I started out from Chambers Wall, on a beautifully sunny afternoon with a very light northerly wind, to the accompaniment of towering Skylark song. A Kestrel coming over was met by a another pair of Kestrel who flew up to meet it and mobbed it until it moved on. A passing Yellow Wagtail was a vivid splash of yellow against the blue sky. A distant male Marsh Harrier was on the hunt but the heat haze made it difficult to get any photos but the spread of wings and tail as it turned was beautiful to see.
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| male Marsh Harrier |
A large bank of cloud was building and looked that it might be heading my way but as I approached the start of the hedgerow on the approach road everything looked amazingly crisp and sharp and in bright light. Above I could see a couple of Red Kites high up and spiralling round as they gradually moved west. They made a great start to the visit.
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| Red Kites |
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| Red Kites |
The Marsh Frogs were very vocal as I made my way towards the railway line and a couple of Cetti's Warblers were giving it everything they had in song. Blackcap, Sedge, Reed and Whitethroat were all in good voice. At various points Peacock butterflies were perched on the path. Several of them appeared to be very worn.
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| Peacock Butterfly |
Each time a rival male entered its territory the perched butterfly would immediately fly up to chase it and the two would rise rapidly, spiralling around each other in an intense duel. Higher and higher until they broke off and one of them would return and reclaim the original territory with the other moving further along.
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| duelling Peacock Butterflies |
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| duelling Peacock Butterflies |
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| duelling Peacock Butterflies |
A Blackbird was singing beautifully as I neared the railway line and the air was literally bursting with Sedge, Whitethroat and Blackcap song. Up above a single Common Buzzard spiralled lazily. A Swallow was over the river as I started along the embankment. It was surprisingly quiet along the embankment. I could hear a Cuckoo calling and Whitethroats were in good voice. A few bees were making the most of the sunshine with a queen Red-tailed Bumblebee and Common Carder Bee amongst them.
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| queen Red-tailed Bumblebee |
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| Common Carder Bee |
I enjoyed listening to a couple of Lesser Whitethroat as I approached the stables and another was singing there. The cloud had caught up and the sudden drop in temperature was noticeable. An Alderfly on the Alexanders had become very sluggish but the bank of cloud soon moved on and with the returning warmth of the sun the Alderfly was once again on the move.
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| Alderfly |
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| Alderfly |
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| Alderfly |
The male Tufted Duck was down its usual dyke, its bright yellow eye gleaming as it rested tucked partially into the reeds.
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| male Tufted Duck |
A couple of Pied Wagtail and Meadow Pipits were in the paddocks as I came past the stables and a Lesser Whitethroat was singing away. A male Blackbird was tucked into one of the bushes and singing a quiet subsong, only opening its bill a little as it sang.
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| male Blackbird |
The sky had cleared once again as I reached the sea wall and the sea was a beautiful shade of blue. The air was warming up again and with the light wind it made for a very pleasant walk as I turned back towards Plumpudding.
A pair of distant Mediterranean Gulls were heading east and a Shelduck flew out to sea with the light shining through its wings.
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| Mediterranean Gulls |
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| Shelduck |
Plumpudding was quiet with a solitary Redshank and a couple of Mallard. Meadow Pipits flitted from the lower track to the lagoons and back. On the other side of the sea wall I could see the male and female Marsh Harriers up near the railway embankment and a Whitethroat and Sedge Warbler were filling the air with song. There was still a real split in the weather between where I was and the bank of cloud to the south with what appeared to be heavy showers in the distance and very faint rumbles of thunder sometimes reaching me.
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| Redshank |
A Cuckoo flew past as I made my way along to Coldharbour and a Cetti's Warbler made its presence known. Wandering a little further along I saw a couple of Oystercatchers on the shore and a Carrion Crow gave a fly past.
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| Cuckoo |
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| Carrion Crow |
While having a seat on the sea wall an adult Mediterranean Gull flew over the top of me as it moved out to sea before turning and heading west. It looked strikingly pale against the blue sky and is a gull I always enjoy seeing, no matter how often I do. What a beauty.
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| adult Mediterranean Gull |
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| adult Mediterranean Gull |
Coldharbour had its usual occupants of a pair of Shelduck, a couple of Mallard and a few Black-headed Gulls. A Cetti's Warbler was singing away from behind me. I had a sit on the sea wall for a while and enjoyed watching the antics of the Turnstone on one of the groynes. There was a continual change around as they dropped down to the little bit of shore that was becoming exposed by the falling tide, together with some Sanderling.
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| Turnstones |
A flock of 135 Sanderling were disturbed from the shore further along and came past before turning to come back in. They flashed light then dark as they twisted and turned with wing bars gleamingly white as they came back in.
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| Sanderling |
I continued on towards Reculver and a few more Sanderling and Turnstone were along the shoreline. A Whitethroat was busily searching for insects and a couple of Little Egret were over the oyster farm.
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| Whitethroat |
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| Whitethroat |
Over on the shore side one of a couple of Grey Plover peeped out at me as I passed and a little further along a single Wheatear was on the rocks.
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| Grey Plovers |
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| Wheatear |
Four Shelduck flew east out to sea and there was a flash of white from the rocks as an Oystercatcher had a wing stretch.
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| Oystercatcher |
I sat on the sea wall for a while to watch 2 Short-eared Owls that were hunting in separate areas of the oyster farm. Mostly they were distant but one did come close enough for a memory shot, its yellow eye shining as the light caught it. The other spent a while sat on one of the fence posts.
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| Short-eared Owl |
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| Short-eared Owl |
A Grey Heron flew onto the rocks on the shore but on seeing a pair of incoming loudly screeching Herring Gulls decided discretion was the better part of valour and beat a hasty retreat.
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| Grey Heron |
As I neared Reculver the odd Stonechat were fly catching while out to sea there were six Mute Swan just gently drifting along.
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| Mute Swan |
I paused to watch a Cuckoo that I could see was tucked into the side of one of the bushes on the oyster farm and while watching that one a second Cuckoo suddenly popped its head up at the back of the bush.
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| Cuckoo |
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| Cuckoos |
The front appeared to react to the other Cuckoo's presence and as it moved to the back of the bush the second bird flew while the original bird stayed put.
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| Cuckoos |
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| Cuckoos |
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| Cuckoos |
The other Cuckoo flew to the far side of the oyster farm and showed an impressive spread of tail as it came into land. It was far too distant for a photo but does at least give a memory shot even if it is a really poor photo.
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| Cuckoo |
It was time to head for home and as I came past the towers a small flock of Linnet and some Wood Pigeons were making the most of the short grassy area. A calling Little Owl finished off the visit nicely.
Birds seen this visit included: Skylarks, 6 Blackbird, 1 Marsh Harrier, 4 Kestrel, 4 Goldfinches, 1 Robin, 3 Yellow Wagtail, 2 Red Kite, 18 Sedge Warbler, 5 Reed Warbler, 6 Reed Bunting, 5 Mallard, 2 Moorhen, 9 Chaffinch, 4 Blackcap, 1 Chiffchaff, 21 Whitethroat, Carrion Crows, 4 Magpie, Wood Pigeons, 4 Cetti's Warbler, Cormorants, 1 Common Buzzard, 5 Swallow, 4 Cuckoo, 21 Linnet, 2 Coot, 2 Lesser Whitethroat, 4 Collared Dove, 8 Mute Swan, 1 Tufted Duck, 3 Pied Wagtail, House Sparrows, 2 Corn Bunting, 15 Meadow Pipit, 3 Mediterranean Gull, Herring Gulls, Black-headed Gulls, 2 Shelduck, 1 Redshank, 4 Oystercatcher, 4 Shelduck, 166 Sanderling, 40 Turnstone, 3 Pheasant, 2 Little Egret, 2 Grey Plover, 1 Wheatear, 3 Stonechat, 3 Grey Heron, 2 Wren, 1 Dunnock, 2 Short-eared Owl, 1 Little Owl
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