I headed to Reculver after work and had a wander along to Coldharbour and back. As I came down onto the sea wall I could see a flock of wader approaching and had 6 Bar-tailed Godwits flying west. They gave some good views as they came past.
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| Bar-tailed Godwits |
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| Bar-tailed Godwits |
A ringed Robin was on the rocks but only some of the letters can be made out in the photo.
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| Ringed Robin |
Small numbers of Swallow were moving west as I made my way along the sea wall and I enjoyed watching a Wheatear on the shingle. 10 Little Egret were in their usual tree in the company of a Grey Heron. 6 Redshank were on the bank of one of the dykes on the oyster farm.
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| Wheatear |
While I was watching the Wheatear a Common Seal briefly surfaced, out to sea, before disappearing underwater again and continued moving westwards, popping its head up now and then as it went.
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| Common Seal |
A flock of 38 Sanderling flew east out to sea and turned back towards the shore further along. I could hear a Whimbrel calling and one flew west fairly close inshore.
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| Whimbrel |
I had a seat on the sea wall near Coldharbour and watched out to sea for a while. Turnstone and Ringed Plover were on the move now and then and a Dunlin was tucked in with a small Sanderling flock. A single Bar-tailed Godwit flew west. I had done well for seeing them today.
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| Bar-tailed Godwit |
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| Bar-tailed Godwit |
What happened next was one of those magical moments that you sometimes get with bird watching. I glanced up from watching a group of Turnstone flying past to see a Short-eared Owl coming in off the sea.
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| Short-eared Owl |
As it came in past me it gave some of the best views I have ever had of Short-eared Owl. A truely magical moment.
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| Short-eared Owl |
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| Short-eared Owl |
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| Short-eared Owl |
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| Short-eared Owl and Swallow |
Once over the sea wall it dropped down and landed in the field behind me. It was briefly disturbed by a couple of Carrion Crows and had a short fly round before settling down once more in the field where it stayed the whole time I was sitting on the sea wall.
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| Short-eared Owl |
On the walk back to Reculver a Sandwich Tern flew west followed by another 2 a little later on. A flock of 84 Swallows flew west, the largest I saw today.
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| Sandwich Tern |
I could see a Common Buzzard hanging in the wind at the back of the oyster farm and clearly so could the local Carrion Crows as four joined in with mugging it. They hassled the Common Buzzard until it was well clear of the oyster farm and then they turned back and came back into land.
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| Common Buzzard and Carrion Crows |
I saw a vessel out to sea that I have not seen before and having looked it up on the internet the Vattenfall Tempest is a service vessel.
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| Service Vessel - Vattenfall Tempest |
I finished the visit with a Pied Wagtail, on the rocks near the towers, keeping an eye on a couple of other Pied Wagtails that passed overhead.
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| Pied Wagtail |
Birds seen this visit included: 7 Bar-tailed Godwit, 1 Robin, 10 Little Egret, 298 Swallow west, 1 Wheatear, 6 Redshank, Black-headed Gulls, 1 Kestrel, 1 Grey Heron, 1 Great Black-backed Gull, 39 Turnstone, 2 Magpie, 41 Ringed Plover, 1 Reed Bunting, 3 Stonechat, 1 Whimbrel west, 1 Short-eared Owl, 1 Dunlin, 4 Linnet, 58 Sanderling, 3 Sandwich Tern, 3 Pied Wagtail
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