NEWS FROM ELMLEY   

This erratic winter seems to be coming to an end with skylarks singing and our

first lapwings displaying. It is very mild currently but interspersed with cold periods

and much windy weather. The winter, so far has also been very dry for us and all

the water visitors will find along the reserve tracks and on the flood has been

pumped from sources to the north of the reserve, thanks to our new abstraction

licence. 

The rather unpredictable weather is also reflected in the bird numbers,

high one day and quiet the next.  Large flocks of lapwings and golden plovers filled

the sky in January, particularly when a pair of peregrines took up residence on the

flood and headed off on regular sorties from there. But there have been quiet periods

when few of these plovers were to be seen and wigeon were notable by their absence. 

Apparently, the weather in Holland and further east has been very mild this winter

and many birds have not found it necessary to head to Britain. Conversely the Ouse

Washes is having a record ‘(year for Bewick’s and whooper swans, though wigeon

numbers everywhere are down.

Our peak count this winter reached some 9,000 wigeon but they spent most time

roosting on The Swale and were feeding elsewhere, presumably on some crop or

feed more nutritious than grazing marsh grassland.

From November to early February we had l3 Bewicks roosting on the flood and for

most of this period we had 130 white-fronted geese giving the flood a real Arctic

feel. There was also a flock of around 47 barnacle geese but their origin was probably

not truly wild as they were accompanied by an Emperor goose throughout. There was

also a small flock of pink feet accompanying the usual greylags.

A film crew spent a couple of days here in December filming a drama called ‘The

Hide’ in which a strange man enters a hide and becomes friends with a lone birder.

That sounds a bit boring but then it all kicks off unpredictably, l won’t tell you any

more, you will have to watch it.

We also had a Royal visit by Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, who was impressed

with his guided tour, led by Phillip Merricks who runs the Elmley Conservation

Trust. They didn’t see any hen harriers, which seem rather scarce this year. lt has

however been a great winter for short-eared owls with up to nine birds present on

the reserve, with three birds being particularly obliging around the embankments

near Wellmarsh Hide. We manage the embankments particularly for small mammals,

reptiles and raptors and it has been especially satisfying to attract such charismatic

birds in. As far as I know, there have been very few short—eareds in Kent or East

Anglia this winter.

The rough-legged buzzards (two to three birds) have spent the -winter in the Capel

Fleet area with occasional visits to the reserve. Common buzzards have been more

regular and there is currently an unusual pale falcon on the area. It is around the size

of a peregrine but has creamy upperparts with darker flecking; no doubt an escaped

falconer’s bird, maybe a gyrfalcon hybrid. Avocet and black-tailed godwit numbers

are building up on the Swale and will soon be displaying on the flood. So visit now,

before it is too late!