[Talon 1]

I have two weeks off and am wondering where the best spot to take my camera along the sea front.

Advice please!

Thanks

[David FG]

Dungeness would be on anyone's list, I think. Also worth a try would be North Foreland, the cliffs around the Dover/Folkestone area, Sheppey, anywhere along the north Kent coast. Anyone with any other ideas?

[Ruby]

Originally Posted by Free

I have two weeks off and am wondering where the best spot to take my camera along the sea front.

Advice please!

Thanks

Hi,

Are you particularly interested in sea-watching?? Doesn't sound like a natural bed-fellow with photography (given that most sea-watched birds are distant specs!!)

If you're just talking about seeing and photographing coastal birds, then I would recommend Oare Marshes nr Faversham - always plenty of birds there, and often nice and close for photogrphic purposes....

If you do go, try to time your visit with high-tide.


Good luck...

[robinm]

I'd agree with Ruby. Always plenty of good birds and a great place for photography. See here for my own amateurish efforts.

[Woody]

Me too! Another vote for Oare. The main advantage at Oare is the proximity of the birds to the walkways around the seawall.

Loads of godwit on sunday and a gathering of 26 or so little egrets sharing in some food bounty with the black headed gulls, herons, redshank, one greenshank, and the spoonbill.

Woody

[SeanKP]

I'm thinking of taking a day trip to Kent from Central London at the weekend and was thinking of doing Oare Marshes and Cliffe Pools. I've not been to either before and would appreciate advice on whether it is feasible to do both in one day or whether either or each deserves a day to itself. Also, any tips on either site would be very welcome.

Thanks.

Sean

[dogfish]

??eanKP]I'm thinking of taking a day trip to Kent from Central London at the weekend and was thinking of doing Oare Marshes and Cliffe Pools. I've not been to either before and would appreciate advice on whether it is feasible to do both in one day or whether either or each deserves a day to itself. Also, any tips on either site would be very welcome.

Thanks.

Sean[/quote]

Easy to do both in a day in that at each site you can park v close to the best birding areas, maximising the time available. Only slight problem may be that both sites are best at high tide. Cliffe a bit short of water at present; the best area (at least it was a week ago when I was last there) is around the first viewing mound by the Black Barn. The pools by the second viewing mound are dry. But worth doing a circuit of the reserve if you have time by walking down the central path to the seawall and back up the main track to the Black Barn. I believe the Birdline Southeast website has map of the reserve.
Curlew sands and little stints are beginning to arrive now so prospects for wader watching are good.

Sean H

[Ruby]

Hi Sean,

I don't think either one of the 2 reserves that you mention necessarily needs a long visit (even though you never know what might turn up if you spend a fair while at these places - Oare especially!)

Seasoned Cliffe Pools fanatics will probably shoot me down, but what I usually do is drive slowly along the access road to the first mound, keeping an ear out for birds-song and an eye out for items on interest in the bushes and pools to the left.

Up onto the mound just past the black barn for a scan of the pools and fields...

Last time I was there, the other scrapes in from of the 2nd mound and by the sea-wall had both dried up, so no point in going any farther!!

Rather more to see at Oare, where you really need to walk west along the sea-wall to scope the west scrape, do the circuit round the east scrape to see everything and also have a look at the bushes, trees and paddocks which are over towards the west hide (good for Owls, Turtle Doves etc)

You can (I have!) spend many an hour at Oare, but a quick trip round in 2-3 hours would enable you to get a good flavour.

Main problem would be that both Oare and Cliffe are likely to be at their best at high tide - and the drive between them is probably almost an hour!!

If you've got the whole day - here's a thought!!

Choose a suitable day for tides.
Do Cliffe on the a.m. high-tide
Drive to Grove Ferry/Stodmarsh (nice place, not so tide-dependant) for a few hours
Get to Oare 2/3 hrs before pm high tide...

If you could only do one, though, Oare would get my vote....

[Richard D]

It might be worth checking the Kent Ornithological Society pages to see what's about:

www.kentos.org.uk

I'm a big fan of Oare (partly because it's in walking dstance of my house!). Last popped down there last Tuesday and their were plenty of waders about. You might be lucky with the Spoonbill that's been there for quite a while now.

[Eagle]

Another vote for Oare if you are time limited....

if you can do both high tides even better!!

[SeanKP]

Thanks everyone for the advice. If the weather is ok I think I'll try and get to Oare as early as I can and take it from there.

Anyone know where I can get the times of the tides for Oare?

Sean

[robinm]

Hi Sean,

Look here http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/coast/t...outheast.shtml. The tides for Oare should be between the times for Whitstable and Grovehurst.

[SeanKP]

Thanks Robin. Looks like Sunday morning is my best bet.

[Kentbloke]

Oare is good but dont forget Pegwell bay or Capel-le-Ferne(Folkestone) and of course Reculver! All usually produce good birds in the spring and autumn.
Good luck

[SeanKP]

Originally Posted by Kentbloke

Oare is good but dont forget Pegwell bay or Capel-le-Ferne(Folkestone) and of course Reculver! All usually produce good birds in the spring and autumn.
Good luck

Thanks for the tips Kentbloke. I'll give them a go when I get a chance later this year.

Sean

[SeanKP]

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. I had a cracking day out despite the unhelpfully grey weather and following the wrong set of directions! I went to Oare Marshes for the morning high tide and then headed over to Elmley Marshes at lunchtime.

Little Egret, Ruff, Shelduck, Avocet, Greenshank, Spoonbill, Black-Tailed Godwit,
Oystercatcher, Meadow Pipit, Yellow Wagtail and Curlew were all firsts for me. Eleven new birds in one day. Oh, the joys of being a newbie!

I shall definitely be making another trip very soon.

Cheers.

Sean

[robinm]

Glad you had a good day

[David FG]

Not coastal, I know, but have you tried Stodmarsh/Grove Ferry yet? If not, do.

[Mickymouse]

Got to second David on Stodmarsh/Grove Ferry, don't miss it if you are down this way.
Pegwell bay can be good but to be honest it's a bit quiet at the moment, in the winter though it can be magic.

Mick

[SeanKP]

The forecast doesn't look too bad so I'm thinking I might try another day out in Kent this weekend. I thought I'd go to Oare Marshes for a few hours around the lunchtime high tide and I thought I'd give Stodmarsh/Grove Ferry a try too. I'd like to make a full day of it and will probably get to Kent some time before 07:00am. Does anyone know if Stodmarsh/Grove Ferry or Elmley Marshes can be visited at that time? If not, are there any other interesting sites nearby that I can visit at that time?

Many thanks.

Sean

[Kentbloke]

Hi Sean, cant be sure about Elmley but Stodmarsh/Grove should be open. There is a gate at the Stodmarsh entrance but having done a dawn chorus at 4.15am, it's been open. Have a good trip

[Andy Ledger]

I had great views of a Hobby at Stodmarsh the last time I was there, and the Swifts were so low, and flew so close to my head, I could hear their wings slicing through the air. Highly recommended.