Weekend 7-8th July
Arriving ridiculously early at the Ramp at
Grove Ferry a little after 4.30am taking in the sounds of the still very vocal
Reed and Sedge Warblers, with the odd Cetti’s and Whitethroat singing out. From
the Ramp were 3 Tufted Ducks, 1 female Garganey and 8 Green Sandpipers. I moved
on to Harrison’s where I sat out a short shower adding a further 2 Green
Sandpipers and 120+ Lapwings. I decided the best course of action was to head
for the Water Meadows as this appears to be the most productive of late. As I
arrived the rain started falling but I did notice there were still Green and
Wood Sands there. Realising I was about to get soaked I carried on to the Tower
hide overlooking the lake at Stodmarsh. After about an hour of heavy rain it
started to ease and with only 5 Common Terns, a sprinkling of Ducks and 9
Canada Geese I knew it was time to head back to the Water Meadows, pausing briefly
under a Hawthorn during another shower. I arrived at the Water Meadows about
7.40am and started to scan the pool from right to left clocking up 10 Green
Sand Pipers, 4 Wood Sandpipers and a couple of Redshank before wallop!...there
it was, on the far bank, a summer plumaged Golden Plover but immediately noticing
how black from head to tail it was my immediate thought was ‘Pacific’. A Lapwing
made a couple of lunges at it and it flew towards me to land on the closer edge
of mud and in doing so revealed the grey-brown underwing and axillaries, no
white as in our European Golden Plover. An extremely black bellied bird with
typical gold, black and white back markings and a strip of white from the
forehead down the neck and along the edge of the wing stopping before the start
of the tail. Another Lapwing started to hassle it where the smaller size was
evident but with very long legs that projected just beyond the tail when in
flight again after being chased of again by the second Lapwing. I sent out a
few texts informing the locals (two who were on site) that a probable American/Pacific
Golden Plover was present although my gut feeling was that it was a Pacific
Golden as I was sure there was less white on the American. I lost sight of it
as it flew towards Marsh hide and over the next four hours the with at least 8
other birders including Jack & Phil Chantler, Sue Morton, Mark Chidwick,
Brendan Ryan, Phil Beraet and Geoff Burton, it was not relocated. Because of
the inclement weather my camera was in my rucksack on my back with its rain
cover on so, sadly, no photographs were taken.
Saturday I added my first Spotted Redshank
of the year in the form of a just starting to moult summer plumaged bird while
other bits and bobs noted over the weekend included 8 Marsh Harriers including the
first fledged juvenile, 1 Greenshank, 7 Ruff, 3 Turtle Doves, several Bearded
Tits, 1 drake Wigeon, 1 Hobby, 1 Sparrowhawk and 4 Little Egrets. I stopped in
at Restharrow scape Sandwich on the way home on Sunday where a single Dunlin
was present and passing by the Chequers Pub the Little Owl was sat on his usual
barn perch.
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| Dunlin Restharrow Scrape |
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| Great Black-backed Gull Restharrow Scrape |
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| House Martin Restharrow Scrape |
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| Little Owl Ancient Highway |
