Mating Ringed Plovers and a Thrush with an Anvil - Reculver to Shuart 05/06/21

I started out from Reculver this morning to the unusual sight of a cyclist on a modern day Penny Farthing bicycle. I hadn't realised that they were still made.

It proved to be a quiet walk up to Coldharbour with just the usual birds seen and only a couple of Great Crested Grebe on an otherwise very quiet sea. A couple of Great Black-backed Gulls flew east and a Lesser Black-backed Gull flew west. A Meadow Pipit at Coldharbour had a bill full of food and a youngster was busily calling for it from a bush at the side of the sea wall as I passed by. Young Meadow Pipit are beautifully marked birds.

Meadow Pipit

young Meadow Pipit

young Meadow Pipit

Two Oystercatchers and a Little Egret were on Coldharbour as I carried on and headed towards Plumpudding. A Coot with 3 youngsters was on the River Wansum. A single Common Tern flew east and a little while later 5 Great Crested Grebe flew west.

Great Crested Grebes

Four Mallard were resting up on Plumpudding and four Pied Wagtail were at the back, as were two Oystercatchers and a couple of Redshank. A pair of Ringed Plover were active on one of the islands. 

Ringed Plover

Ringed Plover

After a while the male started displaying and with the female responding to him positively he was able to mate.

It continued to be quiet as I headed on towards the stables turn off. A Blackbirds plumage showed well in the flat light.

Blackbird

At the stables a Song Thrush was using a stone in one of the paddocks as its anvil. It took multiple strikes, with the Song Thrush swinging from the position of its head right back, to get enough force before it was able to successfully start to separate the snail from its shell.

Near the railway crossing there was a small moth that I think is a Plum Tortrix Hedya pruniana.

Plum Tortrix Hedya pruniana

With it still very cloudy, and no sign of the sun yet breaking through, several Azure and Variable Damselflies were resting up amongst the grasses.

Azure Damselfly

Variable Damselfly

I came across a Speckled Bush-cricket and also a Drinker Moth Caterpillar that was still sparkling with dew. While watching those a Goldfinch flew into the bush above me giving an unusually close view.

Speckled Bush-cricket

Drinker Moth Caterpillar

Goldfinch

As I started towards Shuart a small moth fluttered up from the grasses before settling again and I think that it is a Diamond-back Moth Plutella xylostella.

Diamond-back Moth Plutella xylostella

I could hear a Mediterranean Gull calling, with the call gradually getting closer, and shortly 2 adult Mediterranean Gulls flew overhead.

adult Mediterranean Gulls

An Ichneumon Wasp was very active amongst the grasses and its white rear feet were particularly noticeable as it flew.

A pretty Alabonia geoffrella Moth was resting up and I saw another couple as I made my way along. They are amazing looking moths from the side.

Alabonia geofrella Moth

Alabonia geofrella Moth

I came across a couple of Nomad Bees and the first one I think one is a Flavous Nomad Bee Nomada Flava. 

?Flavous Nomad Bee Nomada flava

?Flavous Nomad Bee Nomada flava

?Flavous Nomad Bee Nomada flava

The other, I think, is a Marsham's Nomad Bee Nomada marshamella. I am not, though, finding them an easy group to separate but hopefully as I get more experience with them that will improve. In the meantime no doubt I will look back on some of these and realise that I got it wrong. Still, it is fun to try and learn to be able to separate them.

?Marsham's Nomad Bee Nomada marshamella

?Marsham's Nomad Bee Nomada marshamella

I could hear a Common Buzzard calling and a Marsh Harrier was quartering a far field edge. Variable and Azure Damselflies were plentiful and one of the Variable had almost non-existant antehumeal stripes and no post-ocular bar.

Variable Damselfly

I finished the visit with both Rambur's Pied Shieldbug Tritomegas sexmaculatus and a Red-headed Cardinal Beetle Pyrochroa serraticornis catching my eye.

Rambur's Pied Shieldbug Tritomegas sexmaculatus

Red-headed Cardinal Beetle Pyrochroa serraticornis

Birds seen this visit included: 8 Blackbird, Starlings, House Sparrows, 9 Linnet, Herring Gull, Black-headed Gulls, 2 Great Black-backed Gull, 1 Sandwich Tern west, 2 Kestrel, 7 Swallow, 3 Sand Martin, 8 Mallard, 5 Whitethroat, 7 Meadow Pipits, 3 Carrion Crows, 3 Stonechat, 6 Reed Bunting, 2 Reed Warbler, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 7 Great Crested Grebe, 6 Wren, 4 Oystercatcher, 1 Little Egret, 3 Turnstone, 5 Swift, 2 Mute Swan, 4 Coot including 3 youngsters, 1 Common Tern, 2 Ringed Plover, 2 Redshank, 4 Pied Wagtail, Sedge Warblers, Reed Warblers, 2 Mediterranean Gull, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Common Buzzard, 2 Dunnock, 3 Robin, 4 Chaffinch, 

Cuckoos, Greylag Geese and a Thirsty Chaffinch - Shuart to Reculver 12/05/21

Two Blackcap were in full song when I arrived at Shuart this morning with wall to wall sunshine but with an increasingly breezy wind. More Blackcap, Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff song filled the air as I had a wander along the track. A Red Admiral butterfly was making the most of some shelter from the wind and early morning sunshine.

Red Admiral Butterfly

Two Goldfinches flew over and Blue and Great Tits were busy gathering bill fulls of food for youngsters back at the nest. A Wren was its usual power house of song and a Whitethroat kept a wary eye on me as I made my way along.

Whitethroat

The Marsh frogs were calling loudly from the dyke and a Common Buzzard drifted over above. More Blackcap were singing and I saw a couple of females in the hedgerow. The odd Herring Gull was flying over high above with the light shining through their flight feathers.

Herring Gull

A couple of Cetti's were singing at various points as I made my way along and I paused to enjoy the song of a Lesser Whitethroat. A Yellow Wagtail flew over and once again was a vivid splash of yellow against the blue sky. There was a repeated begging call from a Sedge Warbler tucked down in the reeds and a couple of Reed Warbler were singing away. I could hear a Cuckoo calling in the distance and at the same time had a second Cuckoo fly past. I only managed a couple of memory shots but was pleased to be able to get them.

Cuckoo

Cuckoo

Small numbers of Swift were flying west every now and then and as I came up onto the embankment 2 Greylag Geese flew past.

Greylag Geese

A male Marsh Harrier was hunting over towards the sea wall and 2 passing Swifts mated briefly in the air before continuing on west. A Painted Lady butterfly settled for a few moments before continuing on along the embankment.

Painted Lady Butterfly

A couple of Swallow flew west and another 15 were hawking for insects over the horse paddocks at the stables. 2 Pied Wagtails flew west and another couple were in the paddocks. A smart male Chaffinch dropped down for a drink from one of the puddles as I came up to the sea wall.

male Chaffinch

male Chaffinch

It was a quiet and decidedly breezy walk to Plumpudding with a steadily strengthening cool south south westerly wind. A single Redshank was on the shore and at various bushes along the way Whitethroat were working their way through various bushes looking for insects. A Cetti's Warbler was singing explosively as I came up to Plumpudding and a Meadow Pipit and a couple of Reed Bunting were flitting back and fore between the island vegetation and other side of the sea wall. A single Oystercatcher was throwing a ruffled reflection as it kept an eye on passers by on the sea wall.

Oystercatcher

Three Pied Wagtail, a couple of Meadow Pipit and 2 Yellow Wagtail were making the most of the insects on the sea wall and though repeatedly disturbed by people coming past they returned to the same patch of wall each time.

Yellow Wagtail

A pair of Tufted Duck were down their usual dyke and the male Marsh Harrier was up at the back. A Painted Lady Butterfly was making the most of the little bit of shelter from the wind afforded by a patch of flowers near the sea wall and busy drinking nectar.

Painted Lady Butterfly

Painted Lady Butterfly

It kept clouding over as I carried on to Coldharbour but with the strong wind they moved through quite quickly still giving some good sunny intervals in between. A Wheatear popped up at the back of a  shingle ridge as I neared Coldharbour and Sedge and Whitethroat song followed me along.

Wheatear

Coldharbour had its usual inhabitants of a couple of Shelduck and 2 Mallard. I had a sit on the sea wall for a while and a single Gannet flew east. A Lesser Black-backed Gull also flew east and a couple of Great Crested Grebe were off shore and busy fishing. One of them raised a spiky crest after each dive.

Great Crested Grebe

Great Crested Grebe

I carried on towards Reculver with the weather alternating between sunshine and the threat of showers but apart from a couple of drops the rain came to nothing. Out to sea a distant Fulmar flew east and 3 Common Tern were off shore. A Common Seal popped its head up briefly while overhead a couple of Common Tern flew inland.

Common Tern

Common Tern

I saw the usual mix of waders on the way to Reculver and a Wren and a Blackcap together with a Whitethroat were singing as I came up to the towers. I paused to enjoy their song and could also hear a Cuckoo calling from the oyster farm while overhead a Kestrel was carrying prey, bringing the visit to a close.

Birds seen this visit included: 9 Blackcap, Jackdaws, 2 Red-legged Partridge, 7 Blackbird, Wood Pigeons, 1 Robin, 4 Wren, 3 Willow Warbler, 3 Chiffchaff, Blue Tits, Great Tits, 1 Jay, 13 Chaffinch, 3 Pheasant, 11 Goldfinches, 25 Whitethroat, 1 Common Buzzard, Herring Gulls, 1 Moorhen, 22 Sedge Warbler, 3 Cetti's, 2 Lesser Whitethroat, 3 Yellow Wagtail, 9 Mallard, 1 Corn Bunting, 3 Cuckoo, 11 Reed Warbler, 20 Swift west, 1 Magpie, 5 Reed Bunting, 2 Greylag Geese, 1 Marsh Harrier, 19 Swallow,  11 Pied Wagtail, House Sparrows, 12 Linnet, 1 Redshank, 13 Meadow Pipit, 3 Kestrel, 3 Oystercatcher, 2 Tufted Duck, 2 Shelduck, 1 Wheatear, 2 Great Crested Grebe, 10 Turnstone, 15 Sanderling, 1 Gannet east, 3 Ringed Plover, 5 Common Tern, 1 Fulmar east,