Trip reports

Elmley

Monday, 17 March 2008

March is the traditional month for our walk on the RSPB reserve at Elmley on the Isle of Sheppey. After a weekend of rain the prospects for the Monday were not good, despite the weather forecast for a dry day, so I was not expecting a large turnout. Only one person met me at Faversham, with a promise of at least one other going directly to the reserve. The two-mile drive across the marsh to the car park gave some views of a hen harrier, the rest just seeing the lapwings, redshanks, and about ten little egrets. Five of us, the lowest number for many months, set off on the walk to the hides. One of the first birds seen was the little owl in the trees just below the house where the nest box is situated. At the ramp adjacent to the access to the first hides a short-eared owl was flushed from the bushes on the waterside of the sea wall, and was in view for several minutes. Only one of the two hides at the entrance was open as gales of the previous week had removed the roof of the other. From that hide we had good views of avocet, redshank, shoveler, and pintail to name a few. A late-comer met us here, increasing our number to six. We then walked on to the next hide where one of our number sustained a fall on the path, but all appeared to be well so we went to the hide, which was our lunch stop. Here we were entertained by a merlin that was sitting on the mud looking out for its next meal. Reed buntings, skylarks, and meadow pipits were also about, along with species mentioned previously. The last hide that we intended to visit was the one located on the seawall overlooking the Swale - we have not yet walked to the Spitend hide on these walks. Merganser, scaup, dunlin and turnstone were on either the water or the mud on a falling tide.
We then returned to the car park where the "faller" was in his car unable to drive so with some reorganisation he was driven home and to the hospital where a broken arm was diagnosed. Many thanks to those involved in getting him back to Canterbury. Not a good end to a day in which we saw fifty four species.