Tuesday 27 November 2012

November Birding


 

 

There has not been a lot to write about in the “valley” so far this month plus work and household duties have left little time to sit at a keyboard and put down the few sightings I’ve had and, on top of that I have had ten days in West Africa with the wife so birding has been at a premium. The discovery of Penduline Tits in the valley caused a whole heap of trouble with ignorant and arrogant twitchers invading my patch and making my birding there uncomfortable, plus I didn’t get to see the Tits either. It has been very wet and there has not been a great deal of bird activity except for the arrival of winter Thrushes with several thousand Fieldfares along with Redwings and high counts of Blackbird. As I was a little disenchanted with the Stour I even made a couple of visits to other east Kent sites and managed to see both Snow Bunting and Shorelark at Reculver as well as Dartford Warbler at Sandwich Bay. This weekend in the Valley (my first since coming back from Africa) saw me standing on the Ramp at Grove Ferry on Saturday in a rather dense fog that only lifted slightly but at 8.05 4 Whooper Swans flew past from the Stodmarsh direction and carried on through towards Minster Marshes? Three of the birds were adults and one was a first year bird. Sunday, however, there was no sign of any Whoopers but the Alder Wood at Stodmarsh was full of activity with lots of Chaffinches present plus one of each Lesser Redpoll and Siskin and a couple of Goldcrests, a dozen Goldfinches and the bonus of 3 drake Bramblings. At least a dozen Marsh harriers were seen and a Bittern was seen from the Reedbed hide plus a Peregrine was seen to be chasing Fieldfares without much success. Over the next few days I should put something together about the Africa trip which was in The Gambia, a place I’ve visited on a number of occasions but as this time it was with my wife it was NBA trip although the cameras did go with me.
Snow Bunting at Reculver
Snow Bunting at Reculver

Shorelark at Reculver

Shorelark at Reculver
Shorelark and Snow Bunting at Reculver

Shoveler in the rain at Stodmarsh

Shoveler in the rain at Stodmarsh

Fox on a rare sunny day at Grove Ferry

Exreme record shot of the Dartford Warbler at Sandwich Bay