I came down to Reculver this afternoon after work. It is the first Thursday that I have worked and it looks like it is going to be a regular event. It was a very dull grey day with a fresh south easterly wind but at least it was dry. The sea was quiet with very little moving. I did see a distant Red-throated Diver west and also 7 Sanderling west but that was about it. The tide was in and it was hard to tell if it was on the turn or not. There was no sign of the Black Redstart today.
As I started along the sea wall I could see 26 Mute Swan in one of the distant fields at the back. I could hear a Redshank alarm calling and another was walking along one of the dyke edges. A couple of Stonechat gave nice, if distant, views. A little further on a Wren popped up briefly, close to me on the sea wall. It allowed a very quick grab shot, which is not quite in focus and very noisy, but I am pleased I was able to get it.
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| Wren on the sea wall |
I carried on along the sea wall. The odd Blackbird and Robin either called or appeared but it really was very quiet. I did not manage to catch up with either the Short-eared Owl or the ring-tailed Hen Harrier but I did see a Marsh Harrier which was nice and gave some reasonable views. It was hard to photograph against the sky.
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| Marsh Harrier |
Out on the sea there were 8 Great Black-backed Gulls. The path alongside the oyster farm was pretty muddy and churned up where the heavy machinery is going up to the works near Coldharbour. It may mean that something good may turn up on the mud and will certainly be worth keeping an eye on. There were a couple of Redshank nearby but they saw me before I saw them which was a shame as they would have made a good photo. Another Redshank walking alongside one of the dykes was a little more obliging. Apart from the red of its bill and legs it blended in very well to the colour of the mud. Regular flights of Cormorants were flying over, presumably heading to Stodmarsh.
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| Redshank |
I had a single Great-crested Grebe far out to sea and on the way back I saw a Teal going west.
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| Teal |
3 Oystercatchers also went east. A Reed Bunting popped up but was just too quick for a photo. I didn’t see many Linnets today, I am not sure if the numbers have dropped or I am just not catching up with them. The odd Meadow Pipit was around as well. I saw more Stonechats on the way back and reckon I saw about 7 throughout the afternoon. As I neared the towers a male Blackbird popped up onto the fence and watched me somewhat warily.
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| Blackbird |
The Common Gull was in its usual spot and paddling the ground for worms very successfully. I saw it catch a good number of them while I was watching it.
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| Common Gull |
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| Common Gull |
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| Common Gull |
There was a fairy ring of mushrooms in the grass. It was quite a large ring and quite impressive. I tried for a photo of the ring itself and of some of the mushrooms that made it up.
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| Fairy Ring |
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| Mushrooms making up the Fairy ring |
I may not have seen a lot today but it was good to be out, even if I was very cold by the time I got back to the car park.
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