I headed down to Reculver after work. It was a sunny afternoon with some cloud and a cool east north easterly wind. The tide was in but was on the turn. A few Herring Gulls and Black-headed Gulls were out to sea while House Sparrows and Starlings were amongst the rocks by the car park and a female Pied Wagtail on the concrete apron below the towers. A Coromorant was fishing off shore and as it dived it fanned its tail wide as it disappeared under water.
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| Cormorant |
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| Cormorant Diving |
The sea wall was closed off as the Army Bomb Disposal team were there. While I was having a wander along the path at the back of the oyster farm they undertook a controlled explosion on the beach which resulted in 6 Little Egrets and 4 Grey Heron flying up from the oyster farm together with 5 Oystercatcher. What I think is a Common Field Grasshopper was playing hide and seek behind a grass stem. As I moved it swivelled round the stem to face me so I never got a view from the back. They are incredible looking insects when seen close up.
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| Common Field Grasshopper Chorthippus brunneus |
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| Common Field Grasshopper Chorthippus brunneus |
Skylarks were singing away and several Reed Warblers were in good voice. A couple of faded Painted Lady butterflies were along the path together with good numbers of Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper butterflies. The Meadow Brown had a tiny secondary white pupil.
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| Meadow Brown |
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| Gatekeeper |
Good numbers of Skipper butterflies were present all along the path, both Small and Essex and it was good to catch up with my first Essex Skippers of the year. While watching one a Common Red Soldier Beetle appeared from the other side of a leaf on which one was resting. I saw 3 Emperor Dragonflies, 1 on the oyster farm and the other two hawking for insects over one of the dykes but otherwise it was very quiet for dragonflies. There were small numbers of Blue-tailed Damselflies here and there.
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| Essex Skipper |
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| Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva |
Black-headed Gulls were resting up on some posts and having a preen. The Grey Herons that had flown up from the oyster farm had settled in one of the fields and 3 of them were perfectly evenly spaced out.
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| Black-headed Gulls |
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| Grey Herons |
One of the Grey Herons from the field flew and headed for the oyster farm. As it approached 3 Little Egret flew up and seemed to take exception to it and shadowed it closely until it dropped down and landed, calling loudly as it did so.
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| Little Egrets and Grey Heron |
I came down off the embankment and headed towards the sea wall. It was very quiet for birds. A Yellow Wagtail called from the field and a Sedge Warbler scolded as I passed. A female Marsh Harrier appeared over the top of the embankment and did an abrupt about turn as it saw me. I could hear Pheasant calling and there was a flurry of wings and 2 male Pheasant flew up from the field before heading in different directions. I couldn't manage much of a photo but was pleased to get it.
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| male Pheasants |
When I reached the sea wall I sat and watched the sea for a while but overall it was very quiet with just a few Black-headed Gulls and Herring Gulls east and a couple of Great Black-backed Gulls out to sea. A Ringed Plover gave a good view of its underwings as it came into land.
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| Ringed Plover |
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| Ringed Plover |
I started to make my way back to Reculver and had 2 Little Egret fly past heading east while a couple of Linnet gave some very nice views.
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| Little Egret |
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| male Linnet |
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| Linnet |
I had a scan over the oyster farm but as I turned back I could see 2 Mediterranean Gulls heading east. I only managed to get photos of them from the back as they had already passed me but I was pleased to be able to get anything at all.
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| Mediterranean Gulls |
I dropped down onto the bottom path briefly and had a peep for insects but it was very quiet indeed and I only managed to see a couple of Small Skipper butterflies. I heard the distinctive call of Greenshank and had a couple high over the top of me and flying towards the oyster farm where they came down out of sight. I missed them as they came over as I lost my balance while trying for a photo of them but managed a couple of distant shots as they started to drop down towards the oyster farm. I love the sound of their call.
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| Greenshank |
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| Greenshank |
I came back up onto the sea wall and a little further along had 3 Stonechat, 2 youngsters and a male. Small numbers of Common Tern were heading east and one of the passing tern's bill glowed bright red as the light shown through it.
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| Common Tern |
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| Common Tern |
I also saw several Sandwich Tern flying east with a distant couple pausing to fish on the way.
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| Sandwich Tern |
I had a couple of Great Black-backed Gulls and a few more tern east as I carried on to Reculver but otherwise the rest of the walk back remained very quiet. Time for bird watching has been few and far between recently so I felt lucky to have been able to have had some time out and hopefully it will not be too long before I can again. I finished the visit with a juvenile Black-headed Gull on the oyster farm buildings. After a little while it had a quick fly round to stretch its wings before settling back down again. I found it hard to keep in the frame as it flew but enjoyed trying.
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| juvenile Black-headed Gull |
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| juvenile Black-headed Gull |
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| juvenile Black-headed Gull |
Birds seen this visit include: House Sparrows, Starlings, Wood Pigeons, Herring Gulls, Black-headed Gulls, 1 Pied Wagtail, Skylarks, 3 Meadow Pipit, 9 Reed Warbler, 3 Sedge Warbler, 5 Reed Bunting, Carrion Crows, 8 Little Egret, 4 Grey Heron, 7 Oystercatcher, 2 Yellow Wagtail, 3 Mute Swan, 15 Sand Martin, 2 Swallow, 2 Magpie, 4 Pheasant, 5 Linnet, 4 Great Black-backed Gull, 7 Sandwich Tern, 6 Common Tern, 2 Ringed Plover, 2 Mediterranean Gull, 2 Greenshank, 3 Stonechat, 2 Whitethroat, 1 Redshank,
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