Kent Birding Highlights for March 2025

                                                   BOSSENDEN WOODS

                                            10th March 2025

                                                                 

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker  Photo from 2020.

A walk around Bossenden Woods on the 10th March produced some really good views of Lesser Spotted Woodpecker with both ♂ & ♀ birds seen well.

We also saw & heard 5+ Firecrests, several Nuthatch & Coal Tits plus Treecreeper was heard & seen.

Nuthatch.

                                         St.Peter's Church Ditton

                                     20th & 27th March 2025

                                                      

Hawfinch.

My first visit to St.Peters Church produced some cracking views of at least 3 Hawfinch on both visits.

Superb male bird.

Other birds seen & heard around the Churchyard were Firecrest, Goldcrest, Mistle Thrush, Stock Dove, Chiffchaff & several Common Buzzard overhead.

Hawfinch

MY GARDEN

24th March 2025

Black Redstart.

I was getting ready to head to Oare Marshes on Monday 24th March and at about 06.35am i looked out my kitchen window and couldn't believe my eyes as i saw a flash of a red tail as this superb Black Redstart flew down off the fence onto the grass to feed.

Black Redstart.

This is the 2nd Black Redstart i have seen from my garden, 1 at my old address many years ago & now this one in my new home.

NEW HYTHE

31st March 2025

Song Thrush

A walk around New Hythe lakes on the 31st March produced lot's of birds in song, and we noticed a good number of  Song Thrush around the lakes.

We checked out the river and were rewarded with Green Sandpiper, 3 Oystercatcher's & a new site tick : Black tailed Godwit.

Black Tailed Godwit

We heard several Cetti's Warblers, Chiffchaff's & Blackcaps.

Blackcap.

There were a few butterflies on the wing including this delightful Peacock.

Peacock.

 

Kent Birding Highlights for February 2025

                                            ELMLEY MARSHES 

                                          1st February 2025

                                                        

Ruff.

A trip to Elmley Marshes on the 1st February was very rewarding with a nice view of a Ruff along the entrance track among 100's of Lapwing's .

Plenty of Marsh Harriers & Common Snipe were also seen.

On reaching the car park there was already Short-eared Owl activity with 2 birds roosting in plain sight.

2 Short-eared Owls.

I saw 5+ Short-eared Owls on my visit here giving a wonderful display, there was one which had damage to it's primaries but it didn't seem to hinder it at all thankfully.

SEO with damaged primaries.

I also saw 2 Brown Hares including probably my closest view yet of one.

Brown Hare.

OARE MARSHES

8th February 2025

Red necked Grebe

News of a Red necked Grebe at Oare marshes peaked my interest on the 8th February but i couldn't get there until later in the afternoon.

I finally managed to get there and picked out the Red necked Grebe just to the west of the slipway in the company of 2 Great crested Grebes, giving a nice comparison.

This is only my 2nd ever Red necked Grebe at OM.

I was also really pleased to see one of the three Barn Owls hunting over the back of the East flood.

Barn Owl.

RESTHARROW SCRAPE

18th February 2025

3 of the 4 Serins.

News of 2+ Serins showing near the 2nd hide at Restharrow Scrape had me heading there asap, Serin is a tricky bird to see in Kent often just fly overs on migration.

I had only ever seen 1 Serin in Kent before , a singing male bird at Littlestone.

However that was soon to change, as i eventually set eyes on not 2 but 4 Serins in flight, they had flown over the bank & out of sight which i was assured they did all the time but would come back !!!!!

Well i gave it a bit of time (roughly 40 mins) but they never reappeared so i headed off to try and see the SEO which i did, plus a Barn Owl was seen distantly.

I went back for another try for the Serins and after a few minutes 3 Serins flew in (2 males & 1 female).

It has since been confirmed there were 2 males & 2 females.

Male Serin

Female Serin

Male Serin.

PENSHURST CHURCH

22nd February 2025

Hawfinch

Penshusrt Church is not a location i have been to before and hearing that Hawfinch were being seen there most mornings made up my mind to try somewhere new.

4 of the 15 Hawfinch 

Hawfinch.

DUNGENESS & SCOTNEY

22nd February 2025

From Penshurst we headed to Dungeness and had a look over the sea adding, Fulmar, Gannet, Red Throated Diver & a 1st w Caspian Gull.

There was also a Black Redstart showing well on the power station wall.

Black Redstart

A look from Dennis hide on the Rspb reserve produced 2 more Caspian Gulls & a walk over to the Arc pit gave us a treat with a superb Redhead Smew !!!

Smew.

We were then informed that there was a probable female Scaup by the double bends on Scotney, so without haste that was the next destination.

And sure enough a female Scaup was soon being added to my days total.

Female Scaup.

OARE MARSHES

24th February 2024

Pintail

My final trip out in February was to Oare Marshes, very close views of the superb Pintails near the pull-in was great to see.

Pintail

The weather wasn't the best to start with , grey sky's & rain plus feeling quite chilly , we took shelter in the seawatch hide and added plenty of waders & Brent Geese.

The weather cleared up a bit so we walked around the East flood, a Cattle Egret was picked out flying overhead heading towards the West flood where it dropped down out of sight.

Cattle Egret (Photo from 2024)

On reaching the East Flood hide the first bird seen was a superb Water Pipit right in front of the hide.

Water Pipit

We spent quite a bit of time watching this bird plus there were a few Common Snipe showing well nearby.

There were 5 Spoonbills asleep on the island which got spooked by the volunteers doing some scrub clearance on the EF.

All 5 Spoonbills flew towards the pull in & thats where we headed to try and get a closer look.

5 Spoonbill

A final look from the slipway looking towards Sheppy produced 2 Barn Owls & just when we were about to leave Chiddy picked out 2 male & 3 female Red Breasted Mergansers near Horsesands.

 

 

Kent Double

                                                           NEW HYTHE LAKES

                                         24th , 26th & 31st December 2024

                                                          

American Yellow Warbler.

I just pulled into the KFC in Whitstable at lunch time on Christmas eve having promised my brother lunch when i got a message from AE saying there is a F'@"£4%ing  AMERICAN YELLOW WARBLER at New Hythe !!!!!!

Thanks for letting me know so quickly AE.

Having quickly checked all information i quickly went home grabbed all my birding gear and headed straight to New Hythe , my poor brother was promised lunch and all he got was standing near a sewage works with lots of crazy birders !!!!

Needless to say it didn't take long to see this glorious looking American warbler , bright yellow with faint reddish streaks on the breast, it was constantly calling and was quite aggressive towards any Chiffchaff that dared enter the Alder trees it had made it's current new home.

It was surprisingly hard to photograph as it was mainly keeping high in the trees but i did manage some photos, here are a selection :

Bright Yellow underparts & tail.

Yellow head & underwing

Faint reddish breast streaks

Always a branch in the way.

Constantly calling.

American Yellow Warbler

Congratulations to local patch birder Glenn Honey on his tremendous well deserved find plus putting the news out so quickly.

Needless to say this is a 1st record for Kent plus a very, very welcome new species for me.

PARK AVENUE BROADSTAIRS

27th December 2024

Eurasian Scops Owl photo from Durham in 2017.

Still recovering from the excitement of the American Yellow Warbler news reached the birding community of a Eurasian Scops Owl being seen at Broadstairs cricket ground on & off for approx. 5 days !!!

So on the evening of the 27th December 2024 i joined a rather hushed crowd of birders in the hope the Scops Owl would put in an appearance.

Thankfully at 16.58 the Eurasian Scops Owl was seen in some trees near the club house, it then flew into a large Oak tree and i was able to see it through my scope.

I never managed any photos however i did enjoy watching it. 

The above photo was of a day roosting bird  digi scoped in Rythope Durham in 2017, and the one below is of another day roosting bird in Kazakhstan also in 2017.

Eurasian Scops Owl. Photo taken in Kazakhstan 2017.

The Eurasian Scops Owl is only the 3rd record for Kent.