I paid a visit to Shuart this morning with the aim of walking through to Reculver via the embankment. The area around the car park was alive with song and a couple of male Blackcap were having difficulty making themselves heard above it all as they tried to out sing each other.
As I walked down the track I came across a female Mallard perched on the wall of one of the farm buildings, her mate was down on the track. I was chuffed when I heard a Cuckcoo (124) calling, my first of the spring. The Marsh Frogs were very vocal.
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| female Mallard |
As I passed one of the gaps I could see 2 Red-legged Partridge down one of the furrows. Continuing down I caught up with a Reed Warbler (125) and a Whitethroat (126), both new birds for the spring for me. It was lovely to hear their song again. I heard a Mediterranean Gull calling and was treated to 7 flying over heading east. It is handy that their call is so distinctive and that they use it a lot as otherwise I reckon I could have missed them. It turned out to be a good day for seeing Mediterranean Gulls and I saw 47 east throughout the visit in groups from 2 to 8.
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| Mediterranean Gulls |
I could see 2 pairs of Tufted Duck, down one of the dykes and one of the pairs gave a flypast before coming down in a further away dyke. A little while later the second pair followed them and landed in the same dyke. Unfortunately they were into the light as they came past so I could only get a poor photo but I liked how the male's tuft shows in silhouette.
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| Tufted Duck |
I headed along to the sea wall for a seat and had 2 Lesser Whitethroat (127) singing at the stables. There was a big difference today in the number and variety of common migrants since my last visit on the 17th. I am always amazed at just how many birds arrive in such a short time window. It was great to see them. Small groups of Mediterranean Gulls continued to call noisily as they headed east. The tide was a long way out. I could see a Collared Dove on the rocks and 38 Oystercatcher were stretched out along the shore. Herring Gull, a couple of Great Black-backed Gulls and some Black-headed Gulls were also on the shore. I had a Greenshank (128) fly over calling.
I headed back toward the embankment and worked my way slowly along it. Whitethroats were in good voice but proved to be difficult to get a clear photo of. They helpfully would sit near the top of a bush to sing but each time were partially obscured with vegetation. Still, it was lovely to be able to enjoy seeing so many, they really did seem to be everywhere.
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| Whitethroat |
A small flock of 8 Corn Bunting flew in and landed in the bushes, calling away. One sat on top of a bush and started to sing, allowing some good views. After a little while they moved on as a dog walker came through. A Common Tern (129) flew over calling and heading towards the sea.
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| Corn Bunting |
A confiding Chiffchaff allowed some nice views as it worked its way through the vegetation and a smart male Linnet gave nice, if a little distant views.
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| Chiffchaff |
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| Linnet |
There was a good selection of butterflies on the wing. I saw my first Green-veined White and also my first Speckled Wood and Orange Tip of the year. Peacock butterfly were the most numerous, a couple of Tortoiseshell and both Large and Small White were also on the wing.
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| Speckled Wood Butterfly |
A Sphaerophoria sp. and a Syrphus sp. hoverfly gave some nice views as they sunned themselves before returning to the Alexander flowers to feed.
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| Sphaerophoria sp. hoverfly |
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| Syrphus sp. hoverfly |
I had heard a Yellow Wagtail fly over calling earlier but I
had not managed to catch up with one on the ground so I was pleased to see one
picking insects off the water that had collected in a tractor tyre track.
It was quite flighty and kept swapping sides but gave some nice views. They are
beautiful birds.
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| Yellow Wagtail |
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| Yellow Wagtail |
I stopped to listen to another singing Cetti's Warbler. They were certainly out in force today. I had several tantalisingly brief views of them but could not manage to get the camera on them fast enough. I love listening to them. I came across a patch of Alexander flowers that had a lot of St Mark's flies on. I am not sure why that particular patch was attracting them. I could see a female Mallard with 5 small youngsters.
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| St Mark's Fly |
I little further on I saw a Pisaura Mirabilis that was in the process of growing 2 legs back. Apparently as long as they have at least one moult left in their life cycle then they can do this. The growing back leg looks more developed than the growing front leg. It is incredible to think that they have the ability to regenerate in this way.
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| Pisaura mirabilis |
I came across a Common Lizard that was sunning itself. It is the first one that I have seen this year.
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| Common Lizard |
In the same area there were a couple of Drinker Moth caterpillars. One was more colourful than the other. Apparently they darken as they get nearer to pupation so that may be why. They are certainly striking caterpillars.
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| Drinker Moth caterpillar |
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| Drinker Moth caterpillar |
Several different spiders were present and I will update once I have identified them.
As the path was becoming increasingly difficult to get through as everything was very overgrown I decided to head for the sea wall and walk along that to Reculver. As I dropped down to the bottom track I had a male Marsh Harrier fly past that looked absolutely stunning in the light and it would have made a lovely photo. Unfortunately, being an idiot, I had forgotten to reset the camera from macro and by the time I realised why it wasn't managing to focus on the harrier the bird had disappeared from view over the green bank.
As I reached the sea wall I heard a Marsh Harrier call and the male and female Marsh Harriers were mobbing a Red Kite and I could see a second Red Kite higher above. Both Kites headed towards the oyster farm and the Marsh Harriers dropped back down. Both Red Kites remained very distant, one was moulting several of its primary feathers. Both carried on west and were lost to sight.
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| Red Kite |
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| Red Kite |
45 minutes later I had another 2 Red Kite going west. The moult in their wings appears to be different and they appear to be 2 new birds, rather than the first two returned.
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| Red Kites |
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| Red Kite |
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| Red Kite |
2 Curlew flew west and Black-headed Gulls called noisily as they had repeated disputes. 2 Grey Partridge, a calling Little Owl and a Pied Shieldbug finished the visit nicely.
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| Pied Shieldbug |
Birds seen this visit include: 18 Blackcap, Blue Tits, Great
Tits, 4 Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, 11 Chiffchaff, Robins, 16 Dunnock, 17 Wren, 20 Blackbird, Wood Pigeons, 2 Common Buzzard, 2 Green Woodpecker, 1 Great
Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Willow Warbler, Chaffinches, Carrion Crow, 1 Cuckcoo, 2
Grey Heron, Goldfinches, 5 Pheasant, 2 Stock Dove, 5 Mallard, 13 Magpie,
Jackdaw, 20 Sedge Warbler, 10 Cetti's Warbler, Skylarks, 1 Moorhen, 2 Red-legged
Partridge, 1 Reed Warbler, Cormorant, 36 Whitethroat, 47 Mediterranean Gull
east, 52 Oystercatchers, 5 Great Black-backed Gull, Herring Gulls, Black-headed Gulls, 3 Collared Dove, 3 Lapwing, 14 Reed Bunting, 3 Common Tern, 11 Mute Swan, 4 Tufted Duck, 7 Swallow, 13 Starling, 10 Pied Wagtail, 46 Linnet, 8
Lesser Whitethroat, 44 House Sparrows, 7 Pied Wagtail, 1 Collared Dove, 15 Meadow
Pipit, 2 Long-tailed Tit, 26 Corn Bunting, 3 Yellow Wagtail, 4 adult Mallard and 5
youngsters, 1 male and 1 female Marsh Harrier, 4 Red Kite, 4 Shelduck, 6 Redshank, 2 Curlew, 1 Little Egret, 2 Grey Partridge, 1 Little Owl,
