Saturday (7th) dawned with a few chores to complete, including feeding my friends cats. Mission accomplished, I spent an hour birding locally around the lanes bordering Conningbrook Lakes and out towards Wye and Brook. Relatively quiet but I did manage a Little Egret along the River Stour, 50 Mute Swans (2 flocks of 25 birds) and 1 Greylag, 1 Kestrel plus a calling Nuthatch. The usual waterbirds were seen distantly on the lakes. I then met my girlfriend Angela, who is interested in seeing some of the nature that I talk about and also that shown on the BBC Spring/Autumnwatch programmes.
Decided on a lunchtime visit to Reculver with a 2 hour stroll around the Towers and Oyster Farm. On route we spotted a Sparrowhawk at Godmersham and a Little Egret at Littlebourne. Reculver was again quiet with virtually nothing on the beach or sea apart from the usual Cormorants and Gulls. The Oyster Farm did hold a Shelduck, 2 Oystercatcher, c30 Linnet, many Redshank and also a Wren commuting with one of Angela's favourite birds, a pair of showy Stonechats. The anticipated Brent Goose flock failed to show - they must have been at Coldharbour Lagoon or beyond.
From here we spent an enjoyable rest of the afternoon on Thanet with Angela's family, before heading back to Ashford at dusk, adding 7 Long-tailed Tits by the Wincheap P&R, and the best bird of the day, a Little Owl, sitting on the top of a hedge near Bilting Grange Farm along the A28. A fox ran across the road back at home.
Additionally, my Parents were out too, birding Dungeness, Pett Level and Walland Marsh. Highlights included 5 Little Egrets at Hamstreet (RM Canal) and Great White Egret, Black-necked Grebe, Smew & Peregrine at Dungeness RSPB. The fishing boats held the resident 2w Glaucous Gull. Pett level was a wild Goose chase with 3+ Pinkfeet, 3+ White-fronts and 2 Brent (D-B). A Bar-headed Goose was probably not so wild!!! They finished the day with 2 Short-eared Owls at Littlestone Golf Course, 11 Grey Partridge along Caldecott Lane, Lydd and 6+ Marsh Harriers, Common Buzzard and 34 Bewick's Swans on Walland Marsh.
Good to see you have visited Reculver. It seems to perform best from first light until 11am ish, although it can be good at any time depending on the winds. I may see you there sometime.
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