A weekend in Kent and this time a chance to visit Elmley once again. The last visit back in March was very successful and I was hoping for similar results today. Driving along the entrance track what stood out was how dry it looked. The grass in many places looked yellow and there was no water on the marsh to speak of. Consequently there were no waders at all. The only birds to be seen were geese and duck put up by what must have been wildfowlers' guns.
It is alway a good thing to check the fence posts and gates for birds of prey. The only one I could find this morning though was a Buzzard. Away on the horizon the morning sun was trying to get through the grey cloud that has been with us for about a week now.
As I drove up the track towards the car park a Cattle Egret flew overhead across the field towards a group of cows.
From the car park I walked down th efootpath towards the Old School House. I had a feeling that the resident Little Owls would not be out while it was overcast and this turned out to be the situation. The only birds around the ruins were Jackdaws.
I decided to walk down the path towards the old Brickworks. Scanning across the fields and the reeds in hope of maybe seeing Bearded Tits or a Marsh Harrier, I picked up a dark bird on a post. I assumed it was a bird of prey, but wasn't expecting it to turn out to be an Osprey.
It was very distant, but I did manage to get two visiting Italian birders on to it. I planned to walk around the sea wall to see if I could get closer but was distracted by the "pinging" calls of Beared Tits. It was a big flock that were quite mobile, but would come to the edge of the reeds and showed well for a few brief minutes.
There were at least three males, the others either immature birds of females.
At this time of year the flocks change over from feeding on insects and grubs to feeding on the seeds of the reeds.
The two Italian birders were keen to try and get some of acrobatic poses, but I was content with these views.
The Osprey had attracted the attention of several crows and just as I was about to set off to walk around the footpath, it flew off up river being pursued by the crows. Instead I headed back up the path, pausing by the old School House where this Kestrel posed nicely on the fence posts.
As I approached the car park I could hear the alarm call of a Fieldfare. It was at the top of a tree and for once allowed me to get closer before flying off towards the farm.
Both winter thrushes, Redwing and Fieldfare have started to arrive, this is the first of these two birds I have seen so far this season.
Back at the car I loaded up my bag. Elmley is huse and I had decided to head for the hides in the centre of the reserve. This map shows well the scale of the reserve. I would be walking towards the eastern end of reserve and the wet area about half way.
As I passed the viewing screen there was another flock of Bearded Tits in the reeds, but they flew off across the water and out of sight. The tide was high and there were clouds of duck and waders looking for a safe place to roost. I was able to identify Black-tailed Godwits, Grey and Golden Plover and Dunlin. Most of the duck were on the water and from the screens I could see Wigeon, Pintail, Shelduck and Brent Geese.
Inland there were hundreds of Greylag and Canada Geese. In the pools were Mallard, Shoveler and Teal. I couldn't see any diving ducks amongst them. Just like the marsh on the way into the reserve the marsh was very dry. When I reached the hides there was hardly any water at all and again no birds. I walked around to the Counterwall Hide as I could see some water there. As I approached the hide I was teased by a Clouded Yellow, that threatened to stop but never did.
There was water around the hide and around the edges were Mallard , Teal and a few Shoveler. Pied Wagtails were catching flies on the dry mud. I had lunch in the hide in the hope that something might happen, however the only birds of note were the many Greylag Geese.
The skies were clearing and I noticed that the wind was picking up as I crossed over one rife that held some water.
The sunshine had also brought out some more butterflies with a couple of Common Blue nectaring on the yellow flowers in the grass.
I made my back towards the car park and came across another Clouded Yellow, this time it was more confiding and settled on a bramble bush, turning the wings and body towards the sunlight.
The wings do not act as a solar panel, but help direct the radiation warmth to the body of the butterfly.
Coming up the hill towards the car park the female Kestrel I had seen earlier was hunting around the huts.
With the sun out I decided to walk down to the Old School once again, but once again there wasn't any sign of any owl at all. I continued on and scanned across the field and there on the post once again was the Osprey.
Looking across I could see there were some people down a track closer to the Osprey and I decided to walk here. As I got closer I realised that it was the Land Rover that takes the visitors around, but I decided to keep going, there wasn't any sign to say I shouldn't. I reached the vehicle and was nicely told I shouldn't be here, but pleaded my case to try and get a little closer and they very nicely allowed me to do so.
Using the bushes as shelter I walked a little further and then stopped. The Osprey was on the same post, a footpath post of the sea wall and once again was attracting the attention of the crows.
You can just make out in this shot the light fringes to the feathers on the back of the bird and the brown tinges to the breast and belly. This would age the bird as a juvenile, one of the years brood somewhere, there were no rings on the legs at all.
Here watching a crow in front of it.
And another flying around it.
In the enbd kit had enough and flew off again. heading out towards the river, the concrete structure of the Swale Bridge in the background.
Then it turned towards me and I struggled with the camera settings as it came over my head. The images were very dark as the exposure was all wrong so I converted them to black and white which has improved the definition and I don't think ruined the image.
As it remained close by almost overhead I finally managed to get the exposure right and you can now see it in glorious colour, showing the buff wash of the juvenile on the underwing.
Then turned back towards the river.
Here showing clearly the light buff fringes to the wing feathers of a juvenile bird. From here at some point soon this bird will set off on its journey to West Africa where it will remain until it reaches breeding maturity and hopefully returns to the UK to breed.
I was extremely pleased with this encounter and this might have been the reason why it could have been an even better day. As I passed the Old School House there was a group of people that said they had photographed a Hobby on the dead tree. I was shown a photograph and it definitely wasn't a Hobby and I didn't pay too much attention, dismissing it as a kestrel similar to the one I had seen earlier. Later there was a report of a juvenile Red-footed Falcon seen hunting along the line of trees and path. Looking at pictures of a juvenile Red-footed Falcon I wished I had paid more attention to the guy's photograph and not been so quick to dismiss it. A lesson learnt!
I walked back to the car and decided it was time to head back. However the one bird of prey I thought I would be certain to see today I hadn't seen yet. The hope was I would come across a few along the entrance track and that proved to be the case.
This one is a red wing tagged bird.
THe others were not tagged and were probably females, due to the size and colouring.
Just before I crossed the last gate a wader flew across in front of me. I managed to get a record shot and can see from the white rump that this was a Green Sandpiper.
A male Marsh Harrier passed me as I turned to leave the reserve.
I stopped outside the entrance gate in almost the same place as when I arrived. I needed to sort out my equipment. The road was alongside a pond that earlier was teeming with Mallard, but all that was there now were a pair of Shoveler.
Another great day here at Elmley. No owls this time but the Osprey more than made up for it, just don't mention the falcon.
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