Horrid autumn- 27/10/17

7:20-8:20
Another quiet day at the Point Goldcrest 3, Chaffinch 8. Nothing crossing water.

Mound much better, with movements birds following the leading lines : 8:30 -10:00 Brent Goose 185 (south-southwest), Grey Heron 4 (south-southwest), Little Egret 8 (south-southwest), Marsh Harrier, Stock Dove 4, Skylark 17, Meadow Pipit 7, Grey Wagtail 2 (east), Starling 880, Redwing 11, Fieldfare 1, Chaffinch 488, Brambling 5, Goldfinch 213, Siskin 11, Lesser Redpoll 4. And another of those strange Black-headed Gull days- 3,230 northwest.

Horrid autumn- 3/10/17

A short while after coming back from Sussex I gave up owning a car, and took to the pushbike, or walked. Actually, I gave up owning a 4x4 truck, the beast had been brilliant offroad over the farmland in the Brede Valley, but was a bit too OTT for the Rainham estates.

It wasn't all about saving the world, it was about saving money. Besides, from time to time I could borrow a car, so I wasn't that green to turn down the chance. Because, like every dear reader, I'm dying. Very slowly, since my twenties, just like you.

Back then I believed 'coughs and sneezes spread diseases' and didn't really appreciate what disease is; a disorder of structure or disfunction in the body. We bring some upon ourselves (if you don't know what 'The Western disease' is, look it up. I'm busy putting lots of people off Maccy D and the likes nowadays) others happen when we think our slowly reducing muscle mass can still operate as well as 30 years ago, and then things just pop out.. We're all diseased, we're all going to fall apart. Get out and bird now. Retirement won't be what you think for a lot of you. Long and the short of it, I'm walking with a stick until I have an operation to sort out some worn parts.

So, choosing Horrid seemed like a good idea for days when I could borrow transport. A tad worse on other days, which could find me walking in, then diverting to Twydall for a lift back at least. Some mornings, to get to Horrid for Dawn, I just had to grit my teeth for an hour's limp.

You can always tell the days I walk. There's a bloomin' big BHG number in the notebook. Today? 5,220 Black-headed Gulls, south to the Downs in the half-hour it took to walk the edge of the Park. These are counts that can be really messy, but more fun watching for odd behaviour- sometimes not many leaving that early (they know when the ground is frozen, covered), or big numbers arriving early (no guess, sometimes perhaps a movement, sometimes just really good early feeding or a lot of disturbance down on the farms?

I was really tempted by a tired Woodpigeon as I arrived at Horrid, one I could have picked up and stroked; migration? A man can dream.. (Answer- no. Just, well, no.)

So, what was there?

06:45-09:45
Viz mig: Brent Goose 47 (+89 offshore), Peregrine 2, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Sandwich Tern 13, Common Tern, Swallow 4, Sand Martin 2, Skylark 8, Meadow Pipit 104, Pied Wagtail 2, Lesser Redpoll, Linnet 27, Chaffinch 2, Goldfinch 2.

Point: Chiffchaff 4, Linnet 14, Reed Bunting 2.

Watched the Curlews for a bit. Last few days, flightline to roost were settled (red). Today? West basin birds behaving, but eastern lot having none of it around Friars (yellow). Gave it a wide berth and instead formed two large groups over on Oakham. Haven't heard anything of late on the ongoing ownership questions. WAGBI, Wildfowlers Association of GB and Ireland, long-term loaned it to the CEGB, Central Electricity Generating Board. Both gone through name changes, affiliations, both present regenerations having trouble locating their copies of the paperwork.

Horrid autumn- 14/9/17

Viz mig: Teal 5, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Swallow 15, Meadow Pipit, Chaffinch, Goldfinch 9, Linnet 14.
Point: Chiffchaff,  Blackcap, Kingfisher.

Two off the leash Dalmatians chasing out onto Sharps Green Bay saltings cleared the Turnstone roost out. The mixed Motney roost was cleared out by a more natural predator, as a Fox stalked out to the edge. Most chillaxing sight today, three Black-headed Gulls playing catch with a leaf; spending quite a bit of time on the water, chasing up from time to time as one rose with the treasure.

Horrid autumn- 8/8/17

A Horrid factoid- The chalk picked up by barge at Horrid Hill dock did not go far for processing- just to Queenborough.

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08/08/17
19:50-21:00

An evening visit, mainly to count the Black-headed Gulls. Viewing east to Rainham Saltings- 1,476. Most arrived in last hour of day, from the south/south-east, and slowly moved onto Bartlett Spit as darkness fell.

When combined with other counts around the inner basin the previous few nights, an estimated 6,400 Black-heads now using the roost. Around five times the number following the breeding collapse, and an increase of about 40% on the end of July.

A picture post, from July 2014

Ringing- Kingfisher

Black-headed Gulls, Rainham Saltings

Horrid Hill

Ringing- Sedge Warbler

Boarders, Queenborough

Deadmans Island

Black-headed Gulls, Rainham Creek

House Sparrows, Otterham Quay Lane

Walnut Tree Farm

Spot the Ringed Plover

Pinup Reach

Rainham Creek

Plunderers

White specks on Bishop, April 2015

About this time last year I shared some allegations with RSPB Investigations about disturbance to the breeding gulls on the Medway, namely the theft of eggs from specific gulleries around the islands Although numbers of sitting birds had indeed dropped in those areas at the time (with three satellite groups deserting), nothing could be substantiated and no further unusual activity was recorded- that season.

Rumours had been rife during all three summers I'd been back on the estuary.

In 2015 the local sources alleged this desertion was due to the work of a small team, with the eggs being taken and sold for food.

Earlier this spring a third local source, unaware of my interest in the matter, freely informed me of the group and that it appeared they were about to become active again.

To date, nothing untoward appears to have happened (when viewed from the shoreline at least), but this week is potentially a ‘good’ time for any such visit, following on from the re-building and re-laying seen since the last spring tides a fortnight or so ago, especially among those outer satellite groups which are easiest to access.

Several of the more active local birders on the ground have been in the loop on this for some time. I had also updated RSPB Species Investigations again, and took an opportunity to speak informally with Natural England. Both now both feel getting the word out within the wider local birding community could be useful. Sadly it seems this type of wildlife crime does still occur routinely in the UK, and may be becoming more frequent. RSPB Species Investigations had already been dealing with a 'live' incident in Dorset, news of which they have made public this week.

The message for anyone about the estuary at this time is, essentially whilst our gulleries can and do take to the air en masse for several ‘normal’ reasons, if a gullery goes up and it appears there are people acting suspiciously within the colony, it is worth considering contacting the police on 101 (the Medway and Swale are of course served by a River Police Unit). Also worth getting a picture, however distant. It goes without saying never challenge such individuals.

Of course, there may be people out on the islands for other reasons; many are in private ownership an do boats, canoes, etc. can and do land on the islands, away from the main colonies from time to time, all quite innocently. Last year’s allegations were of a group of individuals watched working methodically through the gulleries, bending down, picking things up, stashing carefully in bags..

The trade in gulls' eggs hangs on legally- just. I first looked into this a couple of years back and found the background to the remaining high end restaurant trade can be found here in a 2009 article in the Daily Telegraph. Essentially there are just a handful of historical licences left, and there were no plans to issue new ones- the legal trade could well die out. A list of licence holders hasn't been found to date, although I'm informed might be available through a Freedom of Information request to the correct licencing office. At the present time, moot point for here. There are 'schedule one' species breeding with several of the Medway colonies, which are legally protected from disturbance.

In the meantime we can only keep watching.

Anyone interested in the legal background can visit the licencing pages here and here.

More information on all of the various gulleries around the estuary can be found on another of my blogpages under construction here.

Boom!

Down came another lump of the old Kingsnorth Power Station. According to their spokesperson “The timing for this particular demolition has been planned to coincide with low tide, therefore causing minimal disruption to wading birds and other local wildlife." So what did the Black-headed Gulls do?

The part demolished today is marked at the top of the google earth image by an orange rectangle, and is overshadowed by a much larger part of the old station (yellow rectangle).

The gulls that took umbrage were from the RSPB Nor marsh reserve, marked in yellow. Birds on the closer (and much larger) Bishop saltings colony stayed, in the main, put. Also the birds outside the breached wall marking the boundary of the RSPB reserve, on Friars saltings, largely ignored the explosion.

I have two theories.

The first I liked, but now no so much. The Nor birds are mainly on collapsed seawalls. The marsh was breached by the floods of 1953, and has been eroding ever since (the breach is just above and to the right of the markers). The walls have fallen into disrepair and have little vegetation in many places. The boulders can be 'wobbly'. So, was it down to the vibration?

Problem was that little yellow circle- the birds on one of the few remaining spots not to go under on a spring tide. They went as well. If it was vibration, surely other birds on saltings would have taken fright as well?

So, theory two- and this I'm still liking. Neither the Bishop nor Friars colonies could have seen the collapsing structure- just witnessed the resultant dust cloud. Their visual alarms were never went off.

Bloomin' racket they make at the colonies, small chance of hearing an explosion- even one that a chum of mine heard over five miles away. They shouldn't get too comfortable; they will have bigger worries the next few days with the high April spring tides. I'm expecting just as much mayhem and debris.

The gulleries: a fine line between love and hate

Each year around this time I blow the dust off volume XI of Bannerman and Lodge's 'The Birds of the British Isles'. Though the same age as myself, one chapter still holds good to this day, a wonderfully detailed but succinct account by Niko Tinbergen, 'An introduction to the behaviour and displays of British gulls'.

What gets me every time I revisit is the similarity between greeting ceremonies and threat postures- the fine line between aggression and bonding takes some crossing it seems. A slower repeated ritualisation of the threat display changing into an appeasement position becomes the bonding gesture. Prospective partners have to meet time and time again to allow the female to slowly overcome any 'flight' response, and at the same time ensure the male loses his initial aggressiveness. No lovey-dovey long term monogamous greeting and straight down to nesting as we've been fed over the years by the TV documentaries, even though some pairs bond for life they still have to renew their vows, carefully. Conflict, dumping, scrapping, sulking; if I ever made a show about it, I'd probably have to call it something like 'Medway Shore'.

The gradual warming over the past few days has seen more birds about in the Black-head Gull colonies, and the appearance of more nesting areas in use, especially over the high tide. What is clear is that during the low tide a good number of prospective pairs are sitting close-by, around and about the saltings. As the tide covers their mudflats, a few remain on what is now a watery 'pre-breeding territory', but others, those whose bonds are growing stronger, chance their luck within the gulleries for a couple of hours.

Long-standing pairs are usually first back on territory, but still have to allow their personal space to shrink, as they start to tolerate neighbours. Gaps start to fill.

Why do I now have images of a school disco filling up for my 'Medway Shore' docu-drama? Perhaps because a lot are hanging around the edges, shuffling their feet, too embarrassed to make their  move. Loafing areas close to shore are still in use. These birds just sit there. Wimps. A personal theory is being shot down at the moment; I had wondered whether these birds would be mainly still in 'winter plumage', but clearly not the case. Probably just young love. Things are warming up, they'll soon get all the bug- or as 'Handbook of the Birds of the World' puts it, contagious coitus.

Sharp's Green car park- a.k.a. Makeout Point

The gulleries: pairing territories

For a little while now the gulls have been reclaiming the islands. the thinly spread Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls had already been mooching around their sites for a couple of weeks, while in the last ten days the numbers of Black-headed Gulls taking up position on the islands has increased substantially.

As appears to be the norm, best sites are claimed first. Here on the Medway, as elsewhere, higher ground goes first. The textbooks point to experienced breeders returning early and claiming the prime sites. For somewhere like Greenborough, that means the central mounds and few of the more vegetated high spots on the seawall. For somewhere like Millfordhope, the East Enders are back, but not much activity from the lower-lying West Enders yet.

Inferior sites are also ignored in these early days; no activity yet on the barer walls of Nor, but the well-vegetated adjoining Friars nesting areas are re-occupied. Nearby Bishop is very busy as well, where the first 'dreads' are now taking place (all the birds rising silently together).

In any tidal cycle the highest seen each month are the 'springs'. We have one more set of the very high spring tides to go before breeding can get going in earnest. Although it might look like breeding is starting now, some of the texts point towards 'pairing territories' being used during this early period. Personally, I suspect we see a good deal of this here. I base this on the birds at the main colonies never being anywhere near as tightly packed as they will be once settled. Pairing territories are for displaying and bonding, and are always somewhat bigger than an actual nest territory.

So other birds set theirs up nearby; on the mud (or water), or along the shoreline (I often encounter pair displays on the Sharps Green car park beach)- By the time of the April spring tides the birds will be packing themselves in tight, but many will be washed away.

A hundred years ago the crews of the local fishing boats had a name for the time following such a spring- the weeks between the highest of the regular spring tides when much of the breeding could take place- 'Bird Tides'. This year's Bird Tides look challenging for the Medway gulls:

In the estuary a tide over about the 5.9 metre mark causes problems for any of the lower-lying nests. They can put up with some inundation, but if there are strong winds/ poor weather at this time, as in May 2015, matters will be much worse. The forecast height for this year's May springs will certainly cause quite a few problems for many nests, but gulls are a resilient bunch and relaid clutches then have a fair chance of success unless, of course, we suffer low pressure over the lower springs in June and July.

Springs always make for interesting viewing, especially with forecast heights creeping up year on year. The dates are already highlighted in my diary.

Spring tide, April 2015; prelude to the Bird Tides

Foreground- Greenborough seawalls; behind, higher land on Burntwick

During the Bird Tides:
The west end of Millfordhope, with Slayhills saltings behind,
spring tide, May 2015

A short cross-section of the Bishop colony on May springs, 2015

A picture post, from January 2015

Curlew, Funton

Queenborough Spit

Inland sorbet- Darlands scrub bashing

Evidence of fox

Half Acre, becalmed

Twinney Saltings

Knot, Rainham Saltings

Black-headed Gulls, Sharps Green

Copperhouse Marsh- what remains of the gullery on a spring tide

The turnstone roost, Sharps Green

An old brickworks beach

The local driving range

Greenborough from Upchurch

Dunlin, Rainham Saltings

All going swimmingly

So, it's a high six metre tide in the late afternoon, and the wind's a strong west-north-west. The Avocets might be going to break the 'mostly' rules. If I type 'x mostly/mainly/usually does y', that means there are exceptions, and they will usually exhibit said exceptions quite soon after any posting.

So yes, I am on record as saying the Avocets will mostly be found in Otterham or on Motney over the tide. But the Otterham roost, though sheltered, goes under on higher tides when the birds move to Motney Saltings. On a six metre tide Motney is touch and go without wind, but today will be onshore and rough, and they'll be under. Birds will ride it out there, but closer to shore. All it takes is one dog walker where they shouldn't be, and the Avocets will head for a third choice roost. I decided to watch close to Rainham Saltings.

 

The saltings are found between Bloors Wharf and Horrid Hill, and on neap tides provide a useful roost for waders, and a good rest area for wildfowl. However, they can, and frequently do, go completely under, when the duck head for Nor and the waders for Bishop. Today just the barest of slithers would remain dry. The Avocets, having been driven off Motney (I love it when a plan comes together), could only hope for a chance of a dry roost. But with Horrid Hill acting as a breakwater, they could swim out the high tide. I watched them for more than an hour. Only a few tens of birds had any ground to start with. As soon as they could, others would haul out and join them. But the vast majority had to remain swimming for the whole time I was there, apart from the couple of circuits when they spooked and took flight. Both times they quickly returned to the water, there was nowhere else close enough to go.

The other waders that had been pushed off Motney with the Avocets had mainly headed mid-channel for the eastern end of Bishop Saltings, which are relatively protected in such conditions.

Black-headed Gulls had already started a big pre-roost gathering in the bay by mid-afternoon, with more than 3,400 present before the main dusk rush had begun. By the time that started, the flooded saltings of  Nor Marsh had begun to re-emerge, and some dropped in there, otherwise it was straight on to the main roost area in Half Acre. Larger gulls headed out for the more open waters east-northeast of Friars Saltings, to wait for the flats to reappear. They were still coming in as the light gave out.

The afternoon had felt a precursor to cold weather movements, a cold snap moving birds on. Tomorrow could be a long day in the field. I'm going to need a bigger flask.