Day Trip to North Wales

 

Western Reef Heron

News of a Western Reef Heron on  Saturday 6th June 2026 at Foryd Bay in North Wales got the birding community in a state of panic as this would be a first record for the UK & Ireland !!!

Unfortunately for me i had no way of getting there until the following Wednesday, then this trip was cancelled and i thought my chance had gone.

The WRH was showing well for pretty much the whole time every day, then i got a 2nd chance of a lift for Sunday the 14th , will it stay , i had everything crossed.

Saturday the 13th came around and negative news on the WRH, then a brief sighting in the morning & no more news until another brief sighting later in the day, both sightings were brief & in flight.

We decided it was to much of a risk to travel that far on that news , it turned out to be a very good call as the WRH was not seen all day on the Sunday.

I thought my chance had finally gone , but then the game was back on , the WRH had been re found in a new location in Conwy on the 17th, plans were put into place to go Saturday 20th if the bird was still showing on the Friday.

News was positive on the Friday although the last report of the day was a bit concerning when it said it was present then just flew off !

However we stuck to the plan, leaving Kent at 3.25am on Saturday morning, we were greeted with  negative news on route , damn was a milder thought then i actually had , and then 10 mins out from Conwy and positive news came out.

 

Western Reef Heron  still on the Estuary near Conwy Rspb reserve, everything fell into place , we nabbed a close parking space and there it was , the holy grail

Western Reef Heron !!!

Here are a selection of the many photos i took :

Feeding well

Digi scoped

Seen in flight several times

WRH, Little Egret, Grey Heron & Little Egret

Resting on Rspb Conwy

Western Reef Heron

We spent all morning at Conwy enjoying this superb bird,  then we headed of to check a couple of different woodlands, we added Pied & Spotted Flycatcher plus SC managed to see a brief Wood Warbler.

We ended the day at Aber Falls and had more views of a Spotted Flycatcher plus a superb pair of Common Redstarts.

Common Redstart

We also saw several Dark Green Fritillary's .

Dark Green Fritillary

A really great trip , many thanks to Steve .C. who did all the driving & organised the trip, the man is a machine.

  

Red Kites Galore

                                               30th  &  31st May

                                        Over my Garden

                                            

Red Kite

Over the weekend of the 30th & 31st May i added Red Kite to my garden bird list, in fact i added in total 146 Red Kites !!!

Every year we get a large movement of Red Kites through this part of Kent but this is the most i have personally seen pass overhead.

I have only been at my new address for 18 months so was very pleased to add this wonderful bird to my Garden list, i also added over the weekend  3 Cormorants, 2 Great Black Backed Gulls & a single Greenfinch.

Here are a few pics i took of some of them :

Red Kite

I also saw 2 Common Buzzards but not sure if they were local birds or birds caught up in the Red Kite movement.

Common Buzzard

Kent Birding Highlights for May 2026

                                                                  1st

                                          STODMARSH

                                             

Hobby

My first birding trip of May was at Stodmarsh where i managed distant but good scope views of the ♀ Red Footed Falcon that had been found recently by Martyn Wilson. Sadly to distant for a photo , however  i enjoyed watching it hawk over the reedbed between the Lampen wall & Marsh Hide.

I also saw 12+ Hobbies which came alot closer and were often overhead.

2nd

GRAVENEY MARSHES

Grasshopper Warbler. Photo by Chiddy.

On the 2nd i teamed up with Chiddy & Mike .G. at Graveney Marshes in the evening to try and hear the Grasshopper Warbler.

It didn't take to long to hear this wonderful bird 'Reeling' in the nearby reeds and as luck would have it the Grasshopper Warbler landed on the fence and started to 'Reel' right in front of us.

There was also a bonus of a Little Owl hunting nearby which was a real treat to see.

8th

WORTH MARSHES

Red Footed Falcon (Photo from 2024)

A visit to Worth Marshes on the 8th produced another ♀ Red Footed Falcon, this bird remained distant the whole time but once again the views through the scope were good.

I also saw my first Common Swift & Turtle Dove of the year.

18th

STODMARSH

An early morning visit to Stodmarsh on the 18th was very successful with at least 3 'Booming' Bitterns heard plus a very close 'Reeling' Savi's Warbler.

Unfortunately the Savi's Warbler remained unseen despite being so close , i did manage a sound recording , you can just about hear the constant 'Reeling' .

Savi's Warbler 'Reeling'

21st

DUNGENESS  MOAT

Red Breasted Flycatcher Photo by Ross Newham.

An afternoon visit to Dungeness Moat to try and see the recently found Red Breasted Flycatcher was eventually successful.

I teamed up with Martyn .W. & Ross .N. and we had some brief views of the RBF then we heard it singing on at least 3 occasions.

It eventually showed well for me (MW & RN had already seen it well before i got there), i saw the distinctive tail pattern really well.

I also had brief views of a Black Redstart.

24th

DUNGENESS  TRAPPING   AREA 

Greenish Warbler

News of a Greenish Warbler singing at Dungeness on the 24th caught my attention big time , this would be a new bird for my Kent List, i have dipped 2 Greenish Warblers in Kent before !!

However i had mixed feelings about going for it, last years experience with the Eastern Bonelli's Warbler (an eight hour epic wait to see it 😟) did put me off a bit tbh, thinking in this heat i wouldn't last the pace !!!

Then a second report came out that the Greenish Warbler was playing ball and showing well !!!

Off i went and duly arrived on scene, i could hear it singing straight away and it wasn't long before it gave it's self up to me with some cracking views.

Greenish Warbler

Whilst watching the Greenish Warbler a superb Honey Buzzard flew through giving great views.

Honey Buzzard

Great to bump into a few Kent birders today making the whole experience even better.

Many thanks to both Chiddy & Ross Newham for the use of their photos.

Kent Birding Highlights for April 2026

                                                           10th

                                    NR : DARGATE

                                                  

♂ Ring Ouzel

News of a local ♂ Ring Ouzel filtered through to me on the 10th April so i tried my luck and thankfully had some great (but distant) views of this cracking bird.

♂ Ring Ouzel

There was also a superb Yellowhammer & Firecrest nearby.

12th

SEASALTER LEVELS

Common Crane

Viewing from Pilgrims Lane on the 12th April was rewarded with very distant views of the recently found Common Crane.

There were also 2 Nightingales in full voice but both remained out of view.

Digi scoped Common Crane.

There was also 11 Cattle Egret feeding amongst the cows.

25th

DUNGENESS SEAWATCH

&

RSPB RESERVE & ARC 

3 Pomarine Skuas

You can read the full details of the Dungeness sea watch on my previous blog post.

Pomarine Skua

After my epic sea watch i visited the Dungeness Rspb reserve and added 2+ Hobby over the back of Cooks Pool.

I bumped into MC who informed me there were 2 Spotted Redshanks on ARC, so i headed straight there and thankfully had great scope views of these cracking waders.

2 Spotted Redshanks.

Superb full summer plumaged bird.

There was also a Great crested Newt in the pond just to the right of the hide.

I then received a message from NB informing me there is a good selection of waders by the Makepeace Hide including a Curlew Sandpiper !!

Curlew Sandpiper with Ringed Plover.

Many thanks MC & NB for the info, very much appreciated.

27th

OARE MARSHES

Imm Spoonbill

An afternoon visit to Oare Marshes was greeted with 2 imm Spoonbills on the East flood.

There was also 5 Wood Sandpipers, 1 Common Sandpiper & a Greenshank all close in near the road.

Wood Sandpiper

Greenshank & Wood Sandpiper

3 of the 5 Wood Sandpipers

A walk up to Uplees didn't add the hoped for Ring Ouzel but a distant Wheatear was good to see plus a Lesser Whitethroat was heard but remained unseen.

However Common Whitethroat & Sedge Warblers were far more showy.

Sedge Warbler

Common Whitethroat