My Diary
Elmley and Oare for a change.
13/06/10
Redshank at Elmley RSPB
Spurred on by the fact that there is not a lot on my local reserve, Grove and Stodmarsh at the moment, and what was there is now under water, due to the sluices being opened and for some reason the reed beds being flooded, and then last week’s rain adding to the catastrophe, I decided on a Sunday morning visit to the RSPB reserve at Elmley on the Isle of Sheppey. (The Marmora’s Warbler in Gwent was even considered, but Gwent seemed a long way off on a Sunday morning) It took 2 hours to travel the 3 miles along the entrance track to the reserve car park and office, as there were plenty of Redshank, Lapwing and Oystercatchers, all busily bringing up there broods, with plenty of chicks and nests on the scrapes alongside the road into the reserve. There were several photo opportunities from the car, as I pulled up alongside numerous waders that ignored my presence. Yellow Wagtails were plentiful, with a lot of Juveniles, obviously a good breeding year for them, and I also noted Skylark and Meadow Pipit chicks along the way. The only raptor noted was a Kestrel, but I was not sky watching so some may of gone un noticed. At the RSPB car park, a pair of Goldfinches was feeding on the teasel down towards the reserve hides, allowing some photos, and there were Swallows resting on the wires. An Avocet was seen on the scrape behind the toilet block, as were a pair of Tufted Duck, and a Little Owl flew from one Oak tree to another down the track to the hides. I never went down to the hides, the 1 ½ miles being too far to lug the camera gear, so returned to the car and slowly retraced my journey back out of the reserve, noting Grey Heron and Little Egret as I left. A Yellow Wagtail posed for me on a Gate, where I was able to stop, wind down the window and get a few shots, noticing how yellow it was, a bright and vivid colour. I called into Oare marshes on the way home, where I Bumped into Tim Gutsell and Mike Gould, whom were looking out over the East flood. A pair of Avocets displaying and mating was the main focus of attention, and they eventually came close enough for a few photos to be obtained. A Black tailed Godwit was feeding quite close in, unfortunately the sun being out in front of us prevented any decent photos, but a Grey Heron landed on a gate post on the West flood, and with the sun behind us, (what little there was of it) and although a fair distance off, I was able to get a few decent images with the help of a 2 x converter. I left for home with quite a few photos, and with some Spotted Fly-catcher photos obtained from Wickhambreaux church on the Saturday morning, it was quite a busy weekend with the camera. In two weeks time we have arranged another jolly, this time a sea bird trip, with a weekend in East Yorkshire at Bempton on the 26th of this month, incorporating a boat trip out of Bridlington on a Gannet and Puffin cruise. Hopefully a few photos will be forth coming.