Horrid autumn- 31/8/17

Looking east and a fog bank below Beacon Hill at the start of the Hoo Peninsula,
closing off the westerly flightline- raised hopes, soon dashed.

The Mystic, stuck on Nor.

Grey Plover to roost; the major pre-roost assembly on Rainham Saltings headed
for Nor, but quickly diverted from their chosen area on the seawall between the
Mystic and its row-boat.

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31/08/17
06:10-08:20

Point: no migrants
Viz mig: two Teal west, Common Sandpiper east.

Horrid autumn- 30/8/17

Well, I had hoped to make it to the need of the month with factoids, but run out of steam now.. if you know any I've missed, please let me know!

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30/08/17
06:10-08:50

Point- Whitethroat, two Blackcap.

Viz mig- Little Gull out towards mouth just after dawn.  One Teal south. 63 Grey Plover in high from the north-east were probably new arrivals- the flock also contained three Knot. Four Snipe west in a low line. Two Whimbrel south. Just two Common Tern. 46 Swallow past the Point in two hours, but many more were following the shoreline. Otherwise passerines extremely poor, just a single Yellow Wagtail.

Offshore- Six Shelduck south-east from Hoo, back north-west an hour later with a Brent Goose in tow (probably one of two that oversummered on the islands, now getting a bit fidgety- yesterday one was out on Ham Ooze for the rising tide).

Plenty of fidgety waders on the Nor roost- the rowing boat indicating the Cap'n of the 'Mystic' was back out once again, perhaps trying to make repairs. Springs are not due for nearly two weeks, so certainly no chance of getting off the island yet.

Horrid autumn- 29/8/17

A Horrid factoid- cycling is allowed on the Horrid Hill causeway, and most mornings you will be beaten to the Point by one or two regulars. The Park is part of the National Cycle Route 1, which runs from Dover as far north as it is possible to get. And then some, finishing in Shetland. How getting from John O'Groats to Orkney, then to Shetland, actually works, is not clear. But I rather like the wikipedia mention of the North Sea Cycle route EV12, of which the NCR1 is part between Harwich and Shetland- "Links to Norway to continue the North Sea Cycle Route are presently unavailable."

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29/08/17
05:45-08:20

Point- Willow Warbler, Whitethroat, Blackcap, two Pied Wagtail.

Viz mig- Yellow Wagtail east, Swallow 21 west, Pied Wagtail four west, Snipe south, Ringed Plover southwest, Common Tern 30 south-southeast.

Offshore (Bartlett Creek/Rainham Saltings) Common Tern 12, Grey Plover 222, Black-tailed Godwit 69, Turnstone 138, Redshank 394, Dunlin 21, Curlew Sandpiper one.

Horrid autumn- 28/8/17

A Horrid factoid- The two RSPB reserves on the estuary, Nor Marsh and Motney Hill, have no access for visitors. Horrid is the best viewpoint, where an interpretation board has been installed on behalf of both the RSPB and Medway Council, freeholders of Nor and Motney.

If you are prepared to bring your own folding chair, the board can act as a fairly poor windbreak.

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28/08/17
06:00-08:00

Robin- common beach feeders on Horrid

Point- Single Reed Warbler.

Viz mig- Seven Yellow Wagtail south, five Common Tern south-west. Two Grey Wagtail east-northeast (the usual direction for early autumn dispersal as birds move downriver)

Offshore- Two Kingfisher on the rocks either side of the Point; once they met up, a chase to Copperhouse ensued.

So, quiet then- back to yesterday's game of count the dispersing wader roost. The texts will say waders tend to leave in a set order, this does does generally work as a rule. Each day brings differences; on a slightly lower tide, more Redshank had been able to hang on at the Rainham saltings roost and there was less urgency to return, and the Curlew had roosted on Oakham, so were in no mood to rush back.

In general though, tide-edge followers are first away. With few Dunlin in, it could be blink-and-you-miss-them. Black-tailed Godwit are happy to start feeding close to shore (and can remain until disturbed). Some Grey Plover and Redshank established territories on the flats. A good many others are still working as loose flocks; these mix-in, often wanting to get to their spots as soon as uncovered, so the movement is pretty much over once the main departure takes place. Turnstone aren't really living up to their names at the moment, carrying out an awful lot of 'peck-feeding' on the mud (most are refueling to continue their migrations south, our overwinterers have yet to arrive). The larger the wader, the slower out the blocks. Oystercatcher and Curlew are among the last to leave roost. Presumably their specialist feeding techniques mean they are not having to compete with other species that much, can feed up and retire. Or, they like to supplement the mudflat feeding with a bit of fieldwork when the ground is damp, so they can carry on over throughout a tidal cycle if needs be.

Not setting the world alight with such observations, just enjoying seeing the texts come to life, and getting to understand more about how all the habitats in and around the estuary play a part. The land migrants might be missing, but there's always something to enjoy.

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Rewarded myself with a second trip at high tide (having made a covering tide count nearby). Impressed to find a minimum of 880 Starling using Horrid as a high-tide roost. The idea that large roosts act as 'information centres' felt spot on; the constant short bursts from individual birds felt like a 'look at me, I'm well-fed'. Anthropomorphic twaddle, but fun nonetheless.

And something even the public noticed. A couple stopped me (thinking that I looked liked someone who'd know about birds, think the 'scope gave it away) to ask all about them, and then said they'd heard about murmurations thanks to 'Autumnwatch' and would love to see one. Gave them details, but made me think *memo to County Society/ local RSPB Groups*- why not hold a well- promoted/publicised trip to view a murmuration, for the general public? (You're welcome.)

Shame to see the Nor and Friars roosts cleared by a low-flying microlight. Certainly when Kingsnorth Power Station was operational the rule of the estuary was no flying below 150 feet; the reverend, working out on Oakham, was often reporting low-flyers. Today's disturbed birds made west for the Greenborough complex, or north (as in the case of the Curlew pictured) to Oakham. Birds need an awful lot of safe sites. Especially when somewhere like Nor (an RSPB reserve) isn't as safe throughout the tide as some believe.

Horrid autumn- 27/8/17

A Horrid factoid- The wreck near the start of the causeway, found ad nauseum in any google image search of Horrid Hill, is the tug boat "Waterloo".  She was built in 1891 by Thomas Scott of Goole, Yorkshire, and was originally called "No. 6". She had probably often sailed past that most famous of U.K. bird peninsulas, Spurn, but somehow came to be a Feral Pigeon perch next to the estuary's not-quite so good peninsula.

Yes, the Power Station is in the background- this was 10/5/13

The Waterloo was known as a 'Tom Pudding' tug. 'Tom' meant large (think 'Tom Tit' for Great Tit) and 'Pudding' from the tug's removeable compartments which looked like black pudding. Each compartment could hold 40 tons of coal which would be hauled up by crane directly onto waiting ships. They were most commonly used on the Aire and Calder canals in Yorkshire, from around 1865 right up until the mid-1980s, moving coal from open cast collieries of South Yorkshire down to Goole. In truth, the Waterloo may not have seen Spurn that often, but still more than me (never been).

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27/08/17
05:45-07:55

Point- Three Willow Warbler, singles of Blackcap, Garden Warbler and Linnet.

Viz mig- zilch

Offshore- Peregrine lazing on Nor.

So, time to spare.

Spent it making some sense of the wader movements from roost. A spring high at about 04:30 had pushed many of the Rainham Saltings roosters (predominately Redshank) out north onto Nor and Friars. Birds that roost here, just north of Horrid Hill, do not usually follow the tide out alongside the roost, but return to their favoured feeding areas. Whilst there is usually one big movement, quite a few birds tend to leave in dribs and drabs. Such small numbers often fail to register but can amount to a sizeable proportion of a roost.

Early-returning waders can be back to their feeding zone some time before they can set to feeding. From the go, Redshank were heading back to the just-uncovered Rainham Saltings roost site, where they waited for the mud to uncover. Birds moving slightly later tend to head for two main 'waiting zones' around Rainham Saltings, one along the northern edge close to Mariners Creek, the other the sheltered south-east corner of the saltings just above the Bloors drain.

Not all the species favour the Nor walls; Black-tailed Godwit for the main part, will use central Friars. Others may go that little bit further for safety. Curlew will use Friars, but change for Bishop to the north (or even Oakham over the main channel). Similarly, Oystercatcher are happy on neap tides on Friars (parts of the beach are slow to go under) but on springs prefer to put their toes on the hard concrete of the northern seawall at Kingsnorth. Only a small number of Oystercatcher make an early return to Rainham saltings, their preferred feeding being the shell beds east of Bishop and Friars.  

Blue- Oystercatcher   Pink- Turnstone   White- Grey Plover
Red- Redshank   Green- Curlew   Yellow- Black-tailed Godwit

This all goes to explain why Horrid is often quoted in 'Where to watch' guides as one of the better places for viewing waders. Timing is of course everything. Return movement may well start from around the 5.3 metre mark on the ebb, with largest movements usually over by around the 4.4 metre mark- but things can and do vary.

The tide would be good for the following morning as well, a good chance to make some comparisons. That is, if the migrants weren't keeping me busy..

Horrid autumn- 26/08/17

A Horrid factoid- The flint axe factoid of August 14th can now be expanded. It seems such axes were found along the causeway in biggest numbers a hundred years ago, but not because they had been left there by their craftsmen. The material used to create the causeway was unusable leftovers from the chalk quarry at Twydall used by the Cement company, and was only fit for dumping on the saltings. A chamber opened in the quarry was said to have been full of 'Palaeolithic material' provided much of the waste. When the artefacts started to be turned up, the causeway was immediately searched extensively, between 1912 and 1915. So many tools were recovered they became known as 'The Lower Palaeolithic Implements of Twydall'.

My own find is an Acheulean axe; the other 'style' of axe from that time is Clactonian, much smoother in appearance and the appearance of such different designs at the same time is believed to indicate two separate tribal lines. Acheulean finds in the area are very much the rarer.

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26/08/17
06:05-08:10, uncovering tide

Point- Willow Warbler. Just the one, slightly confused, individual. It tried to follow the neck of the Peninsula towards the shoreline, but, for some unfathomable reason, turned west low over the saltings and ditched into the spartina, not to be seen again.

Viz mig- Yellow Wagtail west, Grey Wagtail east, Swallow 12 west. The flightline for Grey Wagtails at the this time of year is often east; almost as if these are birds that have followed the Medway downstream. 21 Grey Plover and three Dunlin were seen to fly inland.

Horrid autumn- 25/8/17

A Horrid factoid- The Mound, in my factoid of 20/8/17, was said to offer 'alternative viz mig possibilities'. A fib. It offers much better possibilities.

Firstly, diurnal migrants following the shoreline are always in larger numbers than those over water.
Second, waders/wildfowl cutting inland often do so east of Horrid, so are silhouetted against the early morning sun. The mound gives a longer period in better light, as birds approach the shore.
Third, the mound has a much wider clear field of view.
Fourth, flights along the river itself, along Long Reach, although more distant are less obscured by Nor and Bishop saltings.
The only real drawback is it sits on the edge of the main car park, and so attracts a great many ornithomuggles from 08:30 onwards. You have been warned.

 

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25/08/17
05:45-08:00

Point- quiet again, one Blackcap.

Viz mig- 5 Yellow Wagtail south-west and 45 Swallow west. 31 Common Tern south, two Arctic Tern south, three flocks of 25, 27 and 31 Grey Plover in high from the north-east (also six Black-tailed Godwit high west).

Offshore- Four Greenshank, 32 Great Crested Grebe, 28 Little Egret.

I'm extremely cautious about Terns.

I've had flocks that I've seen well change upriver from my Common to another's Arctic. Not every birder will be familiar with the 2014 article by Keith Vinicombe in British Birds. It describes exactly the same problem happening routinely elsewhere. I would urge you to seek out a copy if you have not seen it. I offer:

"...whereas the Common Tern is a bird of inshore waters, apparently hugging the European and West African coasts during its, The Arctic Tern is a highly pelagic species, its annual migrations showing strong parallels with, for example, those of the Manx Shearwater.. There seems to be little reason why large numbers should pass through southern Britain, either off the coasts or inland. Those that intentionally do so are perhaps mainly birds taking the shortest route to and from breeding colonies in northeast Britain, the Netherlands, southern Scandinavia and the Baltic.

"...it is recommended that birders in southern Britain work on the assumption that, in normal circumstances, Common Terns are far more numerous than Arctic Terns, outnumbering them by somewhere in the region of 5:1 to 180:1, the ratio usually being higher if there are breeding colonies of Common terns nearby. In the south it seems that Arctic Terns are likely to outnumber Commons only after westerly gales and/or in late September and October, after the peak of the Common Tern migration is past and when most records of Arctics relate to the more easily identified juveniles..."

(Vinicombe, K. 'The Migration of Common and Arctic Terns in southern England', British Birds 107, April 2104, 195-206)

The article details the identification problems that might be leading to misreporting. My highlighting the article here is not to get into the whys and wherefores of misidentification, but more to remind people that the Medway estuary is 'inland' and really does not appeal to the more pelagic species; Arctic shouldn't be turning up regularly. It is perhaps best to always go for an approach of 'this really should be Common...' when claiming a passing bird to species here, and make sure you get really good views of the clinching features (as I made sure I did today).

Horrid autumn- 23/8/17

A Horrid factoid- The Point is promoted as a Run England official waymarked route. Having checked the website, I can find no mention as to why shouting all conversations during group events appears to be compulsory.

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23/08/17
06:00-08:00

Point: quiet, just a single Blackcap.
Viz mig: two Yellow Wagtail west. One Green Sandpiper west.
Offshore: An increase in Greenshank numbers. A scan of the flats produced a total of 17, plus viz-mig flocks of six (joined by one from the flats) and five (both inland to the south-west) making for an early morning total of 28 birds.

The main Greenshank gatherings on the southern shore are at nearby Copperhouse, then to west at Otterham and Funton, with smaller numbers scattered thoughout. To the north, Oakham island had the largest roost. A morning like today hints at this being a species wholly under-represented by published data (e.g. Kent Bird Report maxima for whole of estuary up to my move back to North Kent in 2013). For those birders who like to count, do remember any numbers for any part of the estuary would be welcomed by the powers that be.

Horrid autumn- 22/8/17

A Horrid factoid- The gate at the start of the causeway is closed on the highest spring tides. The threat has to be of a high spring (6.3, 6.4 metres) with a surge to take up to around the 6.8, 6.9 metre mark. The gate is usually closed from early morning on such days to prevent people from trying to experience the Hill as an island.

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22/08/17
12:50-13:20, high tide

A bit of a waste of a visit, going in the middle of the day during school holidays (I had been out wader ringing overnight). Made even more so when, on arriving at the Point, a speeding rib flushed the waders off of both Nor and Friars.19 Whimbrel did go south, and two Sandwich Tern were offshore, plus a party of three Arctic tern.

Horrid autumn- 21/8/17

A Horrid factoid- The central path through the scrub at the Point has a lovely natural snaking feel, yet the bushes have been cut in a straight line. the reason for this is obvious when the flatbed rubbish truck does the rounds every few days.

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21/08/17
06:10-09:00

Point- horribly quiet. An overnight rainfront had sat just that bit too far north to bring any passerines down today, with just a single Blackcap on show.

Viz mig- singles of Swallow, Yellow Wagtail, Meadow Pipit and Swift were scant reward.

Offshore- counts were disturbed by a Marsh Harrier wandering off of Motney. 303 Turnstone was back up to form, and Redshank between Horrid and Motney broke the 750 barrier- 779 on view

Horrid autumn- 20/8/17

A Horrid factoid- As with most Peninsulas, the boundary for the Horrid Hill peninsula is rather grey. The most natural shoreline gives a rather large base (the eastern end being Mariners Wharf, a clue as to why that shape). However, eastern fields are private, and the central area is the Visitor Centre, car park and picnic area, not the most exciting area for birding. The artificial viewing mound (white circle) does offer viz mig alternatives, whilst the sheltered Sharps Green pond (red circle) offer good cover for migrants. For the sake of cheering up the dullest of causeway days, both the pond and the mound are part of 'the Peninsula' for the sake of this blog between now and mid-November. (For 'purity', I never record these sites as one in the notebook. Horrid Hill always means the causeway.)

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20/08/17
05:55-07:10

Point- A little busier. Two Willow Warbler, singles of Reed Warbler, Whitethroat, Blackcap. Two Lesser Whitethroats were the first for some days, the breeding pair and fledged young from the start of the month having moved off. The moulting Cetti's Warbler also gave itself away once or twice.

Viz mig- nothing save a few Swallow- 46 west, ten south.

Sharp's Green Pond held a few warblers- four Whitethroat, three Blackcap, two Reed Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, a (resident) Cetti's Warbler and a Sedge Warbler. A Sparrowhawk was seen just on my 'border' of the Peninsula, by Sharp's Green car park.

Horrid autumn- 19/8/17

A Horrid factoid- The Riverside Country Park (along with Medway's other C.P., Capstone) received the prestigious Green Flag Award last month. The locals have been celebrating in the park ever since.

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19/08/17
05:55-08:20

Point- Single Willow Warbler. A Common Sandpiper flushed from the causeway just before the point.

Viz mig- Eleven Common and ten Sandwich Terns passed west, along with a Little Gull. High in from the north-east; eleven Black-tailed Godwit, 64 Turnstone, 22 Grey Plover and five Oystercatcher.

Horrid autumn- 17/08/17

A Horrid factoid- The locals call mid-August to mid-September the 'Sunrise season', when numbers of photographers increase as sun up reaches a more civilised time and the sun itself breaks the skyline over the open reach of Half Acre.

The much more popular 'Sunset season' is early July through to mid-October on the rise of Motney Hill.

Numbers at both sites can be influenced by the tide, with many more 'toggers preferring water to mud.

A different angle- sunrise from Mariners Wharf just east of Horrid

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17/08/17
05:50-07:30, covering neap tide

Point- Garden Warbler, 2 Whitethroat and the resident Cetti's.

Viz mig- non-existent.

Offshore- Mariners Creek extremely busy; 180 Redshank, 32 Grey Plover, 22 Turnstone. All three species uneasy, the 'shanks heading to Friars to roost with the others striking out into Sharps Green Bay and toward Nor, but returning to Mariners. Suggestive of recent arrivals among their number?

A Kingfisher seen to streak the length of Pinup Reach.

Horrid autumn- 16/8/17

A Horrid factoid- Local fishermen still use the point at Horrid often, finding it as good as any other spot along the shore for Bass. There has been no real increase in numbers the past year, even though much of the northern shoreline became a no fishing zone last year.

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16/08/17
05:45-07:55

Point- 3 Wheatear, 3 Whitethroat, Blackcap, 2 Linnet. Linnets are irregular on the Point at this time of year, even though numbers around the edge of the park are highest for many years, aided by some land (on Motney and Ham Green) being left to go to seed.

Viz mig- 2 Common Sandpiper east, a single Yellow Wagtail west.

Offshore- Wader numbers down, perhaps sign of birds recommencing migration after a short stopover. Turnstone were particularly down.
Played Nor vs. Friars. A neap full tide at 07:30 would mean birds on show at the adjacent roosts just north of Horrid. Things were quiet though: the stone walls of Nor proving more of a draw to Whimbrel while the Curlew favoured the clays of Friars.
Whimbrel- 10 v 1
Curlew- 8 v 35
Grey Plover- 38 v 46
Turnstone- 10 v 0
Dunlin 1 v 0

Other Turnstone roosts are available-
Sharps Green, opposite the start of the causeway

Horrid autumn- 15/8/17

A Horrid factoid- Horrid Hill takes up most of the entry for D-block GB-580000-168000. D-blocks are Domesday Blocks, created for the 1986 national Domesday Reloaded project. In centuries to come, future generations will read and know that..

..so, got to keep making best use of it I s'pose (!)

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05:40-07:50

Point- Two Willow Warbler. As a shower passed, two Wheatear appeared at the jetty wall.

Viz mig- Sight of the morning was undoubtedly a flock of eleven Green Sandpiper that circled the Point before heading south. A further three individuals were also seen. 316 Swallow west, with another eleven heading purposefully south. Eight House Martin also headed west, and a single Reed Bunting west felt autumnal. The Common Tern tally for the visit came to 113.

Offshore- Not quite sight of the morning but rarest for the Medway was a group of four loafing Eider, that drifted out from Bartlett Creek into Half Acre.

When the tide is in, the half-hour after dawn can be good for Starlings. C.2,100 at 06:20 went west-northwest at 06:20 then a second group of 160 went north towards Burntwick at 06:47. These groups are invariably low, some two- three metres over the water, and part of the large congregation that feed on the saltings and islands from mid-summer onwards.

Horrid autumn- 14/8/17

A Horrid factoid- Flint handaxes were found at the time of the construction of the causeway. They were believed to have been made and used by Homo heidelbergensis, (the predecessor of H. neanderthalensis) back in the Paleolithic Period some 400,000 years ago. The handaxe I found fits my hand perfectly, which perhaps says something about just how far I've made it along that particular branch of the evolutionary tree...

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06:05:07:55

Point- Quiet, but midway down the causeway a Great Spotted Woodpecker low west towards Eastcourt after following the path out from shore.

Viz mig- Green Sandpiper south, Snipe south, Yellow Wagtail west. Probable viz mig in the shape of 110 Grey Plover, 20 Redshank and four Dunlin in high from the north-east.

Offshore- 141 Grey Plover, 15 Common Tern. 136 Curlew, with a further 470 seen to leave the north shore from Bee Ness, to come down around around the South Yantlet Creek. Also of note Buzzard, sat in middle of Friars throughout.

Horrid autumn- 13/8/17

A Horrid factoid- The Hill is mentioned specifically seven times in the 1985 local avifauna. The species most unlikely to recur from those seven seen during the 40 years under review? Cirl Bunting.

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13/08/17
06:10-07:25, high, dropping tide

Grey Heron, commuting back to Hoo
after feeding south of the estuary overnight

Point- Two Cetti's Warblers sounding off. Two Whitethroat, Willow Warbler and three Chiffchaff (the latter most likely wanderers from the shoreline population).

Viz mig- Eight Yellow Wagtail west and 194 Swallow moving west with some purpose at last (30 or so were still 'playing' around the causeway and shoreline).

A distant high-tide roost of Little Egret on Darnet- not a regularly used site.

Offshore- combined totals for Sharp's Green Bay, Ferol peak and Rainham Saltings. Spotted Redshank, 220 Turnstone, 484 Redshank, five Whimbrel, 62 Dunlin, single Common Tern, 22 Little Egret and the Shelduck family party again.