Oare Marshes, Kent (20 August 2025)
11 members were a little disappointed to find that the East Flood looked more like a dried saltpan than a flood and that we would not have the pleasure of scanning through a high tide roost. There were only Pied Wagtails and a few Lapwing collecting insects on the cracked ground while a few gulls sat around. A couple of Dunlin stayed briefly then flew off following the 100+ Black-tailed Godwit which flew over, presumably to roost on Sheppey as high tide approached, rather than on the scrap of water left on here.
Not to be defeated we headed for the seawall. On the slipway 30 Turnstones waited until the very last moment before the rising tide stopped them feeding amongst the rocks at our feet and a Sandwich Tern sat on a post next to a Cormorant. Then we followed the sea wall along the Swale to Dan’s Dock. This route proved successful and gave us a Whimbrel in the creek, 3 Cattle Egrets with Little Egret amongst the cows, a quartering male Marsh Harrier, fly over Yellow Wagtails then one landing nearby allowing photos, a Common Sandpiper on the same creek’s bank as the Yellow Wag, a Whinchat, Kestrels, a glimpse of a Hobby, the usual Stock Doves on the bunker rooves and best of all, a showy Water Rail on the edge of the rectangular pool. A mystery small brown bird flitting back and forth across the pool turned out to be a Reed Warbler. Sizeable murmurations of young starlings were a surprising sight both here and throughout the day as they fed on blackberries and periodically swirled up into the sky.
By the time we got back to the slipway the tide was just turning so we stopped for lunch and watched the birds returning as the mudflats were exposed. First 30 Ringed Plover, Turnstones, Black-headed Gulls and a Mediterranean Gull, then our prize bird, the Bonaparte’s Gull. It’s returned here for its 13th summer to moult and is always a delight to spot. It couldn’t have been closer and even as the tide went further out stayed close enough to the sea wall for everyone to have a good look (i.e. those for whom sandwiches eaten out of the strong wind beat a first view of the bird)! It was unmistakable, now in non-breeding plumage, waddling along on its short pinkish/orange legs, with a black bill, black ear coverts and a grey wash on its nape.
Looking over Faversham Creek towards Whitstable we found 3 Bar-tailed Godwit and a Golden Plover amongst the Redshank. Having picked out a Red Knot on the opposite bank we were joined by Jim Moir (aka Vic Reeves) and his wife and Eddie pointed the bird out to them! The rest of the loop around East Flood produced little apart from Linnets, Whitethroat and a Blackbird – certainly no Turtle Doves sitting up in their usual scrub in the stiff ENE wind. Before leaving, we decided to have one last look over the Swale and added 2 Common Tern and some distant Shelduck to our list. On our way to a very pleasant refreshment stop at the 3 Mariners Pub in Oare village a low flying Buzzard, Collared Doves and House Sparrows completed our day’s list. Why do Collared Doves so love telegraph wires in seaside villages?
Species: Bar-tailed Godwit, Black-headed Gull, Black-tailed Godwit, Blackbird, Bonaparte’s Gull, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Cattle Egret, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Common Sandpiper, Common Tern, Coot, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Golden Plover, Goldfinch, Great Black-backed Gull, Great Crested Grebe, Green Woodpecker, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, Hobby, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestel, Knot, Lapwing, Linnet, Little Egret, Magpie, Mallard, Marsh Harrier, Meadow Pipit, Mediterranean Gull, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Redshank, Reed Bunting, Ringed Plover, Sandwich Tern, Shelduck, Skylark, Starling, Stock Dove, Teal, Turnstone, Water Rail, Whimbrel, Whinchat, Whitethroat, Woodpigeon, Yellow Wagtail.