April 19th

The highlight of the morning was a Hoopoe (155th) found by Matt at Reculver at 0630. He initially found it feeding on tractor tracks in a wheat field but it quickly flew up onto a telegraph pole before it landed on one of the toilet blocks in the old caravan park and proceeded to sing for ten seconds. It was then disturbed by a dog walker and flew east to the Oyster Farm and was not seen again despite being searched for by a number of the Reculver locals. This is the fifteenth record of this species for the Reculver area. There was also a male Ring Ouzel on the grass.

Hoopoe - Matt Hindle

After this Matt walked up to Chamber's Wall where I met him and we then walked along the seawall to Plumpudding and back along the railway embankment. Birds we saw included 10 Cetti's Warblers, 4 Chiffchaffs, 9 Blackcaps, 9 Reed Warblers, 8 Shelduck, 12 Coot, 9 Great Crested Grebes, 1 Sparrowhawk, 4 Yellow Wagtails, 2 Wheatears, 1 Snipe, 1 Stonechat, 9 Mediterranean Gulls E, 3 White Wagtails, 45 Corn Buntings, 26 Stock Doves, 4 Tufted Ducks, 2 Grey Herons, 4 Marsh Harriers, 1 Jay, 1 Green Sandpiper, 1 Kestrel, 1 Willow Warbler, 9 Pied Wagtails, 23 Mute Swans, 1 Common Buzzard, 2 Lapwings, 1 adult Red Kite E, 2 Long-tailed Tit and good numbers of Sedge Warblers and Whitethroats.

When we got home 2 Red Kites flew W over our garden at Bishopstone. 

Later we visited Reculver and recorded 2 Red Kites W, 2 White Wagtails, 1 Pied Wagtail, 2 Blackcaps, 2 Whitethroats, 1 Chiffchaff, 6 Sand Martins, 1 Common Buzzard, 1 Reed Warbler and 5 Great Crested Grebes.