My Kent Birding Year.......2025

                                             

Dartford Warbler Oare Marshes  (Photo by MW)

As 2025 draws to a close i thought i would take a look back at some of my stat's for birding in Kent . 

I keep site / area lists for 7 areas in Kent although i visit many more during the course of a normal year. 

I have lost 4 species from all my Kent Lists this Year as they are now considered to be sub-species  :

Mealy Redpoll

Arctic Redpoll

Green winged Teal

Hooded Crow

Here is a run down of how my Kent Birding Year went at these seven different locations:

DUNGENESS   AREA

Zitting Cisticola

I added 3 new species to my Dungeness Bird List this year bringing my total to 255  and they were :

EASTERN BONELLI'S WARBLER on the 25th May.

This was also a new bird for my British list.

Eastern Bonelli's Warbler  (Photo from Shetland)

ZITTING CISTICOLA  on 18th August 

Zitting Cisticola

LONG TAILED SKUA  on the 4th September.

Sorry no photo of this bird.

OARE   MARSHES

Oare Marshes is what i consider to be my patch and one of my favourite sites to bird in Kent, the Wader spectacle here can be truly amazing if the water levels are correct.

I only added 2 new birds to my Oare Marsh Bird List bringing my total to : 215

The New Birds were :

CASPIAN TERN on the 3rd July.

Caspian Tern with Black-headed Gulls

GREY PARTRIDGE on the 18th November.

1 of 3 Grey Partridge.

THANET  AREA

I managed to see 4 new birds for my Thanet Bird List bringing my total to : 215

The New Birds were :

BOOTED EAGLE on the 11th April.

(sorry no photo)

GREATER SCAUP on the  6th October.

♂ Greater Scaup at Pegwell Bay

PINK FOOTED GOOSE on the 6th October.

Pink Footed Goose at Pegwell Bay.

DUSKY WARBLER on the 10th November.

Dusky Warbler at  Westbrook  (Photo by AE)

SANDWICH  BAY  AREA

Sandwich Bay is an area i used to visit a lot when i was still at school and i still frequently visit the area , more so Worth Marshes these days though.

I added 3 New birds to my Sandwich Bay bird list this year bringing my total to : 211

My new birds were :

SERIN on the 18th February.

♂ Serin near Restharrow Scrape.

WESTERN BONELLI'S WARBLER on the 8th May.

Western Bonelli's Warbler.

RED NECKED PHALAROPE on the 2nd October.

(Sorry no photo)

STOUR   VALLEY

Unfortunately i never added any new birds this year, my last new bird in the Valley was the Solitary Sandpiper in 2023.

My Stour Valley Bird List stands at : 201

ISLE of  SHEPPEY

Unfortunately i never added any new birds this year, my last new bird on the Isle of Sheppey was a Black Stork in 2023.

My Isle of Sheppey Bird list stands at : 187

RECULVER    AREA

I added 3 new birds to my Reculver Bird List this Year bringing my total to : 170

The 3 new birds were :

PALLID HARRIER on the 7th October.

LITTLE GULL on the 23rd October.

LONG TAILED SKUA on the 23rd October.

Unfortunately i failed with the camera on all 3 occasions.

FINAL  KENT  YEAR  LIST  TOTALS

YEAR LIST : 219

KENT TICKS : 3

EASTERN BONELLI'S WARBLER

WESTERN BONELLI'S WARBLER

BOOTED EAGLE

Here are a selection of bird photos from  throughout the Year from various sites .

Bonaparte's Gull

Desert Wheatear 

Great Grey Shrike

Hawfinch

Icterine Warbler (Great find by RG)

Osprey (Photo by AE)

Spotted Crake.

Wryneck

♂ Greater Scaup with ♀ Tufted Duck  (Photo by AE)

Thankyou to MW & AE for the use of some of their photos.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year & Great Birding for 2026.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

 

                Just like to wish everyone who has visited my Blog this year 

A

MERRY CHRISTMAS 

&

GREAT BIRDING

FOR

2026

Lesser Crested Tern in Devon

 

Lesser Crested Tern

I finally got the chance to go to Devon on Monday 8th December when i teamed up with RR & AE.

We left Medway at 4am and arrived at Exminster Marshes at approx 8.30am, our target bird was the splendid Lesser Crested Tern which had first been seen on the 3rd December !!!

We approached the Turf Hotel along the canal when news broke that the LCT had been seen further down the estuary & had flown south.

We made a u-turn and headed back to the car and went to Powderham and then walked back towards the Turf Hotel from a different direction further south.

Thankfully AE picked out the Lesser crested Tern roosting on the pontoon, we also saw it in flight on a couple of occasions, fantastic looking Tern and a very much welcome Lifer for all three of us.

Here are a selection of photos :

Lesser Crested Tern.

Kent Birding Highlights for November 2025

                                                                   4th

                                        OARE MARSHES

                                                  

2 of 10 Spoonbills

A cold & windy trip to Oare Marshes on the 4th November was livened up with 10 Spoonbills feeding out in the Swale near Horse sands.

There were impressive numbers of both Wigeon & Brent Geese in the Swale and we saw up to 3 Sparrowhawks & 1 Peregrine during the morning.

Brent Geese.

8th

SOUTH  SWALE NNR

Desert Wheatear

News of a 1st winter ♂ Desert Wheatear showing well between the Sportsman pub & Castle Coote reached me on Saturday 8th November , i dropped everything and headed straight there !!!!

Thankfully the Desert Wheatear was still present and showed really well, here are a small selection of photo's i took :

Nice view of the black tail & sandy rump.

Desert Wheatear.

Eventually the Desert Wheatear moved along the seawall onto the posts and was quite content on feeding on the beach & flying up onto the posts when i eventually left it, great find by Neil Burt.

10th

WESTBROOK

Dusky Warbler

I had my best ever views of a Dusky Warbler on the 10th, a very confiding bird and even though it came so close it was not always easy to photograph due to the vegetation.

Noticeably long supercilium, buff underparts & constantly 'calling', here are a few photo's :

Long supercilium

Buff underparts.

Dusky Warbler

  18th

OARE MARSHES

3 Grey Partridges 

A real surprize on the 18th November as we approached Oare Marshes with the sighting of 3 Grey Partridges  in the field on left before you reach the cottages.

These were a new bird for my Oare Marsh Bird list & the first ones seen here for at least 10 years by Oare Marsh regular MW !!!

Grey Partridge

The morning walk around Oare Marsh was very enjoyable with some great views of the recently returned  (or new) Little Owl which was keenly picked out by AE.

Little Owl.

Another highlight on our walk was 3 Water Pipits on the East Flood.

Water Pipit

24th

NEW HYTHE LAKES

♂ Greater Scaup with 2 ♂ Tufted Ducks

I called over to New Hythe Lakes to hopefully see the Greater Scaup which was found by AE a few days earlier, we checked out Brooklands where it had been seen the day before but no luck there although lot's of Tufted Ducks were present.

We then checked out Abbey Mead pit & AE picked out the ♂ Greater Scaup very quickly, such smart looking ducks these & hopefully this bird might over winter.

♂ Greater Scaup with a ♀ Tufted Duck.

We then headed of to Alder Lake in the hope of seeing the 'Redhead' Goosander and after a little bit of searching we located it on the other side of the lake underneath some trees feeding.

There were lots of Pochard here and although the Goosander was a bit to far for a photo this lovely ♂ Pochard was a bit more obliging.

♂ Pochard.

25th

OARE MARSHES

Immature Spoonbill

A walk around the East flood produced a fly over immature Spoonbill plus 2 Cattle Egrets feeding among the cattle.

There was 2 Water Pipits near the pull-in and a Barn Owl had a fly around the EF, a small flock of 10+ Fieldfare flew over the Cottages & 5+ Redwings were also seen.

Looking from the Seawatch hide the usual wintering Whimbrel was feeding at the mouth of the creek.

Whimbrel.

A nice selection of waders were seen feeding on the mud including 5 Ringed Plovers & several Grey Plover were seen flying up & down the Swale.

Back near the car park a Chiffchaff was in the car park trees , plus a Rock Pipit was briefly heard & seen near the slipway.

Rock Pipit (Photo from the week before nr Sluice)

So that concludes another Month's summary, onto December , can it live up to last years highlights !!!