CROYDON RSPB MEMBERS' GROUP - TRIP REPORT

The sun shone all day for our first weekend outing of the year but, this being Sheppey, even a westerly wind had a bite to it. We found the final unmade length of road along to the Shellness carpark in an even worse state of repair than ever - it's probably kept rough deliberately so as to deter the summer grockles. It certainly detered us and consequently members enjoyed a little more exercise this year, although the modest extra half-mile or so of walking each way to the ness was rather less than some of our post-Xmas waistlines deserved. A male stonechat approached us before we left the cars, then a lot of time was needed to scan properly from the seawall, where attention was divided between the sea (a few red-throated divers to be found among masses of great crested grebes way out, large flocks of dabbling ducks - on scrutiny mainly wigeon - off towards the south, and many turnstones and a few redshanks around the groynes on the beach) and the partly-flooded fields inland (a hundred or more golden plovers, together with even greater numbers of lapwings, as well as a few ringed and grey plovers). Further on, a rock pipit feeding on the track proved rather tame and reed buntings were visiting the bushes by the almost-inaccessible carpark.

By the time we finally made it to the blockhouse out on the ness, we had missed high tide by an hour and a half, but even so we still had good looks at some more waders. A large roost of oystercatchers was still in position in the lee of the shell bank and although knots, dunlins and bar-tailed godwits were already feeding along the receeding waterline, many remained within comfortable viewing distance. A few Brent geese arrived on the beach and, further out, pintails and shovelers were noted among the wigeon flocks. Two little egrets were very active on the saltmarsh, the size difference between them drawing some comment. (Measurement records quoted in Birds of the Western Palearctic show that lengths of adults of this species can range from 55 to 65 cm and wing spans from 90 to 105 cm; males are larger on average, but the size ranges of the sexes overlap). After the oystercatcher roost had been disturbed by a peregrine soaring overhead (interestingly, one of the waders was prepared to leave the security of the airborne flock to see off the raptor), we walked on out to the point : skylarks and meadow pipits were welcome here, although we had hoped for more unusual passerines. Curlews and grey plovers were the main wader species present on the Swale side of the point.

After lunch, a move to the Harty Ferry road was soon rewarded when several short-eared owls appeared over damp fields near the Capel Fleet, pausing on fence posts from time to time. Moving further on up the road, the occupants of the first car saw a merlin and then everyone had excellent views of marsh harriers (five in view at once at one point) and hen harriers (only two ringtails seen, but close-by). Partly making up for a scarcity of grey geese, two bizarre-looking Egyptian geese emerged from cover. Finally, a barn owl was spotted, showing well as it hunted silently up and down the verges and ditches bordering the road. .