18 Feb 2011

Sheppey 17th Feb 2011

Pulled back the curtains this morning 17th Feb, half hoping for a nice day and the tide was conducive for birding, but was confronted by thick fog, my weather station gave sun so I took off for Sheppey in the hope that the sun would come through and burn off the fog, things did improve a little thus allowing some pictures to be taken albeit with not a lot of contrast.
I went to Leysdown first tide well up one solitary Turnstone and a lone Sanderling keeping him company.
Then a visit to Harty, nothing on the fleet, went as far as the Raptor viewpoint without a spot, fed up with this made my way to Elmley, fog was by now thinning and the sun was in danger of showing itself, I drove all the way to Wellmarsh Hide cursing enroute the now, rather deep potholes.
Made my way to the hide and was the only occupant for the next two hours I was treated by very large numbers of Golden and Grey Plovers, which were very twitchy after a Buzzard and a Marsh Harrier arrived in the vicinity and gave amazing displays of their skills of flight, below are a few pic's.
Sightings for the day were not many but the sheer numbers of what I saw at Wellmarsh made up for that :- peregrine, Buzzard 3, Marsh Harrier 2, Grey Plover, loads, Golden Plover, loads, Dunlin 20 +, Ringed Plover about 10, Shoveler Duck 10, Coot 40, Moorhen 1, Flight of Geese very high.
Best day out this year.

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