Late yesterday evening I discovered that some friends had found
two Red-rumped Swallows earlier in the day at Abbots Pool which is at the far end
of my Hoo Loop. I decided that I would head out there this morning to have a
look but the idea of a bitterly cold six and a half mile walk to get there did
not exactly fill me with any enthusiasm so 15 minutes driving later I was
there. It was freezing and a scan of the
two lakes initially produced no hirundines whatsoever. Two Swallows suddenly appeared and hunted lazy
circuits. Three other locals had had
similar joy and soon left so I pressed on towards the river wall passing
singing Sedge Warbler, Cetti’s Warbler and Blackcap while the ubiquitous Med Gulls
called overhead while Little Ringed Plover called from the sand workings where I had them breeding last year.
The field opposite the paddocks had been part deep ploughed and
about a hundred Black-headed Gulls were loafing around but strangely there were
only four Meds amongst them along with two Common Gulls.
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Med Gulls
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Just for a change the tide was almost full in and I had my
big scope with me for its first 2021 outing.
The wind was still gusting and the river wall was uncomfortable but I
persevered and scanned around and counted 216 Dark-bellied Brent Geese and a
few bobbing Great Crested Grebes. There were
almost no waders at all with just a few Oystercatchers, Redshanks and Curlews.
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| Dark-bellied Brent Geese |
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| Dark-bellied Brent Geese |
Frustrated by the weather I turned back, and as I reached
the marshy area before the lakes five Swallows landed on the wires shortly to
be followed by number six which was quite clearly a magnificent Red-rump!
I stayed on site for the best part of the next two hours and
a suitably distanced gathering of Kentish birders came and went as this most
graceful of Swallows floated around us and landed occasionally on the wires. This was my first in the UK since May 1992 at South
Landing in North Yorkshire. They have
been such a part of my spring for the best part of the last ten years from my
Lesvos visits so it was a delight to refind this beauty not far from home with
12 Barn Swallow companions. It was also good to put some names to ornithological faces.
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Red Rumped Swallow - I suspect a male given the tail streamer length
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While I was there I sent some pictures to a very happy Steve
Cullum as they failed to get any when they found two here yesterday.
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| Pochard |
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Med Gulls
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Pochard and Tufted Ducks were on the pools and two Snipe
zigzagged over but I was getting cold and so moved off and headed for Bromhey
Farm at Northward Hill. The sun was trying to come through as I headed for the
Sweeney Viewpoint. The marsh is the best
I have ever seen it looking with water everywhere and plenty of birds using
it. The island in the main lagoon was
covered in Med Gulls with at least 150 present and groups were moving inland to
feed in the sheepfields, surrounding me with those haunting calls. You are
never far from them down here.
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| Yet more Med Gulls |
All the usual dabblers were present and I searched for
Garganey but did not find any but the Cattle Egret was discovered feeding
around a small herd of cows in the distance while Little Egrets hunted around the
margins. |
Another atmospheric Cattle Egret in a landscape image...
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Wigeon and Shoveler
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Rooks and Jackdaws passed to and from and the Rooks were
coming down to bathe in one of the flashes like a flock of giant splashing Starlings.
They make such a wonderful around of calls with guttural ‘caws’ and weird
squeaks, shrieks and bubbles.
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Rooks (and one Jackdaw in top pic) Flapping In A Puddle
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| Linnet |
A female Marsh Harrier spooked the wildfowl and a large group of
the Meds got up and flew over my head as I wandered off towards the Eric H
viewpoint at the other end.
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Sorry, but how can I not take more shots of them?
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Please ignore the fact that I failed to focus the video but just listen as the Med Gulls drift over
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Recently deceased Wood Mouse
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The cloud
was thickening again and the breeze picking up but I still found a few insects
along the way. Most were at ground level with Dark-edged Bee Flies and Yellow
Dung Flies on the prowl but I did find two female and four male Tawny Mining
bee – Andrena fulva and what I believe to be Large Gorse Mining Bee – Andrena bimaculata.
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| Dark-edged Bee Fly |
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Honey Bee
|
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| male Large Gorse Mining Bee – Andrena bimaculata |
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male Large Gorse Mining Bee – Andrena bimaculata - I will correct later if i have got them wrong!
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| female Tawny Mining
bee – Andrena fulva |
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| male Tawny Mining
bee – Andrena fulva |
There were a few Bumbles around and I snapped a fine Calliphora in the Gorse and
discovered when I got home that it had a phoretic Pseudoscorpion hitching a
lift! How cool is that!
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A terrestrial Bombus terrestris
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Calliphora with friend
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Pseudoscorpion off for a ride
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I had had enough of the cold and headed home after a spot of
lunch after a most satisfying little excursion on my doorstep. Now if only I
had checked the bird news and had seen that the Mockingbird was now at Pulborough
Brooks... Hey ho, mustn’t complain.
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Even more of a ROOOMMMEEOOO than the Higham one last week!
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