Oare Marshes - short visit. (1 Viewer)

I've just got back from an excellent day at Elmley Marshes(and will probably bore a few people in a separate 'My Birding Day' thread)

I go to Kent a lot and would gladly attend any BF bash arranged in the County.

Hope to be at The Oval on Friday,so can't make Oare,which is an excellent little site.

James: only just read your update. Don't think we can make Friday but will try.

Yes I am happy with my Coolpix. I get reasonable digiscoping results and also with my Eagle Eye Optic zoom. The macro is excellent.

Hope you have a good day Geraldine and James.

No I'm afraid the missus isn' interested at all...she doesn't think she'd look good in an anorak and carrying a thermos and bins if you catch my drift

Woody

Look forward to your thread on Elmley Grousemoor. Might see you tomorrow then Robin - what exactly is an Eagle Eye Optic Zoom? We've got our birdforum caps now!
Woody, you can get some very fashionable anoraks these days...
:t:

james

If you want to more about the Eagle Eye go to there website http://www.eagleeyeuk.com/erol2eu/erol.html.

Basically it provides 5 times magnification and fits directly to the 4500 with the aid of a step up ring. I took the attached photo of darters in my garden from a distance of about 25 feet. I wouldn't have been able to get close enough to use macro. In good light conditions you can use it hand-held (as in this photo).

James: I reckon high tide at Oare tomorrow is about 20:30 so the best time to view the Swale is going to be about 18:00-19:00 ish

Thanks very much for the info Robin. Very useful. I've saved the website link you sent. Nice photo (again!) Can't wait to get digiscoping!
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james

Oare marshes is a fabulous place! We walked the circuit of hides today, which we hadn't done before, saw thistle patches full of goldfinches, two seals (a first for me!) on the sand bank, then we were walking to the second hide, watching all the wagtails, yellow (Oh, so yellow!) and pied, darting around the shores of the river, when a Water Rail, probably a teenager, who had obviously never read the "How to be a Water-Rail" handbook, strolled out of the reedbeds, and had a wander round! So we set up the scope, and watched him for about an hour! He carried on with his life, without a trace of shyness. It was wonderful. The only times I've ever seen Water Rail in the past have been of the "Oh, look! There's a Water-Rail, wasn't it?" variety. He was so beautiful!!! And so close!
We walked the circuit, with the air around us irridescent with dragonflies, big electric blue ones with some yellow and black stripes somewhere... Well, I don't know, and someone else will, and the books are up there, and my back aches!
I saw more Avocets than I've ever seen in one go too, fifteen or more swimming in formation, loads of redshank, curlew sandpipers, black-tailed godwits, ringed plovers, James will tell you all the stats. They're not ticks, but who cares? I love waders. No snipe, I'm having a bad year for snipe!
I want to move to Oare. Imagine that as your daily dog-walk!

James/Geraldine glad you had a good time and sorry I couldn't make it. For a small reserve it really is brilliant.

If the rain holds off I'm thinking of going there early on Sunday morning - high tide's about 10:30.

See my post about Elmley in "Unofficial Bashes"

Wow, watching a Water Rail for that length of time is something that you only dream about! I've only ever seen them for about ten minutes or so tops. They really are lovely birds, aren't they?
Two years ago, just four days after Neil and I got married we went to Leighton Marsh and in one of the hides we were just quietly chatting to a guy with a camera when I, who'd been scanning around whilst listening to the conversation, saw a brown shape emerge from behind some reeds. Well, when I realised what it was(or what I thought it was!) my hands started to shake and I felt as if everyone in the hide must be able to hear my heart thumping!!! I got everyone on to it and, yes, it was that most mythical of birds... a Bittern!!! Like your Water Rail, I don't think it had read the guide books as it stood in clear view, preening and sunbathing, for a full THIRTY-SEVEN minutes!!! I only wish I had had a telescope then...I didn't get mine until about a year later. Of course I have been back to Leighton Moss a couple more times and not seen hide nor hair(or feather?) of a bittern. But I live in hope!

Hi Robin,
We won't be able to make Sunday, we're working unfortunately, and then I'm visiting my parents for a couple of days. We'll check out your Elmley thread.
Hi Gill, I've only ever seen Bittern flying, (at Minsmere, Island Mere hide), never walking about like that. That's my next dream. It's great when you get a gift like that, isn't it?

Good on you! Yep, with a little patience at a known site on an overcast day, the Water Rails come out here too. Not for an hour, but long enough to get good looks.

The talk of the rails and bitterns prompts me to relate our activities yesterday, September 4.

A gal from the more southery portion of the state of Missouri had heard that Least Bittern might be viewable at Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), near Chillicothe, Missouri. Having never seen one, she was eager to get a look. She and three "gal friends" drove up and were informed by Steve (a friend of mine) that he had not seen any on his preliminary walk through the marsh. They called me because Steve and I had been hearing and seeing them in previous visits to Squaw Creek NWR. So, the group traveled over to "my neck of the woods" and we proceeded the half hour drive up to the refuge. Walking out on the dike where Steve and I had previously observed the birds, we heard a couple of them call. Before too long we were able to see three separate birds flush and fly low over the lotus and arrow head vegetation and drop down out of side. Having seen the bitterns we retraced our steps back to our parked vehicles. Suddenly one of the gals spotted a bird and called out "Green Heron"! Oh, there's another one. I "got on" the bird and said, "I don't think that's a Green Heron", pause, "I think that is a Least Bittern". It was, and it was standing placidly in an open water. The "other Green Heron" was also a Least Bittern and it was clinging to the stem of a lotus plant. The lotus "pad" leaf was about two feet above the surface of the water and the bittern was toward the top of the stem where it joins the leaf. It was a fantastic view! The bird was in the shade of the leaf and in plain view of us astonished onlookers. I have seen quite a few bitterns, but they are usually very elusive and secretive! All together we saw ten Least Bittern (and a couple of Sora). These two we saw at close range was a treat for all of us. We will remember this sighting for a long time. It was, of course, a real thrill for the gal who needed this bird for a "life" bird, but I believe it was almost as equally rewarding for those of us who already had the Least Bittern on our lists.

Larry

Nice story Larry. It's always very special when you see a secretive bird out in the open like that for a while, especially when you have only had a few quick glimpses before. Going to have to get a few world bird books as all ours are European.
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james

I had my first visit to Oare marshes Sunday morning and I have been impressed too!

Very clear, and long, views of kingfishers, three at once no less! Thanks to the chap who helped me to find them in my scope (I don't know how to drive it properly yet).

Then there was the Water Rail, a first for me which just about made my day, what a beautiful bird.

The place was alive with wagtails, yellow and pied and, as you pointed out, loads of avocet.

Ahh! a good day indeed, I'll be definately going back.

Woody

Hi Woody,

Very glad you had a good day at Oare. Can't believe the Water Rail was still showing well! We dipped out on the kingfisher(s!) - nice one!
I'll list what we saw (5.9.03):-
East Flood:-
Common Redshank 113
Curlew Sand 7
Blackwit 10
Avocet 14
Lapwing 28
Ruff 8
Little Grebe 3
Coot 6
Cormorant 5
Wood sand 2
Ringed plover 25
Dunlin 2
Gadwall 3
Shelduck (juv.)
By seawall:-
Goldfinch 12
By Faversham Creek wall:-
Water Rail
Yellow wagtail 4
Pied wagtail 12
Redshank 2
West flood(?):-
Kestrel
We left about 2 hours before high tide which was about 8.45pm.
:gn:

james