May 31st (Halling Common)

9.am-10.30 bright,NW,rather cool,nearing high tide.

Birds that I saw or heard this morning were 3 Shelduck,2 Mute Swans,2 Little Egret,7 Mallard,4 Cormorant,1 Kestral,50+ B H Gulls,2 Herring Gulls,4 Carrion Crows,8 Wood Pigeons,2 Collared Doves,1 Cuckoo,1 Pheasant,4 Goldfinch,3 Greenfinch,8 Linnets,3 Chaffinch,1 Dunnock,1 Wren,2 Great Tits,1 Blue Tit,10 House Martin,3 Common Swifts,60+ Starlings,20 House Sparrows,2 Common Whitethroats,3 Reed Warblers,1 Cetti`s Warbler,2 Blackcap,1 Nightingale (small wood at the northern end of the Common) 2 Grey Heron,2 Jackdaws,6 Magpies and 2 Blackbirds.

Still no sign of any Yellow Buntings.

May 30th (New Hythe)

8.00-9.30 river nearly at low tide,overcast first thing.

This morning I looked at Brookland lake,the river and Sunken marsh.

I saw or heard 4 Cetti`s Warblers,10 Reed Warblers,6 Common Whitethroats,2 Lesser Whitethroats,3 Blackcaps,2 Nightingale,2 Cuckoo (male and female) 1 Chiffchaff,3 Chaffinhch,4 Goldfinch,3 Greenfinch,2 Dunnock,2 Wrens,2 Great Tits,several families of Blue Tits,4 Cormorant,2 Mute Swans,34 B h Gulls,3 L B B Gulls,5 Herring Gulls,3 Crows,8 Wood Pigeons,1 Turtle Dove,1 Stock Dove,4 Coots,2 Moorhen,2 Mute Swans,8 Grey Herons,1 Sparrowhawk,35 Common Swifts,17 Mallard,7 Canada Geese, 1 Ostercatcher,2 Robins,2 Blackbirds,1 Reed Bunting,2 Magpie and 1 Song Thrush.

Later during the afternoon I saw one Oystercatcher flying along the Medway at Aylesford.

26th May (Reed Bunting recovery)

I received from the BTO yesterday details of a second recovery of one of my Reed Buntings I had ringed in the garden during December 2010.

L529907 (3f hatched 2010) ringed Rookery estate Snodland 28-Dec 2010.wing 77.0 mm w.t 25.6g.

controlled at Spurn B.O. Yorkshire 22 Mar-2011 wing 77 mm w.t 17.8g duration 84 days 257 Km N.

Some northern European Reed Buntings are known to spend the winter in Britain.The above bird may well be one of these and was trapped at Spurn on the east coast as it was making its way back to breed.

The recovery I received back in March was L529905 (3f) ringed Rookery estate Snodland 22-Dec 2010.

controlled at Shorne marshes Gravesend Kent 29-Dec 2010 wing 76mm w.t.17.3g duration 7 days 14Km N.

May 23rd (New Hythe)

Cloudy at first,clearing later,strong SW.

The main highlights from this mornings walk were 3 rather showy Lesser Whitethroats,at least 100+ Swifts over Brookland/Abbey Meads,1 Sparrowhawk,a ringed Nightingale (photo) which is probably a bird I ringed in 2007 (Brook House) area,a Great Crested Grebe family and the lone Turtle Dove which was seen again in the Sunken marsh area.

May 20th

Two MED Gulls flew over the house this morning at 8.am (Snodland) towards the river.

May 18th.

This morning I looked at the river (Medway) from New Hythe and Holborough,it was low.

Birds I noted were 18 Grey Heron,10 Mallard, 3 Canada Geese,7 Shelduck,8 Mute Swans,2 L B B Gulls,6 Herring Gulls,60+ B h Gulls,50+ Carrion Crows,4 Coot,1 Oystercatcher and 1 imm/adult Whooper Swan.

The Whooper Swan is the same bird I first saw at New Hythe (Railway lake) on March 30th of this year.It was then seen again in the lakes area on a number of occasions,being last seen there as far as I know on April 6th.

I recorded the bird when I first saw it as immature,but now I`m not so sure,is that just staining on the neck and wing feathers?,the bill is very bright.

Ken,if you read this it was last seen heading your way.

MAY 17th.

This morning I saw the pair of Oystercatchers along the river at New Hythe and then later on in the afternoon I had two L R PLOVER feeding on the river bank at Holborough.

A little Owl,a bird I havn`t seen in the area for a number of years was also seen today along (Birling road),heading out of Snodland towards Birling.

PAST TIMES (MAY 1982)

WILDFOWL Shelduck 50 at Burham marsh 8th,Pochard 2 pairs Abbey Mead 30th.WADERS Snipe 6 at Burham marsh 1st,Ringed Plover and L R Plover displaced birds from the infilling of their nesting habitat (Brook House and east/west scrub area) last month were seen in the Abbey Meads area during the month,Common Sandpiper singles at New Hythe 3rd and Leybourne 8th,5 at Abbey Mead 15th,Green Sandpiper 1 along the river 25th,Oystercatcher 1 flew over New Hythe 15th,Lapwing 1 pair nesting at the water treatment works (Ham Hill and 1 pair nesting in the Sunken marsh.WATER RAIL 1 was heard at Burham marsh 29th.COMMON TERN 2 New Hythe 6th,1 on 8th.KESTRAL now common in the area.HIRUNDINES Sand Martin 200 at New Hythe 3rd,House Martin 100 over Abbey Mead 2nd,200 3rd,Swift 6 New Hythe 2nd 100 3rd.CUCKOO 1 New Hythe 6th,2 Eccles 7th.TURTLE DOVE 15 at Burham marsh 8th.WHEATEAR 1 New Hythe 3rd.NIGHTINGALE 2 singing southern end of Abbey Mead.YELLOW WAGTAIL several pairs nesting at New Hythe and in the Burham marsh area.WARBLERS Sedge Warbler 25 singing birds around Abbey Mead,Common Whitethroat 2 singing around Abbey Mead.Cetti`s Warbler 2 singing at Burham marsh.LINNET small flocks roaming about New Hythe.CORN BUNTING 1 Burham Marsh 20th.SPOTTED FLYCATCHER now scarce in the area.

BIRLING DOWNS (view point) CUCKOO 3,LINNET 2 pairs and Garden Warbler 3 pairs 12th.

May 16th (Oare marshes)

I went to a rather cloudy and chilly Oare marshes this morning with Bob Bland,we saw 20+ Avocets,2 Redshank,4 Lapwing,4 Little Egrets,8 Pochard,8+ Tufted Duck,3 Grey Herons,6 Shelduck,1 Kingfisher,1 Cuckoo,4 Sedge Warblers,1 Cetti`s Warbler (heard),Reed Warblers,6 Reed Buntings,3 Stock Doves,Mallards,10 Shelduck,2 Common Terns,20 Swifts and at least 6 broods of Greylags.

On the Swale we saw 2 Little Terns,3 Brent Geese,1 Grey Plover and 4 Curlew.

On the way to Oare marshes we stopped off at Stockbury KTNC reserve to see some of the different orchids which can be found in the woods there,unfortunately we were a little late to see them at their best.

May 15th (New Hythe)

For the last few days the wind has been in the NW,still no rain.

A walk around New Hythe this morning produced 50 Swifts over Abbey Mead,2 Shelduck,6 Canada Geese,2 Mute Swans and 17 juvenile Herons along the river,2 Bullfinch in the hawthorns opposite Eccles island and 1 MED Gull flying south and 1 Lapwing north from Hoopoe Corner.

May 11th (Elmley)

This morning I called into Elmley on the way back from Sheerness,I only went along the track as far as the farm buildings,I saw 2 Little Egret,4 Skylark,8 Yellow Wagtails,4 Oystercatchers,1 Shoveler and good numbers of breeding Redshank and Lapwing.

I think I should have gone to Dungeness instead,Red-rumped Swallow,Common Crane and Collared Pratincole.

May 6th(Halling Common and Leybourne)

During the afternoon I saw Terry Laws at New Hythe and he put me onto a Beautiful demoiselle damselfly he had found along the fast flowing stretch of the millstream at Lunsford lane (Leybourne).It was a first for me and the first time Terry has seen one in the New Hythe/Leybourne area.

Hazy during the morning,afternoon clear and warm.

I walked out on Halling Common/marsh this morning (7.30-9.00) I was hoping to find a Yellow Bunting or two, but unfortunately I had no luck,they did nest in both 2010 and 09,so I`m hoping their still around on the Common somewhere.

I saw 40 species those of note being 4 Linnet,1 Kestral,1 Nightingale,1 Cetti`s Warbler,2 Lesser Whitethroat,6 Common,6 Reed Warbler and 1 Cuckoo.

May 5th (New Hythe)

Overcast this morning,less wind.

A quick walk around the Sunken marsh (8.am-9.00) produced my first TURTLE DOVE of the year which came across the river from Burham and went down in the marsh,a single Oystercatcher flying up the river and 2 Cuckoo.

A little later during the morning I looked in on the west scrub and heard 1 Willow Warbler.

May 3rd (New Hythe)

Remaining sunny,easterly.

A visit to Brookland lake and the river today(3rd) between 15:30-16:30 produced a Sparrowhawk and Hobby over the lake and one Common Sandpiper along the river.

During the morning Terry and Phil saw 1 Med Gull,3 Whimbrel and a Peregrine.

On the 2nd between 18:00-19:00 I saw 250 Sand Martin,50 Swallows,40 House Martins,30 Common Swifts and 1 Common Tern over Brookland lake and 1 Greenshank along the river.

Over the past few days there has been a nice variety of waders seen at New Hythe 4 Greenshank,1 Spotted Redshank,1 L R Plover,2 Green Sandpiper,3 Common Sandpipers,2 Curlew,3 Bar-tailed Godwits,2 Oystercatcher and 4 Whimbrel.

May 1st (Dungeness)

I went to Dungeness today,although I didn`t arrive until quite late,I still managed to see a good sea bird passage (by my standards) with plenty of variety 9.am-10.00.

Pomarine Skua 1,Bartail-Godwit 100,Knot 1,Kittiwake 2,Black Tern 2,Gannet 4,Common Scoter 30,Razorbill 1,Little Tern 6,Little Egret 1 (came in over the patch) Diver 1 sper,Common Tern 100s and Arctic Tern,several seen.

A strong easterly wind made viewing small birds rather difficult,but I did hear good numbers of Sedge Warblers,Common Whitethroats and Cetti`s Warblers around the RSPB reserve.Although I had no luck with the Purple Heron that has recently turned up there (lets hope it finds a mate) I did see three Hobbies (my first sighting this year) feeding over the fields just behind Boulderwall farm,I was back in Snodland by 1.30pm.

Yesterday 79 Pomarine Skua and a 1000 + Bar-tails went past Dungeness.