Sunny Stour Valley Walk.

On Monday we drove south-eastwards into Kent to meet up with two more friends who were desperate for a relaxing day out birding as a break from their heavy work schedules.

The location was the Stour Valley and our day trek around Stodmarsh NNR which started from Grove Ferry where Anita and I listened to our first Nightingale of the day plus a distant calling Cuckoo that was to remain elusive despite Derek's optimism that it would perch close enough for a portrait photo! On our walk to The Ramp we also heard a single Turtle Dove, Cetti's Warbler, Chiffchaff plus Sedge and Reed Warblers. Mallard, Gadwall, Tufted Duck and Coot on the water with Common Terns noisily fishing and a male Marsh Harrier quartering the vast reed beds. Konik ponies are used to manage the damp pastures.

 Male Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoenichus).

A distant male Marsh Harrier quartering the reed beds.

During one of our many rest stops as we circumnavigated this reserve we also watched another pair of Marsh Harriers and a minimum of 12 Hobby hawking for insects but regrettably too far away for the lens. Swallow and House Martis were also logged plus a swimming Grass Snake.

 Common Whitethroat (Sylvia communis) singing its heart out.

 Cormorant.

Throughout our circuit we were constantly bombarded by the close explosive and repeated calls from a warbler that shouts out its own name 'cetti-cetti-cetti' from a nearby hidden perch within a dense thicket before immediately flying onto its next hidden hideaway. Fortunately on one occasion my camera was pointed at the right spot when this compact warbler, red-brown above with its distinctive pale supercilium and eye ring, perched for just a few moments to provide a record shot.

 Cetti's Warbler (Cettia cetti) pauses briefly before flying to its next hidden song perch.

Another species that likes to sing its repeated, jittery song interspersed with various whistling notes as it slowly climbs up its perch within the reed bed is the [European] Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scripaceus). 

[Northern] Lapwing patrolling his territory on recently created pool where we also logged two Common Redshank but didn't find the Green Sandpipers or Little Ringed Plover that has apparently been seen about 40 minutes earlier. 

In the damp woodland a Robin was collecting a varied mixture of flies and caterpillars.

After a welcome cup of tea at the end of our walk we drove across country towards our friends home with a brief stop at the 1500 acre woodland at Kings Wood, Challock to view the impressive display of Bluebells. 

Unfortunately when I loaded the 17-85 lens the zoom had become locked at 70mm so this was the best I could produce under the circumstances. A visit to the specialist repair centre is going to be needed very soon to hopefully sort the problem out! Our day ended with a relaxing meal at a very quiet riverside pub plus a large glass of well earned amber liquid.    

I'll be heading to Stodmarsh again in 9 days time to go birding with another long-time friend so hopefully I'll manage to get some different species in front of the lens next time.   FAB.

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WORLD BIRD WEDNESDAY.

Cetti's Warbler at Stoke Lake

Today's Surrey Bird Club meet was a walk at Riverside Country Park, including Stoke Lake & River Wey led by Jeremy Gates. Four people turned up and we were later joined by Steve Chastell.

The most interesting find was a Cetti's Warbler (Cettia cetti) first located moving through a bramble bush then it flew into the bottom of the reeds along side the lake. This is considered a rare winter visitor and passage migrant. As this individual made no effort to utter its usual explosive song Jeremy believed it was a female. This is only the 2nd record for Stoke Lake, the previous record, also a female, was trapped and ringed by JG on 5th May 1998. Near Stoke Lock we also found 5 Chiffchaffs plus the resident pair of Grey Wagtails. Siskin were often heard but difficult to locate high up in the Alders. Back at the wet meadows were the usual Canada & Egyptian Geese plus one Greylag Goose, a single Common Snipe & at least 6 Meadow Pipits. Lots of Black-headed Gulls but only a single Herring & Lesser Black-backed Gull.
After a quick chocolate fix back at the car I decided to follow the tow path for about a mile and a half towards Send. There wasn't very much activity apart from locating a Nuthatch and a pair of Rose-ringed Parakeets but I enjoyed the peaceful solitude plus a chat with a local lad who was fishing and had just caught and was returning a Brown Trout into the river.

So today's sightings are as follows (in no particular order): Grey Heron, Mute Swan, Cormorants, Great-crested Grebe, Little Grebes(4), Mallard, Coot, Moorhen, Gadwall(6), Tufted Ducks(5), Shovellers(3), Greylag Goose, Canada Geese (14+), Egyptian Geese(8), Common Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, CETTI'S WARBLER, Robin, Blackbird, Goldcrest(3), Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Jay(3), Magpie, Green & Great-Spotted Woodpeckers, Skylark, House Sparrows, CHIFFCHAFF(5), Grey Wagtails(2), Long-tailed Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Treecreeper, Siskin, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Black-headed Gulls, Meadow Pipits(6+), Common Snipe, Carrion Crows, Jackdaws, Rook, Woodpigeon, Starlings, Wren, Pheasant, Nuthatch, Rose-ringed Parakeets, Teal [heard], Reed Bunting [heard] and Water Rail [heard]. A total of 52 species.

Mallard Preening