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  at Galloways on 18th August. 

Zitting Cisticola

LONG TAILED SKUA  from seawatch hide 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 nr Cliffsend 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 at Worth Marshes 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 remains  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 remains 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  Oare Marshes

Desert Wheatear  South Swale NNR

Great Grey Shrike Worth Marshes

Hawfinch Ditton (Photo by AE)

Icterine Warbler Dungeness Moat (Great find by RG)

Osprey Oare Marshes (Photo by AE)

Spotted Crake  Sandwich Bay

Wryneck  Bishopstone

♂ Greater Scaup with ♀ Tufted Duck  New Hythe  (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.