What a way to end the year! Ending on a personal best of 82 species in a single month, with some excellent highlights in an absolutely freezing December. I'm not entirely sure whether the total is a result of more opportunities to get out than normal, or a winter influx of birds, or a bit of both, but either way it made for an absolutely brilliant time.
It's been a fantastic month for raptors, with Buzzard, Sprawk and Marsh Harrier all frequently seen. Kestrel have been very visible lately, even seen mobbing larger raptors. It's likely that the colder conditions are making things tougher for prey, leading mice etc to become more obvious in their search for food, which in turns gives the hawks and falcons a non stop buffet!
It's not just the raptors though, a bit of intel from Barry lead me to a Long Eared Owl roosting up. Apparently they are frequent visitors to the site, but due to their camouflage and habit of tucking well away in daylight in dense scrub they are notoriously hard to spot. I havent managed a decent photo yet, but It's going to be interesting next year to find out if they are residents or just wintering.
The bare trees have made passerine photography a lot easier, with all sorts of Tits and Finches sitting up in good numbers. The real prize however came in a Dartford Warbler in the scrub off of Northfleet Beach. My second ever here, and considerably better views than last time, a real joy to watch it flit around!
The cold snap has coincided with an influx of waders. The morning of the 15th turned up 11 different species, including Grey and Ringed Plover, which are both relatively scarce here, along with a huge flock of Dunlin. Golden Plover have also been seen by others recently, and once again I found myself pretty amazed at the diversity on show for a place I don't really think of as a wader venue. They were followed at the end of the month by Avocet and a few Godwits to really put the icing on the cake!
Speaking of waders, a morning trip with Barry and James gave me a total lifer in Jack Snipe, a species I have been searching high and low for for what seems like forever! Their numbers are meant to swell in March as continental birds join up before the trip north for summer, hopefully then I'll have more luck with getting a photo of these near-invisible waders, for now the dodgy record shot will have to do!
A particularly nice site was 4 Brent Geese flying up the Thames. These winter migrants are fairly common in tidal estuaries in Kent, but they're far less frequent up-river, and these were the first ones I've ever seen from Swanscombe. Just a shame they were a little distant!
As mentioned, the barer the trees the easier it's been to spot small birds, but the snow and ice took this to a new level, with birds moving around more in the open when foraging. A winter Chiffchaff down by the lorry park was a nice moment, and the new central channel is starting to come to life, with Reed Buntings, Stonechats and Cettis flitting round the edges, whilst Grey Wags, Snipe and Green Sandpiper feed in the water and on the banks. This is going to be Warbler central come summer, and hopefully a good place to spot snakes too!
What a great way to end the year, just over the 120 species target I set myself! There were still a few missed opportunities that I heard about but didn't catch up with, and a lot of rarities that I didn't expect to see. I'll go over the full year in another blog, and here's to January!
Full List
Woodpigeon
Collared Dove
Feral Dove
Jackdaw
Jay
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Raven
Starling
Dunnock
Wren
Cetti's Warbler
Chiffchaff
Blackcap
Dartford Warbler
Goldcrest
Stonechat
Robin
Blackbird
Song Thrush
Mistle Thrush
Redwing
Fieldfare
Meadow Pipit
Rock Pipit
Water Pipit
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Long Tailed Tit
Bearded Tit
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Linnet
House Sparrow
Reed Bunting
Pied Wagtail
Grey Wagtail
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Red Legged Partridge
Pheasant
Black Headed Gull
Herring Gull
Common Gull
Yellow Legged Gull
Greater Black Backed Gull
Lapwing
Grey Plover
Ringed Plover
Curlew
Common Redshank
Common Sandpiper
Green Sandpiper
Turnstone
Dunlin
Snipe
Jack Snipe
Black Tailed Godwit
Avocet
Cormorant
Mallard
Shoveller
Gadwall
Tufted Duck
Teal
Wigeon
Brent Goose
Shelduck
Egyptian Goose
Greylag Goose
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Moorhen
Coot
Water Rail
Grey Heron
Little Egret
Kestrel
Peregrine
Sparrowhawk
Buzzard
Marsh Harrier
Long Eared Owl
Total 82
Running Total 122
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