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, 

A Cracking Kestrel - Shuart to Chambers Wall 23/04/21

I had a wander through from Shuart but unfortunately forgot to take my voice recorder and didn't keep a list of the birds I saw today. So I just took photographs of some of the highlights. As I neared the railway crossing a pair of Greylag Geese were in one of the fields.

Greylag Geese

On the way to Plumpudding 5 Sandwich Tern were off shore and ahead I could see a Kestrel hunting over Plumpudding. It dropped down, presumably onto prey as it remained down for a while. Coming back up it settled on the fence giving some nice views.

male Kestrel

After a couple of minutes it lifted off and moved over to hover very close to me allowing some cracking views.

male Kestrel

male Kestrel

male Kestrel

Those views were great but I couldn't believe it when it dropped down a level and then began to hover right in front of me and just below eye level. What an absolute beauty. I felt so incredibly lucky to experience the best views of a hovering Kestrel I have ever had and from an angle I do not usually see it from. It was breathtakingly beautiful.

 

male Kestrel

male Kestrel

male Kestrel

male Kestrel

male Kestrel

male Kestrel

male Kestrel

After hovering for a while it settled back onto one of the fence posts before moving off and trying its luck elsewhere. What a great encounter with a beautiful bird.

Kestrel

When I reached Coldharbour the pair of Shelduck were busily feeding. A couple of Black-headed Gulls were having a disagreement but otherwise it was quiet.

Shelducks

A pair of Tufted Duck were on the river as I made my way up to Chambers Wall bringing the visit to a close. The memories, though, of watching the Kestrel will stay with me for a long time. What a beautiful encounter.

male and female Tufted Ducks

male Tufted Duck

Red-throated Divers, Greylag Geese and a Hungry Little Egret - Shuart to Reculver 26/11/20

It was a very overcast morning when I arrived at Shuart but with next to no wind. A flock of mixed Tits were working their way through the trees, calling noisily and moving rapidly from tree to tree. A couple of Ring-necked Parakeet were vocal and provided a welcome flash of colour on a grey and dingy morning.

Ring-necked Parakeet

Wandering down the track I could see 3 Little Egrets busily feeding at the edge of the vegetation cleared from one of the dykes as I came up to a break in the hedgerow. At the back of the same field 7 Greylag Geese were resting up in groups of 4 and 3. They instantly became very alert as a passing dog walker's dogs started barking.

Little Egrets

Greylag Geese

As I carried on down the track both a Water Rail and a Cetti's Warbler were vocal and I could hear Blackbirds alarm calling from the back of the hedgerow but I couldn't see at what. However all became clear when first a Blackbird, and then a Sparrowhawk in hot pursuit, exploded out from the hedgerow and disappeared through the opposite side. A Great Spotted Woodpecker flew into the top of one of the trees and was promptly mobbed by a flock of 5 Meadow Pipits who flew up from the field edge to intercept it and were soon joined by another 4. The Great Spotted Woodpecker moved down and to the other side of the tree and peace reigned once again as the Meadow Pipits presumably decided that was far enough away. I was surprised at how quickly they responded to its presence, particularly as it is outside the breeding season.

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Good numbers of Blackbird were making the most of the berries together with 1 Fieldfare and 6 Redwing. A single Goldcrest peeped out and a pair of Mistle Thrush looked very smart in the flat light. As I came up to the railway line 17 Red-legged Partridge were along a field edge while a Common Buzzard was up at the back following the edge of a distant field. It was fairly quiet as I came past the stables with just the usual jobs present. The manure heaps were proving to be good growing grounds for small groups of mushrooms.

Amongst the flock of House Sparrows there was a smart male with a much darker grey/brown crown than the other males and from some views I almost wondered if it could be a hybrid of sorts. Its cheeks were very white with a strong dusky patch. I can only think that it must be in a different stage of moult than the other males round it who still had very pale grey crowns and much less black on their breasts and not so much contrast on their cheeks.

darker crowned male House Sparrow

darker crowned male House Sparrow

paler crowned male House Sparrow

On reaching the sea wall the tide was mostly in and 30 Redshank were strung along the shore.

Redshank

Turnstone were also roosting and disputes were breaking out regularly between the birds on the groyne as new birds tried to join  and were unceremonially pushed off by the sitting birds. A single Redshank amongst them was no more tolerant of arriving birds dropping in close to it than the Turnstones. The birds on the shore appeared to be much more settled. 

Turnstones

A few Oystercatchers were a little further along and one of them was having a very enthusiastic wash and brush up by ducking down as the waves came in and allowing them to wash right over it. Afterwards it was time for a quick rearranging of its feathers to ensure all was at it should be.

Oystercatcher

Oystercatcher

Oystercatcher

As I approached Plumpudding I could see good numbers of Oystercatcher and Sanderling on the wader roost together with 20 Curlew and 8 Grey Plover. 320 Brent Geese flew over and landed on the sea. Plumpudding itself was quiet and a Mute Swan flying in to join its mate landed on the water which is an impressive sight and always shows superb control for such a large bird.

Mute Swan

As I made my way along to Coldharbour the cloud formation shapes were interesting and even on such an overcast day the tones and hints of colour in the greys were beautiful.

Four Common Scoter were off shore and a single Bar-tailed Godwit flew west. A flock of 9 Red-throated Divers were my first divers of the day and came as a very nice surprise. 

Red-throated Divers

Coldharbour was quite with just a few Redshank and a Little Egret. The Little Egret gave some great reflections as it hunted, paddling the mud with its foot causing bubbles to rise to the surface.

Little Egret

Little Egret

Little Egret

Little Egret

Another Water Rail was calling just past Coldharbour and as I neared the oyster farm a Short-eared Owl came up briefly at the back before landing in cover again. A single Brent Goose was on the rocks and was the second lone bird that I had seen today as there was also a lone bird in one of the fields.

Brent Goose

A Kestrel hovering over the oyster farm was once again giving a masterclass in remaining stationary and the fully fanned tail was a lovely sight.

Kestrel

Two Red-throated Divers flew east and another was off-shore as I neared the towers. I enjoyed watching a couple of Stonechat and they made a nice end to the visit.

Stonechat

Stonechat

Birds seen this visit included: 2 Ring-necked Parakeet, 3 Kestrel, 4 Wren, 9 Robin, 3 Dunnock, 5 Chaffinch, Wood Pigeons, 7 Stock Doves, 10 Magpie, 2 Green Woodpecker, 2 Common Buzzard, 10 Long-tailed Tits, Blue Tit, Great Tits, 45 Blackbird, 7 Little Egret, 7 Greylag Geese, 2 Water Rail, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 9 Meadow Pipit, 1 Jay, 1 Fieldfare, 2 Pheasant, 17 Red-legged Partridge, 1 Goldcrest, 6 Redwing, 19 Mute Swan, 2 Mistle Thrush, 1 Coot, 1 Grey Heron, 1 Curlew, 5 Stonechat, 2 Brent Geese, 4 Greenfinch, 3 Pied Wagtail, 7 Goldfinch, 6 Chaffinch, House Sparrows, 40 Redshank, 45 Turnstone, 96 Oystercatcher, 70 Sanderling, 20 Curlew, 8 Grey Plover, 8 Ringed Plover, 4 Common Scoter, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 12 Red-throated Diver, 7 Great Black-backed Gull,