Kent Birding Highlights for August 2025

                                                 OARE MARSHES

                                       2nd August 2025

                                                

Wood Sandpiper

A visit to Oare Marshes on the 2nd August produced a good selection of waders including a Wood Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper & a smart looking juv Spotted Redshank.

Curlew Sandpiper.

The Bonaparte's Gull was still present roosting on the East Flood.

CANTERBURY 

10th August 2025

One of two Kit's

An evening trip to the River Sour looking for Beaver's with views of 2 Kit's.

Kit.

I was reliably informed these were this years young.

OARE MARSHES

11th August 2025

5 of the 6  Black Terns

A brief afternoon visit for high tide on the 11th was rewarded with a good number of Common Terns roosting on a very dry East flood, there was also 3 Sandwich Terns.

I was just about to head home when i noticed some more smaller Terns fly in and briefly land before being flushed almost straight away by a Hobby.

I quickly worked out they were in fact 6 Black Terns which were a very welcome year tick.

Mixed flock of  Common & Black Terns.

OARE MARSHES

12th August 2025

Bonaparte's Gull

Another visit to Oare Marshes on the 12th was rewarded with some excellent views of the Bonaparte's Gull on the mud near the slipway.

Bonaparte's Gull.

SEASALTER

18 White Storks

We also saw 18 White Storks on route to Oare Marshes , these were part of a larger flock of 80+ birds seen the evening before and come from the Knepp estate reintroduction scheme .

White Storks getting restless

DUNGENESS  AREA

18th August 2025

Galloways 

Zitting Cisticola

A very successful trip to Dungeness on the 18th August to see the Zitting Cisticola which was found by BW along Galloways.

Heard it's distinctive 'zitting' flight note and saw it in flight on several occasions, it briefly perched in the nearby reeds but was mostly obscured , then  abit later on it showed a bit better right out in the open.

Zitting Cisticola

A bit later on it landed on a post although alot further away.

Distant view of Zitting Cisticola

A very showy Whinchat along the fence line was also great to see.

Whinchat

Rspb  &  ARC

A look from Dennis hide on the RSPB reserve produced very little other then a splendid adult Yellow Legged Gull.

Over on the ARC from Hanson hide there was a good selection of waders including ; Little Stint 1 ad, Ruff (6), Little ringed Plover (3) & a Spotted Redshank (juv).

THE MOAT

Pied Flycatcher

A walk around the Moat near Dungeness bird Obs is always worth a look as you never know what might turn up.

This was proven on this occasion as some really great views of a Pied Flycatcher landing on one of the closed mist nets was a very welcome year tick.

Pied Flycatcher

After enjoying the Pied Flycatcher for quite sometime i went back to my car to get some refreshments when i happened to noticed RG & JS rushing off over the Moat , this peaked my interest and headed off to investigate, on my way round RG called me over to say they have found a very interesting Warbler !!!!!

On my first views it looked quite large, long primary projection and long tailed, it had pale almost white looking wing panels and an overall grey in appearance.

Initial thoughts were Icterine Warbler , i have seen plenty of 'Icky's' over the years but never looking so grey in appearance & with such bold whitish wing panels.

By the time the word had got out and some of the local birders started to appear we had pretty much agreed on it being an Icterine Warbler.

The Icterine Warbler moved around the Moat as more birders started to appear and eventually we saw it in some very good light and the grey appearance was clearly a trick of the light as it begun to show some yellowish tones around the throat & the white wing panels faded into the more pale colour you would expect.

A  real bonus bird to see and a great find by RG.

Icterine Warbler

ST.MARGARET'S at CLIFFE

30th August 2025

An early morning visit to St.Margaret's at Cliffe for the recently found Dotterels was successful, unfortunately the bird were quite distant but good scope views of an Adult & 2 Juvs were obtained.

Whilst watching these birds they were flushed by a Hobby but reappeared later on in the day.

SANDWICH BAY

New South Downs Pool

Spotted Crake

I meet up with CG & KE at St.Margaret's and followed them to Sandwich Bay and then jumped into Chris Gillards car and got a lift to the private parking area near New south downs pool, thanks for the lift Chris.

We walked around to the Pool and had some superb scope views of the Spotted Crake , first one i have seen for a number of years.

Digi scope pic of  Spotted Crake

There was several Water Rails calling & one showed well near the Spotted Crake.

Spotted Crake