Cracking Day at Elmley (2 Viewers)

[Original PaulE]

Went to Elmley National Nature Reserve yesterday, highly enjoyable, Owls everywhere, Bearded Tits, Hen Harrier, Marsh Harrier displaying, plus the thousands of waders and wildfowl all over the place!! Bit crowded, but once you got away from the car park a bit of space could be found!! I haven't been for a few years, bit far to travel but well worth it yesterday. Would go in the next couple of weeks if you're going because as the nights draw out going to be harder to see the owls. Shame the opening hours are so restrictive, can understand it in the spring but seems a shame they can't stay open til dusk at this time of year!! Was interesting to see the amount of photographers there, mostly for the Owls, who didn't have Bins. I certainly wouldn't have seen the Hen Harrier without them. Surely it is useful to spot distant birds who might be coming your way?? I would say at least two thirds of people there yesterday, that I saw, didn't have binoculars. Remarkable at a nature reserve!!
A lot more pics on the blog at the link!

Elmley: Tits, Owls and Wide Open Spaces!

I've not seen an Owl for ages, with none seemingly in Sussex, heard no reports and the places I've tried have been Owl-less we decided to b...

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Short-eared Owl


Bearded Tit

 

[Evan Atkinson]

I'm one of the volunteer wardens at Elmley, it's a simply fantastic reserve. Like you last Saturday I had some incredible views of the beardies at Brickfields, and couple that with some beautiful views of the shorties and one of the barn owls, both no less than 5m away from me.

Evan

 

[Original PaulE]

I'm one of the volunteer wardens at Elmley, it's a simply fantastic reserve. Like you last Saturday I had some incredible views of the beardies at Brickfields, and couple that with some beautiful views of the shorties and one of the barn owls, both no less than 5m away from me.

Evan

Must be a rewarding place to volunteer at, this was my first visit since the pandemic, seems a lot more popular now!! Bit distant for me to visit regular, but used to enjoy it in the spring, best place for Yellow Wagtails!! I tend to like to go out first thing in the morning so the opening hours are not very conducive for that!!! I Noticed the predator fence seemed to have gone has it had much of an effect on things!!!

 

[Evan Atkinson]

Must be a rewarding place to volunteer at, this was my first visit since the pandemic, seems a lot more popular now!! Bit distant for me to visit regular, but used to enjoy it in the spring, best place for Yellow Wagtails!! I tend to like to go out first thing in the morning so the opening hours are not very conducive for that!!! I Noticed the predator fence seemed to have gone has it had much of an effect on things!!!

It is very rewarding but I can only get their once every 2 weeks usually so some time in the spring I'm sat there hoping to be there when a purple heron and a black stork were seen there! It gets very popular in the winter because of the short eared owls and the photographers hoping to get some images of them. This year has been an excellent year for them with 25+ after the southward push from the easterlies that we had late in 2023, in stark contrast to 2022-2023's winter where they were all extremely nocturnal. Currently there is about 15 on the reserve but maybe more. The yellow wags are delightful characters but I am still yet to see them at close range, the best place is definitely the entrance track for them. Opening time for me is an issue as I can't get my parents to get me there for sunrise, but I don't think that we will change the opening time unfortunately. I think the fence was replaced with the predator gate (I believe that's the second gate that you go through) and that most of the track is surrounded by small channels to help keep the foxes out.

Evan

 

[Original PaulE]

It is very rewarding but I can only get their once every 2 weeks usually so some time in the spring I'm sat there hoping to be there when a purple heron and a black stork were seen there! It gets very popular in the winter because of the short eared owls and the photographers hoping to get some images of them. This year has been an excellent year for them with 25+ after the southward push from the easterlies that we had late in 2023, in stark contrast to 2022-2023's winter where they were all extremely nocturnal. Currently there is about 15 on the reserve but maybe more. The yellow wags are delightful characters but I am still yet to see them at close range, the best place is definitely the entrance track for them. Opening time for me is an issue as I can't get my parents to get me there for sunrise, but I don't think that we will change the opening time unfortunately. I think the fence was replaced with the predator gate (I believe that's the second gate that you go through) and that most of the track is surrounded by small channels to help keep the foxes out.

Evan

The Owls seem to have got stuck in Kent!! We've had very few in Sussex, that I know about anyway! Saw one before Christmas at Norman's Bay but that's about it !

 

[Evan Atkinson]

The Owls seem to have got stuck in Kent!! We've had very few in Sussex, that I know about anyway! Saw one before Christmas at Norman's Bay but that's about it !

Sheppey in general is probably the best place to see them in Kent besides Sandwich Bay and sometimes Reculver if the weather is good there. I suspect there were over 100 Shorties on the entirety of Sheppey when we had that big influx sometime in late 2023. I think that we will start to see them departing in mid March, maybe February.

Evan