And then it shat it down for basically the whole week. What was earmarked as quite a fun blog entry to write swiftly turned into clutching at straws for something to talk about.
Monday morning saw a trip down to the Isle of Sheppey in the hope of finding Owls and some scarcer winter visitors. Parking up at Harty Church, I wandered down to the Swale Estuary Reserve and was immediately struck by how muddy it was. Apparently cows had been moved in to naturally graze the saltmarsh, and they certainly left it in a right state!
Ultimately I had no joy with Owls, but there were tonnes of Kestrels and a few Marsh Harriers around. Other highlights included Snipe, Reed Bunting (which I had convinced myself was a summer visitor, apparently not!), Red Legged Partridges and a crazy Hare that I narrowly avoided turning into roadkill.
I walked the length of the marsh for a brief sea-watch out into the North Sea. Not much was to be seen aside from Turnstones, a few Godwits and various Gulls, and the cold was starting to bite to I headed back. I was hoping to get nearer to a beach that I often spot seals on from the nearby Oare Marshes but the access path was flooded. Essentially summed up the lack of luck on the day!
Took a brief pitstop at Capel Fleet on the way home, this site is essentially a raised mound overlooking farm and marshland, and can be excellent for birds of prey. Again, there was not a lot around today, save for a large rabble of Corn Buntings, but that's the thing with birding. I'll definitely be back before winter is up to try again!
After most of the week had been rained off, I jumped at the chance to head down to Brooklands Lake in Dartford for a quick wander. It's becoming a favourite spot, as long as you can deal with the constant stench of kids smoking pot!
Above, Male. Below, Female. Note the red tinge on her bill that's absent in her fella
We all know why I'm starting to love this place though, and Mr and Mrs Kingfisher showed very nicely in their respective trees. Thoroughly enjoying trying to get better pictures of these guys, although it's always just as you have everything lined up that they get flushed by another walker to the opposite side of the lake!
I wanted to chuck this photo in of a Redwing too. Definitely not the best shot ever, and distant, but I like how it highlights just how close Swanscombe Marshes are to the nearby heavy industry, and how lucky I feel to be able to see some cool wildlife tucked away where noone would think to look!
Birds are now at 88 for the year, so I'm making decent progress on my targets!
Until the next time!
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