I was looking forward to finally being able to have some time bird watching but it was clearly likely to be a fairly wet as the forecast was not good. Still, rather hoping that perhaps it might not be as bad as forecast, and as the only time I had available, I headed to Reculver. The tide was in when I arrived and as I walked up to the towers it started to spit with rain with a light wind from the north east. There was a male and female Pied Wagtail on the grass and a single youngster. The youngster came quite close at times and it was nice to be able to spend some time watching it.
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| young Pied Wagtail |
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| young Pied Wagtail |
I had a look out to sea but it was very quiet. A Little Egret flew past and Black-headed and Herring Gulls were flying east in dribs and drabs. There was also a couple of small groups of Herring Gulls resting in a back field. I caught sight of a Little Owl tucked in on one of the telegraph poles. After a little while it flew down to the roof of one of the oyster farm buildings and after surveying the ground for a while it dropped down into the rough grass and came back up holding a Shrew. The owl sat with it for a few moments looking round and then flew off still holding it, presumably back to a nest. I love watching owls and though I felt sorry for the shrew it made a good start to the visit to be able to watch the Little Owl.
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| Little Owl |
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| Little Owl |
I decided to have a walk along the path at the back of the oyster farm. A pair of Oystercatcher were resting up and one of them peered at me from around a post. Another pair flew over calling while 3 were sitting in one of the fields. Sand Martins were hawking for insects. I seemed to be in luck as apart from a few drops the rain was holding off.
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| Oystercatcher |
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| Oystercatcher |
I suddenly heard some alarm calls and a Hobby shot through and tried for a Meadow Pipit that had flown up in alarm. The speed of the hunt as it twisted and turned was incredible but at the last second the Meadow Pipit managed to evade it and the Hobby carried onto towards Recuvler. I only managed a couple of shots and the second is heavily cropped as the Hobby was moving so fast that I only just managed to just get it in the bottom of the frame as it turned after the Meadow Pipit but it makes a good memory shot.
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| Hobby |
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| Hobby |
A couple of female Reed Buntings were tucked in amongst the reeds and Reed Warblers were calling away and a Sedge Warber scolded at something before bursting into song.
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| Reed Bunting |
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| Reed Bunting |
Every now and then I came across small Mushrooms that were growing in the path. I think that the small yellow one and the flattened one are both Yellow Cow-pat Toadstools. I am not sure at the moment what the small white one is and will update if I find out. Walking along the path was proving to be difficult as there were so many snails out on the ground that it was hard not to step on any particularly as I could not see some of them. I have heard of tip-toeing through the Tulips but not through the snails.
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| ? Yellow Cow-pat Toadstool Bolbitius vitellinus |
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| ? Yellow Cow-pat Toadstool Bolbitius vitellinus |
I could see a family of Mute Swans down one of the dykes as I passed it and the female Swan, that I had seen sitting on a nest the last time, had 3 youngsters tucked in round her as she preened.
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| Mute Swan family |
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| Mute Swan and Cygnets |
Despite the weather being as it was some bumblebees were actively feeding on the Mallow flowers while others were resting up. As the rain increased they moved to the underside of the leaves which gave them a natural umbrella.
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| Red-tailed Bumblebee |
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| ? White-tailed Bumblebee |
I could see a Lapwing in one of the fields and another 3 flew over. I disturbed a moth, I hadn't seen, from the vegetation and luckily it only flew a short way before coming down again. It was a Yellow Shell. I wasn't so lucky with a Painted Lady Butterfly which must have been tucked down in the vegetation as that flew away strongly before settling down in an area I could not see.
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| Yellow Shell Moth |
I came down off the embankment and started to make my way towards the sea wall. An attractive micro moth was sheltering on a leaf together with a Lacewing. I am not sure which of two it might be so will update when I can work it out.
Three Yellow Wagtails were along the path and moving from there to the embankment edge, then over to the field and back. Though the rain had started to be a bit more persistent by now I tried for some photos, using a bag over the camera which seemed to work quite well. They are beautiful birds.
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| Yellow Wagtail |
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| Yellow Wagtail |
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| Yellow Wagtail |
A couple of Stonechat greeted me as I came up onto the sea wall. It was still very quiet out to sea and as the rain seemed to have eased off a bit I decided to risk it and walk on up to Coldharbour. The buds on the Stonecrop have started to open. A Little Egret flew past and I could see that it was moulting some of its flight feathers.
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| Stonecrop - ? Biting Stonecrop |
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| Little Egret |
On the way to Coldharbour 3 Curlew flew over while on Coldharbour itself there were 2 Little Egrets, 1 Redshank, 1 Black-headed Gull and the Shelduck pair. I could only see 9 youngsters today but the 10th may have been tucked away out of sight.
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| Curlew |
With the rain now falling steadily I sat and watched the sea for a while in the hopes that it would ease off for the walk back. As the rain increased there seemed to be a small movement of Gannet east and I saw 19 altogether in groups of 2, 7, 8 and 2. Apart from a couple of Common Tern and 2 Shelduck east way out to sea the sea remained quiet.
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| Gannets |
While I was sitting there a Ringed Plover came close and a couple of Turnstone. I am always amazed at the size stone they can move and how far they can flip them. They are certainly well named.
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| Ringed Plover |
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| Turnstone |
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| Turnstone |
A couple of Great Black-backed Gulls flew past and when one of the Turnstones from the beach flew it showed that it was moulting several of its flight feathers.
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| Turnstone |
Having given up on the rain easing off and with it now very heavy I squelched my way back to Reculver. A Fulmar flew east, nice and close in, but it was just too wet to try for a photo. 14 Mallard were on the Oyster farm with another couple of Little Egrets.
I was pleased that I had managed to have some time out and hopefully, at some point, a day off from work will coincide with fine weather. I have another chance coming up soon so will keep my fingers crossed for better weather. Despite the rain it had been an interesting and enjoyable visit.
Birds seen this visit include: House Sparrows, 30 Starlings, 7 Blackbird, 3 Pied Wagtail, Cormorant, 11 Oystercatcher, Goldfinches, 49 Sand Martin, 2 Chaffinch, Herring Gulls, Wood Pigerons, 1 Little Owl, 1 Great Tit, 5 Whitethroat, 29 Linnets, Carrion Crows, 5 Little Egret, 17 Reed Warbler, 10 Reed Bunting, 1 Hobby, 8 Meadow Pipits, 4 Sedge Warbler, 5 Mute swan with an additional cygnets, 2 Mallard, 4 Wren, 8 Yellow Wagtail, 4 Lapwing, 1 Pheasant, 2 Grey Heron, 4 Stonechat, 13 Turnstone, 8 Ringed Plover, 2 Redshank, 3 Curlew, 2 Common Tern, 6 Shelduck and 9 youngster, 19 Gannet east, 2 Great Black-backed Gulls, 2 Dunnock, 1 Fulmar west,
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