Spoonbill, Little Terns, Spotted Flycatchers and a Hairy Dragonfly - Reculver 09/05/21

When I arrived at Reculver this morning the local Robin was in its usual spot on the rocks by the car park and just as intolerant, as always, towards other birds, seeing off a White Wagtail that landed briefly nearby. As I came past the towers I was idly scanning round when I suddenly picked up a Spoonbill coming in high over the sea and heading south south west. Now that really was a welcome sight. In the second photo the Spoonbill has twisted its head to look up at a Little Egret which then dropped down and tucked itself in behind the Spoonbill. The photos are heavily cropped as the Spoonbill was quite a distance away so they have not come out well but they do at least make some nice memory shots. It appeared to be a juvenile as it had some black in its wingtips and seeing it certainly made my day. A very welcome surprise indeed.

Spoonbill

Spoonbill

Spoonbill

Spoonbill

Spoonbill and Little Egret

A Common Sandpiper was working its way along a muddy edge of a lagoon on the oyster farm and above small numbers of Swift, Swallow, Sand Martin and a few House Martins were heading west. The weather was very changeable with good patches of blue sky quickly replaced by threatening rain clouds and then blue patches again.

Out to sea remained quiet and the tide was steadily coming in. The air was alive with a good mix of song and Sedge Warblers together with Whitethroats were were definitely giving it everything they had. I could hear a distant Cuckoo and above me a female/immature Marsh Harrier flew out to sea. A flock of 28 Turnstone flew in with a Dunlin and a couple of Sanderling tucked in with them.

Turnstone, Dunlin and Sanderling

Both Sanderling were attractively plumaged but one was particularly striking with its strong rufous tones. A real little beauty. There is a lovely mix of plumages amongst the Sanderling at present and I really enjoy seeing them.

Sanderling

Sanderling and Turnstone

Sanderling and Turnstone

While watching the Sanderling I looked up to see a Common Tern coming in off the sea. It flew directly overhead as it moved inland and its inner primaries were translucent as the light shone through them. 

Common Tern

Out to sea a flock of 115 Sanderling and a couple of Dunlin had been flushed from the beach by dog walkers and flashed light and then dark as they banked and turned while bunched together. Once the coast was clear they came back into land again, their wing bars gleaming as they flew in.

Sanderling and a Dunlin

When I had first arrived this morning a couple of Mute Swan had been quite a long way out to sea and now they gave a masterclass on landing on water as they came closer in. I love watching them come into land on water and for such large and heavy birds they have superb control as they land with feet out and water ski on the surface momentarily before settling down into the water.

Mute Swans

Mute Swans

Mute Swans

A couple of Sandwich Tern were off shore heading east and as I carried on along the sea wall there was a noticeable drop in temperature with a lot of cloud and a strengthening wind. I was really surprised, therefore, when a dragonfly lifted off the sea wall, a little way ahead of me, and flew across before going straight down on the other side of the concrete slope. I had a scan for it when I reached the slope and couldn't believe my luck when I was able to pick it up tucked down at the base of the reed stems at the bottom of the slope. Initially its wings were partially open but then it folded them closed, presumably to conserve heat. It was a beautiful female Hairy Dragonfly and was a very welcome sight indeed, being my first dragonfly of the year, something which is always just that bit extra special.

female Hairy Dragonfly

female Hairy Dragonfly

female Hairy Dragonfly

Well chuffed, I carried on towards Coldharbour. Another Common Tern came in off the sea while on the shingle a smart White Wagtail was searching for insects. 

White Wagtail

White Wagtail

I had a sit on the sea wall before heading round Coldharbour and it turned out to be a good decision as a couple of minutes later I heard Little Tern call and two flew east, pausing to fish and then moving on to fish behind Coldharbour. They are gorgeous terns and always a joy to watch.

Little Tern

Little Tern

Little Terns

Little Tern

Little Tern

They came into land behind Coldharbour before continuing east. What little beauties. A couple of Shelduck flew up from Coldharbour, as a dog walker came along the shingle bank, and gave a close flypast before flying in a large loop, passing an increasingly busy Reculver, and eventually coming to settle back onto Coldharbour once the coast was clear.

Shelduck

Shelduck

I headed round Coldharbour and saw a Wheatear briefly by one of the fields. Carrying on towards Plumpudding 6 Grey Plover flew in to roost. A little further along a couple of Oystercatchers were fairly close to the sea wall and as one turned to watch me its eye glowed in the light.

Oystercatcher

A Cetti's Warbler was making its presence known on the other side of the sea wall at Plumpudding while the only inhabitants of Plumpudding appeared to be 3 Mallard and a couple of Linnet and 4 Pied Wagtail. A pair of Tufted Duck were in one of the dykes as I carried on.

Tufted Duck

While having another sit on the sea wall a couple of Mediterranean Gulls flew over and headed out to sea. I thought they were both adults but the one I photographed has some black in its primaries and appears to be a second summer.

second summer Mediterranean Gull

second summer Mediterranean Gull

second summer Mediterranean Gull

Another Cetti's Warbler was singing at the stables as were 2 Lesser Whitethroat. Goldfinch and Linnet were flitting around and 4 Pied Wagtail were in the paddocks. There were a couple of very distant Wheatear in a far paddock.

Wheatear

I had a wander along the embankment and once again I could hear lots of Sedge Warblers. I have heard good numbers of them today. A Common Buzzard and a Marsh Harrier were up at various points along and another Cuckcoo was calling from the direction of Shuart. Another distant Wheatear was making the most of the lookout provided by a manmade raised area.

Wheatear

As I got nearer to Chambers Wall a skulky Cuckoo was tucked in a tree. A Painted Lady Butterfly flew up from the path while a Peacock Butterfly was making the most of some blossom flowers. A patch of Sainfoin in flower caught my eye with its colourful and pretty flowers. A couple more Lesser Whitethroat were calling and another Cetti's Warbler burst into song.

Cuckoo

Peacock Butterfly

Sainfoin

Another Cetti's Warbler greeted me as I made my way up the track at Chambers Wall. 2 Spotted Flycatchers were in the hedgerow and were a welcome sight. They are lovely birds and full of character.

Spotted Flycatcher

Spotted Flycatcher

A Willow Warbler was singing sweetly and once again the air was alive with song with Lesser Whitethroat, Whitethroat, Sedge, Reed, Blackcap and a couple of very loud Cetti's Warblers all represented. I was pleased to catch up with a Garden Warbler, again, always a welcome sight and it was then kind enough to sing. It made a very nice end to a thoroughly enjoyable and productive visit.

Birds seen this visit included: 3 Robin, 3 White Wagtail, 21 Mute Swan, Herring Gulls, Black-headed Gulls, 32 Sand Martin west , 97 Swallows west, 1 juvenile Spoonbill, 2 Little Egret, 10 Blackbird, 15 Swift, 7 House Martin, House Sparrows, 4 Wren, 21 Whitethroat, 3 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Common Sandpiper, 38 Sedge Warbler, 8 Meadow Pipit, 17 Mallard, 18 Linnet, 2 Marsh Harrier, 6 Stonechat, 3 Great Black-backed Gull, 3 Reed Warbler, 12 Reed Bunting, 11 Oystercatcher, 1 Redshank, 3 Sandwich Tern, 10 Pied Wagtail, 18 Ringed Plover, 7 Lapwing, 7 Magpie, 1 Song Thrush, 35 Turnstone, 5 Dunlin, 137 Sanderling, 4 Cuckoo, 2 Common Tern, 4 Wheatear, 4 Shelduck, 6 Kestrel, 21 Ringed Plover, 6 Grey Plover, 8 Cetti's Warbler, 2 Mediterranean Gull, 15 Chaffinch, 11 Goldfinch, 7 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Common Buzzard, 2 Spotted Flycatcher, 6 Blackcap, 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Green Woodpecker, 1 Willow Warbler, 1 Chiffchaff, Blue Tits, Great Tits, 

Red Kites and Disagreeing Cuckoos - Chambers Wall to Reculver 30/04/21

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.

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.

Red Kites

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.

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.

duelling Peacock Butterflies

duelling Peacock Butterflies

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.

queen Red-tailed Bumblebee

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.

Alderfly

Alderfly

Alderfly

The male Tufted Duck was down its usual dyke, its bright yellow eye gleaming as it rested tucked partially into the reeds.

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.

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.

Mediterranean Gulls

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. 

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.

Cuckoo

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.

adult Mediterranean Gull

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.

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.

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.

Whitethroat

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.

Grey Plovers

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.

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.

Short-eared Owl

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.

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. 

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.

Cuckoo

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.

Cuckoos

Cuckoos

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.

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