Bough Beech Nature Reserve Group Car Trip
Wednesday 21 December 2005, 10.30am to 1pm

Leader: John Turner
Mince pies provided by Jeanne Turner

Weather: Early mist clearing to bright sunshine

Twelve members recorded an amazing 55 species in little over two hours, beating a July trip to the same venue which produced 51. Interesting species on the feeders included brambling and coal tit while redwing and fieldfare jostled for fallen apples in the orchard. Snipe and reed bunting were also seen here despite noisy building work in progress near the Oast House. On the reservoir one of the resident kingfishers performed well, repeatedly catching fish and retiring to a branch perch. A good variety of ducks included a remarkable number of mandarin sunning themselves on a bank , green sandpipers called loudly, a sparrowhawk flew low across the water and flocks of goldfinch and linnet hunted for food. A deer, possibly a roe, was glimpsed among the trees as its white rear bobbed away under the trees.

Bird list
Blackbird, brambling (3), reed bunting, chaffinch, carrion crow, coot, cormorant, collared dove, mandarin duck (38), tufted duck, dunnock, fieldfare (12), gadwall, goldfinch (20+), great crested grebe, little grebe, greenfinch, black headed gull, grey heron, jackdaw, jay, kingfisher, lapwing (100+), linnet (30+), magpie. Mallard, moorhen, nuthatch, pheasant, pochard (40+), redwing (6), robin, green sandpiper (3), shoveler, snipe, house sparrow, sparrowhawk, starling, teal, mistle thrush, blue tit, coal tit, great tit, grey wagtail, pied wagtail, wigeon, green woodpecker, great spotted woodpecker, woodpigeon, wren.

Weather: bright and sunny with strong winds.

Showers cleared as the Group coach neared destination with 27 species of bird seen en-route by those who stayed awake. Winter thrushes were prominent and as usual there were plenty of pheasants on the fields, curlew and oystercatcher on the golf course at Hunstanton and a couple of kestrels on roadside patrol.

We headed for the beach, pausing to view the large gull roost where a solitary yellow-legged and mediterranean gull were identified. Several snipe were seen and one in particular with a shorter bill was debated before it was judged to be a juvenile rather than the rarer jack snipe. Eight spotted redshanks were seen down a channel near the beach, as well as their more common relatives and avocet. Male and female stonechats and reed bunting flitted about scrubby bushes near the beach.

Reaching the sand dunes, a skua surprisingly stood on the shore eating what looked like a gull. This feast continued for two hours with the occasional flight which caused consternation among the flock of mostly black-headed and common gulls and also the large concentration of bar-tailed godwit, dunlin, turnstone, sanderling, knot and lapwings foraging along the water’s edge. At sea, eiders moved past while a flock of around 40 common scoter bobbed on the waves. A telescope scan revealed four goldeneye while some distant grebes were too far out to identify.

As the weather closed in we sighted several hundred brent geese before eventually retreating to the visitor centre where brambling had been sighted around the feeders. The well stocked shop is always worth a visit but I was more concerned with obtaining a warm drink before boarding the coach for the near three hour return trip!

Unfortunately I didn’t see the water rail or marsh harrier logged by some nor the possible temmincks stint reported by one member. Conversation returned to the skua – was it a pomarine or a great skua? I thought the latter but the wing barring seemed to suggest a juvenile pomarine (dark race). Perhaps none of us are real experts in the end!

Bird list
Little grebe, great crested grebe, cormorant, little egret, mute swan, brent goose, Canada goose, shelduck, wigeon, gadwall, teal, mallard, pintail, shoveler, tufted duck, eider (7), common scoter (about 40), goldeneye (4), marsh harrier, kestrel (3), pheasant, water rail, moorhen, coot, oystercatcher, avocet, ringed plover, lapwing, knot, sanderling, temmincks stint, dunlin, snipe, black-tailed godwit, bar-tailed godwit, curlew, spotted redshank (8), redshank, turnstone, pomarine skua (dark race), 1 mediterranean gull, black-headed gull, common gull, herring gull, yellow-legged gull, collared dove, woodpigeon, dunnock, robin, stonechat (2), blackbird, fieldfare, redwing, long-tailed tit, blue tit, great tit, magpie, rook, carrion crow, starling, house sparrow, chaffinch, brambling (2), greenfinch, goldfinch, linnet, reed bunting (67 species)

Maurice Ewart

Titchwell Marsh Skua Pictures by Peter Kite Click pictures to enlarge
Skua on Titchwell beach with bar-tailed godwits, knots and redshanks	Skua with Meal
The mystery skua on Titchwell beach with bar-tailed godwits, knots and redshanks	Skua with meal
Skua on the Sea	A fine wing view of the skua.
Skua on the sea	A fine wing view of the skua. Any thoughts on identification to the editor please

Leader - Tony Banks (28 on coach)

Weather: mild, dry, moderate S wind, cloudy but bright with sunny spells.

Where's the pelican crossing? (pic: Tony Banks)

As our group walked around the small harbour, only yards from the visitor centre, a Grey Seal surfaced between us and the nearest moored yacht and for just a few minutes dived and rolled on the surface. We saw its leathery flippers, big eyes and stiff whiskers, extraordinarily only fifteen feet from us, a very good start to the day indeed.

With the tide at its zenith the scrap of beach left held only a small roosting flock of Turnstones and Ringed Plovers so we turned our attention to the Brownwich Cliffs area at the western edge of the reserve, where a Lapland bunting had been reported. From the cliff-top location we enjoyed excellent views of Eiders and Brent geese flying over the Solent. A Peregrine, looking very compact and powerful, flew over us and out, low over the sea, towards the Isle of Wight.

With reference to a field guide we identified a distant mystery duck, among the Great Crested Grebes, as a female Common Scoter and we kept the book to hand as we eventually located the Lapland Bunting. This small brown streaky bird (a life tick for me) obviously felt secure hiding behind long grass at the bottom of the fence, moving only intermittently a few feet out into the field to feed. Getting a view through my scope necessitated some gymnastics but I was pleased that all in our little group managed it.

Birds within the reserve itself were limited but elegant Godwits and secretive Snipe complemented the Gadwall, Mallard and Teal looking smart in their fresh plumage. Most enjoyed views of a pair of Stonechat near the gate and some luckier souls also found a Dartford warbler in the same spot. Later in the afternoon the falling tide exposed fresh feeding for the birds on the shore and as we waited for the coach Dunlin, Oystercatcher, Redshank, Turnstone and Curlew moved among the very smart, very black Brent Geese, only recently arrived from Siberia.

Total count of species for the day – 78

Tony Banks

OARE MARSHES
Saturday, 24 September 2005 10.00 to 13.00
Maurice Ewart (+28 Bexley RSPB Group members)

Weather: Mild, sunny, light SW wind

55 species seen on east flood only and entrance track. Those who stayed and went round the west flood will have seen several other species

Bird list
Little grebe, cormorant, little egret, grey heron, mute swan, greylag, brent goose, shelduck, teal, mallard, shoveler, tufted duck, ruddy duck, common buzzard (from A2), marsh harrier, kestrel, pheasant, moorhen, coot, oystercatcher, avocet, ringed plover, grey plover, lapwing, knot, curlew, sandpiper (seen by some), dunlin, ruff, snipe, black tailed godwit, bar tailed godwit, curlew, redshank, herring gull, black headed gull, collared dove, wood pigeon, swallow, meadow pipit, yellow wagtail, pied wagtail, robin, stonechat, cettis warbler (heard at car park), bearded tit (seen by some), blue tit, great tit, magpie, rook, carrion crow, starling, house sparrow, goldfinch, linnet, reed bunting

General observations
Grey/common seals, small copper butterfly, marsh frog

BOUGH BEECH RESERVOIR CAR TRIP
Tuesday 26 July 2005 (10.30 to 14.15)

Weather: Cloudy with bright spells. Little wind.

Bird list
Great crested grebe, cormorant, little egret, grey heron, mute swan, greylag, canada goose, shelduck, mandarin, teal, mallard, tufted duck, moorhen, coot, little ringed plover, lapwing, dunlin, greenshank, green sandpiper (3), common sandpiper (2), black headed gull, common tern (7), collared dove, turtle dove, wood pigeon, kingfisher, green woodpecker, great spotted woodpecker, swallow, house martin, pied wagtail, wren, dunnock, robin, blackbird, sedge warbler, lesser whitethroat, whitethroat, chiffchaff, willow warbler, blue tit, great tit, nuthatch, jay, magpie, rook, carrion crow, chaffinch, greenfinch, goldfinch, linnet. (51 species)

Notes: kingfisher in full view for over 30 minutes, fishing from low branch on main reservoir.

General observations
Gatekeeper butterfly and roe deer

Maurice Ewart and Eric Brown

Dungeness car trip
Sunday 27 April 2005

Weather: Dry but windy 9.30am to 3.30pm

Nine observers who assembled in the car park at 9.30am were rewarded with immediate views of a male wheatear on the shingle a few yards away.

After this positive start we entered the first hide and quickly spotted what appeared to be a duck, but a very strange one. After much discussion the popular vote went for common scoter but we were all amazed a sea duck should be on fresh water on a calm day. Perhaps it was unwell or oiled but there was no evidence of this.

Steadily the list of new waterbirds birds began to mount up. Tufted duck, gadwall, pochard, shelduck, mallard, teal, ruddy duck and wigeon represented a good variety and score for the ducks.

On to the waders. Bar and black-tailed godwits were found as well as greenshank and common sandpiper.

Among the expanding reedbeds, sedge warblers and whitethroats were frequently seen and heard but we located only a single reed warbler.

Cetti’s warblers could also be heard, their loud, staccato song bursts from quite close range always encouraging us to hope we might actually see one emerge from cover. But it was not to be.

Similarly, the "pinging" of bearded tits could be heard but they declined to leave their reedy havens to battle against the wind.

By the time we left in mid-afternoon a total of 55 species had been recorded by the group members.

Brian (Trip Leader)

Cliffe Pools Car Trip
Wednesday 23 March 2005 10.30am to 1.30pm

Weather: Fine, sunshine.

Little grebe, great crested grebe, cormorant, heron, mute swan, mallard, gadwall, pintail, shoveller, teal, wigeon, tufted duck, pochard, ruddy duck, shelduck, kestrel, lapwing, snipe, dunlin, grey plover, black tailed godwit, redshank, oystercatcher, herring gull, black headed gull,.lesser black backed gull, goldfinch, reed bunting, stonechat. Total 29.

Snettisham Coach Trip
Saturday 19 March 2005

Weather: Mist clearing

The forecaster’s words "Murky in the East" were a little unsettling and when I looked out of the coach windows to find the view of the Essex countryside had disappeared behind a white misty veil I sent out a silent prayer. No binoculars in the world can penetrate fog! Thankfully by the time we reached our toilet stop near Littleport visibility had improved enormously, and when we arrived at the car park behind the beach I was feeling much more optimistic.

Birds dotted the sands of the Wash, and a flock of wigeon, loafing on distant calm water appeared to hang in mid air, an optical illusion caused by the lack of any clear horizon.

Bar tailed godwits fed at the waterline with dunlin, while knot picked food from the sand closer to shore.

Walking south along the sea wall our group picked out ringed plover and curlew, and around the scrub by the sailing club, skylark, goldfinch, pied wagtail, long tailed tit and our first wheatear of the year.

Half a dozen goldeneyes dived for food on the gravel pits and at least one male was seen displaying to females, throwing his head sharply backwards.

Unusual behaviour from ringed plovers on the beach held our attention. A group of five birds held their wings over their backs, tent-wise, while they stalked about with necks extended horizontally. In this posture the bold black and white bands of the neck and breast were even more obvious than usual.

By a process of elimination, and comparison with other birds viewed more closely, we confirmed the identification of a distant roosting flock as golden plover – some black bellies helping enormously.

Other birds, like the large flocks of flying brent geese, were easier to identify. Some of the brents eventually arrived on the sands giving excellent views and a chance to compare them with a few canadas nearby. The only pink-footed geese I saw were flying east, a flock of almost a hundred in classic V formation heading towards the sea, emphasising that winter is well and truly on the retreat.

On the downside the tide was so far out as to make identifying waders on the water’s edge an eye-squinting task while there was no sign of the massed ranks of waders jostling for space on the reserve, a favourite scene for photographers.

Photo by Tony Banks

But a comprehensive list of species seen reached an amazing 72 and it was disappointing that only 26 coach seats were filled.

Tony Banks (Deputy trip leader)

Owl Reward For Intrepid Midweek Adventurers
Elmley Car Trip Wednesday 26 January 2005

A small band of brave Bexley Group members battled snow showers and bitterly cold winds during a visit to Elmley Marshes RSPB reserve on the Isle of Sheppey.

Waders were fairly scarce. Golden and grey plover, turnstone, oystercatcher, redshank and curlew were counted but none were in large numbers.

This could not be said of wigeon with at least 3,000 on the reserve. Other ducks included the majestic pintail, tufted, shelduck and mallard.

Of course the main reason for a winter visit to Elmley is raptors and they did not disappoint. Along with regular sightings of marsh harrier, a ringtail hen harrier was seen and a friendly kestrel perched on a hide above our heads. A female peregrine several times put up everything in sight before landing again well within binocular range and a merlin flashed across the scrapes.

Little Egret, stonechat, fieldfare and kingfisher were other highlights and a pair of red breasted mergansers alighted so close on the water in front of the Swale hide we were able to clearly see the untidy strands of hair which make the head a roughly triangular shape and suggest the bird is always on the way to the barber’s.

The day ended on a magical note when a short eared owl was located perched on the ground to the left of the exit track.

If you are interested in joining midweek car trips contact John Turner on 0208 303 8930.

ERIC BROWN