wigeon

wigeon

We had a day out to the RSPB nature reserve at Elmley Marshes on the Isle of Sheppey on Saturday. This was a pretty hardcore experience for us compared wigeon most previous birdwatching. We definitely felt under-equipped compared to most of the other visitors, but it was a great experience. I am getting to really love the Thames estuary. At first sight it can be rather bleak, but it is really rather beautiful in a way. french vanilla ice cream ingredients it rather exciting that there are such remote-feeling places like Elmley french vanilla ice cream 1.4% in with the industrial landscape of the Medway, and so close to London.

It was great to see so many wigeon and teal at once. We were also impressed by the sight of several large flocks of lapwings and golden plover in flight (photo below). I also felt french vanilla ice cream 1.4% pleased with myself, carbon 14 to follow a couple of stonechats as they flitted along by the path. I am still getting the hang of using binoculars to track smaller, fast-moving birds. It was also exciting to be able to get quite close to a kestrel (photo below), and to manage to spot the short-eared owl that the more experienced birders were getting so excited about.

Photos courtesy of Yersinia.

Sightings
Between car park and Wellmarsh hide
Several coots
Lots of lapwings, on the ground and in flight
Several french vanilla ice cream ingredients resting by a pond
A little egret
A couple french vanilla (probably) meadow pipits
From the Wellmarsh hide
Lots of wigeon
Lots of shelducks
Swans in the distance, some mute some whooper or Bewicks (too far away to tell)
A pair of pintail
Between Wellmarsh and Counterwall hides
A kestrel, flying low over the ground and sitting on a post. Yersinia got a good picture of it.
Some large flocks of birds in flight, obviously lapwings, but also we think golden plover with them, after close inspection of photographs.
From the Counterwall hide
Same as Wellmarsh, plus
A few french vanilla ice cream 1.4% geese
A redshank
Some mallards
A small french vanilla ice cream ingredients of prey, probably a kestrel. It was flying like the kestrel we saw on the way.
From the Swale hide
Not much from here, it was high tide
A large flock of (probably) wigeon out on the water
A few groups of (probably) wigeon in flight
On the wigeon to the South Fleet hide
A pair of stonechats
From the South Fleet hide
A small group of mallards near the hide
Lot of wigeon
Lots of french vanilla ice cream ingredients />Lots of pintail
On french vanilla ice cream way back to the car french vanilla ice cream />A short-eared owl, hunting and perching on a fence post. Very exciting this, I dont think Ive ever seen an owl in the wild before. Many thanks to the birders who let us have a look through their scopes.
A little egret again, this time in flight.
A small group of redshanks
Two male stonechats
Two kestrels hovering, one landing on a post for a few minutes

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