Wednesday 11 August 2010

Wednesday 11th.August 2010

With my Warden on holiday this week , I decided to visit the very windy Isle of Sheppey today , stopping first at RSPB Elmley . I have so many shots to post , that I will do them over two days , with just comments .
I was hoping to find the track lined with Yellow Wagtails , but a single Skylark and three Lapwing was as good as it got .
More interest in the air , where a male Kestrel and a Carrion Crow were noisily arguing ,
before the Kestrel decided to leave the scene . Some way off the track , two pairs of ears were all that could be seen of two Brown Hares .
A small flock of Curlew were the only ones seen today .Almost at the car park , before the owner of another pair of ears was seen . In all , 6 Brown Hares were seen along the track . I had a look around the orchard , but didn't have the balls , unlike a fellow blogger , to see if the Swallows were still in the Ladies Toilets . Nor was there any sign of the Little Owls .On the way back down the track , a female Marsh Harrier came reasonably close .

No sooner had she gone , then a Hobby took her place in the then clear blue sky .
I had a couple of white rump sighting in the wet areas , as Green Sandpipers flew off calling , but then just managed to get this shot before this one did the same . By far the most numerous species seen was Starlings , there were literally thousands of them about , especially around the cattle and the feeders . Whilst there , I diligently checked every cow pat looking for a rare Rove Beetle , I believe found only at Elmley and Cliff , with the common name 'Maid of Kent' , but didn't have any success . With the first signs of cloud , I headed for Capel Fleet , hoping for a Turtle Dove or Corn Bunting on the wires on the way down to the Ferry Boat Inn . Once again I was unsuccessful as all I managed was Wood Pigeons .
Just before the Fleet , I found a juvenile Green Woodpecker on one of the fence lines , further along the fence were two Kestrels ,
and another on the wires between the Fleet and the View Piont . As I said before , the road to the Inn and back produced almost nothing , but , on getting back to the Fleet , after several distant views , a closer one of a male Marsh Harrier .
I'll leave it there for tonight and finish the trip tomorrow .

2 comments:

Warren Baker said...

Some mighty fine flight shots of the raptors today greenie.

PS you didn't stop off at pittswood did you ? Maybe to drop of a certain butterfly species :-)

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