Divers and a Battle With a Fish - Reculver to Chambers Wall 25/10/20

When I arrived at Reculver this morning out to sea was calm and it appeared quiet. I could see 12 Brent Geese sitting just off shore towards the point where a small area of exposed shore was dotted white with Herring Gulls. I couldn't see the Black Redstart, from yesterday, but the usual Robin was on the rocks checking out its domain from various vantage point and clearly defending territory so may already have had a run in with it. As I made my way past the towers 3 Pied Wagtails were on the concrete apron looking for insects. 

A Common Buzzard was up at the back and a few Mute Swan dotted around the back fields as I started out along the sea wall. Out to sea a diver surfaced a good way out. It reared up and did a wing flap and started to settle back down. I was expecting it to be a Red-throated but it did not look right for one and I wondered if it could be a Great Northern or Black-throated Diver. It held its thickish and quite large bill straight and its head shape appeared quite angular with a reasonably steep forehead. It proceeded to sit mainly facing away which therefore gave quite limited views. When it turned its head it appeared to have a white cheek that did not extend above the eye. Its neck from the back did not appear very thickset, possibly paler than its back but that could just have been a trick of the light at that distance. It did have strikingly white rear flank patches which could be seen from both the side and the back and suggested that it could be a Black-throated Diver. 

? Black-throated Diver

? Black-throated Diver

Frustratingly at that point I lost my balance and by the time I got back on the diver it had taken off and was flying away from me. Luckily for me it turned and started to come back east, coming past me, still a good way out, before turning again and this time continuing strongly west. Still struggling for balance I only managed some really poor photos which are heavily cropped and I have to admit, that having zero experience of either Black-throated or Great Northern in flight, I still wasn't sure which it was and hoped the photos might help.

? Black-throated Diver

? Back-throated Diver

? Black-throated Diver

Having looked at all the information I could find I still do not think that it is a Red-throated and have come down on the side of Black-throated rather than Great Northern but could easily be wrong. That for me is one of the joys of birdwatching. Each time I come out I learn or notice something new, it doesn't matter whether its a bird I seen loads of times before or one like this where I have so much still to learn. All are great to watch. With more sea watching experience I will be able to look back at this bird and, will hopefully, instantly know which diver it is, and will correct the ID then if, as is highly possible, I have it wrong.

A little further along I noticed another diver off shore, this time a Red-throated Diver. It dived frequently, slipping smoothly below the surface without any of the jump of the nearby cormorant. It appeared slimmer necked, with no sign of a markedly white flank patch, a finer bill held pointing upwards and was nice to see and compare so soon after looking at the previous bird.

Red-throated Diver

Red-throated Diver

An immature Grey Heron called noisily as it flew up from the oyster farm before settling back down and a Wren scolded at me from the bushes by the sea wall. Overhead streams of Cormorants were moving out to sea in straggling formations.

Cormorants

Cormorants

I sat on the sea wall for a while and could see 1 Gannet flying west with another couple heading east a short while later. A couple of Red-throated Divers were flying east in the distance. A Herring Gull who had managed to catch a large flat fish settled on one of the marker poles and proceeded to try and eat it. However hard it tried, it could not manage to swallow it as it was just too wide at its widest point for its bill. The bird tried every which way to swallow it whole without any success, dropping it frequently to reposition and then try again.

At one point it almost looked as if if had managed to swallow much of it but that last part proved to be just too difficult and with the gull literally choking it had to spit it out and start again and ending up back where it started. And this became the repeated cycle for the next few minutes.

Having tried for several minutes and with the gull looking visibly tired by now it must have decided to move to plan B and headed out to sea with the fish still firmly held. I thought it would come down and try swallowing it on the sea but it appeared to keep going and I wonder if it ever succeeded.

Carrying on I could hear a Water Rail calling again from the dyke near the junction of the green wall and 14 Sanderling flew east out to sea. A Stonechat and a Reed Bunting were in dispute and another Reed Bunting joined in forcing the Stonechat to move along aways. It was nice to have a chance to catch up with Marc Heath and he let me know that a couple of Wheatear were on the rocks a little further along. I carried on towards Coldharbour with the rain clouds gathering apace behind me. Unfortunately a dog walker was on the shore where the Wheatear had been and I did not get a chance to catch up with them. A Cetti's Warbler was vocal and out to sea a Great Crested Grebe was offshore. 4 Sandwich Tern were fishing and I paused to watch them for a while. Out to sea the numbers of Oystercatchers flying east started to increase as groups of various sizes headed past.

Sandwich Tern

With clear signs of heavy rain showers on the way it was time to make a move. The walk up to the pick up point at Chambers Wall did not turn up anything unexpected and I got soaked on the last stretch during a heavy shower. It had only been going to be able to be a short visit today as I needed to get to work later but it had been good to be out and I have enjoyed trying to sort the diver out.

Birds seen this visit included: 9 Robin, 12 Brent Goose, Black-headed Gulls, Herring Gulls, 4 Pied Wagtail, 10 Mute Swan, 4 Little Egret, 6 Magpie, 3 Dunnock, 118 Oystercatcher, 1 Common Buzzard, 1 Black-throated Diver, 3 Red-throated Diver, 1 Grey Heron, 3 Wren, 2 Ringed Plover, 420 Cormorant, 14 Meadow Pipit, 2 Redshank, 6 Reed Bunting, 8 Stonechat, 10 Gannet 4 west 6 east, 3 Pheasant, 14 Sanderling, 1 Song Thrush, 1 Water Rail, 3 Corn Bunting, 2 Great Crested Grebe, 4 Turnstone, 3 Cetti's Warbler, 4 Sandwich Tern, Skylarks, 3 Kestrel, 2 Coot, 2 Blue Tit, 2 Chaffinch, 8 Blackbird, 1 Goldcrest, 1 Fieldfare,  

A Hungry Curlew, Snipe, and Orange Peel Fungus - Chambers Wall to Reculver 20/11/19

I headed to Chambers Wall on a beautifully fine autumn late morning with a south easterly wind. As I walked down the road a couple of Goldcrest were in the hedgerow and a flock of 15 Meadow Pipit were busy field hopping. A few Skylark called above before dropping down onto a field and promptly disappearing from view, hidden by the furrows. I had a peep down the river, on reaching the car park, and a Cormorant was fishing with a couple of Mute Swan nearby. After eyeing me somewhat warily they went back to what they were doing. Apart from a couple of Robin and several Blackbirds the bushes were very quiet.

Cormorant and Mute Swans

As I started to make my way down the track I came across some tiny bright orange fungi. I think, from looking them up, that they must be some kind of Orange Peel fungus but I am not sure exactly which kind. A Brambling flew over calling and a little further on I could see more activity ahead and a few Chaffinch were on path together with a Fieldfare and a couple of Redwing. A Mistle Thrush kept a wary eye out while presumably its mate had a quick wash and brush up in a puddle.

? Orange Peel Fungus sp

? Orange Peel Fungus sp

As I carried on towards the railway crossing a small flock of 5 Long-tailed Tits worked their way through the bushes in the company of some Blue Tit. A Cetti's Warbler made its presence known and a Green Woodpecker did an abrupt U-turn as it came into land and spotted me at the last minute. A small flock of 6 Corn Bunting landed with a flurry of contact calls passing between them.

Corn Bunting

The walk down to Coldharbour saw a flock of 48 Corn Bunting over and heading in the direction of the oyster farm. 16 Lapwing were wheeling round before settling back down onto one of the fields and a flock of 10 Mute Swan flew east.

Mute Swans

On reaching Coldharbour I had a look out to sea while I sat on the sea wall for a while. The tide was out and 4 Shelduck were off shore and also 5 Mallard. A Pied Wagtail called as it flew over and the usual mix of waders were on the exposed mussel beds. I headed round Coldharbour and had a couple of confiding Stonechat near to the sea wall. 3 Mute Swan were roosting near the water, 2 adults and an immature and a Bearded Tit called briefly from the reed bed behind me.

male Stonechat

female Stonechat

After another break on the sea wall I made my way back round to head towards Reculver and the family of Mute Swans had woken up and gave some lovely views as they swam past near to the sea wall. The immature was a lovely mix of juvenile and adult feathers.

immature Mute Swan

Mute Swan family

During the visit I saw a total of 102 Brent Geese and stopped to watch a small group as they investigated the shore line.

dark-bellied Brent Geese

On the walk back to Reculver I enjoyed watching a Curlew that was feeding on the nearest part of the exposed shore and therefore gave some very good views as it did so. It was very successful as it probed for prey items and I saw it catch a good number in the time I was watching it. Once it caught something it would wash it first before swallowing it. It caught a variety of food items including worm like creatures and tiny crabs and several small creatures I did not recognise.

Curlew

Curlew

Curlew

Curlew

Curlew

Curlew

As I reached the junction with the green bank a flock of Cormorant came over and I liked the patterns formed by their wings and tails so tried for a shot. It is pretty badly focused but makes a good memory shot.

Cormorants

I decided to head along the green bank so that I could take the path running behind the oyster farm and on to Reculver that way. A Snipe flew up from the oyster farm and gained height before diving back down and landing again.

Snipe

As I carried on round a Common Buzzard was hanging in the wind before commencing to hover. For such a large bird its skill at utilising the wind to enable it to have such precise control with the minimum of effort is always an amazing sight and a joy to watch. However, with time getting on and needing to get back for an appointment I continued towards Reculver. Scanning the edges of one of the lagoons revealed a couple of Snipe tucked into the bank and when a Redshank wandered past they kept an eye on it as it passed by.

Snipe

Snipe and Redshank

As I neared Reculver I had a couple of Mute Swan pulling up pond weed and vegetation before dipping their heads back down under water. I loved their broken reflections against the blue of the water. And so I finished as I started with a pair of Mute Swan having had an enjoyable wander in between.

Mute Swans

Birds seen this visit included: 13 Magpie, 21 Blackbird, 5 Robin, 11 Skylark, Carrion Crows, 2 Goldcrest, 4 Wren , 30 Meadow Pipit, Cormorants, 22 Mute Swan, 4 Moorhen, 1 Green Woodpecker, 3 Song Thrush, 10 Reed Bunting, 5 Long-tailed Tit, 4 Blue Tit, 1 Brambling, 3 Coot, 13 Chaffinch, 2 Mistle Thrush, 4 Fieldfare, 4 Goldfinch, 54 Corn Bunting, 3 Redwing, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 16 Lapwing, 4 Stonechat, 2 Kestrel, Herring Gulls, Black-headed Gulls, 6 Mallard, 5 Shelduck, 102 Brent Geese, 22 Oystercatcher, 26 Redshank, 9 Turnstone, 49 Ringed Plover, 1 Pied Wagtail, 1 Little Egret, 1 Bearded Tit, 5 Great Black-backed Gull, 1 Curlew, 1 Common Buzzard, 3 Snipe,

A Common Scoter With A Sad End - Reculver to Coldharbour 13/11/19

With a day off allowing a chance for a wander I made my way to Reculver and aimed to see how far I could get. There was a westerly breeze and sunshine with some clouds and the tide was on the way in. A couple of Robin were having a face-off on the rocks by the car park and a Wren was busy squeezing into the smallest gaps between the rocks in search of food. The sea appeared to be quiet and apart from the usual gulls I could only see a single Gannet moving east. As I reached the sea wall a Mute Swan flew past as it moved out to sea before heading west and it was close enough to feel the down draft from its wings as it came over. A little further on a Stonechat flicked up onto the sea wall before dropping back down and moving nearer a male that appeared to be keeping look out.

Mute Swan

Stonechat

Redshank calls rang from the oyster farm as a Kestrel flew over before pausing to hover several times and then dropping down onto prey. The walk up to the junction of the green bank was fairly quiet. A single Great Crested Grebe flew west, as did a Gannet but otherwise out to sea remained quiet. Groups of Cormorants, with flock sizes of between 3 to 82 were coming in off the sea and heading south and during the visit I saw a total of 576 doing so. As I headed on up towards Coldharbour a male Chaffinch popped up onto the sea wall before dropping back to the shore and continuing feeding amongst the seed heads.

Cormorants

male Chaffinch

On approaching Coldharbour I could see 2 Shelduck, 8 Mallard, 2 Curlew and 16 Oystercatcher roosting on the shore. I had a sit on the sea wall and looked out to sea for a while but it remained quiet with just a couple of Gannet east so I started to make my way around Coldharbour. A Little Egret came in to land and a couple of Little Grebe were diving for food before one tucked its self into the bank, its eye glinting in the sunlight.

Little Egret

Little Grebe

As I carried on I could see a group of 18 Redshank roosting but it was only when I had gone a little way further along the sea wall that I could see that a Common Scoter was tucked in with them. Now that did come as a surprise. Originally it had its head tucked down but as a large group of cyclists went past it peeped up to see what all the noise was about.

Redshank roosting

female/immature Common Scoter

After a while it came down off the bank and treated me to the closest views I have ever had of a Common Scoter as it worked its way towards me. It was a beautiful little duck and swam for a while and had a quick drink before starting to feed. As well as dipping its head underwater it also, at one point, spun round and round in a tight circle and I wondered if the current created by this stirred up the sediment with food in it for it. It appeared well and I felt very lucky to be able to watch it. After an euthusiastic wash and brush up it started feeding again. It had made my day being able to enjoy such close views of a bird I normally only see a good way out to sea. There was no warning of the sad turn of events that things were about to take place only minutes away.

female/immature Common Scoter

female/immature Common Scoter

female/immature Common Scoter

female/immature Common Scoter

female/immature Common Scoter

I was side tracked at this point when a Kingfisher flew in and landed on the back fence and I enjoyed watching as it dived to fish a couple of times. It wasn't successful and moved off to try its luck further along.

Kingfisher

Kingfisher

Kingfisher

I heard a splash and looked back to see that the Common Scoter had moved over to near the back fence not far along from the where the Kingfisher had been. It had its back to me and appeared to be shading the water with outstretched but bowed wings and I wondered if it was doing it so it could see into the water better. Tragically that turned out not to be the case. It suddenly flapped its wings and pivoted in the water and as it did so I could see that its head was underwater. I thought at first that it had hold of a prey item and it was trying to eat it but as it went on it became clear that it was frantically trying to free its head. Whatever it was caught in or on it could not get free and even as I made a move to see if it would be possible to get round to the other side in time to see if there was any way of helping it, it drowned, never managing to lift its head free. I couldn't believe it. What an incredibly sad end for such a beautiful little bird that only a short time before had been such a delight to watch. I felt so sorry for it and that I had not been able to help it. In reality there is no way I could have got to it in time but that did not help how I felt.

I took a break and had a sit on the sea wall and watched out to sea for a little while, still stunned by what had happened to the Common Scoter. Behind me a couple of Bearded Tits called from the reed bed. I decided to head back to Reculver and had a couple of juvenile Gannets flying east. A little further along a Blue Tit tucking into an apple paused long enough to peep at me before carrying on.

Blue Tit

Blue Tit

A flock of 22 Corn Bunting were scattered between a couple of bushes before moving on down towards the oyster farm. While above a Carrion Crow gave a Common Buzzard a pretty rough time before breaking off once the Buzzard had taken the hint and moved through.

Corn Buntings

Carrion Crow mobbing a Common Buzzard

It was a fairly quiet walk back. There were a few more Gannet out to sea and groups of Brent Geese were heading east. As I reached the junction of the green bank and beginning of the oyster farm I could hear multiple Corn Bunting calling and could see at least 65. As the 22 that I seen earlier had flown in this direction I have not counted them separately as they may have been part of this flock. A Redshank roosting on the shore looked stunning against the blue of the sea.

Redshank

As I neared the Towers an obliging Meadow Pipit gave some very good views as it searched for insects amongst the shingle.

Meadow Pipit

Meadow Pipit

Meadow Pipit

Meadow Pipit

I finished the visit with a couple of Pied Wagtail searching for insects on the concrete apron and a Blackbird on the hunt for worms by the Towers. I was pleased that I had been able to come but the visit had definitely been overshadowed by the death of the Common Scoter.

Pied Wagtail

Blackbird

Birds seen this visit included: 5 Wren, 9 Robin, 1 Dunnock, 11 Gannet, 6 west, 6 east, Black-headed Gulls, Herring Gulls, 576 Cormorant, Carrion Crows, Wood Pigeons, 1 Magpie, 3 Mute Swan, 25 Redshank, 10 Great Black-backed Gulls, 47 Brent Geese east, 26 Meadow Pipit, 9 Stonechat, 3 Kestrel, 17 Reed Bunting, 6 Blackbird, 19 Goldfinch, 2 Blue Tit, 1 Great Crested Grebe west, 12 Linnet, 5 Turnstone, House Sparrows, 1 Chaffinch, 25 Ringed Plover, 24 Sanderling, 8 Skylark, 2 Shelduck, 8 Mallard, 2 Curlew, 16 Oystercatcher, 3 Little Grebe, 4 Coot, 1 Little Egret, 1 Common Scoter, 65 Corn Bunting, 1 Common Buzzard, 2 Pheasant, 1 Song Thrush, 5 Pied Wagtail,