CROYDON RSPB MEMBERS' GROUP - TRIP REPORT

Our intended destination was Elmley, but with foot and mouth disease restrictions still keeping that reserve out-of-bounds, we took a welcome second opportunity to visit Stodmarsh, f.m.d. having forced cancellation of our planned trip here in May. If for no other reason, the change was fortunate in that the new destination offered at least some shade on such a hot day, that commodity being in rather short supply at Elmley. The downside was that Stodmarsh's biting insects were in especially voracious mood - at least until the enticing aroma of newly-applied suntan lotion wore off a little!

The hobby is a something of a speciality bird at Stodmarsh in summer and a bumper showing seemed on the cards when the first one was noticed over the carpark at 09.45. Disappointingly, we had to wait until well into the afternoon for the only other brief sighting of this elegant falcon. Some other specialities of the reserve were to prove even less obliging - Cetti's warbler is rarely easy to see but today even the far-carrying explosive song was heard only once, while bearded tits offered just a couple of fleeting glimpses, skimming over the reed beds before dropping back into their thick cover. To compensate, both cuckoo and turtle dove gave us some decent views. Although not exactly rare, these two summer visitors are generally becoming increasingly difficult to find; however, both can still usually be relied upon to show up at Stodmarsh during a visit in May, June or July.

The day was taken up with a full circuit of the reserve, out across the Lampen Wall (views of commoner ducks, feral geese, great crested grebes and a tree full of cormorants) and on along the bank of the Stour (a quick peek at a water rail, plenty of sedge and reed warblers, several yellow wagtails in flight and masses of beautiful banded demoiselle dragonflies) to emerge by the pub at Grove Ferry (where, for once, several weak-willed souls couldn't resist a quick shandy!). As usually seems the case nowadays, a scan around from the viewing ramp at Grove Ferry produced the best numbers and range of birds of the whole circuit, with waders, ducks and herons most prominent. The waders included ruffs, snipe, one common and four green sandpipers and juvenile little ringed plovers. Most of the male ducks were in eclipse and fairly immobile, but there appeared to be at least one garganey present among the many teal, judged by his grey speculum and the pale spot at the base of his bill. Separating the three little egrets from a similar number of grey herons presented no difficulties (even for us!).

The walk back across the fields produced no new birds but we did spot two painted lady butterflies, the first of the season for most of us, and had time to identify a few of the aquatic plants in the ditches. From the reedbed hide, we watched as several common terns buzzed a great black-backed gull, trying unsuccessfully to dislodge this unwelcome intruder from their nesting raft. The final avian activity was back in the carpark, where a succession of small birds, including garden warblers, blackcaps, chiffchaffs, robins and a yellowhammer, were visiting a heap of gravel in the furthest corner (for a reason that we couldn't fathom).