The Birds of Kent

A nice sunny day which has been a rarity for some time although the wind was a bit cutting. My day started at 10pm and took me to Leysdown and produced the Sanderling and Turnstone pics, then on to Harty, no luck this week with the Barn Owl pictured earlier, five Marsh Harrier were in evidence and two seemed to be displaying a few Mallard about and seemed to be paired off, Reed Buntings were about, not much else. On to RSPB ELMLEY turned off the main road and just by the farm two crows were harrassing a Marsh Harrier the Curlew was very obliging in my pic's below, there were a great many scattered over the reserve, lapwing were in evidence but well down on previous years, still a hell of a lot of surface water everywhere but there were a few Lapwing who entertained me with some spectacular stunt flying and trying to impress the females. I arrived at the Wellmarsh hide there were hudreds of waders but they were not on the scrape in front of the hide but much further over and the reason for this was that there were no islands evident in front of the hide save a couple of high spots, the water level is such as I have never before seen, so the birds moved further out on the marsh. see picture below. I do hope that this situation improves before the arrival of the Godwits and the Avocets. Good Birding Dave.