Wheatears, Common Sandpiper and Gadwall - Reculver 07/05/21

With the unexpected bonus of an early finish at work I paid a visit to Reculver on a pleasant afternoon with a mixture of sunshine and cloud. The tide was on the way out and as I made my way past the towers 4 Swift, 6 Swallow and 2 House Martins flew west. It was quiet out to sea apart from a few Herring Gulls and Black-headed Gulls. Over on the old caravan site I could see a couple of Wheatear, a single Pied Wagtail and a Yellow Wagtail.

Wheatear

Fifty-five Swallow were hawking for insects over the oyster farm and a Whimbrel flew west out to sea. A Herring Gull coming into land on the beach slowed to almost stalling point before dropping down onto the beach.

Herring Gull

Herring Gull

Sedge Warbler song was filling the air together with the scratchy song of Whitethroat. A Common Sandpiper was on the rocks and looked tiny against the Herring Gull who shared the rocks with it.

Common Sandpiper and Herring Gull

A couple of Mallard were roosting on the beach near the waters edge but keeping a wary, if sleepy, eye on passers by on the sea wall. A couple of Little Egret were on the oyster farm but overall it was remaining pretty quiet.

male and female Mallard

I carried on towards Coldharbour and a Wheatear was on the shingle and nearer Coldharbour another was on patch of broken concrete blocks at the side of the field.

Wheatear

Wheatear

I had a sit on the sea wall but out to sea remained very quiet apart from a pair of distant Gadwall. The rear black end of the male shows up well even at a distance on an almost mirror calm sea.

Gadwall

There were the usual couple of Shelduck and Mute Swan on Coldharbour but otherwise it was quiet. On the other side of the sea wall a Corn Bunting was singing away and Sedge Warblers and Whitethroat were both in full song. A Painted Lady Butterfly settled on the start of the path which leads off to Chambers wall. It appeared to be quite worn but was a welcome sight. They are beautiful butterflies.

Painted Lady Butterfly

Painted Lady Butterfly

I started to make my way back to Reculver and a Common Seal popped its head up briefly before dipping back down under the sea again. A Meadow Pipit showed well on the concrete slope having parachuted down from its song flighty display.

Meadow Pipit

Meadow Pipit

Out to sea was still remaining quiet but there were at least a couple of distant Mediterranean Gulls flying west to liven things up a little.

Mediterranean Gulls

A line of dark cloud was leading to Reculver while over on the oyster farm a Lapwing was busy with its display flight. A few Ringed Plover and Oystercatcher were dotted along the shore and Turnstones were doing what they do best as they turned and tossed stones aside.

Lapwing

I couldn't see any sign of a Short-eared Owl today. A Kestrel was hunting at the back and a Shelduck took to the air before settling back down onto the oyster farm moments later.

Shelduck

A single Redshank called, unusually enough my only one for today and as I neared the towers 3 Swift flew west bringing the visit to a close.

Swift

Birds seen this visit included: 11 Swift, 86 Swallow, 2 House Martin, House Sparrows, Herring Gulls, Black-headed Gulls, House Sparrows, 4 Wheatear, 1 Pied Wagtail, 3 Yellow Wagtail, 4 Meadow Pipit, 8 Whitethroat, 4 Linnet, 11 Sand Martin, 1 Whimbrel, 13 Oystercatcher, 2 Little Egret, 1 Stonechat, 15 Sedge Warbler, 1 Lapwing, 5 Shelduck, 1 Reed Bunting, 4 Mallard, 1 Corn Bunting, 2 Mute Swan, 1 Reed Warbler, 11 Ringed Plover, 8 Turnstone, 2 Mediterranean Gull, 2 Great Black-backed Gull, 1 Redshank,

Wheatears, Common Sandpipers and a Quiet Wander - Reculver to Chambers Wall 03/05/21

I visited Reculver this morning with a fairly cool south westerly breeze keeping temperatures down. A couple of Common Sandpiper flew west calling away and made a nice start to the visit. As I made my way towards the towers a very smart male Pied Wagtail was on the rocks and was collecting nesting material and spiders webs. 

Pied Wagtail

Five Sand Martin flew west as I rounded the towers and a Grey Heron flew over to the oyster farm. Coming down onto the sea wall I was greeted by a Wheatear on a fence post but I was only able to grab a very quick shot as I could hear dog walkers coming up behind me. Next minute the Wheatear flew to the concrete apron and another flew up from the rocks and followed it. They paused briefly on the concrete apron before flying on past the towers.

Wheatear

Wheatears

The tail less Kestrel appears to be starting to regrow its tail but it is still very stunted. It doesn't seem to affect its ability to hunt and it flew past carrying prey.

Kestrel and prey

There was another Wheatear on the cut grass towards the water pumping station, a smart male this time. It also was flushed by a dog walker, moving briefly to the fence before landing in the old caravan site. Hopefully it was going to get a little more peace there.

male Wheatear

male Wheatear

A Little Egret was in the channel below the pumping station with a plume of feathers catching in the wind on one side. It did not appear to be particularly successful at catching any prey items.

Little Egret

It was very quiet out to sea as I made my along the sea wall. An immature Mute Swan flew past and I always enjoy seeing the mix of juvenile and white feathering.

immature Mute Swan

Another Kestrel was hunting over the lower track and this bird also appeared to re-growing its tail feathers but was not the same bird as I had seen earlier. This bird's tail re-growth was a fair bit further on than the other bird I saw earlier. He made a couple of unsuccessful drops onto prey before successfully making a catch.

Kestrel

Kestrel

A Whimbrel flew west out to sea while on the other side of the sea wall a Marsh Harrier was hunting over one of the dykes before being mobbed by a Carrion Crow.

Whimbrel

Whimbrel

A Black-headed Gull took an exception to a passing Herring Gull and flew up to mob it. It was persistent in its pursuit but remained at approximately the same distance from the Herring Gull as it chased it. Otherwise it remained very quiet out to sea.

Herring Gull and Black-headed Gull

Herring Gull and Black-headed Gull

Herring Gull and Black-headed Gull

A Rock Pipit was singing when I arrived at Coldharbour and defending its territory vigorously. It would 'parachute' down, singing away, continuing its song briefly from whatever perch it had selected, before stopping to check round. Both a passing Meadow Pipit and a Reed Bunting were challenged and chased from its territory.

Rock Pipit

Rock Pipit

A couple of Mute Swan and a pair of Shelduck were on Coldharbour and it was aptly named today as the wind was making it feel decidedly chilly. I had a wander up to Chambers Wall and had another 4 singing Cetti's Warblers on the way through. Despite the coolness of the wind some hoverflies were making the most of any shelter and taking advantage of the reflected heat from some leaves while resting up.

Helophilus pendulus

It had proved to be a pretty quiet wander through but a bonus to have a Bank Holiday off and to be able to do some bird watching on it.

Birds seen this visit included: 2 Common Sandpiper west, 15 Sand Martin west, 10 Blackbird, 2 Pied Wagtail, House Sparrows, Wood Pigeons, 5 Magpie, 1 Grey Heron, 12 Whitethroat, 3 Wheatear, 29 Swallow west, 2 Kestrel, 7 Linnet west, 3 Little Egret, 2 Mute Swan, 7 Reed Bunting, 6 Oystercatcher, 14 Sedge Warbler, 5 Shelduck, 7 Turnstone, 1 Whimbrel west, 2 Mallard, 6 Meadow Pipit, 3 Ringed Plover, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Rock Pipit, 2 Tufted Duck, Skylarks, 1 Lapwing, 6 Cetti's Warbler, 3 Reed Warbler, 2 Chaffinch, 1 Green Woodpecker, Blue Tits, Great Tits, 2 Blackcap, 5 Goldfinch, 

A Mugged Grey Heron, Wheatear and a Wall Butterfly - Shuart to Reculver 02/05/21

I started out at Shuart on a beautifully sunny morning. Bird song was in full swing while in the horse paddock a handsome Pheasant was showing off the iridescent colours of his plumage well.

male Pheasant

A wander down the track did not turn up anything unexpected but the sunshine seemed  to have resulted in some of the birds singing even more enthusiastically today. A Wren was positively vibrating with song with tail feathers spread and a rapid fluttering of its wings.

Wren

Sedge and Reed Warblers were in good voice as I neared the railway and two Tufted Duck flew past with another 3 Tufted Duck joining them in the air moments later.

Tufted Duck

A Sparrowhawk was gradually circling higher above me while in one of the dykes a Mute Swan was throwing a perfect reflection in the still water.

Mute Swan

Mute Swan

A Cuckoo had been calling for much of the time I had been walking down the track but had remained firmly out of sight. I came across a predated egg at the side of the path. It was quite large but didn't appear to be big enough for a Mute Swan egg and I wondered if it could be a Greylag Goose egg.

I could see two Oystercatchers in one of the fields as I came up onto the embankment and overhead a couple of Yellow Wagtail called as they flew over. A Mediterranean Gull called from the direction of the sea wall while at the stables, apart from three Pied Wagtails, all was quiet in the horse paddocks. A Cetti's Warbler exploded into song nearby but stayed under cover. A Whitethroat was more obliging and kept a wary eye on me as I came past.

Whitethroat

On reaching the sea wall the tide was on its way out and a Grey Heron, landing in the shallow water, drew the unwanted attention of a couple of Herring Gulls who mobbed it repeatedly.

Grey Heron and Herring Gull

Grey Heron and Herring Gull

Sedge and Reed Warblers were singing as I made my way towards Plumpudding and the odd Oystercatcher was along the shore. A Cetti's Warbler was singing on the opposite side of the sea wall while a Rock Pipit was working its way along one of the island edges on Plumpudding Island itself. A couple of Mallard appeared to be the only other occupants apart from a couple of Pied Wagtail but a little further on I caught sight of a single Dunlin on one of the islands with its black belly patch showing well.

Dunlin

A little further along both Sedge Warbler and Whitethroat were in full song and I paused to be able to enjoy listening to both.

Whitethroat

Sedge Warbler

I keep hoping to hear a Grasshopper Warbler but have not had any luck so far despite listening in all likely spots. I am just hoping that it is not like Goldcrest and Redwing where I suddenly realised that I couldn't hear them any more. Still, I can only keep trying each time I come out and hopefully at some point I might be lucky enough to either see or hear one. A little group of flowers offered a welcome splash of colour on the concrete slope of the sea wall and appeared to be a Marigold. 

The odd House Martin was moving west with small numbers of Swallow. Several Skylarks were towering higher in their song flights. Coldharbour was quiet but on the other side of the sea wall a smart male Wheatear showed well.

male Wheatear

I had a sit on the sea wall for a while and 7 Common Scoter were off shore. The tide was well out and a couple of Grey Plover were on the exposed Mussel bed. A Whimbrel called as it flew west a good ways out to sea and a small flock of 15 Sand Martin also headed west. I carried on towards Reculver and an Oystercatcher took exception to a passing Carrion Crow and gave chase. It got slightly more than it bargained for when the Carrion Crow turned the tables and nearly took a tail feather from the Oystercatcher. A male Marsh Harrier was hunting over the far field edge on the other side of the sea wall.

Oystercatcher and Carrion Crow

Oystercatcher and Carrion Crow

A Little Egret was up over the oyster farm and a Common Buzzard was up at the back. A couple more Stonechat were fly catching as I neared Reculver. Cloud was continuing to build to the south but I still had clear blue sky above and out to sea the wind farm and sea forts shimmered in the heat haze.

With the sun still shining when I reached Reculver I had a check along the path beside the Roman wall to see if there was any sign of a Wall Butterfly. I had almost reached the end when I could see one flying towards me. It alighted very briefly before moving off to patrol again. It continued to be very active and tending, when it did settle, to be tucked down on the dried mud at the base of the wall and mostly obscured by vegetation. I only saw the one but it was a welcome sight, and my first for the year, they are lovely butterflies. It was time to make a move but luckily for me it chose just then to settle briefly in view, choosing a handy shell as a perch, closing its wings on landing and only resting for a moment before it was off again. 

Wall Butterfly

Wall Butterfly

Wall Butterfly

Several patches of Common Fumitory were dotted around, the colour catching my eye as I made my back and brought a walk through on a beautiful spring day to a close.

Common Fumitory

Birds seen this visit included: 5 Pheasant, 10 Blackbird, 2 Collared Dove, 8 Chaffinch, 2 Dunnock, 3 Chiffchaff, Jackdaws, 6 Wren, 3 Robin, 9 Blackcap, Wood Pigeon, 1 Cuckoo, 2 Green Woodpecker, 1 Little Owl, Blue Tits, Great Tits, 1 Stock Dove, 3 Magpie, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Willow Warbler, 14 Whitethroat, 4 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Moorhen, Sedge Warblers, Reed Warbler, 1 Mistle Thrush, 4 Mute Swan, 6 Shelduck, 9 Lapwing, Goldfinches, 2 Yellow Wagtail, 11 Swallow, Reed Warblers, 6 Tufted Duck, 8 Oystercatcher, 6 Reed Bunting, 3 Pied Wagtail, 10 Linnet, 1 Mediterranean Gull, 17 Turnstone, 2 Meadow Pipit, Herring Gulls, 1 Grey Heron, Black-headed Gulls, 2 Rock Pipit, 8 Mallard, 3 House Martin west, 1 Wheatear, 2 Ringed Plover, 3 Stonechat, Skylarks, 1 Marsh Harrier, 7 Common Scoter, 2 Grey Plover, 15 Sand Martin, 1 Common Buzzard, 2 Kestrel, 1 Little Egret