Passage Madness at Oare

Friday morning took me down to Oare Marshes for one final look round of the season. It threatened to rain all day, but the overcast morning eventually broke out into sunshine and I managed to bag a decent hatfull of species. You'll have to bare with some of the photos though, poor lighting on max zoom in a bridge camera does not make for the most artistic renditions, I've tried to sharpen some of the images up but they're not much more than record shots.

A lot of the usual suspects were around, along with some that I don't see every day. The waders were out in force, with Ringed and Golden Plover, Redshank, Black Tailed Godwit, Greenshank and Whimbrel all showing well. There were a fair few Dunlin scuttling about, joined in places by the odd Knot, and I counted six Ruff around the site. I also caught a couple of Curlew Sandpipers on the far side of the creek. I even got my first ever Common Snipe tentatively exploring one of the small streams.

The winter arrivals are starting to join in the fun, and with them comes a tonne of passage visitors stopping off on their way to further afield. A good number of Whinchat were buzzing around the scrub on the western edge of the reserve, these fairly nondescript passerines are easily overlooked but always a good spot at this time of year.

The undoubted highlight was a solitary Osprey patrolling the opposite side of the Swale (ease excuse the disgustingly bad photo 😂), whilst trying to avoid the mob of Avocets and Jackdaws constantly on its tail. Another lifer, I'd basically given up hope of ever chancing upon one around here, but this well and truly made my day! Soon he'll be off south before heading back to the UK next summer. 

I was also treated to a flyover from a juvenile Gannet. One of my favourite species, this is another that I never thought I'd get a nice view of outside of a breeding colony, so this was definitely a bonus! Just a shame it wasn't an adult, which are one of the most striking and impressive birds on UK shores.

It wouldn't be a nature day without a reptile hunt, and the numerous ponds and streams were littered with Marsh Frogs. Sure enough, I eventually found a Grass Snake stalking around the waterways, and for a nice change I sat back and watched it stalking its prey rather than attempt to handle it. It was a real pleasure watching it cruise around as nature intended, although he didn't manage to catch anything before disappearing into the reeds.

Until the next one!

St Neots, Cambridgeshire

As promised, a nice little change of scenery. Finally took the chance to go to see a mate who'd recently moved to St Neots in Cambridgeshire, and a chance to visit some new areas and see what wildlife was about.

First up was a trip to Grafham Water, a vast reservoir with several nice walks dotted around the woodland surround. The usual Blackcaps and Tits were abundant, and some of the scrub looked like it would be a key site in breeding season, and for over-wintering birds. 

I managed this Common Toad amongst the gravel but that was it for herpetofauna. The habitat looked ripe for Grass Snakes and Common Lizards but I had no joy finding any on this occasion

The reservoir itself was abundant in Tufted Ducks,  GC Grebes, various Gulls and Cormorants, in particular one jetty which was stocked full of these large water birds drying their wings and taking a breather between hunting trips. There were a few Pochards and Shovellers about, I can well imagine that over winter the wildfowl numbers are spectacular here.

Bird of the day was certainly this Red Kite, my first of the year. Once persecuted to near extinction in this country, it's awesome seeing them doing well in certain areas, and it surely can't be long before I see my first back in Kent. They were one of the targets I had in mind coming to this area, and are always great to see.

The evening brought a flyover Sparrowhawk and a Hobby chasing Swallows from the garden, and after a few drinks we took a nice stroll around the area and found two Hedgehogs, my first for absolutely ages!

The following day took us to Riverside County Park in St Neots, followed by a walk up the River Ouse to Paxton Pits reserve. Very reminiscent of the Thames in its upriver sections, this quaint waterway was littered with bird life and small boats, along with grand houses backing onto private jetties (lucky bastards!)

Paxton Pits itself consists of a series of pools dotted around a functional quarry just off the river, with walks and hides dotted around. There wasn't much about today save for the standard Coots and Herons, like Grafham Water I imagine this is a place to visit when the winter roosts arrive, or when the breeding season is in full swing. Still, an enjoyable walk in a gorgeous setting!

The return trip down the Ouse was the highlight of the day, we were treated to fly bys from two Kingfishers. I'm on a mission to get a perched photo of one of these guys, and try as we might we just couldn't find one, instead getting the cliche blue and orange flash as they zip by. Hopefully when winter comes their bright colours will make them a bit more obvious against the barer backgrounds.

A great trip with fantastic company and some excellent walks, until the next one!