August 13th

It was even hotter this morning so we were out early and walked at Chamber's Wall from the farm to the railway line. We saw 24 Goldfinches, 3 Green Woodpeckers, 7 Reed Warblers, 4 Skylarks, 2 Turtle Doves, 2 Swallows, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Whinchat, 5 Whitethroats, 2 Sedge Warblers, 1 Willow Warbler, 11 Linnets, 1 Kingfisher, 2 Cetti's Warblers, 1 Pied Flycatcher (174th), 1 Golden Plover and 1 Spotted Flycatcher.

Derek Smith was out this morning between 0540 and 0940 and covered most of the eastern half of the Marsh from Shuart to Brooksend and Coldharbour. He recorded 4 Common Buzzards, 4 Little Egrets, 3 Green Sandpipers, 16 Yellow Wagtails, 2 Wheatears, 1 Whinchat, 7 Cetti's Warblers and 14 Corn Buntings.

Dave Smith was also out from 0510 for five hours and covered the Shuart and Plumpudding area. He saw 1 Turtle Dove, 10 Golden Plovers, 2 Ringed Plovers, 7 Turnstone, 1 Sanderling, 5 Dunlin, 1 Wood Sandpiper, 6 Little Egrets, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Barn Owl, 2 Kingfishers, 2 Kestrels, 1 Willow Warbler, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Blackcap, 1 Garden Warbler, 5 Lesser Whitethroats, 20 Whitethroats, 1 Song Thrusk, 1 Pied Flycatcher, 2 Whinchats, 1 Stonechat, 7 Yellow Wagtails and 10 Corn Buntings.

Pied Flycatcher

 Last evening I received information about the colour-ringed Mediterranean Gull we saw on the beach at Reculver on July 25th. It had originally been ringed at Antwerp in Belgium as a third calendar year bird on 12th May 2019. In the intervening time it had been seen on a number of occasions at Icklesham in East Sussex in 2020 and 2021 and on 17th March 2020 at Newton on the Isle of Wight. However on 20th December 2021 it was observed at Ria A Coruna, Santa Cruz de Oleiros, A Coruna, Galicia, Spain which is 1,144 km SW of Reculver.

Mediterranean Gull 3HK3