Oare Marshes Latest Sightings

October 2008

Kent Wildlife Trust

KWT has an unmissable opportunity to achieve huge gains for wildlife by purchasing a 35 acre extension to this popular reserve. Click here to find out how you can help.

Reporting Your Sightings

To help keep this page as up-to-date and informative as possible, please send your sightings and any pictures taken onsite (please see 'Guidelines for submissions' on the KOS Photo Gallery for details of how to resize your pics etc.) to Murray Wright by clicking here.

Species List for 2008

To view the complete list of species recorded so far this year please click here.

173 species have been recorded in the area so far this year.
 

October 31st

(13:00-15:30) Mainly sunny with a light NE wind gusting stronger during the occasional squally shower. I headed to the Sea Wall hide in the hope of something different on the Swale, but the weather was just too nice! However, a Black Swan present all afternoon up and down the Swale was a bit different and new for the year too! An immature drake Eider was hanging around Horse Sands before joining a flock of 6 Common Scoter and flying west. Apart from that 3 Red-breasted Mergansers flew east, 34 Pintail flew north, and several Marsh Harriers headed north to Sheppey. There was plenty of Brent Goose activity again with birds flying in all directions in addition to those on the water at Castle Coote. I met Dave Perrin who had seen 7 drake Eiders drifting west on the Swale off the slipway at around 11:00 (a good count by recent standards), plus 9 Red-breasted Mergansers and 2 Common Scoters.

(Murray Wright)

October 30th

(06:15-12:15) Mostly cloudy with some brighter interludes and a fresh and chilly ESE wind. A Barn Owl was hunting around the East Hide before drifting south-east. 8 Mute Swans were on the East Flood before departing east towards Seasalter. Only around 100 Starlings left their roost in the reeds at around 07:00. A male Marsh Harrier spent some time around the flood disturbing the many Teal and Shoveler amongst which there were 2 drake Pintail, a pair of Gadwall and 13 Wigeon. Lots of Fieldfares around again this morning with 200 in the field to the south east of the East Hide, plus 13 Redwings amoingst them. There were around 500 Brent Geese on the Swale just to the east of Castle Coot, plus flocks of birds apparently coming into the Swale from the east - new arrivals perhaps. Some of these continued west, and one flock of around 200 birds circled over the East Flood before heading off south-east. A Rock Pipit was in front of the Sea Wall hide. A female Red-breasted Merganser flew west along the Swale, and there were 9 Great Crested Grebes on the water. A group of 13 Gannets came into the Swale before heading out north. 7 Turnstones were on the slipway. Waders on the East Flood shortly before high tide included 3 Little Stints, circa 300 Dunlin, 4 Knot, 5 Grey Plovers, 34 Ringed Plovers, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, circa 300 Black-tailed Godwits, 9 Ruff and 7 Turnstones.

(Murray Wright)

October 29th

(06:30-11:00) Mostly bright and sunny with a chilly N wind. Met up with Mike Stevens. No sign of the Whooper Swan again this morning, just 11 Mute Swans on the East Flood first thing before flying off east. There were  up to 250 Fieldfares in and over the paddocks this morning, plus just 7 Redwings, a Brambling flying west and 2 Siskins flying south. Skylarks were moving west in small flocks with circa 75 being noted during the morning. 3 Goldrests were in the cottage gardens. The winter plumage Spotted Redshank was on the West Scrape again. A male Blackcap was with a flock of 12 Long-tailed Tits and 2 Goldcrests in the hedge to the east of the East Hide. A female Red-breasted Merganser was at the mouth of Faversham Creek, and 16 Avocets were on the mud there. 12 Great Crested Grebes were on the Swale. 2 Bar-tailed Godwits were on the mud by the slipway. On the East Flood there was 1 Little Stint (Mike Gould had two later on), 1 Curlew Sandpiper, 1 Greenshank, 1 Green Sandpiper, 2 Ruff, 23 Ringed Plovers, 1 Turnstone, 2 drake Pintail, 17 Wigeon and 2 Little Egrets.

(Murray Wright)

The adult Whooper Swan was on the East Flood late afternoon until 16:50 when it flew off towards Sheppey with Mute Swans.

(Julian Russell)

October 28th

(06:25-11:45) A beautiful sunny calm and frosty morning. The east flood at low tide was host to a duck Pintail and a juvenile Curlew Sandpiper but the two Mute Swans at the back of the flood were not, alas, accompanied by a Whooper Swan today (still present on the South Swale I understand). In the scrub and trees opposite the cottages, there were single Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers, a Redwing, a flock of ten Long-tailed Tits and a Lesser Redpoll dropped in for a few minutes. A single Green Sandpiper dropped into what was once called the SE scrape (remember the male Red-necked Phalarope there one spring) and three Greenshank, in the creek, were later seen on the flood at high tide and 17 Avocets were at the mouth of the creek. One Great Crested Grebe was on the Swale and four Turnstones and two Rock Pipits were by the slipway. Looking across to the other side, six Red-legged Partridges could be seen east of the slipway there. A Spotted Redshank fed actively on the new west scrape and four Little Stints and five Ruff were on the east flood at high tide. Saw Mike Stevens and Mike Roser, the latter in the company of the colonel of his regiment from days of national service in Hong Kong. Not often that mention of Nordmann's Greenshank, Black-faced Spoonbill and Spoon-billed Sandpiper is heard down the marshes.

(Geoff Burton)

A Barn Owl was hunting around the reserve at dusk.

(Julian Russell)

October 26th

(10:45-11:45) Grey and wet with a brisk SW wind. I started the day with a successful and enjoyable twitch of Kent's first Green Heron along the Royal Military canal at West Hythe, which performed admirably in the filthy weater - what a super bird! Left the site at around 10:00 and headed to Oare where I only had time to spend an hour watching from the pull in during a brief lull in the weather. Business as usual on the East Flood around high tide: 4 Little Stints, 2 Curlew Sandpipers (including the bird with the injured leg), circa 200 Dunlin, 4 Greenshank, circa 200 Redshank, 4 Bar-tailed Godwits, circa 500 Black-tailed Godwits, 12 Common Snipe, 1 drake Pintail, 3 Gadwall (two drakes), 13 Wigeon, good numbers of Teal and Shoveler, and 2 Little Egrets. A Sparrowhawk flew through putting everything up for a while. 2 Water Rails were sparring noisily by the cattle bridge. Just as I was about to leave a male Hen Harrier appeared over the paddocks/scrub before drifting south-west.

(Murray Wright)

October 25th

(07:05-11:45) Bright and sunny after a cold and frosty start with a light SSW wind picking up later. It was nice to find the adult Whooper Swan on the East Flood this morning, calling occasionally, until it flew off east at 07:18 towards Nagden Marshes with a pair of Mute Swans. There were 6 Mute Swans and 10 Ruff on the flood. A Barn Owl was hunting around the West Hide. 2 or 3 Green Sandpipers were flying around the west side. A Sparrowhawk flew over the fishing ponds. 3 Goldcrests and a Chiffchaff were in the copse opposite the cottages, and 2 Redwings were in the paddocks, plus a couple of noisy cock Pheasants. Small numbers of Skylarks were moving west but little else. A Peregrine was on the Oare Marshes pylon for a change. On the East Flood at high tide: 1 Little Stint, 3 juvenile Curlew Sandpipers, circa 75 Dunlins, 13 Knot, 1 Green Sandpiper, 22 Ringed Plovers, 25 Golden Plovers, 2 Turnstones, circa 100 Redshank and circa 400 Black-tailed Godwits, plus a pair of Pintail, 7 Wigeon and 2 Little Egrets. 3 Corn Buntings circled over the sluice before flying east, and a Rock Pipit was on the sluice. 3 Great Crested Grebes were on the Swale, and towards Seasalter there were circa 400 Brent Geese. Plenty of Bearded Tits were showing well in the reeds. 2 Rock Pipits were on the slipway. A Common Buzzard was perched in the bushes at the base of Mocketts hill, plus 3 Marsh Harriers over the hill.

(Murray Wright)

October 24th

The briefest of brief visits on a cold and damp morning. The post high tide roost comprised circa 100 Black-tailed Godwits, 1 Greenshank, 1 Curlew Sandpiper, 3 Little Stints, a handful of Snipe and Dunlin and about 70 Redshank. Marsh Harriers were seen to the west, over Nagden and over Sheppey. The Water Rail was showing well from time to time by the viewing pull-in as it has been for the last few days.

(Mike Stevens)

October 23rd

(07:30-12:00) Mostly cloudy with a strengthening SW wind. At high tide on the East Flood there were 2 winter plumage Little Stints, circa 75 Dunlin, 2 Knot, 1 Greenshank, 1 Green Sandpiper, 5 Ruff and circa 100 Black-tailed Godwits, plus a drake Pintail and 2 Little Egrets. The roost was restless and soon dispersed when disturbed by a female Sparrowhawk. A female Brambling and a Fieldfare were in the dead trees opposite the cottages, plus 4 Mistle Trushes. A male Sparrowhawk shot through into the cottage gardens. A flock of circa 13 Long-tailed Tits were in the paddocks, and a Green Sandpiper flew west. Met Mike Stevens at the slipway where there were 2 Rock Pipits and 1 Turnstone. We headed to Dan's Dock and back, but saw very little - a male Marsh Harrier was over the West Flood, and a couple of juveniles were over Mocketts. Heading back along the entrance road a Grey Wagtail flew over and landed on the cottages, and a male Great Spotted Woodpecker was in the bushes near the path to the East Hide. Small numbers of Chaffinches were moving west throughout the morning. The adult Whooper Swan was still present on Nagden Marshes and viewable distantly from circa 100yds south of the cottages.

(Murray Wright)

October 22nd

(07:30-12:20) A beautiful sunny calm morning with a distinct chill in the air. On the east flood, with the tide still high, single juvenile Curlew Sandpiper and winter plumage Little Stint were seen as well as one Greenshank and there was a Spotted Redshank on the new west scrape. No sign of vis.mig overhead but at least three Redwings were in the scrub and a Fieldfare was on the wires of the fields behind. A Chiffchaff was present and, later a flock of 12 Long-tailed Tits and two Goldcrests left the cottage gardens and flew into the copse opposite. A Grey Wagtail flew high west over the west flood and later one flew low over the paddocks. Other birds included a juvenile Peregrine over the floods, sparring with a Marsh Harrier, and later seen over Mocketts Hill, three Green Sandpipers around the floods, a Jay flying high south over the west flood (from Sheppey?) and a Brambling calling unseen over the floods late morning. At least five Stonechats were seen and four Cetti's Warblers heard.

(Geoff Burton)

The Water Rail was performing well again this afternoon from the pull in by the cattle bridge.

(Ian Hardy)

October 21st

(06:30-08:45 and 14:00-16:30) The remaining cloud and rain soon cleared to the east early on to leave a mainly bright and sunny day with a W breeze. I hadn't planned to visit this morning, but after a text lastnight from Geoff regarding the presence of an adult Whooper Swan at Seasalter and the possibility of it roosting at Oare, I thought I'd better check. As the light improved there was no Whooper on the East Flood, just 2 Mute Swans, which departed east towards Nagden Marshes at approx. 07:10. The tide was falling, but I noted the following on the flood before I had to leave: 1 juvenile Little Stint, 1 juvenile Curlew Sandpiper (with an injured leg), 54 Knot, a few Dunlin, 1 Greenshank, circa 100 Black-tailed Godwit and 15 Ruff, plus a male Marsh Harrier flew west. Mike Stevens arrived just as I was leaving. Mike phoned me at around 11:30 to let me know the Whooper Swan was visible on Nagden Marshes from the entrance road south of the cottages, so I returned this afternoon. Fortunately it was still there and visible from just north of the cottages - fairly distant (I reckon about a mile and a half away and on the field west of the path that runs from Nagden to the sea wall at Castle Coote), but quite obvious to pick out in the excellent afternoon light. It was with a Mute Swan for comparison, which was quite agressive towards it chasing it away on several occasions. There was a shoot taking place at Cleve Hill/Marshes (I could see lots of 'beaters' waving flags), which had probably encouraged it to come a bit further west - hopefully it will come a bit closer. Anway the first Whooper Swan I've seen at or from Oare, which is nice! A Chiffchaff was opposite the cottages and a Goldcrest was in the hedge to the south. A quick look at the East Flood on the rising tide produced 2 winter plumage Little Stints and 4 juvenile Curlew Sandpipers.

(Murray Wright)

October 20th

(07:45-11:45) A bright start, but heavy cloud soon blew in on the strong SW wind. A very dark looking juvenile Marsh Harrier flew west over the West Flood, and an adult male was hunting around the East Flood. Chaffinches were moving west all morning in flocks of 15-50 with circa 500 birds being noted between 09:00 and 11:30. Also, flying west were 2 Lesser Redpolls (my first for the year), 6 Siskins, circa 50 Skylarks and 4 Fieldfares (my first of the autumn). A Grey Wagtail flew over and dropped out of view onto the West Scrape, where there was also a winter plumage Spotted Redshank again and a Green Sandpiper. 27 Ruff were on the East Flood (17 of which flew off over the Swale), plus 2 Green Sandpipers over, circa 250 Lapwings, 7 Golden Plovers, circa 250 Black-tailed Godwits, 2 Pintail, 5 Wigeon, 111 Teal, 143 Shoveler, 11 Mallard, 185 Coot, 9 Moorhen and 2 Little Egrets. 2 Grey Wagtails flew over the flood and headed south. A Kingfisher was seen near the sluice. 14 Avocets were at the mouth of Faversham Creek. A Common Buzzard was mobbed by corvids over Mocketts. 37 Mallard were on the dyke between the West Scrape and West Flood. The Water Rail was performing well again from the pull in, occasionally swimming out in the open, but was too quick for me to get anything better than the record shot below of it skulking in the reeds!

(Murray Wright)

October 19th

(06:45-11:15) A mainly overcast morning with a few sunny spells and a freshening SW wind. I heard a couple of Redwings flying west just after I arrived, but didn't hear or see anymore and there was no vismig to speak of save for a few Skylarks and Meadow Pipits flying west. A Common Buzzard flew from the fishing ponds north to Sheppey. The Starling roost, now only around 500 birds, dispersed from the reeds around the East Flood at 07:19. 2 Little Stints were on the flood early on before flying out to the Swale. A winter plumage Spotted Redshank, 1 Green Sandpiper and 7 Wigeon were on the West Scrape. A juvenile Curlew Sandpiper was on the mud in front of the Sea Wall hide amongst circa 100 Dunlins. A Chiffchaff was in the carpark bushes. A Rock Pipit was just west of the Watch House. A Green Sandpiper and 2 Little Egrets were on the West Flood, plus a male Marsh Harrier hunting there. There were plenty of birds at Uplees copse, but I couldn't find anything more interesting than a single Corn Bunting amongst them. A flock of 107 Golden Plovers were on the mud at Uplees, and 36 Avocets were on the Sheppey side, plus 6 Great Crested Grebes on the Swale. At least 5 pairs of Stonechat and 5 singing Cetti's Warblers were around the area today. Back at the East Flood before I left there were circa 300 Black-tailed Godwits, 3 Ruff, a drake Gadwall and 2 Little Egrets.

(Murray Wright)

October 17th

(13:00-17:15) A beautiful bright, sunny and calm afternoon. Met up with Mike Stevens at the pull-in. It was another very high tide today. The numbers of Golden Plover on the East Flood was very impressive with at least 1200 being present. We also noted: 5 Little Stints, circa 250 Dunlins, circa 60 Knot, 13 Ringed Plovers, 2 Grey Plovers (plus six more flew west), 1 Spotted Redshank, 5 Greenshanks, 2 Bar-tailed Godwits, circa 750 Black-tailed Godwits, 2 Ruff, 1 Turnstone, circa 25 Common Snipe and 2 Little Egrets. Continuing the good run for the species, a Grey Wagtail flew west - an Oare tick for Mike. 12+ Long-tailed Tits were seen near the cottages. A Kingfisher was flushed near the sluice. 2 Common Seals were in Faversham Creek and were heading upstream. As we approached the Sea Wall hide 5 Common Scoter were picked up flying east along the Swale, and from the hide there were several hundred Brent Geese on the water looking towards Seasalter. A Turnstone and assorted gulls were on the slipway, including 6 Common Gulls roosting on the poles there, and a Rock Pipit dropped onto the rocks just west of the Watch House. Back at the pull-in a Water Rail was showing very well near the cattle bridge, and we watched it swimming and catching a fish. Finally, what was probably the same Grey Wagtail seen earlier was feeding around the southern edge of the flood.

(Mike Stevens and Murray Wright)

October 16th

(08:00-16:00) The early morning cloud was soon blown away on a freshening NW wind leaving a mainly bright and sunny day. A smart Grey Wagtail was feeding around the East Flood close to the road before moving to the dyke on the west side of the road. Also on the flood early on there were 2 juvenile Little Stints, 6 Ruff, a drake Pintail and 5 Wigeon. A Chiffchaff, a pair of Stonechats and 4+ Green Woodpeckers were around the paddocks, and several Goldcrests were calling from the cottage gardens. A Green Sandpiper and 7 Wigeon were on the West Scrape. A Common Buzzard and 3 Marsh Harriers were hanging over the slopes to the west of Mocketts. I walked down to Uplees but it was pretty fruitless with 6 more Stonechats being the only birds of note. Heading back I met Mike Stevens at the slipway where there was a juvenile Curlew Sandpiper, circa 20 Ringed Plovers, 11 Turnstones and 2 Bar-tailed Godwits. 8 Avocets were at the mouth of Faversham creek before flying west along the Swale. On the East Flood around high tide (circa 14:00): 6 Little Stints, 3 Curlew Sandpipers, circa 400 Dunlin, 60 Knot, 33 Ringed Plovers, 2 Grey Plovers, circa 600 Golden Plovers, 1 Green Sandpiper, 5 Greenshanks, circa 500 Redshank, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, circa 750 Black-tailed Godwits, 1 Turnstone and 2 Little Egrets. We moved to the Sea Wall hide in the hope that the NW wind might have brought something into the Swale, but all we saw was a juvenile Gannet, plus 2 Peregrines and several Marsh Harriers headed north to Sheppey. Several Red Admirals noted today.

(Murray Wright)

October 15th

(7:10-11:00) A change in the weather, cloudy with a moderate southerly wind and a few light showers, but no change in birding fortunes for Murray and me. Four Ruff and two Little Stints were on the east flood early morning but soon flew off. The trees opposite the cottages were quiet; two Goldcrests and a male Blackcap and a male Great Spotted Woodpecker were noted. Bird of the day was a male Hen Harrier which flew east behind the east flood and over to Nagden at about 9 a.m. There were two Greenshank in Faversham Creek (later on the east flood) and a Rock Pipit. Four Turnstones flew towards the mouth of the creek across the Swale, there was a single Curlew Sandpiper and two Bar-tailed Godwits near the slipway and a second Rock Pipit was on the slipway.

(Geoff Burton)

October 14th

(08:00-11:00) Weather-wise it was a superb start to the day, glorious sunshine and not a breath of wind. While there was much avian activity in the cottages area and beyond to the fishing lakes, little of real interest was seen. Small groups of Chaffinches dribbled through, at least 5 Stonechats made their presence known as did a Cetti's Warbler, 3 Green Woodpeckers and an unusually noisy Sparrowhawk that took up post on the fence by the West Hide for about forty minutes. Behind the East Hide a party of 12 Long-tailed Tits made its way through the bushes and beyond the sluice two groups of Bearded Tits took to the air, pinging the while. Another Cetti's Warbler was in fine voice behind the Sea Wall hide. By 11:00 hours on the East Flood there were upwards of 250 Redshank including 3 of the Spotted variety, about 350 Black-tailed Godwits, 2 Little Stints near the pull-in, 1 Greenshank and  handfuls of Golden Plover, Common Snipe and Dunlin. Save for  about 100 Brent Geese off Seasalter there was nothing to be seen on or over the Swale and apart from the aforementioned Sparrowhawk and a couple of Kestrels no raptors were noted. So, nothing startling but a pleasant day for an arthritic limp around the reserve.

(Mike Stevens)

October 13th

(07:15-12:30) A little mist first thing then warm, hazy sunshine and a light SSW wind. A quick look at the East Flood produced just 2 juvenile Little Stints, 5 Ruff and 7 Wigeon. In the scrub/paddocks there was 1 Chiffchaff, a pair of Stonechat, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker and 1 Jay, plus 2 Green Sandpipers flew over and dropped into the fishing ponds. 6 Skylarks flew west over the entrance road. A duck Pochard was on the dyke between the West Scrape and West Flood. 3 Stonechats were along the sea wall  heading west towards Dan's Dock. 5 Bearded Tits were at the dock, plus another pair of Stonechat, a Kingfisher and 2 Green Woodpeckers. 2 Chiffchaffs were at Uplees copse, plus a female Green Woodpecker and a male Great Spotted Woodpecker, and 2 Great Crested Grebes were on the Swale there. 2 juvenile Marsh Harriers were over Mocketts. Back at the East Flood I was a bit surprised to find a smart juvenile Wood Sandpiper had dropped in, only the second record I know of this autumn - a very poor showing again as in 2007. Also on the flood at high tide: there were now 4 juvenile Little Stints, 2 juvenile Curlew Sandpipers, circa 300 Dunlins, 50 Knot, 1 Spotted Redshank, 4 Greenshanks, circa 250 Redshanks, 11 Ringed Plovers, 3 Grey Plovers, circa 600 Golden Plovers, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, circa 600 Black-tailed Godwits, circa 20 Common Snipe, 2 Turnstones, 7 Avocets, 1 drake Pintail, 6 Common Gulls and 1 Little Egret. A female Marsh Harrier flew south-west over the cottages. A Peregrine was on the Nagden pylons. A noisy flock of 16 Long-tailed Tits were in the bushes behind the East Hide, plus a Chiffchaff again. Back at the cottages there were several Goldcrests in the gardens, and 2 Siskins flew west.

(Murray Wright)

October 12th

(07:15-12:30) Foggy until around 10:00 when it finally lifted to leave another warm and bright morning with a light S wind. I should have had a lie in for once as the fog was quite thick for the first three hours or so. When it did lift I recorded the following on the East Flood (high tide was around 11:30): 4 juvenile Little Stints (6+ noted by Josh Jenkins Shaw), 2 juvenile Curlew Sandpipers, circa 200 Dunlin, 50+ Knot, 2 Spotted Redshanks, 2 Greenshanks, circa 300 Redshanks, 14 Ringed Plovers, 5 Grey Plovers, circa 300 Golden Plovers, 2 Bar-tailed Godwits, circa 400 Black-tailed Godwits, just 2 Ruff and 1 Avocet, plus 2 Wigeon, reasonable numbers of Teal and Shoveler, 6 Greylags and 1 Litlle Egret. A Kingfisher was near the sluice. A male Blackcap was 'tacking' away by the gate to the path to the West Hide. 1 Chiffchaff, a pair of Stonechats and a Jay were in the paddocks. Another Chiffchaff was in the trees behind the East Hide again, and a Grey wagtail flew west there. 7+ Bearded Tits were in the reeds near the Sea Wall hide. A Small Tortoiseshell was near the East Hide.

(Murray Wright)

A male Hen Harrier was attacking the Starlings around the East Flood at circa 18:00 this evening.

(Julian Russell)

October 11th

(06:45-09:45) Bright, sunny and calm again after a misty start. Only time for a short visit this morning. On the East Flood there was a lot of disturbance from the wildfowler's guns prior to 09:00 - the Starlings (several thousands) leaving en masse as the first salvos opened up around 07:00. Despite this the following were noted on the flood on the incoming tide: 5 juvenile Little Stints, 3 Dunlins, 1 Spotted Redshank, 2 Greenshanks, circa 100 Redshanks, 2 Ringed Plovers, 12 Golden Plovers and circa 100 Black-tailed Godwits, plus the 6 Greylags all still in one piece for now, 4 Wigeon, 1 Little Egret and at least 2 Kingfishers zipping around. 2 Chiffchaffs were in the bushes behind the East Hide. A Little Owl was in the hedge at the end of the cottage gardens. A Peregrine was on the pylons. In the scrub/paddocks: 1 Chiffchaff, 2 singing Cetti's Warblers, 5 Long-tailed Tits, 2 Stonechats and 1 Jay, plus a juvenile Marsh Harrier and a single Swallow over. A male Marsh Harrier was hunting around the West Flood, plus a Green Sandpiper flying over. A pair of Stonechats and circa 25 Meadow Pipits were around the Watch House. A dozen or so Sylarks flew west as I was leaving.

(Murray Wright)

October 10th

(06:40-12:05) Sunny and calm but then freshening southerly wind. Good numbers of Teal and Shoveler were on the east flood but only eight Wigeon and no Gadwall or Pintail or Pochard or Tufted Duck. There was also a group of six Greylag Geese. Waders included three Little Stints, two Spotted Redshanks and two Greenshanks. There were two Green and two Great Spotted Woodpeckers in the scrub, a pair of Stonechats, at least half a dozen Chiffchaffs, at least one Goldcrest and a Lesser Redpoll flew east over the paddocks (another flew west along the sea wall later). A Peregrine was on one of the Nagden pylons, two Great Crested Grebes were on the Swale off the mouth of the creek and six Turnstones were on the slipway on the falling tide (two were seen on the east flood earlier). 33 Skylarks flew west, including one flock of 20, three Swallows flew south over the east flood and, as the wind strengthened late in the morning, Chaffinches began to move with at least 150 seen heading west. There were an additional three Stonechats at Dan's Dock.

(Geoff Burton)

October 9th

(07:00-11:30) After a little mist first thing it was another glorious warm and sunny October morning with no wind. The birding was a bit slow though. 4 juvenile Little Stints were on the East Flood, plus 1 juvenile Curlew Sandpiper, 2 Greenshanks, 23 Golden Plovers, 50 Black-tailed Godwits and 7 Wigeon. A Spotted Redshank and 1 juvenile Little Stint were on the West Scrape, plus a Green Sandpiper flying over. A Chiffchaff, 5 Long-tailed Tits and 2 Stonechats were in the paddocks. Another Chiffchaff was singing behind the East Hide. A Reed Warbler was in the reeds by the sluice, plus another pair of Stonechat and a singing Cetti's Warbler. Bearded Tits were very active again with a flock of seven in the reeds behind the Sea Wall hide, plus another Chiffchaff there. 4 juvenile Curlew Sandpipers, 1 juvenile Little Stint and 1 Turnstone were on the mud east of the slipway. A Whinchat was near Dan's Dock with 4 Stonechats. A Grey Wagtail was heard flying high west over the entrance road - easily the best autumn I've had at Oare for this species. Back at the cottages there were 2 Goldcrests, another Chiffchaff and a male Great Spotted Woodpecker in the gardens. Butterflies were much in evidence in the warm sunshine with 2 Commas, 3 Red Admirals and 1 Peacock feeding on the edge of copse opposite the cottages.

(Murray Wright)

October 8th

(06:30-11:00) A fine and sunny morning with only a light W wind. It was nice to see a Barn Owl hunting around the East Flood again. The Starling roost in the reeds at the east end of the flood started to disperse from around 07:00 with something like 5000 birds leaving over the next half hour. Although I was onsite not long after high tide the wader roost was a bit disappointing: 3 juvenile Little Stints, 4 Dunlin, 6 Golden Plovers, circa 200 Lapwings, 1 Spotted Redshank, 1 Greenshank, circa 75 Redshank, just 50 Black-tailed Godwits and 18 Ruff - perhaps they'd been disturbed before I arrived or perhaps numbers were low because it wasn't a particularly high tide. Anyway when I left at 11:00 there were circa 120 Golden Plovers and 150 Black-tailed Godwits on the flood with more birds dropping in. Also on the flood there were just 4 Wigeon, good numbers of Teal and Shoveler, 1 Little Egret and 2 Kingfishers. 8 Turnstones were feeding on the slipway as the tide fell, and 2 Snipe dropped onto the saltmarsh to the west. 2 Blackcaps were 'tecking' away loudly opposite the cottages, plus a Jay there, and 2 Sparrowhawks circling over. 3 Stonechats were around the West Flood, plus 4 Little Egrets, and 3 Swallows flew south. 2 Peregrines were on the Nagden pylons. 2 Bar-tailed Godwits were on the mud east of the slipway amongst the Dunlins, Ringed Plovers and Black-tailed Godwits. A Grey Wagtail flew west along the sea wall.

(Murray Wright)

October 6th

(07:45-12:00) Overcast and very still early on. Brighter later with a very light SE wind. On the East Flood there were 3 juvenile Little Stints, 13 Ruff including the colour-ringed bird with the yellow flag (see below), circa 300 Lapwings and 15 Wigeon.  A Merlin flew close in front  of the West Hide chasing a Meadow Pipit. In the paddocks/scrub: 1 Common Whitethroat, 2 Blackcaps, 2 Goldcrests and a pair of Stonechats. 3 more Goldcrests were in the cottage gardens, and a male Great Spotted Woodpecker was in the dead trees to the west. Around 100 House Martins and a smaller number of Swallows were feeding over the creek and new acquisition. A Peregrine was on the Nagden pylons. At least 4 Reed Warblers were in the reeds around the East Flood, plus 16+ Bearded Tits. 6 Avocets were on the mud east of Faversham Creek. A Wheatear was on the rocks in front of the Sea Wall hide, plus another on the slipway. A winter plumage Little Stint and a juvenile Curlew Sandpiper were on the mud east of the slipway with Dunlins and Grey Plovers, and a Rock Pipit along the foreshore. 31 Red-legged Partridges were queueing up on the slipway on the north side of the Swale. 2 Sandwich Terns were on the Swale. 30+ Meadow Pipits were  just west of the Watch House. An adult Water Rail and a Green Sandpiper were on the West Flood. 2 more Wheatears were posing well at Dan's Dock, plus a pair of Stonechats there, and a female Sparrowhawk perched on a gate. Back at the East Flood Golden Plovers started to arrive with 600+ dropping in before I left.

(Murray Wright)

(17:00-17:15) At high tide this afternoon there were 6 Little Stints, 2 Curlew Sandpipers (one juvenile), 1 Spotted Redshank and 2 Greenshanks on the East Flood.

(Julian Russell)

A third colour-ringed male Ruff has been present on and off since Wednesday 17th September on the East Flood: on the right leg it has a metal ring on the tibia, and a yellow c-ring above a blue c-ring on the tarsus, and on the left leg it has a yellow flag on the tibia, and a white c-ring  above a red c-ring on the tarsus. This bird was trapped and ringed at Molkwerum, Schuilenburgster- en Noorderpolder, the Netherlands on 8/4/04 and has been seen at Oare in the autumns of 2006 and 2007 - information from Jos Hooijmeijer at the University of Groningen.

October 5th

(07:00-11:00) Wet and windy - rain on and off all morning with a strong SW wind. I managed to make it to the East Hide without getting too wet! Over the next four hours the following were noted: 4 - 6 juvenile Little Stints (very mobile today and a bit difficult to count), 1 juvenile Curlew Sandpiper early on, 1 Dunlin which came in with 6 Ringed Plovers, 14 Golden Plovers, 2 Green Sandpipers, 1 Spotted Redshank, circa 40 Black-tailed Godwits, 4 Common Snipe, 26 Ruff early on, 11 Wigeon, 7 Mallard, 152 Teal, 103 Shovelers, 127 Coot , 1 Little Egret plus 9 more flew west, 1 Kingfisher, 5 House Martins flew west, and the albino Starling left the roost in the reeds with circa 1000 of its mates around 07:30. Heading back to the car a Chiffchaff was calling by the gate to the path to the West Hide.

(Murray Wright)

October 4th

(06:40-11:30) A chilly and frosty start with cloud gradually building later on the strengthening SW wind. 14 Little Egrets flew in from the east and dropped onto the West Flood shortly before sunrise. Several thousand Starlings left the reeds around the East Flood just after 07:00 and dispersed in all directions. On the East Flood first thing there were 32 Ruff which gradually headed off to the fields to the south. The scrub and paddocks were pretty quiet with just a couple of Chiffchaffs noted, but still plenty of Song Thrushes and Robins. Whilst chatting with Julian on the 'viewing mound' a Sparrowhawk flew west, and a male Merlin flew south disappearing over the cottages. 2 Goldcrests were in the hawthorns near the East Hide, and the Little Owl was in its favourite tree east of the cottages. A Peregrine was on the Nagden pylons. A Spotted Redshank was on the West Scrape. 2 Wheatears were along the sea wall west of the Watch House. 4 Stonechats were around Dan's Dock. At Uplees copse there were 2 Chiffchaffs, a single Goldcrest and 2 Wheatears. Back at the East Flood at low tide: 4 Little Stints, 1 Greenshank and 1 Green Sandpiper, plus 9 Wigeon, circa 200 each of Teal and Shoveler, 1 Little Egret and 2 Kingfishers.

(Murray Wright)

On the East Flood this evening there were 2 Little Stints, 6 Curlew Sandpipers, 1 Spotted Redshank, 3 Greenshanks, 3 Bar-tailed Godwits and 4 Knot. Amongst the impressive Starling roost were single albino and leucistic birds.

(Chris Gibbard)

October 3rd

(12:30-16:30) Grey and overcast with some heavy, squally showers on the strong NW wind. The weather looked good for a seawatch, so I headed straight for the Sea Wall hide. However, it was surprisingly quiet and I didn't see any skuas, Kittiwakes or Little Gulls etc. Some compensation was an immature male Common Eider on the Swale around Horse Sands - my first of the year. Apart from that there were just 4 Great Crested Grebes and circa 50 Brent Geese on the Swale. I'd had enough by 14:30 and headed to the East Flood. 2 juvenile Wheatears were along the sea wall on the way. From the East Hide just after high tide: 7 Little Stints, 6 juvenile Curlew Sandpipers, circa 300 Dunlin, 17 Knot, 44 Ringed Plovers, 5 Grey Plovers, 3 Greenshanks, 3 Spotted Redshanks, circa 400 Redshanks, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, circa 600 Black-tailed Godwits, 2 Whimbrels flew west, 7 Wigeon, 18 Cormorants and 1 Little Egret. I didn't see any Ruff or Golden plover. A female Marsh Harrier spent an unsuccessful half hour hunting over the reeds at the east end of the flood before flying off west. A Common Buzzard and 3 Marsh Harriers were hanging over Mocketts again. At around 15:55, whilst randomly scanning around, I picked up a Bonxie high over the Swale flying west, and whilst following it in the scope it passed an Arctic Skua circling round before flying off high north - perhaps I should have stuck with the seawatch after all?

(Murray Wright)

October 2nd

(07:15-12:30) Mostly bright and sunny again, but with cloud building on the freshening W wind. Met up with Steve Clinch and Mike. A Hobby flew north over the entrance road and 2 Little Stints and just 1 Ruff were on the East Flood. There was a fair bit of activity in the copse opposite the cottages: 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Blackcaps (a male and female), 10+ Chiffchaffs, Robins and Song Thrushes again much in evidence, plus 3 Goldcrests flew from the cottage gardens, and 2 Swallows were on the wires outside. A Wheatear was on the slipway. Heading down to Dan's Dock with Mike, the Whinchat was present again, plus up to 4 Stonechats. A few Swallows were feeding over the sheep fields, but no House Martins were noted today. At Uplees there were 4+ Wheatears, lots of Meadow Pipits, a dozen or so Skylarks, a charm of circa 20 Goldfinches, several Robins and 2+ Chiffchaffs, plus 2 Whimbrel on the mud. A Common Buzzard and up to 3 Marsh Harriers were over the slopes west of Mocketts, and several hundred wildfowl, mainly Wigeon but including a few Pintail and Teal, flew west. Back around the Watch House there were now 2 Wheatears. Heading towards the Sea Wall hide a Tree Pipit flew north-west towards Sheppey - an Oare year tick for both of us. A small flock of 13 Brent Geese flew south over the Swale, and more curiously there was a single Greylag on the water near Horse Sands.  Another Wheatear and 2 Chiffchaffs were in the hedge behind the East Hide. From the hide there were now 4 juvenile Little Stints, plus 1 Spotted Redshank, 3 Greenshanks, 13 Wigeon, 3 adult Common Gulls and 1 Little Egret on the flood.

(Mike Stevens and Murray Wright)

October 1st

(07:15-13:00) Mainly bright and sunny, but with occasional heavy, squally showers on the strong W wind. A Wheatear was along the entrance road when I drove in. In the copse opposite the cottages there was a mixed flock of 19+ Long-tailed Tits, 2 Goldcrests (with more calling from the cottage gardens), 3 Chiffchaffs and a few Blue and Great Tits, plus a Sparrowhawk was circling over the fishing ponds. 6+ Meadow pipits and 4 Pied Wagtails were in the horse paddock. Another Chiffchaff and a Wheatear were near the East Hide. I took shelter in the hide during a particularly heavy and prolonged shower - there were 6 juvenile Little Stints on the flood, and I counted the wildfowl for a change - 7 Wigeon, 118 Teal and 132 Shovelers, plus 129 Coot and at least 12 Little Grebes. A ringtail Hen Harrier flew west over the flood - my first of the autumn. A Kingfisher was under the sluice. 4 Great Crested Grebes were on the Swale near the mouth of the creek, and 44 Grey Plovers were on the mud. House Martins were moving west all morning in small numbers with occasional flocks of fifty or so birds, but only a few Swallows were seen. Lots of Meadow Pipits were around the reserve with small numbers moving west. I headed up to Dan's Dock although it was a bit of a struggle into the strong head wind. 4 Little Egrets were on the West Flood, and just 1 Wheatear was at the dock. Back at the East Flood with high tide rapidly approaching: now 8 Little Stints (six juveniles and two winter plumage adults), 2 juvenile Curlew Sandpipers, circa 200 Dunlin, 17 Knot, 43 Ringed Plovers, 3 Grey Plovers, 9 Golden Plovers, circa 250 Lapwings, 2 Spotted Redshanks, 4 Greenshanks, circa 400 Redshanks, circa 500 Black-tailed Godwits, 1 Turnstone, 2 Avocets, 3 Pintail, 4 adult Common Gulls, 22 Cormorants and 1 Little Egret. A Common Buzzard was hanging over the slopes to the west of Mocketts again with 2 juvenile Marsh Harriers, and a second Common Buzzard flew south across the Swale and headed low over the West Flood. A juvenile Marsh Harrier was hunting around the East Flood.

(Murray Wright)