Kent Ornithological Society Providing information about birds and birdwatching in Kent (Registered charity 21489)

pre-1845

Near Faversham, shot, no date.

1919

Romney Marsh, adult, 16th May.

1942

Romney Marsh, May.

1945

Cooling Marshes, two, 9th May.

Stodmarsh, two, 12th May.

1953

Shellness, Sheppey, immature, 15th September.

1955

Lower Halstow Creek, adult, 26th September.

1957

Shellness, Sheppey, two, 29th September.

1965

Hythe, Palmarsh, 23rd May.

1967

Stoke Lagoon, 29th May.

1978

Dungeness, 10th, 16th-17th and 24th June, and 6th July; same as West Sussex.

1980

Capel Fleet, male, 21st June to 20th August, same bird as Essex individual.

1981

Elmley, 10th-11th May.

1982

Yantlet, 18th September.

1987

Cliffe Pools, 30th-31st May.

1990

Cliffe Pools, 18th May.

1993

Dungeness, 8th June, later in Suffolk.

1994

Dungeness, 11th July.

1995

Dungeness, 2nd May.

Eastborough Farm, two, 9th May.

Cliffe Pools, 10th-13th may; presumed same, 25th May (same as Eastbourne Farm; also in Essex.

1997

West Hythe, first-winter, 7th September; presumed same as Essex bird.

1998

Northward Hill, 9th-10th May.

Elmley, male, female and female or first-summer, 26th May.

Oare Marshes, male, female of same (see Elmley), 28th May, returning to Elmley intermittently to 31st.

1999

Northward Hill, two, 21st May.

Swale, 21st-25th May.

2001

Dungeness, 9th-10th May.

2005

Dungeness, 4th May.

Another, Dungeness, 22nd-23rd June.

2006

Elmley, 3rd-4th May.

2008

Elmley & Oare Marshes, male and female, 3rd-4th May.

Dungeness, adult, 28th-29th May.

2010

Harty Marshes, Sheppey, male, 7th April.

2012

Elmley RSPB, four birds, 5th-6th May, with two remaining until 11th.

2014

Dungeness RSPB, a flock of 10 birds arrived on the 10th April, but only one was present on 25th, two on 36th-27th, with one lingering on from 28th until24th May.

Sandwich Bay, adult male, 2nd May.

Scotney GP, male and female, 14th May.

Cliffe Pools, four birds, 15th May. Two remained and it was confirmed on 22nd May that they had a nest and eggs. The first confirmed breeding in Kent. The first chick was seen on 13th June, with four eventually hatching. Unfortunately all were predated, and the adults soon moved on, the last being seen on 17th June.

Elmley NNR, two adults, 16th May.

2015

Higham Marshes, two to eight second-year birds, 14th-19th April.

Northward Hill RSPB, two birds, 16th April.

Dungeness RSPB, two birds, 17th April.

Northward Hill RSPB, four birds, 16th April.

Cliffe Pools RSPB, two birds, presumed same as Northward Hill, increasing to four, 16th April to 18th June.

Sevenoaks WR, two birds, 30th May.

2016

For the third year in succession birds made breeding attempts at Cliffe Pools RSPB Reserve and Higham Marshes RSPB Reserve, and accounted for all reports this year. The first record was of a female on13th April which was followed by the arrival of a pair on the 17th and a fourth bird the next day. Although two birds soon departed, a remaining pair was joined by another four birds on the 22nd which included a male and three females. Photographs revealed that the two males were returning birds from 2015. Subsequently three pairs made breeding attempts. On 10th May seven birds were present, the three breeding pairs and an unpaired, probably immature female. Of the three nests at Cliffe, two were in a protected area but one failed due to the removal of eggs from the nest by a male Stilt. The third nest was outside the protected area and failed due to egg predation, probably by a Red Fox. The two eggs from the remaining nest successfully hatched but the two chicks died during separate periods of torrential rain.

Remarkably, one of the earlier failed pairs re-nested nearby at Higham Marshes RSPB Reserve, but the eggs were predated by a group of Carrion Crows just 2-3 days before the eggs were expected to hatch. The last record was of two birds at Higham on 17th July.

2017

For the fourth year in succession birds made breeding attempts in Kent, this year successfully. The first record was of an adult male at Cliffe Pools RSPB Reserve on 31st March, the earliest recorded date for the county and first March record. A pair was present the next day which was joined by a further adult male from 6th April. After several local movements of these birds including a pair moving briefly to Vange Marshes RSPB Reserve in Essex, where a nesting pair was present which failed at the egg stage on 7th May; two pairs settled back at Cliffe from 9th, including the failed Essex pair. Nesting of both pairs commenced from 17th-18th May and eventually four young hatched from each nest during 11th-13th June. One of the adult males disappeared in the last week of June but the female successfully fledged all four young. The other pair lost one chick but successfully fledged the remaining three young. Thus, two pairs bred successfully and fledged a total of seven young. Ten birds remained at Cliffe until 1st August at least, after which a gradual dispersal took place with the pair and three juveniles departing to leave the female and four juveniles. The female was last seen on 10th August leaving the four juveniles of which two remained until 25th August, the last date that this species was observed in the county.

Away from Cliffe there were two at Elmley on 10th and 29th April, three at Northward Hill RSPB on 14th May, two at The Midrips on 2nd June and three at Riverside Country Park on 23rd August. It is likely that the Elmley and Northward Hill records involved the Cliffe birds, wandering before settling to breed, whilst the birds at Riverside Country Park were three juveniles dispersing from Cliffe.

2018

Stodmarsh/Grove Ferry, single bird, 12th-14th April.

Cliffe Pools, single bird, 29th April and 26th May.

Oare Marshes, single bird, 4th June.

Sandwich Bay, four birds, 17th-18th June.

Sheppey, two adults and two juveniles, successfully bred, May to June.

Oare Marshes, two adults and two juveniles, presumably those from Sheppey, 5th-19th May.

2019

After a series of five years with breeding attempts in the county, between 2014 and 2018, with successful fledging of young in the last two years, there were no breeding attempts this year. Hopes were raised when a pair arrived at Higham Marshes RSPB Reserve on Apr 18th, but the birds only remained until the 21st. Another two birds appeared at Dungeness RSPB Reserve on Apr 20th which remained until the 24th and an adult male was seen at Cliffe Pools RSPB Reserve on May 22nd.

No Longer Accepted

1913

Romney Marsh, immature female, 15th September; immature male 20th.