APRIL FOOLS

We have now reached the middle of April,so here is an update for the month so far.Migration is still slow but with the fine weather now here things should start to happen quite quickly.

 THE FIRST WHEATEAR AT SAMPHIRE HOE just arrived in March.

 ICELAND GULL-still at Ramsgate Harbour.

 SONG THRUSH at home.

 LESSER BLACK BACKED GULL over the Hoe.

 MEADOW PIPITS AT SAMPHIRE HOE Watch for their parachute song flight along the fence line.

 FULMARS nest on the cliffs either side of the Hoe.

 COLOUR RINGED STONECHATS AT SAMPHIRE HOE-green /black

 Green/Red

 Blue/Red

 TUFTED DUCK

 GARGANEY at Stodmarsh a summer visitor

 MALLARD 
A pair of RED BREASTED MERGANSERS stayed at Ramsgate Harbour for a few days

 The female was less wary than the male bird

 DRAKE RED BREASTED MERGANSER

 RBM

RBM

GREAT CRESTED GREBE

 A BLACK WINGED STILT arrived at Stodmarsh last week and stayed a short while.

 BLACK WINGED STILT

 BWS

 BWS

 BWS

 BWS

 BWS

 BWS

 WATER PIPIT from Marsh Hide Stodmarsh.

 WATER PIPIT

 REDPOLL ALDER WOOD STODMARSH

 REDPOLL

REDPOLL
The moth trap has been out a few times since it got a bit warmer

 STREAMER

 EARLY GREY

NUT TREE TUSSOCK

 BRINDLED BEAUTY

V PUG.
Last Tuesday started off extremely foggy,but when it cleared I found this wonderful Long Eared Owl sunning itself in Woody Gully at the Hoe.It was quite high up and across the railway so the photos have been heavily cropped.

 LEO

 Look at the size of those feet

LEO

SPRINGING INTO MARCH or MARCHING INTO SPRING.

We have been subjected to a double dose of Easterly beasterly this month the first brought fieldfares to the garden a jack snipe to Russell gardens and woodcock and snipe to samphire hoe.

FIELDFARES IN THE GARDEN,taken through the square window.

FIELDFARE
The Jack Snipe ,smaller cousin of the Common Snipe, was found by Mark Kennet in Russell Gardens,by the time I got there it was almost dark so the pics are not the sharpest.





JACK SNIPE

JACK SNIPE probing for worms on the banks of the stream.

Add caption

Add caption

JACK SNIPE

JACK SNIPE,it was eventually chased off by a Lapwing another odd visitor to the park.

ICE WATERFALL

ICE WATERFALL



SHORT EARED OWL at Seasalter.

DISPLAYING GOLDENEYES at ARC Dungeness,wish I could move my neck like that.

GREAT CRESTED GREBE,many can be seen on the sea in the winter months,there used to be a regular group of up to 40 in the harbour, have seen very few this winter.

GREAT CRESTED GREBE,this one was off the Hoe

ROCK PIPIT on the west beach at Samphire Hoe.

CROW AT THE HOE

SAILING BY- KRUZENSHTERN a German sail training ship.

The Kearsney Abbey Drake PINTAIL  showed well and revealed that he is not ringed.

PINTAIL

PINTAIL no leg rings.

MISTLE THRUSH  they are early breeders and may already have young.

MISTLE THRUSH on the Dover Rugby pitch.

BLACKCAP not sure if this is an early migrant or an overwintering bird.

BLACKCAP - seen along the river at Barton Path.

STONECHAT one of the colour ringed birds at Samphire Hoe

STONECHAT ringed by the East Kent Ringing Group as a study in Stonechat behaviour and movement so keep an eye out for them please.

PRIMROSES

HOW NOW BROWN SHEEP.

BUZZARD probably the most common raptor in Kent now.

BRENT GEESE ON MIGRATION
The second beast from the east brought us this...

BLUETHROAT  my first attempts were dogged by poor light and the bird stubbornly favouring the muddy ditch of Dengemarsh Gully.

BLUETHROAT

BLUETHROAT

BLUETHROAT,However I was pleased to see only my second British record and my first male.

FLOTILLA OF MALLARD at Lade

DRAKE MALLARD

WALK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN

EGYPTIAN GOOSE at Dengemarsh

FIRECREST caught in the gully.

FIRECREST.

CHIFF CHAFF also caught in the gully.

BLUETHROAT,eventually when the sun emerged I went for seconds and was lucky enough to see the bird in a better light

BLUETHROAT I make no apology for the following sequence of shots.

BLUETHROAT

BT

BT

BT

BT

BT

BT

BT

BT

BT

BT

BT

AIDA VITA The first of the years cruise ships at Dover.

GANNET many have been seen feeding off the Hoe this month.

GANNET

SEAL WITH FLATFISH

SEAL WITH CODLING

BLACK HEADED GULLs have got their black (actually brown)heads back.

BHG

GREAT BLACK BACKED GULL

GBBG

BLACK REDSTART

LONG TAILED DUCK one of the overwintering pair at Lade South pit.

LTD

LTD

RED NECKED GREBE this lovely bird was seen at Lade in its superb breeding plumage.

RED NECKED GREBE
Last Sunday morning after a fruitless search for a Wheatear at Samphire Hoe I ended up at the allotment at Temple Ewell,as I arrived the gulls were going absolutely nuts so obviously something was in the air,it turned out to be this White Stork which has been doing a tour of East Kent for a few days whilst on route for its home in Sweden.

WHITE STORK

WHITE STORK when seen on the ground it is ringed

WHITE STORK and is part of a Swedish breeding programme.
That's about all for this month,still no Wheatear at the Hoe as I write,Happy Easter to one and all,see you out and about soon.