After finding those subtle first hints at Spring I've been itching to get this week underway, annual leave from work and the promise of a few local wildlife adventures!
Kicking off on Monday was a morning dash round Swanscombe Marshes trying to find the Dartford Warbler that's been reported hanging out over the Winter period. Unfortunately there was no joy, apparently they're known for singing high in the scrub but just no sign of him today.
I did manage to get a pair of Bearded Tits, one of my favourite British birds. I won't include the photo of the male, it's so hard to focus a camera through the reeds and it came out blurrier than anything 😂 A bit of post production helped this shot of the female come out a little better though! You can often hear these guys down there but this is the first time I've seen them this year.
A lot of Botany Marsh is totally flooded right now, I'm not sure if this is natural or by design, but the wildfowl are certainly loving it! There must have been about 150 Mallard scattered around the area, I've never seen numbers like that before!
Tuesday took me to Northward Hill on an RSPB work day. As it was a nice day and the jobs required weren't too strenuous I decided to take the camera. On the way in I caught a female Hen Harrier flying over the farmland, cue me screaming like crazy in the car in excitement! Just wish I'd had a way of getting a snap while driving!
Whilst working out the back of the marsh carrying out odd jobs I caught up with 6 or 7 Hares scattering around inside a predator fence, and got my best ever views of these powerful guys!
Two individuals even engaged in a boxing match for me, I couldn't believe my luck, by this point I was literally lying on my stomach next to a ditch praying they'd come closer and it certainly payed off! That's the cliche March spectacle ticked off the nature bucket list 😁
Whilst doing the rounds, I had a quick check of the reptile mats and got a couple of Common Lizards + a tonne of Smooth Newts. We also had a few Bank Vole throughout the day, the first butterflies of the year and a nice flock of Lesser Redpoll checking us out as we made our way through the woodland. Sureally, I caught a glimpse of a Muntjac crashing away through the undergrowth, quite possibly my first ever deer in Kent!
As the day drew to a close, a Little Owl was heard loudly calling near the car park, and with a little help from some inquisitive Long Tailed Tits I managed to spot him and get a few shots through the undergrowth. Such a bonus to get this species as they eluded me last year, and he was quickly followed by a Barn Owl coming out to hunt for the evening! A couple of very welcome ticks!
Wednesday was a total wash out, and Thursday took me to Cliffe Pools on another RSPB work party to maintain the predator fence in a bid to help the ground-nesting waders for the upcoming breeding season. Due to the weather I didn't take my camera but we did get a nice group of Ringed Plover hanging out at the edge of one of the pools.
Saturday brought about a crack-of-dawn trip to the Isle of Sheppey, and boy did it pay off! Kicking things off at Capel Fleet, a hunting Barn Owl caught my eye, before a rapid fly by from another female Hen Harrier!
Capel can be great for sightings but I definitely need to invest in better equipment if I'm going to improve photography there! After taking in the sights I headed off to the Swale Reserve near the Harty Ferry, and in extreme wind it came up trumps! A large flock of Brent Geese dominated, along with some White Fronted and Greylags, and as the tide came in a lot of waders were brought onto the pools, cue a pair of chasing Peregrines giving great views down the scope.
The undoubted stars though were a pair (!) of Hen Harriers quartering the far end of the marsh. I've tried to touch up these pictures as best I can but the range was just way too great for any real clarity. They were soon joined by another female, possibly the same individual from Capel, and to get four of these stunning birds in one week is just absolutely ridiculous!
Before hometime there was just enough time for another pitstop at Swanscombe to check for the Dartford Warbler, and this time he showed! I could hear him singing and finally found him flitting around the scrub. Obviously an awful photo but I promise you that's him sitting just behind that branch, it's the only time he sat still for even a few seconds! Hopefully I'll get another chance on a less windy day to get him perched out more confidently!
Not a bad week off work tbf! Shame that the weather didn't hold more but if I'd done everything I wanted to then I'd probably need another week off to recover!
Year list now at 114
Thanks for reading, until the next time!
