March 20th  -  An Exciting Morning

We arrived at Reculver at 0800 and had just reached the seawall when we received a call from Matt to say that he had 2 ALPINE SWIFTS (129th) flying thirty feet above his head and moving slowly west along the embankment just west of the Shuart crossing. He had excellent views as they flew back and forth across the embankment and then west again. With his help we eventually picked them up ten minutes later flying over the White Poplars and then towards us on the seawall. They flew steadily towards us passing about fifty yards behind the Oyster Farm and giving superb views before continuing west and passing south of the Towers. They were later seen at Seasalter and Oare Marshes.

Previous records of Alpine Swifts in the recording area are listed below:

1	26/04/1947	Reculver
1	23/04/1992	Minnis Bay
1 flying west	04/05/1992	Minnis Bay/Reculver
2	23 to 26/04/93	Reculver
1 flying west	02/05/1993	Reculver
1 flying west	14/04/2017	Shuart

 

Other birds we saw between us were 2 Green Woodpeckers, 14 Chiffchaffs, 13 Tufted Ducks, 1 Little Grebe, 2 Kestrels, 4 Coot, 13 Cetti's Warblers, 7 Gadwall, 3 Great Crested Grebes, 1 Kingfisher, 177 Meadow Pipits W, 2 Little Egrets, 17 alba Wagtails W, 1 Grey Wagtail, 2 Stonechats, 9 Rock Pipits W, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 229 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 1 Snow Bunting in off the sea, 2 Dunlin, 1 House Martin (128th), 147 Chaffinches mainly W, 19 Teal, 1 Siskin W, 1 Snipe, 2 Grey Partridges, 3 Wigeon and 1 male Brambling.