MEDWAY WALK TUESDAY 22ND MARCH 2011

RIVER MEDWAY AT BARMING

A change of scenery today. Carol and I did a walk along the River Medway, starting from the medieval bridge at Teston and finishing at another medieval bridge at East Farleigh a couple of miles downstream and back. The walk also passes alongside the village of Barming, part of Adam Whitehouse's patch, so I hope he doesn't mind the trespass.

It wasn't too long before Carol spotted a Kingfisher flying low and fast along the opposite bank and soon after, we stopped to listen to a drumming Gt Spotted Woodpecker. It was quite close by and we were both amazed at how loud it sounded, it had obviously found a good quality piece of timber to drill but despite a good scan with the binoculars we couldn't locate it. Green Woodpeckers were also heard and briefly seen, their raucous yaffling puncturing the quiet and seeming to echo around the stillness of the valley. The only other sounds being the local birdsong and the occasional train travelling along the adjacent railway line.

It's a while since I walked along this part of the river and I was surprised when we reached Barming that the old wooden road bridge had been replaced with a new iron pedestrian bridge. I remember fishing this stretch of river in my mis spent teens and early twenties and can still hear the clatter of the cars driving slowly over the wooden boards of the old structure.

From Barming towards East Farleigh we saw an assortment of birds including Song Thrushes, Chaffinches, Canada Geese and a Sparrowhawk which circled effortlessly above us before gaining height and drifting away over the river. Ever the gentleman I treated Carol to a lunch of bananas and chocolate on a bench opposite East Farleigh weir, where I sat in the sun and daydreamed of the giant Barbel and Pike which must surely swim in it's depths.

The Kestrel pictured above accompanied us for some of the way back towards Teston, sometimes perched in the treetops along the railway line and sometimes dropping to the ground. On this occasion it seemed to be eating a large worm or something similar. Left click to have a closer look and check out it's very nice 'baggy trousers'.

The river meanders slowly here at not much more than a decent walking pace. I think i'm right in saying that this, non tidal part of the Medway, is unique insofar as it's flow is entirely controlled by locks.

Apart from a very big flock of Crows and Jackdaws which rose up from fields on the other side of the railway track, the stars of the return trip were two Buzzards who displayed above us and came close to locking talons on several occasions. We stood and watched until they were tiny dots in the sky and then they drifted away upstream. And so did we.

Dungeness RSPB Friday 29th October

With a forecast of 20 mph southerly winds, which would probably be more like 30 mph across Romney Marsh I thought it would be far too windy to visit Dungeness on friday and the best and most sensible thing to do would be to stay local.



So I arrived at the ARC Hanson hide at Dungie at about 10 o'clock in the morning because I never learn! And it was windy, very windy. The only surprise on this side of the reserve was two Swallows which flew past as I walked to the hide. From there I watched a Marsh Harrier terrorising the occupants of the reedbeds on the far side of the lake, and on the lake I saw Wigeon, Teal, Mallard, Gt Crested Grebe, Gadwall, Tufted Duck, Pochard and a male Goldeneye, all among the usual assortment of Gulls and Cormorants. The water level seemed higher to me than the last visit so no waders present that I could see.

Very few birds were able to make themselves heard above the strong winds on the main reserve, but as ever the Robins managed it giving full blast from the tops of the bushes like the one pictured above.

Surprisingly the Goldcrests, pictured below, managed to make their high pitched call heard from deep within the undergrowth. I saw six in all and heard quite a few more. Great to see but hard to photograph them as they search relentlessly for whatever tiny morsels they can find. I always think they must burn energy faster than they can replace it but they seem to manage, except in the very hardest conditions.





It was nice to see a hunting Kestrel and a single Stonechat along the path near Christmas hide. I managed to get this less than stunning shot of the Stonechat as it waved around in the wind. Is it me or does this bird have a seriously bad attitude?

CHATTITUDE

Other birds seen in the vicinity included a Sparrowhawk which glided across the path putting up a Common Snipe from the watery meadow, half a dozen Meadow Pipits, a couple of Little Egrets, two Lapwings, and a couple of Marsh Harriers which unlike me seemed to relish the blustery conditions, sometimes hanging like Kestrels above the reeds, head on to the wind as they searched for a meal.

I was pleased to seek shelter in the Denge Marsh hide and was surprised to find it completely empty. So I took the prime position and while there was nothing much to see I amused myself trying to get a few pictures despite the greyness and lack of light. First to oblige was the Little Grebe below. I was really pleased to get a couple of shots of this super little bird, something i've not managed to do before. They are so incredibly shy I can never get near enough.

Next up was this female Ruddy Duck, one of two which showed up and stayed long enough for me to capture a few poses. They are of course superb divers so I wound up the elastic band in the camera to full speed and spent a bit of time trying to capture the action. They are very quick and you get no real warning when they are about to dive but dozens of shots later I managed to get it nearly right hopefully.

The only other notable bird seen from the hide was a distant Kingfisher so I decided it was time to call it a day and head back to the visitor centre. On the way I added Chaffinch, Gt. Spotted Woodpecker and another Kestrel, or more likely the same one I saw earlier. Anyway this one had a tasty morsel in it's sights and hovered just long enough for a couple of quick shots before diving to the ground, unfortunately lifting back up empty handed a few seconds later.

When I reached the car park I sat in the car and had a late lunch while watching the feeders. This paid off when I saw a Reed Bunting, surprisingly scarce at the moment and two Tree Sparrows bringing the species list to 46. Excellent reward for a bit of an uncomfortable few hours
at Dungie.

Dungeness RSPB Reserve 24th June

Carol and I visited Dungeness RSPB today, apart from anything else I was keen to catch up with the Purple Herons, whether I did or not is a moot point.

The first bird to be seen was this juvenile Kestrel posing at his front door doing an impression of a rather sinister Cuckoo Clock.

KESTREL

As we drove along the access track towards the visitor centre we added Pied Wagtail, Green Woodpecker, one of many Hobby's and a Marsh Harrier which floated effortlessly as it hunted on the warm breeze.

VIPER'S BUGLOSS

The first thing that struck us as we left the visitor centre was the Viper's Bugloss that currently adorns the whole site with it's spikes of bright blue flowers.

Some birds soon noted included Linnets with the male birds looking superb in their crimson livery and Oystercatchers over flying us, piping excitedly into the distance. Here also we watched four Little Egrets fly sedately by looking even whiter against the blue sky and Reed Buntings still seemed to occupy every other bush, taking advantage of the best perches to sing their unremarkable song.

FIVE SPOT BURNET

CATERPILLAR OF THE LACKEY MOTH

I spotted the caterpillar above on a bramble leaf, I couldn't miss it really with colours that bright. It's the caterpillar of The Lackey moth and so will soon turn into a rather drab brownish moth that flies during July and August. I think I like the caterpillar phase best! Also close by was the Five Spot Burnet, a day flying moth pictured below.

A quick look from Christmas Dell hide, (I feel I can use the Christmas word now seeing as the longest day is behind us) revealed little apart from Tufties a few sleeping Pochards and a flock of Lapwings put up by something probably imaginary, they always seem to be the first to panic.

GRASS SNAKE

Turning left at Denge marsh hide I soon spotted this Grass snake patrolling the margins of the lake. I got as close as I could for a picture but he soon spotted me and glided quickly and quietly into the reeds.

It was here that I thought I saw the Purple Heron in the distance but it was such a fleeting glimpse that I can't be sure. I did however spot Dennis and Doreen walking along the track so now we had four pairs of eyes to search for a better view of it.

There still didn't seem to be too many dragonflies about and the only one I managed to picture (again) was this Black Tailed Skimmer which I think had just emerged as it's wings still had that tell tale sheen to them and probably that's why I was able to get close to it.

BLACK TAILED SKIMMER

From Denge marsh hide we had further distant views of Herons which may or may not have been the quarry, the opinion of the watchers in the hide was split I think. Our attention was grabbed here by the Common Tern family on the raft, Mum, Dad and two chicks which were sheltering from predators under a piece of plastic tubing. Earlier we had watched in amazement as the parent birds chased off a huge Great Black Backed Gull. It was like David and Goliath and the outcome was one nil to the Terns thankfully.

Lunchtime entertainment near the viewing mound came in the shape of a couple of Hobby's, a superb male Marsh Harrier, a Stoat running back and forth the path and the booming of a Bittern in the reeds nearby. It certainly beats watching the football.

The final track back towards the car park revealed a Cuckoo, small parties of Swifts and Sand Martins and a moment of excitement when a Grey Heron flew directly over our heads......................or was it the Purple one?!

GT CRESTED GREBE

Dungeness 23rd March

A change of plan saw me heading through the mist to Dungeness on tuesday morning. As I turned into the reserve the first bird I saw was this handsome male Kestrel perched as if on gate duty, on a small bush opposite the farm buildings. The gloomy, slightly misty weather was a feature of the day and this made picture taking even more of a challenge for me than usual, so apologies for the poor shots to follow. The Kestrel picture was also taken on totally wrong settings in my haste for a quick snap before it departed, a case of look before you leap I think.

KESTREL

As I parked the car I looked at the feeding station and saw two Tree Sparrows going to and fro the seed feeder, only the second time I've seen these in the last year or so. They were also accompanied by a couple of Reed Buntings and a pair of Gt Tits. While putting my boots on Dennis and Doreen arrived just in time to see a small flock of Swallows hawking over the visitor centre. A good start to the day despite the weather.
Three Goldeneye were seen from the first hide, two females and a male but the predominant species was Shoveler, dozens of them with a scattering of Shelduck, Gt Crested Grebe, Gadwall, Pochard, Cormorants and of course the usual Gull species.

TREE SPARROWS

The footpath from the Firth hide was absolutely swarming with small black gnats. I'm used to these things, living alongside a lake, but I've never seen them on this epic scale, you couldn't walk and talk at the same time without ruining your appetite if you get my drift, although the high numbers of Pied Wagtails and a few White Wagtails didn't mind, you could almost hear them licking their lips.

Slavonian Grebes and Oystercatcher caught our attention on the way to Christmas Dell where a very quiet call from deep inside the undergrowth eventually betrayed the presence of the first of two male Firecrests found. Denge Marsh hide was still the place to see Black Necked Grebe with flyby Marsh Harriers putting up good numbers of Wigeon still and a single Redshank, followed soon after by a lone Fieldfare and a Green Woodpecker which flew across the track. Cetti's Warblers were calling all around the site but were not seen, ditto a Water Rail which squealed from deep inside the undergrowth of a small pool. Small glimpses were had of Bearded Tits but in general they remained vocal but unwilling to show themselves, unlike the Reed Buntings who were present in good numbers all over the site and very happy to be seen. In the fields to the East several Curlew could be seen feeding and a flock of 10 were seen flying over the reserve to the South later on. On arrival back at the visitor centre we were first greeted with a singing Chiffchaff in the small wet wood adjacent to the car park and then I noticed the unmistakable song that for me proclaims the true arrival of Spring, a Willow Warbler!

FIRECREST

Over the road the ARC Hanson hide was very quiet as was the (very) wet woods which surround it, not a single bird was seen on this trail if my memory serves me right but back at the car park a small flock of House Sparrows chattered noisily in the Hawthorns and among them were several more Tree Sparrows which was a good way to end a day which had produced 54 species in all and Dungeness as ever provided some really nice, quality birds.

Ding Dong! Avon Calling.

On saturday I had the pleasure of fishing on the Hampshire Avon in the 7,000 acre Somerley Estate which is owned by Lord Normanton, the 6th Earl of Normanton. This is my favourite stretch of the Avon and I fish it as often as possible, maybe three or four trips a year if i'm lucky. To sit amidst the landscaped grounds of the estate, with Somerley House Stately Home in view, in all it's splendid glory on the opposite bank and the beautiful River Avon gliding silently past, sparkling in the sun makes even a fishless day like saturday an absolute pleasure. The only sounds to be heard are the mewing of the buzzards as they catch the thermals and circle above, the cawing of the large flocks of Rooks and Jackdaws in the big trees in front of the house and the myriad other calls and songs from all the other birds that share this wildlife rich area.

Above is one of six Buzzards, this one a particularly light coloured individual, that all congregated together at mid morning, before the clouds arrived and wheeled above our heads calling continuously. On a couple of occasions two birds locked talons and tumbled through the air before breaking away and rejoining the other four birds. This was an exciting performance which held us spellbound for a few minutes and fishing took a definite back seat.

This male Kestrel was one of a probable pair which visited the trees on the edge of the reedbed behind us, where we also watched Reed Buntings and Wrens and I'm sure I heard a Bearded Tit pinging on a couple of occasions. Although reedbeds dominate the bank where we were fishing, the opposite side is flat green pasture that leads through the grounds to the house and this was full of winter thrushes and wagtails and a little further upstream we watched Little Egrets and Herons fishing in the margins. Presumably they were having more success than us!

On sunday we enjoyed a couple of hours of calm weather slightly upstream on the Avon at Ibsley, another gloriously unspoilt area, before the hailstones arrived. We spent the first hour walking the stretch before settling down and found some more nice birds, including a Green Sandpiper that was feeding along the edge of some remaining floodwater on the opposite bank, a couple of drumming Great spots, a Goldcrest at last! and this Cetti's Warbler (above) which flew to and fro the waters edge where we fished, totally unconcerned by our presence. I know the picture is rubbish but it's the best i've had of a Cetti's so I couldn't leave it out.