ARTICLES

If you have any articles or reports that you would like to see published in our newsletter, then please contact Des Felix.

They must obviously be nature related (preferably birds) and the subject can be anything from an account of a holiday, a visit to a reserve or just an amusing anecdote.

NIGHTINGALES THURSDAY 30 APRIL

On the advice of a certain Trevor Hatton, we were advised, that is, Colin Herbert, Marcia, myself and a friend, that nightingales were heard at Eastcourt Meadow near Sharps Green, Lower Rainham.

We trotted off at 6pm and within seconds of entering Eastcourt Meadow, Mr Herbert instructed us to keep quiet, this we did and he said "listen", then started a wonderful song. We were informed by our leader to look into the shrub-like bushes for sightings. As a couple exercising their dog passed by l saw my first ever, clear view of a nightingale, he was really out on a limb with no cover, I whispered to the others. And at last all found him. It was a relief to be told that you hear them much more than you see them.

One of the pleasures I got was when a young lady passing with her son enquired, "what are you looking at?" l told her, then gave her my binoculars, pointing out to her the direction of the nightingale, once found the joy on her face was a sight to behold.

After telling me she had never heard, let alone seen a nightingale, she said it had made her day. I hoped by that experience that I had converted another person to 'birding'

We then moved off to sounds of nightingales, not one but maybe three or four. One was very close, and once again with my naked eye I found the bird, This time he was silhouetted in a break in the bush, his bill crying out ' this is my patch! Once again I was able to show my three companions where he was.

As we made our way along the towpath, yes you have guessed, a song of yet another nightingale, so I followed the call up a small path. and perched again, quite exposed, was number three. Slightly smaller, but no mistake. Once again a view that was perhaps the best, as his colours and tail were plain to see.

What an hour and a half, probably I will never experience again in my life, but so grateful that it happened to me and my companions.

So thank you Trevor for pointing us in the right direction, he commented to Colin Herbert, that to see one in the open was short of a miracle, but three, unbelievable. Trevor thought that perhaps they had only just arrived. Thankfully whilst we were there.

During our visit  to Eastcourt Meadows we also heard blackcaps, whitethroats, blackbirds, wrens, various finches, long tailed tits. We also heard pheasants, a few oyster catchers and lesser black-backed gulls joined us at Sharps Green.

Bye for now

Eddy Negus

BIRDLINK

The Bird Watcher's Online Recording and Reporting System

The primary purpose of this website (www.birdlink.org.uk/) is to provide a system for members to record sighting information from their bird-watching activities. Users are required to register to enable the website to store sighting information in a personal database. The home page of a user displays various summary reports about the user's sightings and analysis over time.

The benefits of using this website to store your sighting information, is that in return for allowing BIRDLINK to use your personal sighting information, you will have access to all members sighting information in summary form. Your home page also customises the results to identify where species are being seen and those that you haven't seen.

Please note that only information relating to species and locations is used in the full membership analysis and therefore no sighting activities of an individual member can be identified.

The website also has a Notice Board on which members can post information for other members to view. Members can also send messages to other members. This, however, is only possible when either enquiring about Notice Board items, or replying to a message received from another user.

There is a link to Birdlink on the Medway Group website. Check out the Sightings page at www.medway-rspb.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/sightings.htm

Mike Howes