Friday 28th
Yesterday's Curlew Sandpiper had relocated onto Restharrow Scrape where a Spotted Redshank flew over. Four Whinchats and a Yellowhammer were along the path behind the Asparagus fields, six Whinchats were at Sandilands/Dickson's Corner, and another two Whinchats at Mary Bax. A Spotted Flycatcher was at the Chequers, a Turtle Dove at the Observatory, and eight Grey Wagtails flew north. In Pegwell Bay there was a Temminck's Stint, five Little Stints, and an Osprey.
Thursday 27th
Torrential rain early doors. A spell looking at the sea as the rain was finishing was productive for a steady passage of Terns and Gulls offshore and small numbers of wildfowl and waders, plus the unusual sight of a flock of 11 Common Sandpipers going north. A Curlew Sandpiper was in the wader flock on the beach halfway between King's Avenue and Prince's Beach. Following on from yesterday there was another decent haul of Whinchats. Three were in the field north of the Oasis, three were at the Sailing Club, and 26 were on New Downs (mostly around the South Pool). Best of the rest were a Redstart in the Gullies, two Ruffs on the Green Wall, six Greenshanks on New Downs, and three Little Stints and two Wood Sandpipers on the Garage Pool at Pegwell Bay.
Wednesday 26th
Expectations were high considering the easterly wind, calm conditions, low cloud, and light rain before dawn. Wrynecks, Icterine Warblers, Red-backed Shrikes all ran through our heads. It wasn't quite to be though. There was a small arrival of warblers on the Estate but only a sprinkling. An Arctic Skua was offshore and at least 20 Buzzards soared together over New Downs. The latter seemed to be part of a wider movement along the Kent coast today. Whinchats picked up during the day with 12 on RSPB Worth Marshes, 20 on New Downs, and four at Sandilands.
Monday 24th
Little Ringed Plover, Dunlin, and two Common Sandpipers were on Restharrow Scrape before the Conservation Team began their work. Please bear in mind the team will be working on site every Monday and Thursday morning for the next few weeks. The showy juvenile Cuckoo remained at Dickson's Corner with a Whinchat also present. Over on RSPB Worth Marshes there was another Whinchat and an excellent count of 225 House Sparrows.
Sunday 23rd
Another day checking the pools and scrapes on New Downs. High tide produced 103 Lapwings, six Greenshanks, three Black-tailed Godwits, five Ringed Plovers, Wood Sandpiper, Ruff, and eight Green Sandpipers.
Saturday 22nd
The various scrapes on New Downs and the Green Wall with two lots of two Wood Sandpipers, nine Greenshanks, 16 Black-tailed Godwits, two Ruffs, and six Green Sandpipers, plus a Grasshopper Warbler.
Friday 21st
Five White Storks dropped into RSPB Worth Marshes which also held two Spotted Redshanks and the Whooper Swan. Dried-out reservoirs on the Green Wall have formed temporary scrapes with the rain this week and a smorgasbord of passage waders were feeding on the wet mud including ten Green Sandpipers, a Wood Sandpiper, a Ruff, a Ringed Plover, and a Greenshank.
Thursday 20th
Eight Wheatears and two Whinchats were in the Sandilands/Sailing Club area and a Ruff was a new addition to the small wader flock on Restharrow Scrape. Yet again there was an enormous number of feeding Gulls/Terns out at sea. An estimated 6,000 were either on the sea or feeding so far out to make identification beyond possible unfortunately.
Wednesday 19th
Four Turtle Doves, 13 Cattle Egrets, and a Whooper Swan were on RSPB Worth Marshes. The regular Pintail was on Restharrow Scrape pre-dawn (when roosting wildfowl also included 131 Greylag Geese and 226 Mallards) and large numbers of hirundines were on New Downs. In the afternoon a Purple Sandpiper was on the beach with Sanderlings and a Little Stint on Restharrow Scrape.
This is also an early warning that our Conservation Team will begin work on Restharrow Scrape on Monday morning next week (24th). Expect disturbance to the site on Monday and Thursday mornings for a few weeks.
Tuesday 18th
More hirundines were on the move again today with 840 Swallows, 310 House Martins, and ten Sand Martins through the Recording Area. Two Wheatears and six Yellow Wagtails were at the Point where a Little Gull flew past offshore. On New Downs were eight Whimbrels, a Greenshank, and a Tree Pipit, and the juvenile RED-BACKED SHRIKE remained on RSPB Worth Marshes.
Monday 17th
Small numbers of hirundines and waders were moving through, the latter included Whimbrel, four Black-tailed Godwits, Greenshank, and Common Sandpiper over the Estate. Six Spoonbills headed north and thousands of distant Gulls and Terns were offshore. A juvenile RED-BACKED SHRIKE was near Roaring Gutter on RSPB Worth Marshes.
Sunday 16th
There were four Pied Flycatchers, one Redstart, and eight Yellow Wagtails on the Estate, plus a Wood Sandpiper on Restharrow Scrape. The Whooper Swan was back on RSPB Worth Marshes and a Red Kite flew over.
Saturday 15th
A welcome breeze in the air today. Two Spoonbills were new on RSPB Worth Marshes. At least 12 Cattle Egrets were (unsurprisingly) in with the cattle herd whilst singles of Greenshank and Wheatear were on the marsh. A Redstart was on the Estate. Just after midday a Stone-curlew was discovered at Pegwell Bay.
Friday 14th
Interest on the Estate was provided by a Kingfisher, two Pied Flycatchers, and a reasonable spread of Warblers including 38 Reed and 11 Sedge. A Pied Flycatcher was also on RSPB Worth Marshes.
Thursday 13th
A juvenile Turtle Dove on RSPB Worth Marshes and over 500 Mediterranean Gulls flew over.
Wednesday 12th
Restharrow Scrape was again the place to be with one Wood, three Green, and three Common Sandpipers, one Little Ringed Plover, two Dunlins, and five Snipes. Nine Willow Warblers were in the Oasis area and five Whinchats were on RSPB Worth Marshes.
Tuesday 11th
A Pied Flycatcher was the highlight on the Estate but where are the Willow Warblers? After the first arrival in late July there have been almost none passing through the area since.
Monday 10th
Likely our last Cuckoo of the year was busy feeding up along Sandilands in preparation for its channel crossing while our first Goldcrest and Firecrest of the Autumn arrived on the Estate and New Downs respectively. A Greenshank was new-in on RSPB Worth Marshes where the Whooper Swan was still present and Little Ringed Plover, Green Sandpiper, and two Common Sandpipers were on Restharrow Scrape.
Sunday 9th
A Whinchat and Wheatear were around the Sandilands grasslands, a Stonechat and Yellow Wagtail were on New Downs, and the Wood Sandpiper remained at Restharrow Scrape.
Saturday 8th
A pre-dawn walk on the Estate had nocturnal movements of Dunlin and Snipe while two Mistle Thrush were roosting in the Little Elms. There was a steady movement of Hirundines on the southern end of the Recording Area with 240 Swallows, 12 House Martins, and two Sand Martin heading south.
Friday 7th
Today's highlights comprised a Turtle Dove purring at the Observatory, two Egyptian Geese, one Little Ringed Plover, two Common Sandpipers, and one Green Sandpiper on Restharrow Scrape, eight Cattle Egrets and 700 Mediterranean Gulls at the Point, five Ringed Plovers, two Whimbrels, and a Dunlin over the Drove, and the Whooper Swan back on RSPB Worth Marshes again. Two Spoonbill briefly touched down on Restharrow Scrape in the evening.
Thursday 6th
Four Green Sandpipers, two Common Sandpipers, and one Wood Sandpiper on Restharrow Scrape allowed good comparison and identification practise. Four Wheatears and 76 Mediterranean Gulls were on the beach. In the late afternoon a boat trip along the river to the mouth of Pegwell Bay yielded 37 Common Sandpipers, 151 Redshanks, 36 Little Egrets, two Cattle Egrets, 135 Sandwich Terns, 190 Mediterranean Gulls, and an adult Yellow-legged Gull. A further two Yellow-legged Gulls and 2,020 Mediterranean Gulls were then seen later in the evening at the Point.
Wednesday 5th
A Wood Sandpiper was on Restharrow Scrape early doors and our first Hen Harrier of autumn flew through. The rest of the Estate held 45 Sand Martins, 80 Swifts, two Yellow Wagtails, and three Wheatears.
Tuesday 4th
After going missing for a almost two months, the unseasonal Whooper Swan re-appeared on RSPB Worth Marshes. Singles of Hobby and Yellow Wagtail flew over the Estate, a Common Sandpiper was on Restharrow Scrape, and a Redstart was in the Oasis.
I'd also like to draw your attention to Grace, one of our members and volunteers, who is undertaking the daunting task of a 5km swim in September to raise money for SBBOT. A big thank you to Grace for thinking of us. To view her fundraising so far and to donate please click HERE.
Monday 3rd
Two Great White Egrets were on Restharrow Scrape and three Cattle Egrets flew over. A Spotted Redshank was in Pegwell Bay but only small numbers of Warblers were in the bushes.
Sunday 2nd
A Redstart was ringed on the Estate. Four Green Sandpipers, one Common Sandpiper, one Black-tailed Godwit, and one Dunlin were on Restharrow Scrape.
Saturday 1st
The arrival of rain was by far the most notable sighting of the day. More please! Double-figures of Reed Warbler were on the Estate, 44 Common Sandpipers were recorded along the River Stour, and a Spotted Redshank was on Restharrow Scrape.
