North Kent

An interesting day surveying an area on the North Kent coast.  The weather brought kindness in abundance, the strong May sun tempered slightly by a gentle  breeze.  It was great making tracks around the survey lines that covered eight miles in total.

Bird of the day went to a Nightingale that sang briefly within a large hawthorn and was always out of view.  A couple of Cuckoo were calling within the vicinity with one later seen flying low along the old sea wall.

There were plenty of vocal Warblers including a couple of Lesser Whitethroat, with Common Whitethroat and Reed Warbler plentiful.  Just one Sedge Warbler was noted during the course of the day.

There was a bit of interest on the receded tide.  A single Avocet looked forlorn in one of the bays, where a Common Sandpiper flicked low along the shoreline.  A stunning adult summer Grey Plover was accompanied by two not so dapper individuals with a Whimbrel and two Turnstone in the same area.

A constant sound during the day were the distant 'mewings' of Mediterranean Gull with around 20 sparkling adults seen flying over towards the estuary.

At least three different Marsh Harrier were quartering the area along with a minimum of six Common Buzzard soaring on thermals as the day warmed up.

A minimum count of five Yellow Wagtail were all flyovers.

There was some Butterfly interest with nine species seen including at least a dozen Wall Brown, five Orange-tip, a Small Copper, and two Small Heath.