A free Friday and so Keith and I are off to the RSPB reserve at Cliffe. This collection of old workings and pits is located on the north Kent coast by the side of the River Thames and never seems to disappoint for a days bird watching.
We started with our normal stop at West Court Farm, but it was very quiet. Still we enjoyed our stop at Tabitha’s canteen for brunch. After being refreshed we made our way to the RSPB reserve. We first went along to the radar pool as Keith had seen a Spoonbill from here the previous week. Here we encountered our first Nightingales and Cetti’s warblers singing from the undergrowth. Alas no Spoonbill today, but we were treated to the sight of a group of newly emerged Green-Veined White Butterflies which patrolled the paths edge vegetation.
At the small pool we were serenaded by Marsh Frogs, whose ‘song’ would accompany us all the way till we reached the River Thames. Often heard but rarely seen we were fortunate to see two in the small pool.
On the walk to the River we encountered some Peacock butterflies.
Our attention was drawn to a bush by flying ‘butterflies’. We thought at first that they were Small Tortoisehsells, but on closer examination we found that they were moths. They were fast flying and reluctant to settle and of course impossible to photograph. I even tried using the video camera but with no success. Neither of us is very knowledgeable about Moths but enquiries since have suggested that they were male Emperor Moths and that somewhere in the bush was one of more females and this accounted for their frantic activity.
Emperor Moth
photo by Dean Morley (https://www.flickr.com/photos/33465428@N02/)
Moving on we were treated to a fly past from a Merlin
Merlin
photo by Nicole Beaulac (https://www.flickr.com/photos/nicolebeaulac/)
A Hobby also perched on a fence just out of good photography range.
Hobby. The best photo we could get. Taken by Keith
Reaching the River we walked along to the creek and then turned back inland. A male Stonechat was seen perching on a bush, a good record for a bird whioch seems to becoming rarer in the south-east of England. We could hear the characteristic call of Whimbrel and a small party flew overhead. A swallow flashed past and the islands turned up a selection of wading birds including 15 Whimbrel; Redshank; Ringed Plover; Black-Tailed Godwit; Dunlin; Grey Plover and the Avocets which now breed here in large numbers.
Whimbrel
photo by S.Fitzgerald (https://www.flickr.com/photos/sfitzgerald86/)
In the path side vegetation Nightingales and Cetti’s warblers continued to sing along with Blackcaps and Common Whitethroats and a single Chiffchaff. At least 3 of the rarer Lesser Whitethroats were also heard.
The rain had begun to fall and it was now time to make our way back to the village.
An excellent day’s birdwatching. Once again Cliffe had not disappointed us
Common Pheasant [sp] (Phasianus colchicus)
Greylag Goose [sp] (Anser anser)
Canada Goose [sp] (Branta canadensis)
Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiaca)
Common Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)
Gadwall (Anas strepera)
Mallard [sp] (Anas platyrhynchos)
Eurasian Teal [sp] (Anas crecca)
Common Pochard (Aythya ferina)
Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula)
Little Grebe [sp] (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
Great Crested Grebe [sp] (Podiceps cristatus)
Grey Heron [sp] (Ardea cinerea)
Little Egret [sp] (Egretta garzetta)
Great Cormorant [sp] (Phalacrocorax carbo)
Western Marsh Harrier [sp] (Circus aeruginosus)
Common Kestrel [sp] (Falco tinnunculus)
Merlin [sp] (Falco columbarius)
Eurasian Hobby [sp] (Falco subbuteo)
Common Moorhen [sp] (Gallinula chloropus)
Eurasian Coot [sp] (Fulica atra)
Eurasian Oystercatcher [sp] (Haematopus ostralegus)
Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta)
Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)
Grey Plover [sp] (Pluvialis squatarola)
Common Ringed Plover [sp] (Charadrius hiaticula)
Black-tailed Godwit [sp] (Limosa limosa)
Whimbrel [sp] (Numenius phaeopus)
Common Redshank [sp] (Tringa totanus)
Dunlin [sp] (Calidris alpina)
Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
European Herring Gull [sp] (Larus argentatus)
Lesser Black-backed Gull [sp] (Larus fuscus)
Common Tern [sp] (Sterna hirundo)
Common Wood Pigeon [sp] (Columba palumbus)
Eurasian Collared Dove [sp] (Streptopelia decaocto)
Common Cuckoo [sp] (Cuculus canorus)
Eurasian Magpie [sp] (Pica pica)
Carrion Crow [sp] (Corvus corone)
Great Tit [sp] (Parus major)
Eurasian Blue Tit [sp] (Cyanistes caeruleus)
Eurasian Skylark [sp] (Alauda arvensis)
Barn Swallow [sp] (Hirundo rustica)
Cetti’s Warbler [sp] (Cettia cetti)
Long-tailed Tit [sp] (Aegithalos caudatus)
Common Chiffchaff [sp] (Phylloscopus collybita)
Eurasian Reed Warbler [sp] (Acrocephalus scirpaceus)
Eurasian Blackcap [sp] (Sylvia atricapilla)
Lesser Whitethroat [sp] (Sylvia curruca)
Common Whitethroat [sp] (Sylvia communis)
Eurasian Wren [sp] (Troglodytes troglodytes)
Common Starling [sp] (Sturnus vulgaris)
Common Blackbird [sp] (Turdus merula)
Song Thrush [sp] (Turdus philomelos)
European Robin [sp] (Erithacus rubecula)
Common Nightingale [sp] (Luscinia megarhynchos)
European Stonechat [sp] (Saxicola rubicola)
White Wagtail [sp] (Motacilla alba)
Common Chaffinch [sp] (Fringilla coelebs)
Common Linnet [sp] (Carduelis cannabina)
Large White (Pieris brassicae)
Green-veined White [sp] (Artogeia napi)
Orange Tip (Anthocharis cardamines)
Peacock Butterfly (Inachis io)
Emperor Moth
