March 4th
On a misty, murky morning with the tide out and the Environment Agency repairing the winter damage to the beach I walked along the seawall. I saw 5 Greylag Geese, 1 Kestrel, 12 Linnets, 480 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 3 Great Black-backed Gulls, 5 Cetti's Warblers, 1 Pied Wagtail, 4 Stonechats, 6 Redshank, 11 Cormorants, 10 Ringed Plovers, 2 Oystercatchers, 12 Meadow Pipits, 19 Turnstone and 2 Mallard.
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| Reculver beach looking towards Thanet |
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| Female Stonechat |
March 3rd
It was sunny with a chilly easterly breeze blowing as I had an hour's walk at Reculver this afternoon. I recorded 2 Pied Wagtails, 35 Chaffinches, 50 Jackdaws, 20 Rooks, 2 Green Woodpeckers, 3 Red-legged Partridges, 54 Coot, 2 Cetti's Warblers, 10 Tufted Duck, 14 Mallard, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 6 Gadwall, 2 Teal, 3 Mute Swans, 2 Green Sandpipers and 1 Common Buzzard.
March 2nd
On a sunny morning with a chilly southerly breeze blowing I walked along the seawall from Reculver. I recorded 1 Great Crested Grebe, 11 Mute Swans, 4 Cetti's Warblers, 14 Meadow Pipits, 3 Pied Wagtails, 1 Great Black-backed Gull, 5 Stonechats, 19 Gannets flying E, 11 Turnsstone, 11 Ringed Plovers, 2 Little Egrets, 2 Corn Buntings, 3 Reed Buntings, 68 Linnets, 2 Oystercatchers, 3 Redshank, 11 Cormorants, 4 Mallard and 450 Dark-bellied Brent Geese. Just as I got home 2 Ravens flew over the house calling loudly and were followed ten minutes later by a Red Kite.
February 28th
It was an unpleasant morning with a fresh and cold westerly wind blowing in drizzle as I walked at Reculver. Birds I saw included 2 Chiffchaffs, 50 Rooks, 30 Jackdaws, 3 Cetti's Warblers, 14 Chaffinches, 5 Goldfinches, 2 Long-tailed Tits, 2 Song Thrushes, 24 Mallard, 6 Teal, 5 Tufted Duck, 10 Gadwall, 1 Grey Heron, 52 Coot, 3 Mute Swans, 1 Green Woodpecker, 1 Pied Wagtail and at the sea 1 Mediterranean Gull W, 50 Black-headed Gulls W, 3 Common Gulls and 2 Great Black-backed Gulls.
Matt was also out this morning at the other end of the Marsh and walked from Shuart to Brooksend and back via Plumpudding. He counted 5 Goldcrests, 1 Firecrest, 83 Chaffinches, 1 Green Woodpecker, 1 Peregrine, 1 Kestrel, 2 Common Buzzards, 1 Jay, 6 Long-tailed Tits, 3 Redwing, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 3 Barnacle Geese, 40 Greylag Geese, 22 Tufted Duck, 3 Ring-necked Parakeets, 3 Song Thrushes, 2 Stonechats and 1 Chiffchaff.
February 26th
There was a chilly, westerly breeze blowing this morning as I walked inland at Reculver. I saw 16 Chaffinches, 1 Firecrest, 14 Blackbirds, 1 Grey Wagtail, 58 Coot, 26 Mallard, 5 Tufted Duck, 2 male Shoveler, 8 Teal, 12 Gadwall, 1 Grey Heron, 2 Green Sandpipers, 1 Little Grebe, 3 Mute Swans, 3 Cetti's Warblers, 1 Redshank, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Pied Wagtail, 7 Goldfinches and 1 Common Buzzard.
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| Male Shoveler |
February 25th
On another glorious morning I walked at Reculver and recorded 2 Song Thrushes, 3 Cetti's Warblers, 1 singing Black Redstart, 54 Coot, 2 Grey Herons, 26 Mallard, 3 Mute Swans, 8 Tufted Duck, 22 Gadwall, 2 Shelduck, 2 Green Sandpipers, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 6 Teal, 2 Stonechats, 3 Skylarks, 1 Green Woodpecker, 1 Chiffchaff and 2 Pied Wagtails.
February 24th
The weather this morning was superb with a light westerly wind, sunshine and the temperature 15 degrees centigrade. I walked at Reculver and saw 1 Pied Wagtail, 2 Red-legged Partridges, 2 Skylarks, 1 Kestrel, 56 Coot, 3 Mute Swans, 22 Mallard, 16 Gadwall, 6 Teal, 1 Marsh Harrier, 2 Cetti's Warblers, 2 Green Sandpipers, 2 Grey Herons, 5 Tufted Duck, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Little Grebe, 10 Blackbirds, 2 Long-tailed Tits and a Red Kite that Matt had seen 20 minutes before flying W over the Wantsum outflow.
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| Coot |
February 23rd
It felt like spring this afternoon as I had a brief stroll at Reculver and saw 2 Red-legged Partridges, 12 Chaffinches, 36 Mallard, 1 Common Buzzard, 4 Redwing, 8 Blackbirds, 1 Grey Heron, 8 Tufted Duck, 9 Teal, 6 Gadwall, 52 Coot, 100 Dark-bellied Brent Geese out on the Marsh, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Cetti's Warbler and 2 Green Woodpeckers.
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| Red-legged Partridge |
February 21st
On a pleasant morning I walked along the seawall from Reculver and counted 568 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 21 Linnets, 4 Oystercatchers, 6 Redshank, 8 Ringed Plovers, 1 Snow Bunting briefly before it was flushed by a dog walker, 17 Mute Swans, 32 Corn Buntings, 40 Carrion Crows, 3 Mallard and 6 Meadow Pipits.
February 18th
Matt had a seawatch at Minnis Bay this morning and counted 139 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 21 Great Crested Grebes, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit (122nd), 10 Red-throated Divers, 45 Grey Plovers, 4 Curlew, 1 Mediterranean Gull and 1 Shelduck. He also saw 42 Tufted Duck and 120 Teal at Brooksend.
Also this morning a Great Northern Diver flew E at Reculver.
February 17th
It was cold and breezy this morning at Reculver but at least the sun was shining. My walk produced 107 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 9 Goldfinches, 24 Mallard, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 10 Teal, 28 Gadwall, 46 Coot, 6 Tufted Duck, 2 Long-tailed Tits, 10 Blackbirds, 1 Raven, 1 Green Woodpecker and 1 Cetti's Warbler.
February 14th
With a fresh NNE wind blowing Matt, Dave Smith and I had a seawatch at Reculver between 0700 and 0900. We counted 2 adult Mediterranean Gulls E, 8 Red-throated Divers E, 416 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 3 Great Crested Grebes, 5 Grey Plovers W, 1 male Pintail E, 2 Little Gulls W (120th), 1 male Red-breasted Merganser E (121st), 1 Curlew W, 1 Gannet E and 80 Common Gulls E.
February 13th
It was brighter than I had expected this morning as I had a short walk at Reculver. The first bird I heard and then saw was a first year male Black Redstart singing on the Towers. Other birds included 450 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 3 Linnets, 1 Oystercatcher, 22 Corn Buntings, 1 Redshank, 12 Cormorants and 2 Pied Wagtails.
