Skulky Shuart Followed by Wheatears - 12/10/18

As I had longer today I decided to try a walk through from Shuart to Reculver. There was a breezy southerly wind with sunshine and cloud. Shuart seemed quite quiet on the whole and most things seemed to be in a very skulky mode and even the butterflies decided they were not going to stop long enough for a photo. I had a look around the top of the bridleway and caught up with a Painted Lady butterfly there but otherwise it was very quiet.

I carried on down the main path and had most of the usual little jobs. A small flock of 7 Long-tailed Tits chattered away as they made their way through the trees. A Cetti’s called loudly but though I caught glimpses of it, it was never long enough to grab a photo and it remained deep in the bush. At the bottom of the track a Marsh Harrier gave nice, if distant views, as it hunted.

Marsh Harrier

Near the railway crossing a family of Mute Swan gave a nice fly past and a passing Kestrel allowed a grab shot.

Mute Swans

Kestrel

I had been going to walk along the embankment but the need to be able to sit down won out and I headed for the sea wall. Small groups of Chaffinch were going west and I had 28 in total, together with 1 Brambling and 2 Siskin. A Carrion Crow with whitish flight feathers was being chased by another Crow. Unfortunately it never came close enough for a decent photo. A Common Darter was much more obliging and posed very nicely.

Common Darter

The walk back along the sea wall was extemely windy and I had trouble keeping my balance and major trouble keeping the camera steady. But though the wind was strong, it was not at all cold. I sat and had some lunch and a Cormorant on one of the poles gave very nice views.

Cormorant

I carried on towards Reculver and enjoyed watching a Meadow Pipit on the beach.

Meadow Pipit

A little further on I came across 3 Wheatear and one was particularly obliging for photos. I love watching them.

Wheatear

Wheatear

I had a surprise when I was checking out to sea as there was a Great-crested Grebe offshore. During my visit I saw 4 Great-crested Grebe and also 1 summer plumage Red-throated Diver. There were also 2 Common Seal offshore.

Just after Coldharbour, while I was sitting having a rest, the Kingfisher shot past me and stopped on a groyne briefly before carrying on. The Lichen on some rocks was catching the sun and I took a quick shot before moving on. I wonder how long it has taken it to grow to that size and that was one of the smaller patches. 

Lichen

As I continued I had a Snow Bunting fly west down the beach. It did appear to go down much further up but I could not manage to relocate it. A Pheasant was sheltering out of the wind at the edge of one of the oyster farm lagoons. A Kestrel shot through the oyster farm and put up a cloud of Linnet. I grabbed a photo as it allows a more accurate count. I was pleased when I checked the photo that my estimate was actually very close to how many there were. The Kestrel paused and rested on one of the trees before going back to hunting.

Kestrel

I finished off the visit with views of a Little Egret at the foot of the towers and 1 of 2 Robins that were chasing each other on the rocks.

Little Egret

Robin

Birds seen this visit include: 7 Wren, 4 Magpie, Woodpigeons, Blue Tits, Great Tits, 7 Long-tailed Tit, 6 Blackbird, Starlings, House Sparrows, 33 Chaffinch which includes 28 in small groups west, 22 Meadow Pipit, 8 Chiffchaff, 1 Cetti’s Warbler, 1 male Blackcap, 1 Jay, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Common Buzzard, 8 Skylark, 2 Greenfinch, 1 Red-legged Partridge, 1 Marsh Harrier, 2 Redwing, 3 Lapwing, 3 Mute Swan, 5 Reed Bunting, 2 Corn Bunting, 2 Siskin west, 1 Brambling west, 220 Linnet, 7 Goldfinch, 4 Great-crested Grebe on the sea, 1 Red-throated Diver summer plummage on the sea, 3 Wheatear, 1 Snow Bunting, 1 Grey Plover, 111 Oystercatcher, 11 Redshank, 15 Turnstone, 3 Ringed Plover, 52 Mallard, 1 Kingfisher, 6 Little Egret, 4 Grey Heron and 4 Kestrel, 1 Pheasant. I also saw a Painted Lady butterfly and 2 Red Admiral, while 2 Common Seal were offshore. Common Darter and Migrant Hawkers were on the wing.

Little Grebes and Skua's - Bishopstone 11/10/18

It was a beautiful afternoon today but with a very strong southerly wind. I paid a visit to Bishopstone as I thought, with a bit of luck, I could get out of the wind a little there. It was very quiet in the Glen but also very windy. I only saw 1 Chiffchaff amongst the usual jobs. There were a couple of Collared Dove resting in one of the trees. One of them appeared to have lost quite a lot of its head feathers. 

Collared Dove

Collared  Dove

A little further on there was a large mushroom in the undergrowth, I think that it is a Parasol mushroom. I also saw another mushroom at the foot of the cliffs and think it must be a Fly Agaric of some sort. 

Parasol Mushroom

Fly Agaric Mushroom

I decided to have a sit on the rocks and watch the sea for a while. It was nice to be able to get out of the wind while I was down there. I was surprised to see a group of 8 Little Grebe on the sea. They are gorgeous little birds. I enjoyed watching them before they moved further out to sea.

Little Grebes

There was not a lot moving out to sea but I did manage to see 1 Arctic Skua east and 1 Great Skua east. I am so rusty at skua’s that I had to look the Arctic up when I got home to see what it was. My local patch does not have any water so these are not the kind of birds I am used to. I sent the photo to Chris Hindle in case I had got it wrong, when I sent him the list of birds, but he also said Arctic, so I was pleased. My first for many years.

Arctic Skua

I also had 3 duck east and again, I had to look at the photo with the books to see what they were. I have not watched the sea for years and I am so unbelievably rusty. 

Gadwall

I had 8 Brent Geese west and at least 12 Cormorants were fishing offshore. A Common Seal was offshore and a Cormorant came in quite close to fish. I am amazed at the size of some of the fish that they catch.

It was a lovely afternoon sitting there and I enjoyed seeing what flew past. There may not have been a lot of it but at least it gave time to enjoy them. I also had a Robin at the foot of the cliffs serenading me throughout the later part of the afternoon. On the walk back I saw a couple of Stonechat and they made the perfect finish to the day.

Stonechat

Stonechat

Birds I saw this visit included: 1 Chiffchaff, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Goldfinches, House Sparrows, Dunnock, Wren, Robins, Blackbirds, 8 Little Grebes, 1 Arctic Skua east, 1 Great Skua east, 3 Gadwall east, 8 Brent Geese west, 12 Cormorants fishing offshore and 1 Common Seal, 2 Stonechat.

Kingfisher and Gannets - Reculver 10/10/18

I decided to have a walk through from Chambers Wall to Reculver today. There was a breezy south easterly wind with lots of sunshine. I had a check of the hedgerow on the way to the car park and had a nice male and female Stonechat pop up and give nice if brief views. A Kestrel was hovering nearby but a little too far for a decent photo. A Migrant Hawker paused for a rest before continuing hawking for insects. They are very handsome dragonflies.

Migrant Hawker

I carried on down the track and could hear good numbers of Chiffchaff calling. Certainly more than the last time I came. There were the usual little jobs and I was pleased to see a male and female Blackcap. I had a short walk along the embankment but did not want to go too far in case I ran into problems and was unable to then do the walk to Reculver. I saw some Common Toadflax which I haven’t seen for quite a while. 

Common Toadflax

A Reed Bunting was foraging between a bush and then down onto the ground. The sunshine showed its markings up very well.

Reed Bunting

I sat and watched the sea for a while once I reached Coldharbour. There appeared to be a small movement of Gannets. I tried for some photos of some quite distant ones only to find once I put the camera down that one had flown very close to shore right by me and I had completely missed it, all I saw was its rear end departing. I really would have loved a shot of that. Later on an immature came a little closer but I did not have another Gannet come as close as the one I missed. Still, perhaps I may be lucky to see it another time.

immature Gannet

immature Gannet

I had a walk towards Reculver and was lucky enough to see the Kingfisher fishing from some rocks again so I sat and watched that for a while. Once again, it was very successful at catching fish and managed to swallow a whopper in one gulp.

Kingfisher

Kingfisher

I was fascinated to see the interaction between a Cormorant on a pole and another one who wanted to take its place. The one sitting on the pole wasn't having any of it.

Cormorants

Cormorants

I finished off with a nice, even if somewhat distant, view of a Sandwich Tern. It had been an enjoyable afternoon.

Sandwich Tern

Birds seen this visit included: 2 Kestrel, Woodpigeons, 1 Collared Dove, 18 Skylark, 5 Blue Tit, 3 Stonechat, 7 Robin, 13 Chiffchaff, 3 Reed Bunting, Cormorants, 21 Chaffinch, 2 Blackbird, 2 Blackcap, 4 Meadow Pipit, Crows, Rook, Jackdaws, 2 Wren, 1 Green Woodpecker, 3 Long-tailed Tit, 2 Magpie, 3 Moorhen, 1 Kingfisher, Gannet 23 east, 5 Sandwich Tern.

Brook to Reculver - 09/10/18

I had a very busy day at work today so thought I would have a walk after work. It was a beautiful afternoon, sunny with a breezy southerly wind. I haven’t walked from Brook for ages so thought I would give it a go. It turned out to be surprisingly quiet for birds. There were good numbers of birds flying over high, calling, but I am so rusty on calls that for much of the time I didn’t know what was calling. I am going to need lots of practice to be able to get better at calls again. There were several Common Darter and Migrant Hawker’s on the wing. I am going to miss the dragonflies and butterflies.

Common Darter

Migrant Hawker

There were the usual birds on the way to Reculver but not the numbers, or variation, that perhaps I had hoped for. A Collared Dove watched me warily when I reached the trees at the caravan park and I had a Brambling fly west.

Collared Dove

I headed along the seawall and had a look to see what I could see on the falling tide. A Little Egret flew in to feed and a very smart Meadow Pipit posed for me at the pumping station.

Meadow Pipit

The definite highlight of the afternoon was seeing a Short-eared Owl. They are such a joy to watch and I felt so lucky to see it. Unfortunately it remained distant, hunting along the far green bank but gave some nice views in the sunshine. It disturbed a Little Egret at one point and regularly disturbed clouds of Linnets and several Redshank.

Short-eared Owl

10 Oytercatcher and 15 Redshank were feeding on the exposed shore and 1 Curlew. I also had 5 Sandwich Tern feeding offshore as well. 4 Grey Heron were scattered around and a couple had a dust up at one point. I finished with a nice view of one of the Grey Heron silhouetted against the sea.

Grey Heron

Even though I did not have long this afternoon, it was nice to be out and I really enjoyed watching the Short-eared Owl.

Birds seen on this visit included: 3 Blue Tit, 1 Robin, 3 Chiffchaff, 1 Wren, 20 Meadow Pipit, 2 Kestrel, 1 Goldfinch, 1 Reed Bunting, 4 Mute Swan, 1 Brambling west,  3 Skylark, 2 Chaffinch, 2 Magpie, 3 Blackbird, 2 House Sparrow, Starlings, 5 Collared Dove, 3 Sandwich Tern, 1 Short-eared Owl, 3 Little Egret, 4 Grey Heron, 1 Curlew, 7 Oystercatcher, 8 Redshank, 6 Turnstone. Common Darter and Migrant Hawkers were also on the wing.

My First Fieldfare of the Autumn - Reculver 07/10/18

I paid a visit to Reculver after work this afternoon. There was a cool northerly breeze with sunshine and cloud. The breeze was strong enough to send a small yacht scudding past out at sea but, for birds, the sea was very quiet. A Little Egret flew up from the back of the oyster farm and its wings looked spectacular in the sunshine before it dropped back down again.

I walked along the sea wall for a short way. A Grey Plover was roosting on the beach and then it went down to the waters edge to feed. They are beautiful birds. The tide was falling and large numbers of mainly Black-headed and Herring Gulls were congregating with 3 adult Great Black-backed Gulls standing out.

Grey Plover

Grey Plover

I had a Reed Bunting pop up right in front of me and literally go yikes before moving along a little and watching me warily. 

Reed Bunting

I had really hoped to see a Short-eared Owl and was very pleased to see one come up along the furthest bank. Unfortunately it never came any closer. I saw it 3 times and on the third time it was mugged by a Crow and it did not come up again while I was there.

Short-eared Owl

There were very good numbers of Stonechat with 14 seen during my visit. I love watching them.

Stonechat

I had a single Curlew fly east as the tide fell and a Whimbrel flew west calling. Other waders seen included a single Dunlin, 26 Redshank, 8 Turnstone, 5 Ringed Plover, and 15 Oystercatcher. 5 Grey Heron moved onto the exposed mud and also 3 Little Egrets.

Brent Geese numbers have increased and I saw 58 during my visit. They did not seem to be passing by as such but rather moving in to feed as the tide fell. There was also a large number of Mallard congregating on the sea and I counted 106.

Brent Geese

Linnet numbers continue to rise with approximately 220 present. A Meadow Pipit posed nicely in the evening sunshine. 

Meadow Pipit

A Marsh Harrier, female/immature, flew along the back of the oyster farm and was mugged the whole way by Crows. At one point it fanned its tail spectacularly.

Marsh Harrier and Carrion Crow

I finished the visit with a surprise as a flock of 13 Fieldfare came in off the sea and carried on inland. They are my first for the autumn.

Birds seen included: Redshank 26, Meadow Pipit 20, Pied Wagtail 4, Mute Swan 3, Little Egret 5, Curlew 1, Mallard 106, Dunnock 2, Short-eared Owl 1, Grey Heron 5, Brent Geese 58, Robin 2, Stonechat 14, Turnstone 8, Grey Plover 1, Dunlin 1, Ringed Plover 5, Oystercatcher 15, Reed Bunting 5, Goldfinch 15, Linnet 175, Whimbrel 1, Marsh Harrier 1, Skylark 3, Pheasant 1, Fieldfare 13.

Red-legged Partridges and Cetti's - Shuart to Reculver 05/10/18

I had a slow walk from Shuart to Reculver today. It was a fine and warm day with a coolish light north westerly wind. I did keep my eye out for my stick in case it turned up but unfortunately not. I still can not quite believe that somebody took it.

The visit started well with 8 Red-legged Partridge from the road as we approached the pull in. They gave very nice views and looked very handsome in the sunshine.

Red-legged Partridge

Red-legged Partridge

I had a walk up to the bridleway and there were Blue Tits and Great Tits calling, Robin, Wren, Blackbird and Dunnock and lots of Wood Pigeons. A Great Spotted Woodpecker called, as did a Mistle Thrush and several Chaffinch were calling and feeding in the trees.

I retraced my steps and had a walk down the main track. A Common Buzzard was thermalling and I also had 6 Magpie. A Marsh Frog took exception to my presence and leapt back into the dyke from where it had been sunning itself. There was a Crow who appeared to be just playing high in the air, wheeling and diving. A handsome Red Admiral butterfly was on some ivy and allowed a photo. 

Red Amiral Butterfly

A Chiffchaff called but otherwise it did appear to be very quiet. I also saw a couple of Blackcap fleetingly. A Common Darter was more obliging and posed nicely.

Common Darter

A Grey Heron was working its way along a far field edge and Skylarks were passing overhead at regular intervals. A small flock of Long-tailed tits were feeding in the bush by the railway line and a Cetti’s Warbler was alarm calling in a bush along the railway line. I couldn’t see what it was alarm calling at. Though it was distant for the camera I tried for some photos. Although not good, they are the first photos of Cetti’s Warbler that I have managed to get and I was really pleased to get them.

Cetti's Warbler

Cetti's Warbler

Cetti's Warbler

In a field near the stables there were 120 Black-headed Gulls and 1, what I think is an immature Lesser Black-backed Gull. I certainly need to get much better at gulls.

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Some House Sparrows and Starlings, near the stables, looked lovely in the light. I could see 4 Pied Wagtails in with the horses, 2 of which were probably White Wagtails.

Starling

I had lunch while having a rest on the sea wall and saw 7 Sandwich Tern off shore. They are lovely birds.

Sandwich Tern

Sandwich Tern

I worked my way back to Reculver. Apart from a few Meadow Pipits and Linnet there was nothing on Plumpudding Island and nothing at all on Coldharbour and no sign of the Snow Buntings. The tide was on the turn and I could see a Curlew feeding and I also had a Grey Plover. A Curlew's bill really is quite something.

Curlew

I had a Small Copper rest briefly on the sea wall and a Clouded Yellow flew past me. I really hoped that it would settle but it did not. I would love a photo of one.

Small Copper

I saw at least 11 Stonechat but all were too distant for photos today. They really are gorgeous little birds. Sea mist kept rolling in and visibility would go from good to thick mist. It could be sunny on one side of me and in thick mist the other.

Sea Mist

As the mist cleared I had 3 Grey Partridge in the old caravan site. I was very pleased to see 3 Wall Brown butterflies along the Roman wall. 2 were flying round each other constantly but the third was more settled and allowed some photos. They are beautiful butterflies.

Wall Brown Butterflies

I had a quick look at the bushes near the caravan park and got somewhat of a scolding from a House Sparrow for my troubles and also saw some gorgeous red leaves. I am not sure what the plant is. It made a nice end to an enjoyable day.

Red Leaves

Birds I saw  this visit included: Red-legged Partridge 8, Wood Pigeons, Blue Tits 7, Great Tit 8, Robin 4, Blackbird 2, Great Spotted Woodpecker 1, Chaffinch 10, Reed Bunting 5, Grey Heron 3, Wren 5, Dunnock 3, Cetti’s Warbler 2, Blakcap 2, Redwing 1, Long-tailed Tits 7, Mistle Thrush 1, Magpie 8, Common Buzzard 2, Chiffchaff 8, Mallard 6, Sandwich Tern 7, Oystercatcher 44, Turnstone 18, Ringed Plover 12, Grey Plover 1, Curlew 1, Redshank 24, Meadow Pipits 25, Skylark 10, Corn Bunting 1, Reed Bunting 5, Stonechat 11, Linnet 156, Pied Wagtail 7, Goldfinch 7, Kestrel 4, Little Egret 8, Mute Swan 5, Starling 450, House Sparrow 60, Great Black-backed Gull 3, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, 5 Collared Dove, Grey Partridge 3, Carrion Crow, Rook, Jackdaw. I also saw 1 Clouded Yellow butterfly and 3 Wall Brown butterflies.