A Day of Mixed Fortunes

Many of the birds that make their way on to Bockhill list are seen passing by while we are sea watching. I decided to have a quick trip to Oare Marshes and get some close views of a few of these species.

As usual at high tide, many of the waders that feed out on the mud, came to the reserve to roost. These Black-tailed Godwits, mostly now in their beautiful summer red spend most of the time asleep.

This male kestrel perched up beside me and it was too good an opportunity to miss, although of course is doesn't fit the specification of a migrant passed St Margaret's.

Most of the Common Terns we see are a long way out so it was a real treat to watch this one feeding along one of the fleets.

Occasionally we get small groups of Avocets migrating past the bay. This used to be considered a really rare bird in the UK but now they have become breeding birds at several places in Kent and there are over 800 pairs in England.

Not strictly a migrant over the sea at Bockhill, but mostly seen and heard as the fly over. It was good to see this male on territory even it it has what is probably the worst song of all our "songbirds".

Why! why do people dump rubbish.

This mattress was dumped by the side of the road to East Langdon. This is only about 3 miles from the free disposal facility at Whitfield. I couldn't do anything about this thing, it was too big to pick up.

I did however pick up all this rubbish dumped in pond lane, and it contained a real piece of luck, an envelope with an address on it. Guess who going to be getting it back tomorrow!

Todays Birding A real mixture of excitement, frustration and ineptitude. There were lots of Swallows and some House Martins and Sand Martins migrating this morning, plus an increase in Whitethroats singing. Then while we were lazily sitting around on the grass at the monument a Black Kite flew through. So intent was I on watching it that I never thought to get my camera, Phil thought about it in time to get some "record" shots. I was really cross with myself for not having my camera at the ready as it had flown almost directly over us. The frustration came this evening with the news that a White-billed Diver had flown passed Dungeness. Five of us assembled in the Bay in the hope that it would pass by and close enough for a good view. About and hour and a quarter after the Dungeness sighting Nigel picked up three birds flying up the channel. It soon became obvious that they were divers and that one was larger than the other two. But at the distance they were and the light conditions that was as far as it went. Three divers, one bigger than the other two.

Mothing. Not many moths, but I did have my first Double-striped Pug and Light-brown Apple Moth of the year.