Bird Watching

Status:	Active, open to new members
When:	Monthly on Thursdays 3rd Thursday 10.30 to 12.30
Venue:	Various

What: Kent is blessed with a number of bird watching sites of local, national and international significance. The group aims to see some of the wide range of avifauna to be found in this corner of the country. This is a joint group sharing with Maidstone u3a.

New members & beginners will be made very welcome.

Where: The group will visit various locations in Kent and Sussex appropriate at the time of year.

How to join: For more information contact the Interest Groups Coordinator

Coordinator: James

Bird Watching review of 2024/25

Our September visit took us to Kent Wildlife Trust’s Oare Marsh Reserve with a rising tide and bright conditions. At our first stop beside the old ferry we immediately saw curlew, oystercatcher, dunlin, turnstone, redshank and a group of ringed plovers nearby. On the Swale a Thames barge was making ready and hoisting sail before sailing up the channel beside us. As we moved along the path the first blacktailed godwits, a little egret and avocets were seen. At the first hide the tide had already covered much of the mudflats but a flock of avocets was seen on the opposite bank. As we walked to the next hide the first group of 200+ roosting blacktailed godwits were seen and the first of 3 ruff identified. At the second hide teal, gadwall and shoveller ducks with a huge flock of roosting redshank, Heron , little egret, spoonbill, cormorant, lapwing and golden plover were added to our list. Walking back to the car park dabchick and a distant marsh harrier were seen.

Our October meeting was held at Riverside Country Park on a clear bright morning with a rising tide. We headed westward toward Sharps bay. At the first stop we immediately saw the usual redshank and teal with a distant egret,. Moving along the path we disturbed a heron from the saltgrass and in the bay saw about 40 scattered brent geese, small groups of teal, a few turnstone nearby and a number of black headed gulls. As we moved on we caught a good close up view of the heron we had disturbed earlier. Chaffinch and goldfinch were added to the list and we were able to see a pair of great crested grebe hunting close to the shore, A flock redshank and knot and were seen roosting on Copperhouse Island with more teal. A disturbance in the oak tree behind us proved to be a group of longtailed tits.

Our November meeting was cancelled

We met again in December at KWT's Oare Marsh Reserve. Although it was bright there was a strong north wind, bitterly cold, and a rising tide. From the old ferry landig we saw redshank, curlew, shelduck and oyster catcher on the mud flats. As we walked to the first hide reed bunting avocet, egret and turnstone were seen. From the hide a good size flock of avocet, dunlin, cormorant, great crested grebe and teal were seen. Walking to the second hide another reed bunting a flock lapwing landed on the scrape and the distinctive call of a green woodpecker was heard. From the second hide shoveller duck, mallard, more teal, pintail duck and spoonbill were seen. As we returned to the car park dabchick great black backed gull and a distant marsh harrier were added to our tally.

Our January Meeting was held at Riverside Country Park near Rainham The tide was about halfway and rising and the weather was cloudy and unusually mild, As usual our first sighting was a scattered group of feeding redshanks ,but as we watched a calling curlew passed overhead. Teal and shoveller ducks were seen at the next creek and a female chaffinch identified in the bramble patch behind us. At our next stop large numbers of shelduck were seen in the distance through the telescope and more teal and shoveller with a few pintail, oystercatcher, curlew and avocet in the middle distance. A flock of dunlin took flight as the tide quickly covered the mud flat they had occupied. Th emphasise the mild weather we spotted the first bumble bee of the year on the sea wall below us. At Bloore’s Wharf the rising tide brought the ducks and waders closer to our viewing point including a solitary grey plover and a raft of 100+ pintails. The cloud was by now beginning to break up and as we enjoyed watching one of our members spotted another group of 150+ pintails on the other side of the wharf and we moved to look at them, Altogether this was the largest sighting of pintails we have seen in all the years we have been visiting Riverside.

Our February meeting visited Kent Wildlife Trust’s Oare Marsh Reserve near Faversham. We arrived in patchy sun with a very low tide about to turn hoping to find evidence of the start of the spring migration. Dunlin, Curlew and redshank were seen at the old ferry and as we walked along the sea wall oystercatcher, black tailed godwit and avocet were added to our list and at the first hide more avocet, teal, shelduck. We also saw the seals hauled up in the distance. A female reed bunting was seen and a pheasant called as we walked to the second hide where we added pintail, gadwall, shoveller duck, cormorant, spoonbill and a male stonechat very close to the hide. On the walk back to the road and the carpark a small group of long tailed tits flew into the hedge and lesser black backed gull was seen plunging in the fresh water of the scrape and a group of honking greylag geese drew attention to themselves. In all 30 species were observed and as we left the car park the threatened rain started.

Due to other commitments I was unable to attend our March meeting at Kent Wildlife Trust’s Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve held in warm bright spring sunshine. Two members of the group led the visit. They reported: “Weather beautiful and sunny, everyone successfully parked (despite the machines being ‘unfriendly’) and lots of birds and some early butterflies seen. We actually stayed until 1.30 as there was a lot to see. Here is the list seen (in approx. order seen/heard): Carrion Crow, Wood Pigeon, Blue Tit, Chiffchaff, Robin, Great Crested Grebe, Tufted Duck, Cormorant, Heron - three nests, two with sitting adults and one with 3 chicks, Magpie, Mallard, Coot, Wren, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Blackbird, Great Tit, Canada Goose, Greylag Goose, Little Grebe, Shoveller, Long Tailed Tit, Buzzard, Blackcap, Song Thrush, Black Headed Gull, Herring Gull, Little Egret, Teal. Snipe - in the end, saw 7 of them together! Green Sandpiper, Lapwing, Oystercatcher, Great Black Backed Gull, Pied Wagtail, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Jackdaw, Goldfinch. No Little Ringed Plovers, but the two knowledgeable spotters who helped us see the Snipe (see photo below) and Green Sandpiper showed us pictures of them from yesterday, so they were around. Peacock, Red Admiral and Brimstone butterflies also seen.

Our April meeting was held at The Woodland Trust’s Hucking Estate Reserve. The weather was warm with a clear sky and gentle breeze. Before we started , leaning over the car park gate we could hear whitethroat, blackcap and 3 nightingales singing loudly from the depths of the blackthorn bushes each side of the path. On reaching the mature woodland the bluebells, for which the reserve is rightly famous, were about to reach their peak and the wood anemone and cuckoo flower were at their best with violets and primroses still flowering. Other birds seen and heard included, wren; chiffchaff; robin; wood pigeon, willow warbler; garden warbler; nuthatch; jackdaw; song thrush; great tit; blue tit; coal tit, treecreeper; buzzard; blackbird; goldfinch; dunnock; pheasant; carrion crow and jay. Butterflies seen included orange tip; peacock and brimstone. On our return to the car park the nightingales were still singing loudly, some members sat on the bench to eat their sandwiches and enjoy the spectacle a bit longer.

Our May visit was held at the Stodmarsh National Nature Reserve. After weeks of bright sunshine the weather was overcast and cooler. From the car park we could hear cetti’s warbler, wren and robin. As we walked into the woodland we heard reed warbler and one of the robins started to follow us closely and great tit, blue tit, chiffchaff, great spotted woodpecker and chaffinch were soon added to our list. Exiting the wood a great tit landed on a twig no more than a metre away from us. Above us 3 or 4 hobbies were hunting high above the reedbeds and a heron flew across ahead of us. Rejoining the main path to the first hide we heard blackcap and saw coot, moorhen, and mallard and the first Marsh Harrier. We then heard two bitterns booming to the left and right of us – and they continued on and off for quite some time. Above the lake a flock of swifts were feeding while at a lower level numerous sand martins. At the hide common tern, herring gull, cormorant, tufted duck, great crested grebe were also seen. Walking back to the second hide reed bunting, sedge warbler, carrion crow and long tailed tit were seen and nightingale, cuckoo song thrush and blackbird were heard. At the second hide we had good close views of a pair of egyptian geese, great crested grebes, mute swan, tufted duck and a low flying marsh harrier. Other birds included jackdaw, magpie and wood pigeon.

Our June visit was held at Yalding Fen LNR on the hottest day of the year thus far. Birds heard and seen included house sparrow; dunnock; goldfinch; blue tit; great tit; long tailed tit; robin; blackbird; song thrush; wren; treecreeper; carrion crow; skylark; swift; buzzard; wood pigeon; green woodpecker; great spotted woodpecker; blackcap; chiffchaff; garden warbler; whitethroat and greylag goose. The grass butterflies were out in force. Meadow brown; small skipper large skipper and a grizzled skipper were seen. The pub at the end of the walk was a particularly welcome sight in the midday heat.

Our July meeting was held at Kent Wildlife Trust’s Hothfield Heath Reserve. We followed our usual route through the woodland across the road and over the three acid bogs down to the contrasting chalk fed brook before crossing back to the car park. The birds were still singing which increased our species tally for the day. Birds seen or heard included: wood pigeon, black cap, song thrush, herring gull, chiffchaff, long tailed tit, nuthatch, coal tit, spotted flycatcher, robin, wren, and treecreeper in the woodland. Carrion crow, blackbird, yellowhammer, linnet, rook, magpie, green woodpecker, goldfinch, goldcrest, chaffinch and buzzard on the heath. A few heath spotted orchids were still in flower and we were lucky to see the rare keeled skimmer dragonfly – in Kent this species is unique to Hothfield Heath. Other dragonflies included migrant hawked and banded damoiselle. Butterflies seen included common blue, holly blue, large and small white, gatekeeper, meadow brow, red admiral, peacock, comma, wall, ringlet and speckled wood. As we walked back to the car park another rarity was found – a ruby tailed wasp. About 6 mm long it is sometimes called a cuckoo wasp because it lays its eggs in the nest burrows of other solitary wasps.

Our August meeting was held at Sussex Wildlife Trust’s Rye Harbour Reserve. The weather was clear and bright with a stiff westerly breeze. August is always an unpredictable month for bird watching, a mixture of residents. summer visitors and early migrants on their way south. We visited 3 hides on our circular walk. Birds seen/heard included herring gull; jackdaw; starling; feral pigeon; marsh harrier (distant); grey heron; black headed gull; cormorant; great black blacked gull; a large flock of roosting oystercatcher, numerous sandwich tern; avocet; ringed plover; carrion crow; magpie; curlew; whimbrel; linnet; redshank; dunlin; little egret; little grebe; grey wagtail; sandpiper; buzzard; shelduck; arctic tern; great crested grebe; wood pigeon; house sparrow; lesser black backed gull and swift. A group of distant ducks on the saltwater lake may have been scoter, but they moved out of sight behind an island before we could be sure and someone mentioned seeing a wheatear, but he was not in our group.

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