Saturday 5 January 2019

Isle of Sheppey - 8 raptor species day....

Off we go for a day visit to the north Kent coast and a good days birding....winter on Sheppey is great with lots of potential....

Set off 0640 and arrived at Lower Halstow 0730.....light enough to get on with a meander along the Saxon Shore Way.....having never been to this site before it was all a bit experimental....but it turned out to be really good and some information I had received the day before was bang on....

With high tide predicted for 1120 we....DH and I....headed out for a sea wall walk...and plenty to see.....

Blackbird, Crow, Robin, Woodpigeon, Wigeon, Great Tit, Dunnock, Song Thrush, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Redshank, Curlew, Greenshank, Brent Geese, Fieldfare, Black-tailed Godwit, Grey Plover, Pintail, Oystercatcher, Feral Pigeon, Lapwing, Dunlin, Mallard, Redwing, Kestrel, Ringed Plover, Herring Gull, Little Egret, Shelduck, Canada Goose, Starling, Jay, Marsh Harrier, Cormorant, Teal, Snipe, Turnstone....bird of the visit...4 Knot sitting on a close island with the tide coming in quickly....Goldfinch, House Sparrow, Long-tailed Tit, Blue Tit, Collared Dove.....

With high tide approaching we headed for Funton Creek/Chetney Marsh area for the large flock of Knot.....though this was somewhat disappointing...yes, there were several thousand....but very distant....anyway....we added a few species to the day list....

Avocet...a large roosting flock...Grey Heron, Peregrine...that attacked the Knot flock and flew off with its prey....Hen Harrier.....

Finally on to the Isle itself....we stopped at 'the corner' in Harty Ferry Road....

Mute Swan, Meadow Pipit, Buzzard, Red-legged Partridge.....

Raptor Viewpoint

Chaffinch....bird of the day Rough-legged Buzzard.....this has already been questioned...but as some people already know....I don't do three men in a shed miles away that didn't see what I saw because....they weren't there....

At the bottom of the Poplar row at the west end of the reserve we added....

Merlin, Greylag Goose, Reed Bunting and Linnet

We then met up with JK at Elliots Farm for the view across the reserve....which is a much better view than from the Poplars where we could make out some Geese but not 100% for sure...though we had a reasonable idea they were what we were looking for....

White-fronted Goose.....

Elliots Farm also provided the best views of Hen Harrier as well...in fact....2 Hen Harriers hunting across the field and round the edges right in front of us.....excellent....

Ended the day at the Raptor Viewpoint....the action came thick and fast....plenty of Marsh Harriers to be seen....Buzzards....Peregrine, Merlin....loads of Lapwing out in the field put up by various raptors....we added...

Golden Plover, Corn Bunting, Moorhen....and Short-eared Owl....

A great days birding....with the aim of a minimum of 60 species and 5 raptors....we achieved...62 species and 8 raptors....

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