19th February - The Isle of Sheppey, Kent

Having survived the perils of Storm Eunice on Friday (save for three of the neighbours fence panels), we headed east Saturday morning in clear skies and a frost at home.  I knew about this trip for several weeks and have been watching the reports of Shore Larks at Leysdown-on-Sea on the Isle of Sheppey.  After dropping Helen off with my daughter I turned north towards Sheppey.  As I negotiated the Sheppey crossing I could help wondering what the journey would have been like during the storm and concluded that the bridge must have been shut.  This would not have disconnected the island as there is a lower bridge, the Kingsferry bridge that was the original crossing before the the newer Sheppey crossing was completed in 2006.

From the crossing I crossed the island to arrive in the town of Leysdown-on-Sea.  It appeared as if the town consisted of more caravans and trailer parks that actual houses.  I headed through the town and then out along the Shellness Road.  I parked on the sea wall and was confronted with a low tide, the beach dominated by many groynes.

The Shore Lark had been present for some time, being reported from close to the Neptune's Beach Cafe, which was behind me, all the way up to the north end of the beach.  They feed along the tide line.  There was a small patch of dune and marram grass around the cafe and I checked this area first before setting off to walk along the beach towards the north.

With the tide out I scanned the mud, there wasn't much about but could see Brent Geese, Shelduck, Redshank and Oystercatchers.  But what really caught my eye was even further out in the distance, in the Thames Estuary.  These were the Maunsell Forts.

The Maunsell Forts are armed towers built in the Thames  estuary during the Second World War to help defend the United Kingdom from invasion They were operated as army and navy forts, and named after their designer, Guy Maunsell. The forts were decommissioned in the late 1950s and later used for other activities including pirate radio broadcasting.

I was walking the beach in beautiful sunshine with what wind there was at my back.  As I walked I checked all the old sea weed and tide line rubbish but there was no sign of any birds let alone Shore Larks.

As I reached the north end of the beach I met a local birder who told me about the area they prefer, but he also said they are quite mobile so could turn up almost anywhere, not what I wanted to hear but I stuck to it and after reaching the end of the beach turned back into what was now a strengthening wind.  The forecast for the day was for wind and rain in the afternoon, and dark clouds were gathering to the north.  The area they preferred turned out to be an expanse of waste land that consisted of gravel and weeds with a large container and a couple of fly tippings.  I scanned around but was only able to find a flighty Pied Wagtail, a fly over Linnet and this Meadow Pipit.

I waited for a little while but then decided they were not coming.  There were plenty of dog walkers about on the beach so it was possible they could have been disturbed and as a resulted I turned and walked back the way I came.  This time there was a Turnstone feeding on the algae on the sea wall.

While across the beach and mud the tide was rising and the Brent were beginning to move into the Swale.

I walked all the way back to the cafe and didn't see a single small bird on the beach.  Back at the car I decided it was time to move on.  I was later pleased to see that the birds were not reported, but as equally frustrated in not catching up with them.

From Leysdown I drove to the RSPB raptor view point that is located at Capel Fleet, a mound of earth that raises you above the surrounding fields and marsh.  As I arrived a male Marsh Harrier was twisting and turning above a nearby reed bed, but once I had walked up the mound it was gone.  I found a distant Kestrel on an overhead wire, but the highlight was a very distant Red-legged Partridge that I first heard calling before picking it out.  The only year tick of the day.

With time running our for the advancing weather I decided today was not the best to stand here, to be honest I wanted to see what the area was like as I have heard of this spot for many years but have never visited.  I must admit it was not what I had expected.

So moving on the next location was to be Elmley.  After my first visit in many year in December last year I wanted to return, like that visit the clear skies of the morning would give way to the approaching cloud.  I was also aware that the the approach track to the main car park is through the marsh and if the weather did turn inclement it would be possible to use the car as a mobile hide.

Turning on to the reserve the first birds to be seen were the Lapwing spread out by either side of the track.  I stopped to check some distant grey geese, but these were Greylag geese so I moved on. 

A parked car lured me to stop and a quick word with the owner revealed that there had been a Bittern present earlier and a lucky person had seen it walk from the reeds across the pool by a pair of fence posts.  I pulled over and watched for a while, but predictably there was nothing to see.

Moving on a large Marsh Harrier, that looked like an immature bird, but being so big must have been a female, drifted across the road quite close to me, her wings dipping from either side as she negotiated a freshening south westerly breeze.

She drifted away and I watched as she settled on the bank of a dyke, I slowly moved forward to be in the best and closest position to view.

Lapwing were buzzing the Harrier, not dive bombing but flying over and dipping and calling.  The Harrier watched them as the wind ruffled her feathers on her back.

Then she was off the long wings raised and flapped several times

Before taking to the air, the long yellow legs that are the killing machines hanging below the dark brown feathered "trousers"

.

I watched as she set off away from me in the hope that she would bank and return, but she clearly had different ideas and drifted away into the breeze and out of sight.  I continued with the slow drive up to the car park at Kings Hill Farm.

Getting out of the car there was a small gathering of people looking into the field adjacent to the car park.  When I saw the lady I had met on the last visit I guessed she must have once again located one of the owls in the long grass

Sure enough it was a roosting Short-eared Owl they were looking at.  Here the view in normal vision:

Then zooming in a little closer.

The tussocky grass and plastic tree covers providing the perfect shelter from what was now an increasingly stronger wind.

I decided to take the footpath that heads down towards the Swale, passing the old school building.  The Little Owl was keeping its head down and as I reached the reed bed towards the bottom of the path another marsh Harrier was distantly crossing the reed bed, here a contrast of wildlife and the industrial nature of the land around the bridge and the Swale.

I hung around waiting to see if the harrier would come any closer, but I watched it as it kept a good distance and covered the ground along the edge of the marsh and away out of sight.  I scanned the marsh and fence posts in search of any possible Merlin sighting but could find any.

Heading back up the path a male Stonechat showed well against the dark shadow of the old school building.

Then on the fence that ran alongside the path.

From the car park I walked out towards the main reserve.  The skies were more threatening now, dark grey the dominant colour and a cold wind.  I passed the small pond with the willow trees behind.  On the last visit I was excited to find that this was a Long-eared Owl roost, but today I had found out that they hadn't been seen for many weeks and that it was assumed that the lack of cover once the leaves were gone and the presence of so many Short-eared Owls had moved them on.

The marsh was full of grazing Wigeon, their whistle just about making it through the wind.

On the open water were Tufted Duck.

And a good number of Pochard.

With the tide rising there was a significant movement of birds from the Swale on to the marsh, here Shelduck coming across.

Small waders such as Dunlin and Ringed Plover were also gathering on the marsh.  This is a very distant view of one of the collections that could be seen scattered across the marsh.

I managed to catch this female Pochard as it came across the join the others on the closest pool.

The marsh was alive with birds both grazing or gathered on the marsh itself or suddenly taking to the air in large flocks.  As usual the Lapwing and Golden Plover were the most spooked and when they went up it would spook the duck as well causing a maelstrom over the marsh.

It was not clear if these incidents were caused by an actual predator or just nervousness that one maybe close by.  I would scan all around but was not able to locate anything other than a Marsh Harrier that was well away from the chaos.

However the Golden Plover in the sky is always a sight to behold as the twist and turn flashing gold and silver in the sky.

They then came close over my head in this case sometimes to close to me.

Then the rain started and rather than fight it I decided to head back to the car.  I stopped though as I passed the pond once again.  A pair of Coot were feeding on the bank, one wasn't having it with me and toddled off into the water, but the other was quite happy for me to get close and to take in those lobed feet, more of which later.  This is not a bird I photograph very often so it made a nice change.

Back in the car park I took shelter in the car and was able to eat lunch while watching the Short-eared Owl shelter from the weather.

Checking the radar it was clear that the rain was set in for some time, so it was time to use the car as a hide along the track that leads from the main road through the marsh.  Closest to the path were the Lapwing and they were feeding very close with that methodical and careful movement that seems as if they consider every move they want to take.

Fortunately the wind and rain was coming from the south west and I was able to position the car so that the rain was hitting the back of the car, which allowed me to have the side window open without any rain coming in significantly.  A drake Shoveler was also unconcerned as I pulled up to photograph it as it moved slowly along the edge of a flooded pool.

Despite the bill the Shoveler is a very smart duck

I was now at the pool where I had stopped on the way in to see if I could see the reported Bittern.  Once again I positioned the car so the brunt of the weather was taken by the rear and off side and settled in to see if I could wait this one out.  This was my view, and after the experience at Blashford a couple of weeks ago it could be there.

The rain came in fits and starts and across the marsh there were at least three Marsh Harriers quartering the marsh with that distinctive "V" shape of the wings hanging above the reeds and marsh.

One bird was seen stationary in the middle of the marsh and appeared to be eating something, later it moved away.  But due to the weather conditions they didn't stay up for long dropping out of cover to stay out of the weather.

I mentioned earlier that there would be more about the Coot later and all around me there were several pairs, but if they would stray to close to each other, either on the water or the ground, they the Coot who saw it as their territory would rush at the other birds and in most case the intruding pair would take the hint and back away.  But every so often the rush wasn't sufficient and a little more force would be requited.

Remember those lobed feet seen on the Coot feeding on the grass?  Well at the end of those feet are some vicious looking claws, and the next step after the rush doesn't work is to lunge the feet forward with the Coot falling backward, the claws now becoming a nasty weapon and this usually has the right effect, although I have seen where the attacked Coot rights back with equal aggression.

Here the Coot who feels its territory is being compromised rushes the intruding pair.

The rain now was settling in and getting quite hard.  There had been no sign of the Bittern, the birder that saw it earlier stopped to tell me where best to look, but when he said he saw it walk from the close pool to the pool and reeds at the back I came to the conclusion I wasn't going to find it.  Still I gave it a little more time during which I took advantage of a Lapwing that came very close to the car.  Here are views you don't normally get with these lovely birds.

I kind of new the Bittern would not show, so decided to drive up and down the track once again, the rain was now very heavy so as I turned around at the car park I decided it was time to call it a day.  I was disappointed that the Shore Lark did not appear, but as I write this now on Monday they haven't been reported since the 17th, so it is likely that they hot footed away when the storm was approaching.