GREY BACKDROP

After the blue skies of recent days, it was back to the grey backdrop of an overcast day on Monday 22nd. A walk alongside the Strood Channel in the middle of the day provided views of plenty of mud with the tide well out. The picture above, looking over to the Ray Island, shows barely a trickle of water in the base of the channel, although there was a good variety of bird interest here.

Four greenshank were the most interesting with their whiter underparts making them easier to spot against the brown surroundings. Fifty dunlin, 50 redshank, curlews, grey plovers and black-tailed godwits were busy feeding, while 20 brent geese, 50 wigeon and 20 teal were the wildfowl clustered along the base of the channel. Four little egrets stalked the shallow waters here too.

Lots more waders could be seen on the main expanse of mud and this uninspiring view above, looking towards the Strood causeway, doesn't convey all the bird activity going on. The regular group of 500 golden plover stood hunched up in the distance with 70 lapwing nearby. I saw this large group of "goldies" on one occasion recently whilst driving along the causeway, trying to continue their snooze while the tide came in lapping round their feet. For the keen eyed drivers passing over the Strood, the yellow-legged gull continues to be seen near the road, often on its favourite lump of concrete.

Fifty knot plodding around the mud appears to be the beginnings of the wintering feeding flock here. In recent years they have become a familiar sight along the channel. As always the redshank were the most widespread here with at least 200 dotted around.

The recently sown arable fields sloping up to the houses, seemed to be popular with various groups of birds. The biggest flock being 2000 starlings feeding noisily and furiously together. Fifty lapwings, lots of wood pigeons, a few carrion crows were also joined by several small brown birds. These were too far off to be positively identified but some were skylarks but others could've been meadow pipits with maybe corn buntings also present. Twenty linnets sat up on nearby wires while close to the seawall, a rock pipit flew over calling.