Red-necked Grebe – Oare – photo Mark Chidwick
Easterly winds persisted throughout the week, with temperatures staying low, below freezing on some nights. It didn’t lead to a big movement of winter birds, say from the continent into Kent, but two new Red-necked Grebes were nice and stuck around longer than those seen in January. One was at Oare for three days on the Swale as well as into the mouth of Faversham Creek, while the other was with Great-crested Grebes offshore at Hythe.
A female (red-head) Smew was discovered at Dengemarsh, the first for Dungeness since January 2022. Interestingly, one of the old guard at Dungeness looked back in his records and noted 29 Smew on Burrowes in January 1984..
KOS Free Winter Online - ZOOM - Talk February 19th by KOS Member - Barry Wright
'The Jewel Along the Thames - Swanscombe Marshes'
Black-necked Grebe – Dungeness – photo Richard Hanman
The days are getting a little brighter, the sun is out a little more. Mistle Thrushes are singing, and Great Crested Grebes are getting fuller crests. But it is still cold and we are far from Spring, which meant little change in the bird highlights over the week. On eBird, for instance, there was no new bird added to the Kent year-list in the past seven days.
Two good birds, but of probably ‘untickable’ origin, were a White-tailed Eagle over Bough Beach on the 3rd and the long-staying Lesser White-fronted Goose at the Swale NNR. Two Glossy Ibis on the 5th for 10 minutes on the West Flood at Oare Marshes were also good as there hasn’t been a regular Glossy this winter in Kent so far.
Grey Wagtail - photo by Jack Farrar
I think it’s a fair bet that Jane Austen hasn’t featured in the annals of the KOS. She has a significant connection with Kent in that her brother owned Godmersham Park and Jane was a regular visitor. She would walk through the park to worship in the church and, who knows, she may have noticed a fat finch sitting in the same Yew trees where many birders have enjoyed views of Hawfinches in recent years. We will never know as nature is not a feature of her writings.
However, her nephew, Charles Knight, took an active interest in the birds and other wildlife in Godmersham and thankfully kept a journal. His 1832 records are not, as far as I know, part of the ornithological record in Kent so in occasional series of posts I look at some of his records and set them in a modern context.
Kittiwake – Dungeness – photo Martin Casemore
The best sighting of the week was a group of eight Twite that flew West over Coldharbour Lagoon on 25 January, a rare bird in Kent these days. Hopefully they can be re-found somewhere, a few used to winter on the Stoke Saltings on the Hoo Peninsula..
With very strong winds on several days in the past week, sea-watching seemed a decent option. The best sightings were three Sooty Shearwaters past the Dungeness sea-watching hide on 28 January.
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker - by Heather Mathieson
I once missed a bus on account of a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker – suddenly appearing and working its way up a tree as my bus disappeared. ‘Sorry I’m late, I had to watch a Lesser Spot’.
Most of my encounters have been unplanned – an individual amongst a large bird-party passing through a winter woodland and once visiting the garden bird feeder. That was a long time ago – the fate of this diminutive woodpecker has been steadily downward since the 1980s with a decline of over 80% between 1997 and 2022.
Now red-listed with a population of around 600 pairs in 2015 according to the BTO, the status in Kent is unclear and it is time to put that right, so we’re running a survey in 2025.
White-fronted Geese – Swale NR – photo Richard Hanman
Even as the weather stayed cold and grey, there were still a few good birds to be found in Kent. Two Tundra Bean Geese on Sheppey from 21 January were the best of the bunch and the first for the year in Kent (although two had been seen earlier very close to the Kent border at Scotney). A Balearic Shearwater past North Foreland was also a first for the year and very unseasonal, with also a Black-throated Diver flying past that day (16 January).
Long-tailed Duck, Dungeness - photo Peter Maton
In a week that remained very cold, the birds around Kent stayed relatively stable. The Eurasian Scops Owl at Broadstairs continued to be very elusive with the only sighting on 9 January. Last week's Iceland Gull stayed on till the next morning, showing just south of Deal Pier also on 9 January.
The winter ducks proved more cooperative with the Smew on show all week at Seaton GPs (although it could at times hide near the banks of the lake). The Long-tailed Duck remained on New Diggins at Dungeness while the male Scaup was seen again on Collard's lake on most days. A nice group of 22 Goosanders graced Bough Beech.
KOS Free Winter Online Talk
This Wednesday - January 15th 7.30pm by KOS Member - Simon Ginnaw
"Elmley Conservation and the Curlew Recovery Project”
Just 40 miles from London, at Elmley on the Isle of Sheppey, sits the highest density of ground nesting waders in the UK away from the Scottish islands.
KOS member Simon Ginnaw, Warden and Lead Guide, will explain about the Reserve, its conservation story and objectives, and how the pro-active ground -breaking Curlew Project is proceeding.
________________________________________________________
KOS is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: KOS Winter Talk - Elmley Conservation and the Curlew Recovery Project
Time: Jan 15, 2025 07:30 PM London
Join Zoom Meeting
Click link below to join meeting:-
https://zoom.us/j/99455968972?pwd=nuAqmQQ0QauCbDH53tsLbTDHfDwahB.1
Meeting ID: 994 5596 8972
Passcode: 155047
Talks last approximately 40 minutes with time then for questions and discussion from participants. We look forward to seeing you 'online' on the January 15th.
Smew, Seaton GPs – photo Richard Collins
The two star birds from last week lingered into this reporting period, but were tough to connect with. The American Yellow Warbler at New Hythe was last seen the morning of 3 January. Despite extensive searching, it wasn’t seen on subsequent days. While the weather got a little bit colder, it still was a surprise that it would have moved on at this time of year. Perhaps it has perished, or, more hopefully, maybe it will be refound in the area in coming days or weeks. The Eurasian Scops Owl is still around, but only shows briefly and irregularly, frustrating observers, some of whom have already tried three or four times to see it. The bird was only seen on 5 and 6 January this week on its favoured fence at Broadstairs cricket ground.
The best new bird for the week was a female Smew at Seaton GPs. This is a rare bird these days in Kent, with some winters where there are no records at all. This female may be the same individual that was seen earlier in the winter at Worth Marshes. Another good sighting was a juvenile Iceland Gull at Deal Beach on 9 January.
The Kent Ornithological Society was founded in 1952
Our aims are to record and monitor the county’s bird life providing both an accurate historical record of Kent’s birds but equally importantly providing data that can be used to help protect valuable habitats from development and other threats.
In doing this, we seek increase knowledge and understanding of birds and their habitats in the county and encourage and support people seeking to take up birdwatching as a hobby.
Membership of the society is open to all and costs £15 a year. Members receive a free copy of the annual Kent Bird Report and regular electronic newsletters. See details
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