Seasalter District - September 08

Email sightings to Mike Gould:  click here

24th. Sept

Unfortunately, I was unable to cash in on yesterday's skua movement and as usual nothing the following day but I did see 8 gannets going up the Swale. Waders were plentiful with counts of 190 golden plover, 210 barwits, 78 brents, plus c.350 grey plover, c.250 knot, c.350 turnstones etc.. By the huts 1 wheatear, c.50 linnets and 8 mipits and 3 kestrels over the fields.  

22nd Sept.

A pm. visit hoping for something with the NW winds but alas no skuas etc. but 2 eiders were a nice surprise along with 3 sandwich terns and 1 kingfisher.

19th. Sept.

Congratulations to Robin Mace and Chris Abrams for their work on the new look website, a brilliant new look for the KOS image and I like the new format for photo of the month!

I stopped by the NRA., the tide was about as far out as I have ever seen it and the waders miles away, although I could see 93 golden plovers resting on the 'hard'  in front of the YC.  I checked on the swallows which were still feeding young and will surely be away soon

I could only manage a short visit this morning and a quick look over the plots revealed little.  A kingfisher was along the main ditch, 3 stonechats were only a few yards in from the road plus 5 reed buntings, 2 blue tits, 3 mipits etc..

16th.Sept.

Another tour of the seafront starting at the NRA (pumping station); a good spread of waders with good numbers of knot and dunlin now plus counts of 170 black-tailed godwits, 44 egrets, 33 g.c.grebes, 2 little terns, 2 sandwich terns and 3 common terns. Joined by Steve Ashton, we sat on the seat just in front of the seawall only to jump out of our skins as a kingfisher (not seeing us) flew low across our heads screaming its head off! On the beach around us were 10 wheatears, 3 here and 7 further west by the huts opposite the Sportsman.  The swallows in the nest near the NRA are very big now, won't be long now before they are out learning to fly and feed etc. hopefully there will be enough insects for them to build up before their journey south. The male redstart was still present today at the huts by the Sportsman along with a chiffchaff and 3 pied wagtails, one sporting sparkling ironwork.

15th. Sept.

Seawatching from the NRA started with an osprey circling the 'island' roost and put up all the gulls and waders before going west up the Swale.

On the incoming tide; 39 g.c.grebes, 26 brent geese were on the sea and 32 egrets flew west in small groups. At the entrance to the plots, 22 goldfinches and 1 kingfisher along the dyke with 30 linnets moving around the beach plus 1 wheatear there.

Moving west to the huts and chalets the large linnet flock sported one which was a pale creamy brown and very conspicuous but looked very linnety-could'nt make it a trumpeter finch.  Whilst watching this, a lovely male redstart was dodging around the huts along with a willow warbler both which posed for photos.

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A WeBS visit to the reserve today produced at least 11 Brent Geese (the first of the season) plus a raft of approx 40 Wigeon on the Swale.  There were still quite a few terns over the Swale, including 1-2 Black and 2-3 Sandwich, but the high-tide roost at Castle Coote held relatively few waders, the highlights being an adult Little Stint and a trip of 9 Common Sandpiper.  Once again I saw no Marsh Harriers on the reserve, but a male Hen Harrier provided superb views as it hunted up and down the field dykes at the east end before drifting off towards the west, whilst one of the regular Peregrines seemed to spend most of the day perched on a pylon at the west end.   Ian Shepherd

14th. Sept.

As the tide was coming in I did a quick count of some of the waders from the NRA; 390 grey plovers, the first big count of 110 dunlin and c75 knot etc. 21 egrets were fishing at the water's edge along with 3 pintail and 7 teal that flew in.

Moved west to the start of the wall finding; 3 wheatears, one of them very confiding allowing me to approach to within 7 feet - and lots of photos! The linnet flock of c.75 still present and two juvenile swallows were being fed by adults at the chalets

Moved back to the NRA to seawatch (joined later by Bob Gomes) finding; 6 g.c.grebes. 8 little terns, 3 black terns, 5 sandwich terns, 12 common terns. 10 brent geese (my first this season here), plus 15 wigeon, 1 pomarine skua chasing terns, finally landing on the sea, and 2 guillemots coming over from Shellness then followed the coast east.

12th. Sept.

I first had a look at the bushes at Wraik Hill car park seeing; 7 robins, 5 blackcaps, 21 goldfinches, 1 whitethroat, 1 garden warbler, 3 grt.s.w.peckers, 1 jay and a chaffinch.

Moving down to seafront by the NRA, the ringed plover flock looked to be 200 plus along with large numbers of redshank and turnstones, also 1 common tern on the 'island' and 13 egrets. Swallows were perched on the wires and generally milling around in the overcast and drizzly weather, the pair nesting near the beach were nearly ready to leave the nest, they could be late getting back to Africa!

A walk over the plots was quite different to yesterday as the bushes were quite busy with birds;  7 great tits, 6 blue tits, 2 lesser whitethroats, 3 chiffchaffs plus 2 hobbys hunting together.

11th. Sept.

Just an hour or so this morning before being called away but checking the roost; 420 redshank, 188 ringed plover, c.280 turnstones, 21 egrets on the 'island'.  3 common and 2 sandwich terns fishing offshore.  At the NRA pumping station my first autumn kingfisher flew across the road and checked out the end of the outfall and 7 golden plovers landed on the beach, still roosting there after I left.  A walk over the plots revealed very little except 1 small tortoiseshell and on the beach 1 small copper.  The swallows were still feeding their last brood at their nest site on the beach.

10th. Sept.

At South Swale today there were: 6 Wigeon and 1 Eider on the Swale; 1 Hobby at the east end and 2 Peregrine on the pylons at the west end; c190 Golden Plover, 21 Knot (most in summer plumage) and 6 Greenshank on the shell-beds east of Castle Coote; good numbers of terns, including at least 5 Little and 1 Sandwich; numerous Swallow and House Martin plus a few Sand Martin feeding over the reserve and moving west; 1 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Whinchat and 4 Wheatear along the sea-wall.   Ian Shepherd

I had a short visit as the tide was leaving the beach, but not much change to the other day except a big movement of swallows plus several house martins and a few sand martins.

8th. Sept.

Two short visits, one in the morning and one late afternoon; am. at the Sportsman huts 1 wheatear, 1 whinchat, 1 yellow wagtail and 1 cetti's warbler.

My pm visit produced some of my highest roost counts with; 325 redshank, 235 ringed plover, 1 greenshank, 1 knot, 18 cormorants and my highest ever count of 540 turnstones. No dunlin, a dozen swallows.

6th Sept.

A look over the mudflats from the NRA pumping station; 363 grey plovers, 2 little stints, 5 knot, 1 greenshank, 140 barwits, 5 little terns, 13 egrets, 320 golden plover off the YC, 1 dunlin, 1 coot, 2 wheatears by the huts plus 1 whinchat and 1 yellow wagtail.

Returned pm. meeting Dave Perrin and watched from the huts at high tide. No sign of the osprey but 1 marsh harrier, 1 hobby, 8 little terns, 1 swift and 1 sandwich tern.

5th. Sept.

At pumping station; a coot  in the dyke, the second record this year for the Whitstable area......  Swallows were still feeding young in the shed on the beach and also another pair present at another site on the plots.  The tide was right out so did a couple of wader counts;  302 grey plovers and 356 black-tailed godwits, 1 knot and still no dunlin.  Further west by the huts the linnet flock had swelled to about 125 and with them 1 wheatear.  Bearded tits and reed buntings called from the reedbeds and 1 snipe flew west along the shore.

A pm. twitch hoping to see an osprey reported by Mike Stevens at Oare, flying eastwards down the Swale which it did yesterday (seen by Mike Roser).  No luck, but tomorrow mid-afternoon I hoping my luck might change.

3rd. Sept.

On the sea front I saw; 39 little egrets, 214 golden plover, 1 grey plover, 7 common tern, 1 sandwich tern, 1 juv cuckoo, 6 swallows, 2 wheatear and 1 whinchat. At the high tide roost; 136 ringed plover, 12 turnstone, 1 bar t godwit, 235 redshank, 1 black tern, 21 common tern, 6 little tern.

Dave Perrin.

1st. Sept.

At Wraik Hill things were quiet but found; whitethroat, blackcap, goldfinch, blue and great tits plus great and green woodpeckers. moving down to the Levels along SS Lane there were several stock doves on the cut fields plus a nice view of a hobby for a couple of minutes. On the seafront c.40 common terns (one close flock of 19), 6 little terns fishing the shallows, and 5 g.c.grebes.  A look around the plots only produced a pair of stonechats and 1 reed bunting - very quiet.  Further on by the start of the wall 3 wheatears, 3 mipits, c.50 linnets and off the fields behind 175 golden plovers and 3 kestrels.

During mid to late morning quite a strong passage of swallows with several sand martins and house martins. Returning to the 'island' roost late morning I counted 242 ringed plovers plus 9 common terns and 3 sandwich terns but hardly any turnstones (maybe too early unless they went elsewhere), the redshank having flown over to Sheppey.

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Walked to Castle Coote over period 1030-1300. 4-6 Wheatears, 2 Whinchats and an adult Yell Wag using the wall. 500+ Gdn Plover on mussel beds prior to disturbance by light aircraft. Noticable continuous passage of hirundines, predominately swallows, with pulses of sand martins, but only a handful of house martins----approx 1800 birds per hour based on a few timed counts.Nice to see stonechat again-it felt like Autumn in the strong SW blow. Common Terns flighting westwards--around 20 counted.
Mike Roser