Shorelark

Reculver had been looking to be worth a visit for a few days. Shorelark, Snow Bunting, Lapland Bunting, and Desert Wheatear had all been present and showing well. Unfortunately other commitments had kept me away over the weekend, so Monday it was pick up Dave and head over to Kent to see if there was anything left. From reports it looked as though the Lapland bunting had gone but we were hopeful of the other three.

Delaying to the Monday was good in one respect in that whilst there were a few birders about we had missed out on the twitch that would have taken place over the weekend. Unfortunately we had also missed out on the Desert Wheatear that appeared to have moved on overnight. I was not too worried at this, the year tick would have been nice but we had good photographs of this bird from one that had turned up at Worthing in October 2012. The Shorelark was the main target of the day.

A walk along the sea wall from Reculver Castle towards Coldharbour Lagoon soon found us in the right area but with the usual message of "its just flown you should have been here ten minutes ago". We only had a short wait before it returned and gave good views and with the clouds clearing we also had good lighting, a rare combination.

The Snow Buntings proved a bit harder to find but we eventually caught up with them.

There was a large supporting cast of birds just off the sea wall and plenty of picture opportunities.

Dunlin

Juvenile Ringed Plover

Stonechat

Turnstones

Cormorant

Kestrel

Early afternoon and we set off for home with a planned stop off at Oare Marshes. There was the nagging suspicion that the Desert Wheatear would turn up just after we left but overall we were happy with pictures that we had managed to get.

Oare marshes always gives you plenty of birds to look at, so much so that it is often impossible to get a decent picture, but what you do get is a great atmosphere. As you open the car door a wall of noise hits you and there is continual movement as birds move around and squabble for the standing room that is in short supply and flocks of different birds swirl overhead.

Standing room only

Pintails against a wall of Waders

Black-tailed Godwits in flight

It was a long way to drive for a non twitcher but we had a great days birding. Reculver is a place I will be going back to. It has the one thing missing along the South Coast, the sun is over your shoulder when you are taking pictures out to sea.

Marsh Harrier

The weather looked good today so I picked Dave up and we headed off to Sheppey in North Kent. Our target was White-fronted Geese which we both needed as a year tick. They had also been reported at Rainham Marshes and Pett Level but with seventy two at Shellness it seemed the best option.

Seventy two and we only needed to see one. I'm sure you have already guessed. No White-fronted Geese at Shellness and in fact virtually no birds at all. Last time I was here it was wall to wall waders, this time all we saw was a couple of Pied Wagtails some Shellducks out on the mud and a few Meadow Pipits. Probably our fault though, the tide was way out and most of the birds with it.

We had a quick look around Elmly Nature Reserve, lots of birds but nothing unusual. There were a lot of geese there but they were a long way off and I only had the bins with me, so no chance of picking out the White-fronted.

It was looking like a disappointing day but we had Oare Marshes as our last stop and it always manages to produce some good picture opportunities.

Shoveler

The Marsh had been flooded by the recent tidal surge and the water level was too high for the waders in the main scrape. Most of the birds were in the waterlogged marsh making the most of a new feeding area.

Ruff

More Ruff

We also had a squealing Water Rail that came out in the open. Although they are usually skulking in the reeds they are not a shy bird. When their territory is flooded they seem quite happy to come out into the open looking for food and they always seem to be more concerned about Moorhens and other Water Rails than they do about people.

There should be a really nice picture of a Water Rail at this point but I completely blew it, all my pictures were blurred beyond recovery. Much as it pains me you will have to see Dave's blog "Friends of Groyne No 4" if you want to see the Water Rail.

Still a bit of a disappointing day but then as we were thinking of heading home all the birds took to the air as a female Marsh Harrier flew over the site.

Marsh Harrier

An impressive predator

The local crows were not as impressed as I was and were soon in the air to mob it. It's only when you see it alongside the crow that you realise how small it actually is.

It looked so powerful in the pictures above

Evenly matched in the air but the crows have better team work

With the light fading there was just time for a picture of a Lapwing, another of the bird I tend to take for granted. Not only is it one of the best birds to watch in flight but there are very few birds that can match it for colour.

Lapwing in the sunset - how does it stay so clean in all that mud

No white-fronted Geese but we had a good days birding and came away with some good pictures.

Spotted Crake

Wednesday saw myself and Dave heading off to North Kent in search of the Lesser Yellowlegs reported at Cliffe Pools and the Spotted Crake at Oare Marshes. They were both new sites for us and the first, Cliffe Pools, did give us a few problems, both in the location of the entrance and car parking areas. Take a good map if you decide to go there. We ended up walking a couple of miles to get to the location of the bird, only to find that we could have driven to within a few yards of the viewing point.

There were three birders there when we arrived including Mick Davis and John Stanton. Although the Yellowlegs had been giving good views it had just been spooked and had flown to the back of the pool which was a bit of a disappointment. You could just about make out the bird looking through the binoculars but even with a telescope I could not really make out the distinguishing features. All I could say was that it was something like a Redshank but with lighter coloured legs.

It's always a bit difficult when you hit this situation. I know it was the Yellowlegs that I was looking at and Mick and John had "kindly" shown me pictures of what I had just missed, but my criteria is - see and identify the bird on the spot or take away suitable pictures for later identification. Given the lighting conditions and the distance involved there was no chance of a picture and at the moment I am not good enough to make the identification. So I dipped on this one. Disappointing as the same thing happened to me recently with the Sykes's/Booted Warbler at Climping.

Other than the Yellowlegs and a lot of Great Crested Grebes there was little else to look at on the site. I am sure it will be a great location in the winter but there seemed little point in spending much time there now.

Our second location was Oare Marshes. Easier to find and bird-wise a totally different prospect. If I had been wondering why there were few waders on the south coast I now had the answer, they were all roosting at Oare Marshes. It was difficult to take a picture that conveys the sight and sounds and we spent some time just looking at the roosting birds and various flocks as they circled over the marsh pools.

A small selection of the birds present

Some of the hundred or so Avocets on the marsh pools

No landing space for the Black-tailed Godwits - I decided not to count them

After a time we remembered why we had come to the site and set off for the East hide to see if the Spotted Crake was around. We spoke to a couple of birders who had been waiting an hour or so for a sighting. Fortunately we had timed it just right and the Crake made an appearance albeit very much hidden by the reeds.

Spotted Crake

In its usual reed bed habitat

The other birders all moved on and we were left waiting for the next picture opportunity. You always believe that the next picture will be better and this time we were proved to be right as the Spotted Crake made its way out onto the bank and disappeared under a thick bramble.

Emerging onto the grass bank

Out in the open

 We stood around feeling pleased with ourselves and thinking that we would not see it again. We started packing to leave and then it stepped out onto the path in front of us and stood looking at us for a few seconds. Do you reach for the camera and risk scaring it away or do you just enjoy the moment? In practice we did something in-between the two and managed to scare the bird away without getting the photograph. Still a great moment.

A final few minutes looking at the birds as the sun started to go down finished of what had turned out to be a great day.

Ruff

Golden Plover

Golden Plover