New Year's Day Bird Count - Shuart to Reculver 01/01/20

There is something special about a New Year's Day bird count when every bird seen is brand spanking new for the year and every bird, however common, brings a feeling of gratitude, joy and appreciation. So with a sense of anticipation I headed to Shuart, arriving just as light was beginning to show in the sky and paused along the approach road a few times to listen, managing to pick up Blackbird (1), Song Thrush (2), Chaffinch (3) and a calling Little Owl (4), Dunnock (5) and Robin (6). I stopped at the watch point in the hopes of spotting a Barn Owl. Sunrise was stunning as the few clouds gradually became aflame with colour and the clear sky boded well for a fine start to the day. Herring Gulls (7) were coming over in small flocks and a Red-legged Partridge (8) called several times. A Pheasant (9) felt brave enough to be a fair way out in the field. Rooks (10) were silhouetted against the sky as they lifted off from the far trees and a flock of 15 Lapwing (11) also showed well against the lightening sky. The call of a Green Woodpecker (12) carried well in the early morning air. Carrion Crows (13) and a passing Jackdaw (14) called as they went over, as did a passing Pied Wagtail (15). Wood Pigeons (16) were flushed in panic from the trees by the arrival of a Sparrowhawk (17) while in the distance a Common Buzzard (18) lifted lazily into the air. I had a last scan round for a Barn Owl without success and had to content myself with 2 Mute Swan (19).

Sunrise

On arriving in the car park I was greeted by a Great Spotted Woodpecker calling (20) and a Chiffchaff (21) paused briefly, giving a nice view, before moving off. A Wren (22) scolded me as it was disturbed from its perch by my arrival. Several Blue Tits (23) and Great Tits (24) were busily working through the bushes and a Mallard (25) called from beyond the trees. The Great Spotted Woodpecker started drumming as I made my way up to the bridleway and a Magpie (26) called harshly as I reached the top. I caught sight of a little bird in the hedgerow and was chuffed when I saw that it was a beautiful Firecrest (27). Light levels were still poor but I tried for a photo anyway and it makes a nice memory shot if nothing else.

Firecrest

As I made my way back down and then along to the main track it was getting very overcast and a little misty and there was next to no wind. A Goldcrest (28) was a welcome sight and further along 4 Moorhen (29) were down one of the dykes and a Jay (30) called as it moved through the trees. I was happily taking a photo of an obliging Great Tit when alarm calls rang out and I looked up to see a Kestrel (31) perched above.

Great Tit

Kestrel

I suddenly heard a Water Rail (32) call and then a second replied and they appeared to be calling in competition with each other. The walk towards the railway crossing proved to be very quiet on the whole. A Golden Plover (33) called as it flew over as I came up onto the embankment. As I neared the stables 3 Meadow Pipit (34) called and landed in one of the paddocks and I could hear Brent Geese (35) calling from the other side of the sea wall. I was pleased to catch up with 2 Redwing (36) and at least 15 Corn Bunting (37) were calling away from the bushes. 2 Goldfinch (38) flew up and House Sparrows (39) and Starlings (40) were calling noisily away. As I came up to the sea wall a Stonechat (41) checked me out warily before going back to catching insects.

Stonechat

The tide was well out upon reaching the sea wall. 4 Oystercatchers (42) were strung out along the shore line together with large numbers of Herring Gulls and smaller numbers of Black-headed Gulls (43). 5 Redshank (44) and 2 Turnstone (45) were busily feeding away and 3 Grey Heron (46) were standing in shallow water and almost perfectly spaced with close to the same distance between them. A single Curlew (47) was intent on feeding and 3 Great Black-backed Gulls (48) were resting up.

Grey Heron

The air was alive with the calls of the many Brent Geese that were in the shallows as I headed toward Plumpudding. A single Grey Plover (49) was on the tide line with another a little further along. 3 Ringed Plover (50) flew past and I could see a Great Crested Grebe was out to sea (51). There were 2 Common Gulls (52) amongst the Black-headed Gulls on the shore. Plumpudding Island was very quiet and as I carried on towards Coldharbour I had 5 male Pochard (53) fly east which was a very welcome addition. I could not manage to get a decent photo but it is enough for a memory shot. Several Cormorant (54) were off shore.

male Pochard

As I approached Coldharbour I could hear a Cetti's Warbler (55) calling and a Chiffchaff was working its way through the bushes. Coldharbour was quiet with just 1 Redshank and several Black-headed Gulls. The water was so calm that a Black-headed Gull, showing the first signs of its dark hood, threw a perfect reflection. Behind me I caught sight of a male Marsh Harrier (56) as it hunted over the reed bed.

Black-headed Gull

Marsh Harrier

4 Coot (57) were on the river and looking out to sea there were good numbers of duck off shore. 16 Shelduck (58) were drifting past and 44 Mallard were near the exposed mussel bed with a couple of Wigeon (59) tucked in with them. 2 Sanderling (60) flew past and a Little Egret (61) was busily probing in the shallow water. While I had a sit on the sea wall another couple of Shelduck flew east.

Shelduck

Shelduck

I carried on towards Reculver and 38 Stock Doves (62) flew up from one of the fields before settling down again. Out to sea, 2 Gadwall (63) flew west before landing near some Mallard. A Curlew gave a great view as it came into land.

Gadwall

Curlew

14 distant Shoveler (64) were mixed in with some Wigeon and obligingly, at one point, they flew and coming a little closer allowed the opportunity to try for a photo. It really was still too far for the camera but it was worth giving a try. 8 Teal (65) were mixed in with the Wigeon.

Shoveler

I carried on to the green bank and had a Lesser Black-backed Gull (66) in amongst Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls. I paused to enjoy the sight and sounds of c450 Brent Geese that were moving from the sea to one of the fields as the tide came in.

Brent Geese

I had a short walk up the green bank and as I started out 12 White-fronted Geese (67) flew over coming in off the sea. They looked as if they might come down with the Brent Geese as they rapidly lost height but then seemed to think better of it and once again gained height before circling and then heading south west in a long line.

White-fronted Geese

White-fronted Geese

White-fronted Geese

White-fronted Geese

I was pleased to catch up with a couple of Tree Sparrows (68) and 3 Yellowhammer (69) were a welcome addition with a male showing beautifully. They are very handsome birds and he made a lovely splash of colour on an increasingly overcast day. 28 Reed Buntings (70) were busy amongst the seed heads with another 15 further along. 3 Skylarks (71) called as they flew up from the field and 8 Linnet (72) flew over. As I headed back to the sea wall I could see a Little Grebe (73) down the dyke giving a great impersonation of a fluff ball.

Yellowhammer

I carried on towards Reculver and was pleased when I saw 3 Red-throated Divers (74) flying east. A Purple Sandpiper (75) flew past with 38 Ringed Plover. The Ringed Plover settled on the shore but the Purple Sandpiper continued to the rocks and had barely settled before it was disturbed by a dog and flew on towards Reculver.

Purple Sandpiper and Ringed Plover

Purple Sandpiper and Ringed Plover

On reaching Reculver I had a look out over the old caravan sight and could see 6 Feral Pigeons (76) and 1 Collared Dove (77). I decided to try my luck along the path at the back of the oyster farm as I hoped I might be able to add Short-eared Owl, Kingfisher and Snipe if I was lucky. As it turned out I did not manage to see any of them but it was worth a try. It did mean though that I missed out on the chance to see if the Shag that I had seen recently on the rocks near the towers was still there as it was dark by the time I finally made it back.

I finished the day with a total of 77 birds seen for the New Year's bird count. It had been an enjoyable day and it made a good start for 2020.

Birds seen this visit included: 33 Blackbird, 5 Song Thrush, 24 Chaffinch, 1 Little Owl, 7 Robin, 4 Dunnock, Herring Gulls, 11 Red-legged Partridge, 3 Pheasant, Rooks, 17 Lapwing, 2 Green Woodpecker, Carrion Crows, Jackdaws, 2 Pied Wagtail, 1 Sparrowhawk, Wood Pigeon, 2 Common Buzzard, 10 Mute Swan, Great Spotted Woodpecker, 5 Chiffchaff, 5 Wren, Great Tits, Blue Tits, 4 Mallard, 6 Magpie, 1 Firecrest, 3 Goldcrest, 4 Moorhen, 1 Jay, 2 Kestrel, 2 Water Rail, 1 Golden Plover, 12 Meadow Pipit, Brent Geese, 2 Redwing, 67 Corn Bunting, 5 Goldfinch, House Sparrows, Starlings, 3 Stonechat, 25 Oystercatcher, Black-headed Gulls, 23 Redshank, 6 Turnstone, 3 Grey Heron, 2 Curlew, 7 Great Black-backed Gull, 4 Grey Plover, 52 Ringed Plover, 6 Great Crested Grebe, 2 Common Gull, 5 Pochard, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 2 Marsh Harrier, 4 Coot, 19 Shelduck, 47 Wigeon, 2 Sanderling, 1 Little Egret, 38 Stock Dove, 2 Gadwell, 14 Shoveller, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 8 Teal, 12 White-fronted Geese, 2 Tree Sparrows, 3 Yellowhammer, 43 Reed Bunting, 3 Skylark, 8 Linnet, 3 Red-throated Diver, 3 Skylark, 1 Purple Sandpiper, 6 Feral Pigeon, 1 Collared Dove

A Foggy Reculver - 22/02/19

I came down to Reculver late morning, as I had the afternoon free, but unfortunately the weather had turned pretty foggy. If I looked up I could see the blue sky above but at ground level it was pretty misty. It did however seem to be giving some clearer patches and as I was here I thought I would give it a go. There was quite a cold south easterly wind.

Reculver Towers

There were some Brent Geese chattering away nearby on the sea, just beyond the rocks from the car park. Despite being very close the mist meant anything further back could not be seen. I tried for some photos as it is the closest I have seen them. The initial image was pretty misty but I was able to improve it on the computer, as it turned out, so I was pleased that I tried them. Some of them were eating the seaweed from the rocks.

Misty Brent Geese

Brent Geese

Brent Goose

 A pair of Pied Wagtail were feedind up near the towers. They are very attractive birds. The female seemed very adept at finding insects amongst the grass.

Male Pied Wagtail

Female Pied Wagtail

A small group of 7 Meadow Pipits were feeding the other side of the towers and they gave some good views as they perched briefly on the fence, the long hind claw being visible in both photos. This bird looked very cleanly plummaged.

Meadow Pipit

Meadow Pipit

I was hopeful when the sun started to break through as I headed along the sea wall. I could not see out to sea very far, but it had improved. Apart from a few Herring Gulls it appeared very quiet. For a little while the light was beautiful and it certainly seemed to cheer some of the birds up as I could hear Wren, Cetti's Warbler, Skylarks, Dunnock, Song Thrush, Blackbird and Robin all singing away. A Ringed Plover looked gorgeous against the blue sea.

Ringed Plover

Unfortunately that was only bit of sunshine I saw as the fog came back down and then for the rest of the visit there were varying degrees of visibility. In the times when the fog thinned I would sit and watch the sea for a little while until it thickened again, at which point I would carry on along the sea wall. Out to sea I had an immature male Shoveler west and a Common Scoter east. 5 Great Black-backed Gulls were offshore and 3 Common Gulls flew east in a small group. 5 Great Crested Grebe were in a group and I saw a total of 9 throughout my visit. Otherwise it remained quiet out there. Groups of Brent Geese flew west and I came along them further on as they had congregated in one of the fields with over 350 present. They were much more spread out on the field today with two groups over much of the field and seemingly totally unconcerned about the gas gun.

Brent Geese

There was a very flighty male White Wagtail along the sea wall. I could see it moving ahead and then lost it from sight when a group of cyclists passed. There was a large group of roosting waders partially hidden by one of the shingle ridges. I could see at least 44 Dunlin, 35 Sanderling, 42 Grey Plover, and 7 Curlew. I am sure there were actually a lot more there than I could see. A couple of the Dunlin were feeding along the top of the ridge and one gave me the opportunity to try for some photos. I think that today is the most Grey Plover I have seen at one time here.

Dunlin

Plumpudding Island had 28 Redshank roosting and/or feeding. A couple of the Redshank flew now and then and, as I was trying burst mode for the first time today to see if it helped me to get some better photos of flying birds, I tried for some photos of the Redshank. I clearly have an awful lot to learn on how best to use it but I was quite pleased with this shot. It gives hope that in time I might be able to manage flying birds better.

Redshank coming in to land

There was a single Turnstone who was not only turning stones but also thowing them up to a couple of feet away or so for the smaller ones. Even with quite large stones he was managing to shift them a fair few inches away. I tried for some photos but it was hard to capture the effect but does make a good memory shot.

Turnstone throwing stones

A single Mallard was also roosting and a Little Egret was on the hunt for food. I liked its reflection in the water.

Little Egret

I carried on a little way, as initially I had arranged with a friend to pick me up from Shuart but, with the fog getting ever thicker, I did not want them to have to risk travelling any distance so I turned back towards Reculver. It was very cold in the wind by this time and I was beginning to really wish I had brought some gloves. I was pleased that I had turned back, as a little while later there was a brief clearer spell and I could see a male and female Shoveler off shore with a group of 8 Mallard.

Shoveler pair and Mallard pair

I tried burst mode on some Turnstone coming past and some of the photos did not come out too badly. I find it very hard to keep the bird in the view finder when using burst mode but hopefully that will get better with practice.

Turnstones

I had a nice surprise when I reached Coldharbour. I could see something tucked into the bank and it turned out to be a male Pochard (106). It seemed to be on its own as I could not see any others tucked in anywhere.

male Pochard

The fog was getting progressively worse, reducing visibility even further.

Looking from Coldharbour 

Luckily enough I was still able to see reasonably close so was able to enjoy some good views of Stonechat on the way back. I tried for some flight photos but I am obviously going to need to get a lot better at those. Still, using burst mode definitely does have potential and makes a lovely memory shot. There was not really enough light for a fast enough shutter speed.

Stonechat taking off

I came across the 2 Snow Buntings and enjoyed watching them for a while.

Ringed Snow Bunting

Snow Bunting

I was pleased when I managed to catch up again with the White Wagtail and I tried for some photos. It was a very smart bird. Once again it was disturbed by a cyclist but I was lucky that I had the chance to see it when I did.

White Wagtail

White Wagtail taking off

I caught a very brief view of a Short-eared Owl. The biggest surprise came when I suddenly saw a Great White Egret fly up in the fog from the oyster farm before rapidly going back down again. Now that I had not expected. I didn't stand a chance of getting a photo but I felt very lucky to have seen it.

I finished off with a nice view of a male Reed Bunting tucked into the reeds.

Reed Bunting

With visibility getting worse by the minute I was pleased to reach the towers. It might not have been the easiest of afternoons for birdwatching but it had turned out to be productive and enjoyable all the same.

Reculver Towers in the fog

Birds seen this visit include: c350 Brent Geese, 4 Pied Wagtail, 4 Blackbird, 2 House Sparrows, 26 Meadow Pipit, 32 Redshank, Herring Gulls, Black-headed Gulls, 3 Common Gull, 6 Great Black-backed Gull, 4 Robin, 2 Dunnock, Skylarks, 15 Reed Bunting, 2 Pheasant, 2 Magpie, 24 Mallard, 4 Mute Swan, 15 Turnstone, 7 Ringed Plover, 3 Shoveler, 44 Dunlin, 35 Sanderling, 42 Grey Plover, 7 Curlew, 8 Stonechat, 9 Great Crested Grebe, 6 Corn Bunting, 2 Wren, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Grey Partridge calling, 2 Little Egret, 1 Great White Egret, 2 Snow Bunting, 75 Starling, 15 Common Crow, 1 White Wagtail, 1 Common Scoter east.