North Kent Marshes ... Tuesday 20th July 2010

We arrived at Oare Marshes just after 6 a.m. and spent the morning there. It turned out to be a hot and humid morning with hardly any breeze at all. The Swale estuary was like a mirror - not a ripple to be seen. We arrived two hours before high tide and by the time we left it was nearly low tide.



A Spoonbill appeared on the East Flood mid-morning and there were also at least 33 Little Egrets present.



SPOONBILL (Paul)


SPOONBILL (Graham)

(VIDEO) SPOONBILL (Paul)


(VIDEO) SPOONBILL (Paul)


(VIDEO) SPOONBILL (Graham)


A few of the LITTLE EGRETS present (Graham)


LITTLE EGRET (Graham)

Two Greenshanks, 4 Ruffs, a Green Sandpiper, 10 Avocets, 1 Common Snipe, 3 Dunlin, 30+ Redshanks, 2 Whimbrel and around 350 Black-tailed Godwits were also present on the reserve and at least two Marsh Harriers were in the area, a male and a female. Six Teal were also on the East Flood.


GREEN SANDPIPER (Paul)


COMMON SNIPE (Graham)


REDSHANK (Graham)


BLACK-TAILED GODWITS (Graham)


AVOCET (Graham)


MARSH HARRIER (Graham)


GREENSHANK (Paul)


BLACK-TAILED GODWIT and RUFF (Graham)


RUFF (Paul)

A Peregrine was perched on a distant pylon to the east of Oare Creek and what we believe was a second-year Mediterranean Gull was amongst the Black-headed Gulls on the East Flood.


Distant PEREGRINE (Graham)


MEDITERRANEAN GULL (Graham)

Along The Swale, there were 6+ Common Terns, at least 10 Curlews, 10+ Oystercatchers and 100+ Redshanks. A Sandwich Tern was on the mud beside Oare Creek. Six Sand Martins flew east and 5 Bearded Tits were in the reedbed near the seawatching hide. Two Yellow Wagtails were along the seawall by The Swale. A Cetti’s Warbler was heard but remained hidden, as they do. At Uplees, Paul saw a Turtle Dove at the copse.


SANDWICH TERN (Graham)

Although we cannot be certain, at the edge of the mud by The Swale at Uplees, we found what we believe to be Otter footprints. They were far too large to be those of a Mink.


Otter prints?

We then headed for Little Murston, a few miles west along The Swale. A few Common Terns, that appeared to be bringing food from The Swale to young on the pits behind the seawall, a few more Curlews and Little Egrets, a female Pochard and two broods of Tufted Ducks on the pits and a female Marsh Harrier, but not much else was present, as the tide was really low by now. Another singing Cetti’s Warbler eluded us as we returned to the car to head home.

Paul & Graham