Kent Ornithological Society

Wednesday 16 September 2026

Postling (Lyminge) (16:10 to 16:15) Dry and quite sunny. [Alex Wiltshire] Map

1 Hen Harrier (Flying low over our car.)

Oare Marshes (13:45 to 16:15) Mostly cloudy with light W'ly breeze. HT 16.00 [Damon Smith] Map

2 Little Grebe (FC), 58 Avocet (mouth of FC), 130 Golden Plover (Sheppey saltings), 1 Ringed Plover (EF - juv), 220 Curlew (Sheppey saltings), 580 Redshank (FC), 1 Spotted Redshank (FC), 1 Knot (FC), 5 Sandwich Tern (Slipway posts), 4 Cattle Egret (with E side cattle), 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Green Woodpecker, 1 Hobby, 1 Sand Martin, 200 Swallow (c constantly flying through S), 2 Stonechat, 1 White Wagtail (EF feeding with numerous Pied Wagtails)

Sandwich Bay (10:30 to 17:15) Sunny, light breeze [Nick Smith] Map

1 Dotterel (Remained on beach for several hours)

North Foreland (06:00 to 11:30) 3 Observers, John Carnell, Phil Beraet & myself. Wind; NW 3-4, Partly Cloudy at first then patchy, temperature 17c. [Craig Sammels] Map

141 Meadow Pipit (In off the sea then West), 4 Common Scoter (N), 4 Common Teal (3S, 1N), 4 Whimbrel (1N, 3S), 1 Common Sandpiper (P), 7 Arctic Skua (2N, 5S), 1 Long-tailed Skua (Juv S at 7.53am), 104 Sandwich Tern (S), 9 Common Tern (7N, 2S), 3 Mediterranean Gull (N), 2 Fulmar (N), 1 Manx Shearwater (S at 7.27am), 1 Balearic Shearwater (S at 9.05am close in), 8 Gannet (1N, 7S), 1 Shag (P), 1 Little Egret (P), 1 Hobby (S), 3 Grey Wagtail (N)

Tuesday 15 September 2026

Grain (14:00 to 17:00) WSW3 HT 15.45 [Russell Brockett] Map

1 Black Tern, 32 Sandwich Tern, 7 Common Tern, 106 Black-headed Gull (HT roost), 7 Great Black-backed Gull, 1 Gannet (adult upriver), 6 Cormorant, 1 Peregrine, 90 Swallow (Most across from Essex)

Stodmarsh (13:40 to 15:00) [Keith Cutting] Map

2 Garganey (from Reedbed Hide.), 2 Green Sandpiper (plus a Common Sandpaper from Reedbed Hide. Other birds recorded included Kingfisher, Water Rail, Bearded Tit and Cetti’s warbler.), 1 Great White Egret (from Reedbed Hide)

Cliffe Pools RSPB Reserve (12:30 to 18:30) Cloudy with warm sunshine, W 5 wind easing to 3. WeBS count. High tide about 16.00. Earthworks on (dry) BBPs with frequent lorry movements along causeway, but not preventing or disturbing FP roost. [Murray Orchard] Map

4 Shelduck, 2 Shoveler (CP), 4 Mallard, 5 Little Grebe (RP), 24 Great Crested Grebe (Crystal Pools), 2 Coot (CP), 1510 Avocet (FP roost), 71 Grey Plover (FP roost), 1 Golden Plover (amongst Grey Plovers), 154 Ringed Plover (148 roosting on FP), 48 Lapwing (RP), 148 Curlew (FP roost), 21 Bar-tailed Godwit (FP roost, including a red adult male), 2225 Black-tailed Godwit (FP roost), 3 Common Sandpiper (Kingfisher Pools), 7 Redshank (RP/CP), 5 Greenshank (CP), 1 Turnstone (FP), 13 Knot (FP roost), 2 Ruff (juveniles on RP), 1 Curlew Sandpiper (juvenile amongst Dunlin roost), 330 Dunlin (FP roost), 17 Great Black-backed Gull (15 roosting on FP, 2 eating dead eels on RP), 2 Little Egret

Monday 14 September 2026

Oare Marshes (12:00 to 14:00) Mostly cloudy with light SW'ly breeze. Warm. HT 14.45 [Damon Smith] Map

2 Little Grebe (FC), 1 Black-tailed Godwit (FC), 120 Redshank (FC), 4 Sandwich Tern (FC), 1 Osprey (Swale), 1 Green Woodpecker, 1 Kestrel, 1 Raven (on pylon), 2 Sand Martin, 500 Swallow (+ constantly flying through S particularly low over the sluice where they were regularly landing), 16 House Martin, 2 Wheatear (EF)

Garrington (near Littlebourne) (10:00 to 11:00) Cloudy, slight breeze [Anthea Skiffington] Map

16 Cattle Egret, 2 Spotted Flycatcher, 1 Grey Wagtail

South Swale LNR (06:15 to 11:05) Cloudy with occasional drizzle, wind a light S.W. breeze. [Colin Fisher] Map

1 Wigeon, 1 Common Teal, 2 Snipe (flew over), 1 Greenshank (flew west), 1 Sandwich Tern, 5 Little Egret, 1 Cattle Egret (Cleve Marsh), 13 Grey Heron (one was seen catching an eel), 1 Barn Owl (close views, down to 25 feet at Cleve Marsh), 2 Marsh Harrier, 1 Common Buzzard, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker (heard calling at Cleve Marsh), 1 Peregrine (a juvenile flew across Castle Coote), 8 Bearded Tit, 24 Swallow (flew south), 1 Willow Warbler, 16 Chiffchaff, 5 Blackcap, 1 Whinchat, 6 Stonechat, 1 Wheatear, 7 Pied Wagtail, 130 Linnet (feeding on the beach below the seawall), 70 Goldfinch (Cleve Marsh), 13 Reed Bunting, 2 Yellowhammer (Cleve Marsh)

Ashford (04:30 to 17:00) Doing work, well birdwatching, in around 25 degree heat, not a bad day to be honest! [Harry] Map

1 Crane (Nice surprise, back fields at Conningbrook!), 2 Little Stint (2 birds at Conningbrook, one flew over and one joined it flying off up towards Dungeness, I think.), 4 Sandwich Tern (Another bird! Showed well flying over, melin picked it up), 50 Mediterranean Gull (They showed well at lunch, flying over.), 2 Kingfisher (The two birds skimmed the lakes, showing really well, although I did nearly get hit in the head by one.), 5 Green Woodpecker (SHowed really well, just sat on the path), 1 Firecrest (Showing well in a tree, flew off towards Conningbrook), 1 Redwing (One late afternoon flew over), 2 Wheatear (Around the bridge to head onto Boy's Hall Orchard mid morning.), 11 Grey Wagtail (Counting throughout the day. Got a bunch along the river.), 30+ Greenfinch (Showed quite well, although it was bad visibilty.), 1 Siskin (first one of the autumn for me.)

Sunday 13 September 2026

Garrington (near Littlebourne) (10:30 to 10:40) [R J Douthwaite] Map

2 Little Owl, 3 Ring-necked Parakeet, 25 Goldfinch

River Medway at Cuxton (10:00 to 12:00) Incoming tide [R Vink] Map

18 Lapwing, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Great Black-backed Gull, 1 Kingfisher, 2 Swallow, 30+ House Martin (Spent more than 5 minutes near and over houseboat before turning south), 1 Reed Bunting

Cliffe Pools RSPB Reserve (10:00 to 12:30) Overcast, sunny intervals later humid [Iain Black] Map

24 Ringed Plover (FP), 1 Greenshank (RP), 2 Ruff (RP), 2 Little Stint (RP), 1 Hobby, 1 Whinchat (BB sheep fields), 1 Wheatear (Cliffe creek)

Friday 11 September 2026

Oare Marshes (10:35 to 14:15) Sunny with light NW'ly breeze HT 12.50 [Damon Smith] Map

2 Little Grebe (W side dyke), 1 Water Rail (DD), 1 Avocet (FC), 2 Golden Plover (EF), 16 Black-tailed Godwit (FC & a further c300 flew W along the Swale Estuary), 420 Redshank (FC), 9 Sandwich Tern (on & around Slipway posts), 2 Common Tern (1 adult 1 juv Slipway posts), 5 Cattle Egret (with W side cattle & sheep), 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Green Woodpecker, 1 Kestrel, 1 Hobby, 1 Jay (also group of 5 at Oare Church), 17 Swallow, 1 Chiffchaff (UC), 1 Lesser Whitethroat (UC), 2 Whitethroat (UC), 2 Stonechat (W side field near pull-in), 3 Wheatear (1UC 2EF)

Thursday 10 September 2026

Ashford (15:05 to 16:19) Warm, with some cloud. [Harry] Map

1 Sandwich Tern (I heard it call and it flew over! Really random, but a definite one!), 2 Green Woodpecker (Showed well until a dog walker flushed them up.), 1 Kestrel, 16 Greenfinch (Showed well at the tops of trees.), 2 Linnet (Showed well at the tops of the trees. I watched it for a while, but disappeared after around 10 minutes.)

Oare Marshes (13:40 to 16:30) Mostly sunny with a strengthening SW'ly beeeze. HT 12.05 [Damon Smith] Map

10 Turnstone (by Slipway), 5 Dunlin (FC), 7 Sandwich Tern (on Slipway posts), 1 Osprey (over Castle Coote & then later briefly over mouth of FC), 1 Green Woodpecker, 1 Kestrel, 13 Swallow, 1 Whinchat (EF), 2 Wheatear (EF), 1 Yellow Wagtail (EF)

Dungeness RSPB Reserve (10:45 to 14:00) Sunny and warm [Keith Cutting] Map

4 Pintail (from Hanson Hide), 1 Red-necked Phalarope (Juvenile viewed from picnic area alongside Dennis’s hide.), 1 Little Gull (Immature on ARC and 28 GBB Gulls.), 3 Great White Egret (2 on ARC and one from the entrance track.)

Shalmsford Street Lakes (10:00 to 10:15) [R J Douthwaite] Map

9 Egyptian Goose (family party)

Oare Marshes (09:10 to 09:25) sun/cloud light breeze s, low tide. [David Perrin] Map

1 ( s.), 2 Osprey (Over Swale west of slipway as tide turned)

Wednesday 9 September 2026

Shellness (Sheppey) (14:00 to 16:00) NW 3 Sunny, becoming cloudier [Jerry Warne ] Map

1 Eider (fem), 29 Arctic Skua (Several groups joined together to form a single flock which sat offshore for c45 minutes before eventually heading off high to the south), 1 Great Skua, 4 Gannet

Oare Marshes (09:50 to 12:30) Sunny with light NW'ly breeze. HT 11.20 [Damon Smith] Map

1 Whimbrel (Swale), 320 Curlew (Sheppey saltings), 2 Black-tailed Godwit (FC), 16 Sandwich Tern (Swale), 2 Common Tern (Slipway posts 1 adult 1 juv), 8 Cattle Egret (with sheep near UC), 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Green Woodpecker, 1 Hobby, 2 Blackcap (UC 1M 1F), 1 Whitethroat (UC), 1 Whinchat (UC), 1 Wheatear (EF)

Cliffe Pools (09:30 to 13:30) High tide with most waders roosting on Flamingo Pool [Stephen Gatley] Map

5+ Little Grebe (Radar Pool), 27 Great Crested Grebe (On Crystal Pool), c560 Avocet, 8 Ringed Plover, 6 Bar-tailed Godwit, c420 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Greenshank, 1 Knot, 3 Ruff (Radar Pool), 4 Dunlin, 3 Little Stint (Radar Pool), 12 Little Egret, 1 Hobby, 10 Swallow, 1 Chiffchaff, 11 Linnet

Riverside Country Park (Rainham) (09:15 to 10:30) [Dave Hale] Map

5 Brent Goose (Rainham Creek), 18 Great Crested Grebe (Drifting on tide off NorMarsh), 5 Sandwich Tern (Flying up west), 2 Peregrine (Roosted on Nor Marsh)

South Swale LNR (05:55 to 10:25) Sunny with a cold moderate westerly breeze. [Colin Fisher] Map

11 Shelduck, 160 Oystercatcher (Castle Coote), 547 Black-tailed Godwit (flew west), 1 Greenshank (on Castle Coote), 5 Turnstone, 4 Sandwich Tern, 80 Cormorant (roosting on the electricity pylons at Seasalter Levels), 23 Little Egret (mudflats), 1 Cattle Egret (Cleve Marsh), 1 Grey Heron, 1 Barn Owl (Cleve Marsh), 1 Little Owl (heard at Cleve Marsh at the Solar Farm road entrance), 1 Sparrowhawk (Cleve Marsh), 1 Marsh Harrier (Cleve Marsh), 1 Common Buzzard (Seasalter Levels), 2 Kestrel, 48 Swallow (flew west), 6 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Whinchat (near Castle Coote), 6 Stonechat, 1 Wheatear, 8 Pied Wagtail (hightide line), 16 Linnet, 250 Goldfinch (the majority were juveniles at the boundary of Cleve Marsh near the road)

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