9 May 2009. Birdrace 90 species in one day!

Today went with David Campbell on a birdrace of sorts. Don't think we are official and two of the group of four couldn't come in the end. We decided to go to Kent and started with Elmley Marshes. The drive from the road to the car park is always very fruitful. We soon saw marsh harriers, yellow wagtails and linnet, followed by mediterranean gulls, garganey, corn bunting, hobby and grey partridge (a bogey bird for David, who hadn't seen one for the last two years).



We then moved down the main track towards the hides. The first hide is 1.25 miles from the car park so it's quite a treck. I'm glad we went though because I saw one of my bogey birds, a female whinchat. A lifer and a very nice tick.

Female whinchat.


At Elmley we saw 68 species in all. Not bad for one site.

We moved on to Grove Ferry where the notable additions were little ringed plover, greenshank, cuckoo, great crested grebe (the only one of the day - strange) and common tern.

Finally we moved on to Oare, which gave us water rail, bearded tit and a late-staying pair of widgeon. Unusual to see widgeon so late in the year. We got 86 species last year, 90 this year! By the end of the day we were happy but exhausted!!

Here is a complete list of species for that day.

Arctic tern
Avocet
Bearded tit
Blackbird
Blackcap
Black-headed gull
Black-tailed godwit
Blue tit
Canada goose
Cetti’s warbler
Chaffinch
Chiffchaff
Collared dove
Common tern
Coot
Cormorant
Corn bunting
Crow
Cuckoo
Dunnock
Feral pigeon
Gadwall
Garganey
Goldfinch
Great crested grebe
Great tit
Greenfinch
Greenshank
Green woodpecker
Grey heron
Grey plover
Greylag goose
Grey partridge
Herring gull
Hobby
House sparrow
Jackdaw
Kestrel
Lapwing
Lesser black-backed gull
Lesser whitethroat
Linnet
Little egret
Little grebe
Little gull
Little owl
Little ringed plover
Long-tailed tit
Magpie
Mallard
Marsh harrier
Meadow pipit
Mediterranean gull
Mistle thrush
Moorhen
Mute swan
Oystercatcher
Peregrine
Pheasant
Pied wagtail
Pochard
Red-legged partridge
Redshank
Reed bunting
Reed warbler
Ringed plover
Robin
Rook
Sedge warbler
Shelduck
Shoveler
Skylark
Song thrush
Snipe
Swift
Sparrowhawk
Starling
Stock dove
Swallow
Tufted duck
Turnstone
Water rail
Whimbrel
Whinchat
Whitethroat
Widgeon
Willow warbler
Wood pigeon
Wren
Yellow wagtail