I took a slow wander today from Shuart to Reculver. It is the last chance I have for any bird watching for probably at least a week so I wanted to make the most of it. There was a cool north easterly wind and it was mainly overcast. I saw two male Blackcap from the car park, both singing away in competition with each other. Lots of the usual jobs were batting around or singing with gusto.
The walk up to the railway line was pretty quiet for birds but very busy for dog walkers. It seems to have become a very popular spot for them. Near the stables a small flock of 12 Linnet gave some nice views. They are lovely little birds and beautifully marked with the males breeding plumage being particularly handsome.
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| Linnet |
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| Linnet |
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| Linnet |
When I reached the sea wall the tide was on the turn and had started to go out. A small flock of 9 Common Scoter were flying east before settling down onto the sea. Apart from a few Herring Gulls the sea itself was very quiet. One of the Ringed Plover on the shore had a ring on its right leg but I could not read what was on it.
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| Ringed Plover |
There was a single Brent Goose in one of the fields on the way to Plumpudding but otherwise it seemed pretty quiet. Plumpudding Island carried on the trend with only 14 roosting Redshank and a Mute Swan. The immature male Eider was asleep offshore. Walking was proving to be a little problematic today but it had the advantage of enabling me to see some insects, when I was sitting on the sea wall, that I might have missed otherwise.There was what I think is a Notostira elongata climbing up the sea wall.
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| Notostira elongata |
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| Notostira elongata |
I also saw a beetle, working its way along the base of the sea wall. I am not sure what it is but I think it is one of the burying beetles, possibly Silpha laevigata.
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| ? Silpha laevigata |
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| ? Silpha laevigata |
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| ? Silpha laevigata |
A pair of Shelduck were on Coldharbour as usual, together with 8 Black-headed Gulls, 6 Redshank and 3 Little Egret.
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| Shelduck |
A breeding plumage Cormorant gave a nice fly past on the walk to Reculver.
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| Cormorant |
The train with the 1920's carriages, that I have seen before, was going through again, this time drawn by 67020 EWS with I think the Belmond Pullman, or similar, at the back. The trips must be pretty popular as I see it fairly regularly. It makes a pretty impressive length train with the two engines and 12 carriages.
3 Little Egret were on the oyster farm and a Carrion Crow appeared to be carrying a piece of plastic or something similar. It hopefully is taking it back to a nest rather than being unable to let it go.
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| Little Egrets |
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| Carrion Crow |
The Black Redstart was on the rocks near the towers briefly before being disturbed by dog walkers. I had a walk, for a short way, along the path at the back of the oyster farm. A Little Egret and a couple of Redshank were on the first patch of water but otherwise it was fairly quiet. 3 Mallard flew up, 2 males and a female, and gave some good views as they flew past. One of the males has moulted several of his primary feathers leaving large gaps.
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| Mallards |
I watched a spider spinning its web. It was amazing watching the way it built it up and I was surprised at the speed it could spin. I only saw it from underneath so I am not sure what type of spider it was, but from the web presumably it was an orb web spider. It had a couple of distinctive white commas on the underneath of its abdomen and noticeably large pedipalps, so hopefully I will be able to find out what it was at some point.
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| Spider |
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| Spider |
On the walk back to the car park I saw a smart, what I think is a Colletes succinctus. It is a little different to the one I saw the other day but I think it still is one.
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| Colletes succinctus |
As some Starlings took off from the telegraph wires the sun behind them shone through their flight feathers beautifully.
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| Starling |
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| Starlings |
I also came across what I think, is a Mining Bee.
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| ? Mining Bee |
A worn Peacock butterfly with quite a chunk out of its lower wing was sunning itself on the roman wall. It was the third Peacock butterfly I had seen today.
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| Peacock Butterfly |
I also had a striking, what I think is a Nomad Bee possibly Nomada leucophthalma.
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| ? Nomada leucophthalma |
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| ? Nomada leucophthalma |
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| ? Nomada leucophthalma |
I finished off with a Pisaura mirabilis. It wasn't sitting with its front legs out in front of it, which I normally see them doing so I may have the identification wrong.
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| Pisaura mirabilis |
Birds seen this visit include: 8 Chiffchaff, 4 Robin, 6 Wren, 5 Dunnock, 2 Magpie, Carrion Crow, 18 Chaffinch, 2 Mistle Thrush, 6 Blackbird, 2 Blackcap, 2 Greenfinch, 1 Jay, 2 Common Buzzard, 2 Green Woodpecker, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, Blue Tits, Great Tits, 1 Sparrowhawk, 5 Meadow Pipit, 4 Goldfinch, Skylarks, 1 Song Thrush, 3 Pheasant, 8 Mute Swan, 1 Sedge Warbler, 6 Reed Bunting, 12 Linnet, 9 House Sparrow, 1 Collared Dove, 9 Common Scoter, Herring Gull, Black-headed Gull, 2 Common Gull, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 8 Great Black-backed Gull, 1 Pied Wagtail, 40 Oystercatcher, 8 Mallard, 5 Curlew, 36 Sanderling, 18 Redshank, 1 Brent Goose, 8 Ringed Plover, 12 Turnstone, 1 immature male Eider, 5 Stonechat, 12 Corn Bunting, 2 Marsh Harrier, 6 Little Egret, 1 Black Redstart,
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