OARE MARSHES

 

I had an unexpected opportunity to do a bit of Kent birding this afternoon  so headed over to a popular birding site near Faversham known as Oare Marshes owned by Kent Wildlife Trust.

It was a beautiful autumn day with temp of 16°and with a low tide there was a large area of mud flat exposed which was attracting a variety of waders.  I spotted  up to a dozen avocet, several redshank,  a couple of curlews along with some other  distant waders which I was unfamiliar with but checking with the information boards, I realised they must be winter plumaged grey plovers which I hadn't seen before.   There were also half a dozen or so  ringed plovers. 

A face book post earlier the day had also mentioned the presence of an eider duck but I  wasn't sure if it was still there or where it might be. So I was pleased when I found someone who pointed it out in the estuary  though  very distant. I could just make out its distinctive black and white plumage and bill shape to enable me to include it in my year list. Perhaps I will make 150  after all!

 a few avocets on the mudflats

the eider is the white speck towards the left of the photo!!

redshank

VERY QUIET AT SLIMBRIDGE

 It's half term this week and with nothing planned I decided to pay a visit to Slimbridge. The weather was rather dreary but it was nice to get out and see how the numbers of wildfowl are increasing ahead of winter. 

Some newly returned pintails were on the Rushy Pen; hopefully it won't be long before the first of the Bewick swans start to return too. I believe morning feeds have already started and there were certainly large numbers of geese and ducks there. Most of the other hides were pretty quiet, I waited for an hour or so in the Martin Smith hide where a bittern has been seen on a couple of occasions recenlty but not today. A sparrow hawk passed through quickly, and there was a flock of wigeon grazing on the field behind the pool. There was also a little egret and heron. Other than that there weren't any particular highlights although I did see a respectable total of 39 species. 

GETTING IN A KNOT AT FARMOOR

 

With still 9 species to find to achieve my minimum yearly target, I was pleased to notice that a knot had been reported at Farmoor Reservoir. It was a sunny afternoon with a bit of chilly wind as I reached the car park before heading up to the shores of the reservoir. As the knot had been reported on the eastern side of F2, I  turned south rather than heading straight for the causeway as I usually do.  

I couldn't see any photographers along the eastern bank, not could I see any waders, so I began to think the knot had departed;  through my binoculars I could only  see a few crows and black headed gull on the shore line.  But then  noticed a slightly smaller bird beyond them, was it the knot? I approached cautiously and was pleased to see that  the wader was, in fact, the knot I had been hoping for. I sat on the wall and waited to see if the bird would venture closer which it  eventually did and I was able to take some photos. 

I continued around this part of the reservoir, the larger of the two sections, then took the path leading to the  Shrike hide and meadow. There were a few common darters about, and I waited a short time in the hide  but there was no kingfisher around nor much else apart from a moorhen and wood pigeon. 

Back on the reservoir, I returned via the causeway, where I found a couple of dunlins and a juvenile ringed plover. A large number of cormorants were resting on the rafts; there must have been  up to a hundred in total. I also noted a few little grebes, great crested grebes, tufted ducks and mallards, greylag geese ( and feral snow goose)  and plenty of coots. 

feral snow goose amongst greylags

little grebe

ringed plover (juv)