5th: 1 short-eared owl, 1F marsh harrier, 1 sparrowhawk, 43 black-tailed godwit, 13 whimbrel, 5 greenshank, 1 spotted redshank, 48 avocet, 120 dunlin, 7 ringed plover, 7 gadwall, 1 pr teal, 1 shoveler, 6 common tern, 330 shelduck, 3 little egret, 2 cuckoo, 2 swallow, 5 corn bunting (Cliffe Pools); 3 marsh harrier, 2 Med gull, 1M wigeon, 1 swift, 2 avocet, 1 Cetti's warbler (N. Hill); 1 black brant, 96 dark-bellied brent, 1 whimbrel, 18 turnstone (R. Medway east of Hoo Marina); 11 whimbrel, 5 grey plover, 25 dunlin (Higham Bight)

4th: 1F marsh harrier, 1 greenshank, 2 cuckoo, 2 great crested grebe (N. Hill)

3rd: 1 firecrest, 1 tawny owl, 2 turtle dove, 5 nightingale (N. Hill); 46 avocet, 49 black-tailed godwit, 3 greenshank, 10 whimbrel, 38 dunlin, 1 garganey, 2+ common tern, 1 barn owl, 1 grasshopper warbler, 2 stonechat. 3 harbour porpoise just off the Coastguard jetty (Cliffe Pools)

2nd: 1 garganey, 2 barn owl, 1 long-eared owl (Cliffe Pools); 17 whimbrel, 16 dunlin, 1F marsh harrier, 4 wheatear, 1 swift W, 7 swallow N (Shorne); 1F marsh harrier, 1 swift W (N. Hill)

1st: 1 greenshank, 1 water rail, 2 cuckoo, 2 swift, 20+ swallow, 5 house martin, 2 sand martin, 2 wheatear, 2 Cetti's warbler (Shorne)