A short morning visit to the main pool at Oare Marshes nature reserve
Weather: very dull, overcast and quite chilly. 5C with a northerly wind making it feel much cooler.
We are visiting our grand-children in Kent for the weekend and I took the oportunity to sneak off early this morning for a spot of early birding. OARE MARSHES are only 40 minutes from where we are based. I set off in the dark and arrived at 7;40am just as it was getting light. The large pool at Oare is easily viewed from the aproach lane and it was full of birds. I quickly noted a large flock of Golden Plover and even more Black-tailed Godwits. In with the Blackwits were a number of Bar-tailed Godwits and a number of Pied Avocets, also Grey Plovers, Dunlins, large numbers of Lapwings and more Eurasian Teal than I have seen in a long time.
the main lagoon at Oare Marshes
After an initial scan I failed to find my target bird, I was of course scanning the distant flocks of waders and more obscure places when in actual fact the bird was right down there in front of me. Yes the LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER was feeding jsut 50 meters away.
Golden Plover with Northern Lapwing and below a Dunlin and Eurasian Teal are shown with them
I then realised that I had forgotten my camera and had to take all my pictures using my phone, so I am sorry for the poor quality of the pictures.
a record shot of the Long-billed Dowitcher
Other birds seen include; Shoveler, Pintail, Gadwall, Mallard, Greylag Goose, Mute Swan, Linnet, Stonechat, Redwing, Fieldfare and a selction of the common gull species.
I was back at the house before 10am. Afterwards we all went for a walk to a local park, where we all succeeded in gettíng freezing cold and very tired.