July 2010 Sightings

Please email your sightings to Andy Lawson

If you live, or for that matter visit, any site in North or West Kent then I would be delighted to hear from you! Sightings would be appreciated from Sheppey in the North to Dartford & Tunbridge Wells to the West and then back to Maidstone in the East.

Friday 30th July Sheppey

A sub-ad male Montagu's Harrier flew in off the sea over my head at Warden Point this morning. It didn't linger and headed off west across the island. A few migrant warblers around too with at least 5 Lesser Whitethroat & 3 Willow Warbler.
A downy Little Owl suggested the resident birds have successfully bred this year, but it would seem no summering Turtle Doves sadly, just a few passage birds earlier in the spring.
Nearby, 3 Curlew Sands (inc 2 ads) graced the high tide wader roost at Shell Ness. 
(Simon Tilley)

Thursday 29th July Wouldham

There were 27 Common Sandpiper at the high-water roost south of the village this afternoon, so it will be interesting to see if last year's record count of 29 (on 4th August) will be broken within the next week or so.  Apart from this, wader passage has been slow so far this month, with just 2 Green Sandpiper on the 25th followed by a single Curlew on the 26th.  

(Ian Shepherd)

Saturday 24th July Cliffe RSPB

Late afternoon visit to Cliffe Pools revealed one Turtle Dove in scrub south of Radar Pool and two Greenshank with c.75 Avocets on Flamingo Pool.  

(Alan Lean)

Friday 23rd July Shellness, Sheppey

The main birds moving were Terns with c200 Sandwich, c35 Commons and 10 Littles but there was another good show of mid-summer Gannets, 130 to-day, again mostly adults. The best birds were 2  Arctic Skuas, both dark adults, which circled up to a considerable height and drifted up the Swale. About half an hour later I had a distant view of the same 2 birds heading fast back out to sea. Also c80 Scoters and 2 Med. Gulls.
Waders are always particularly attractive at this time of year with many birds still in summer plumage and the numbers of waders, apart from Dunlins, of which there were 90 have mostly increased. There were c1200 Black-tails, c100 Bar-tails, 19 Whimbrels [of which 13 came in from the NE], 24 Turnstones, 19 Ringed Plovers, 2 Grey Plovers,13 Sanderlings, 6 [very] Red Knots, a Greenshank and an awful lot of Curlews.
A buzzard came across from the Seasalter direction, the only vis-mig c50 Swallows and a Sand Martin.
(Dick Elvy)

Thursday 15th July Wouldham

Once the rain eased off and the wind died down a bit, a pleasant walk around the patch late afternoon produced 4 out of the 5 locally breeding raptor species, a lone Raven heading south, and 10 Common Sandpiper at the regular high-water roost south of the village.  This evening the resident adult Common Seal was again hauled out on the river mud, but there was no sign of the youngster which had accompanied it earlier in the week, or the Grey Seal which was seen briefly a week ago.

(Ian Shepherd)

Tuesday 13th Shellness

In view of the weather forecasts on Monday evening I decided a visit to Shellness might be worthwhile for waders/terns. The drizzle that lasted much of the morning made viewing difficult but at least the clouds kept much of the shimmer at bay. In the event I saw only 2 waders, both Grey Plovers, actually arrive but, compared with 10 days ago, there were quite a few more birds on the fields and flats.
I saw 108 Dunlins, 4 Sanderlings, 1 Little Stint, 20 Bar-tails, 2 Greenshanks, 7+ Whimbrels  and 6 Golden Plovers.[ compared with 8 Dunlins and 1 Bar-tail ].
Terns were moving in modest numbers c120 Sandwich Terns, c60 Common Terns, 3 Little Terns and 1 Black Tern ; but I think the nicest birds of the day were 2 adult Little Gulls which settled on the water and drifted up the Swale.
Sea birds were a bit limited of course, 1 Fulmar 4 Med. Gulls, 6 Scoters and a surprising 126 Gannets. Unusually for Shellness there was some diving going on including a couple right in the mouth of the Swale.
Vis. mig. consisted of c110 Sand Martins, c80 Swallows, c30 Swifts and a Red Admiral mostly heading S.[apart the butterfly]
(Dick Elvy)

Sunday 11th July Crayford (Kent side)

Quite a few gulls at the Viridor recycling centre this morning including two adult Med Gulls and two+ Yellow-legged Gulls.  The latter is rare here despite the site only being a mile from the Thames. 

I get the feeling I am being followed...by Crossbills!  Can't go anywhere at the moment without seeing them.  On this ocassion 30 Crossbills weaved between the mounds of recycling and up over the buldings and dropped down over the other side.  Most looked like females/juvs.

I spoke to James Hunter and he also had 15 Crossbills over Sevenoaks KWT and a Small Red-eyed Damselfly there.

(Andy Lawson)

Saturday 10th July Dartford

2+ Crossbills high over W at 8.10am.  Also 1 adult Med Gull on the playing field in Dartford Park.

(Andrew Lawson)

Thursday 8th July Eastchurch

We had two green woodpecker on the telegraph pole early this morning by our home in Eastchurch  along with a purring turtle Dove and a few long Tailed Tits calling. When it warmed up we had our first Hummimg bird Hawkmoth of the year along with Red Admiral, Tortoiseshell, Comma, Meadow Brown and a single Peacock and Painted Lady on the Budldleia. Had a bike ride down to Brights Wood community woodland down by the prisons, as I entered a wren was calling and a couple of Whitethroat could be heard otherwise pretty quite as regards birds. Plenty of Meadow Browns and Skippers though and as I left a Blackcap was singing near the entrance, had my first Gatekeeper of the year as well..I forgot to add. Many many Dragonflies as well, Commom Darters and a single Emporer? I think. This evening we went to Leysdown by the golf course for a chip supper, the field was packed with Black Headed Gulls in which we picked out four Meds.The whole thing was spoiled though by all these little Black Flea type beetles that are around and crawl all over you..talk about feeling Cooty!!

(John Janman)

Wednesday 7th July Dartford

Crossbills were clearly on the move so I decided to give it five minutes before work in the front garden to see if any more would fly over.  I only had to wait 30 seconds before I could hear the harsh 'jip jips' of an oncoming flock and soon enough 32 birds appeared at roof top height and quickly disappeared down Swaisland Avenue.

In the evening, another 10 birds flew over W at 6.02pm.

(Andrew Lawson)

Monday 5th July Cliffe RSPB Reserve

A few more waders at Cliffe this morning included 16 Dunlins, 5 Ringed Plovers, 8/9 Greenshanks, 4 Ruffs, 4/5 Green Sandpipers, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Whimbrel, 250-300 Avocets and c85 Black-tailed Godwits  [ including 3 colour ringed birds ]. Also 15 Teals. There were c20 Common Terns feeding busily off Higham Bight and a Med. Gull flew upstream. Still a fair amount of water in the Black Barn pools but the one in front of the viewing mound won't last much longer if this drying wind continues.
(Dick Elvy)

Sunday 4th July Sheppey

Myself and my better half had a bike ride yesterday from Eastchurch to Leysdown via Warden bay. Warden Road was very quite for birds apart from a few swallows low across the fields and the odd chaffinch still in song. When we reached the car park by Warden bay front it was nice to see a group of around a dozen House martins collecting mud from a puddle left by the overnight rain. I watched one of them go to a house by the front and it had only just started building!! For some reason the numbers of Martins on the island have crashed which is a crying shame. We then went along the beach to leysdown where there is a large showing of Yellow horned poppy interspersed with sea holly and a lovely grass which I do not know the name of. There were quite a few Meadow browns around along with the odd Red admiral and Small Heath. We then went on to The Mile gate by Muswell where there were many more meadow browns Small heaths and a few common blues a couple of  Harriers could be seen over towards the Fleet. A few med gulls were seen and I forgot to mention the previous evening whilst having a chip supper by the seafront a Barn Owl was cruising up and down between the golf course and Muswell. The one thing I really miss hearing and seeing on the island is the Yellowhammer...where have they all gone?

(John Janman)

Saturday 3 June Haysden

Kingfishers were seen at Hawden and Haysden, two Stock Dove and ten Lapwing were seen at Hawden, the family of six Egyptian Geese (four juvs) were still at Barden, where there was also a Common Sandpiper. At the Shallows a Cuckoo was a surprise, also six warbler sp seen here and three Reed Bunting. Two adult Common Tern and three Tufted Duck were at Haysden. Two Linnet there and another two at Ensfield Farm and a Sparrowhawk. A couple of Buzzard noted later in the afternoon.  61 species seen at Haysden today.  

(Andy Appleton)

Thursday 1st July Dartford and Greenhithe

15 Crossbills flying West over the house were a pleasant surprise this morning.  A quick look at the Thames from Sara Crescent, Greenhithe, this evening produced nine Yellow-legged Gulls including a 4th winter with a ridiculously long, thick bill.  Six 1st summers, 1 adult and 1 2nd winter were also loafing on jetties etc. House Martins are doing well here and additional nests are present this year compared to last year.  Probably up to 20 pairs here now.  Also one Ringed Plover and a pair of Oystercatcher present.

(Andrew Lawson)