Many people have been talking about the southern emerald damselflies that can be seen along the track north of the second viewing mound. James Lowen (www.pbase.com/james_lowen) has sent us some stunning photographs:

thanks James!

Flamingo 

A fairly quiet time on the lagoon. Both the new tern rafts on the lagoon have “slipped their anchors”. A coincidence that the other new raft in Crystal, plus the old one in Elf have also “slipped their anchors”?

Black Headed Gull – 140, including some chicks on the beach at the western end of the lagoon.
Oystercatcher - 5, including a pair on one of the tern rafts again.
Avocet,…

Paul Keen has sent us his sightings report for 24th June 2011 11:00 - 15:00:

Conoco
Great crested grebe – 2
Black headed gull – 60+
Coot – 44
Little egret – 1
Canada goose – 17
Lesser black backed gull – 1 juv.
Lesser black backed gull

Saxon Shore Way
Whitethroat – 3
Wren – 1

Radar Pool and islands viewed from the Saxon Shore Way
Oystercatcher – 7
Black headed gull – 18…

Radar Pool

Avocet

Common tern

Gadwell

Great crested grebe

Mallard

Shelduck

Wigeon

Flamingo Pool

Common tern

Great crested grebe

Little grebe

Redshank

Shelduck

Black Barn Pools

Black-tailed godwit

Mallard

Redshank

Shelduck

Conoco Pool

Coot

Gadwall

Great-crested grebe

Greylag goose

Oystercatcher

Pochard

Shelduck

Tufted duck

We've received an email from Jason Anderson, and here are his sightings:

Main record of note: 2 Green Sandpipers seen well in drainage ditches just west of Magwitch Mound. Late migrants north or early returners, I wonder? Also Kestrel confirmed breeding record (male carrying shrew towards Car Park from near Flamingo Pool). Also juvenile Linnets seen in family group, Ringed Plover, Sparrowhawk male, Stonechat, 2 Reed…

Radar Pool was again the most populated of the pools and held over 450 Shelduck. In addition there were a group of some 30 Black Headed Gulls squashed onto the smallest of the islands, approximately 40 Avocets spread across the islands as well as a handful of Lapwings, Oystercatchers and Redshanks. Ducks were represented by a lone Widgeon, an equally lone Pochard plus 3 Mallards, but a further 40 Mallards were clustered…

this report is from Cath Dewhurst, resident volunteer NKM:

Radar Pool.
Great crested grebe – 2
Black-headed gull – 50+
Shelduck – 350+
Avocet – 50+
Canada goose – 4
Tufted duck – 4
Common tern – 4 

Flamingo Pool.
Shelduck – 76
Avocet – 8
Oystercatcher – 2 

Black Barn Pools.
Shelduck – 46
Avocet – 4
Black-headed gull – 28
Redshank – 8
Mallard – 22…

I've just received this report from a new contributor, Andrew Millar:

I spent just over an hour with my dog and two-year old whilst my wife was at Bluewater. We hung around between the two viewing mounds looking over the black barn pools.

Avocet - 60+
Lapwings
Redshanks
Greenshank - 1 flitting between the 2nd and 3rd black barn pools.
Swift - lots over the pools or moving through.
Reed Warbler - several calling by the…

Radar Pool and islands
Black-headed gulls 40+, some with chicks
Shelduck – 210
Avocet 50+
Common tern - 2
Oystercatcher – 1
Great crested grebe -1
Lesser black backed gull – 6 adults and 12 immature birds
Mediterranean gulls – several calling overhead 

Flamingo
Shelduck – 120
Mallard – 1
Oystercatcher – 1
Common tern – 2, on the tern raft
Little egret – 1, flying over
Avocet – …

The "Thursday Volunteers" have found time for a spot of birdwatching while they've been working at Cliffe Pools today, and here's what they saw:

Flamingo
Great crested grebe – 3
Jackdaw – 3
Tufted duck – 3
Shelduck – 228
Coot – 7
Mediterranean gull – 1
Black headed gull – 250
Greylag goose – 8
Canada goose – 2
Oystercatcher – 6
Avocet – 38
Lesser…

The Coastguards Pool is coming into its own. Over the weekend there were 11 Greenshanks, 2 Wood Sandpipers, 4 Ringed Plovers, Bar Tailed Godwit, numerous Redshanks, Lapwing, Shelducks etc on what is, because of the wind, fast becoming a damp patch.

Cath Dewhurst, resident volunteer at NKM, has been out and about today and reports the following sightings:

Cliffe Creek
Avocet, black headed gull and oystercatcher feeding on the mudflats

Flamingo Pool
Shelduck
Avocet
Black headed gull

Radar Pool
Avocet
Shelduck
Greylag

From Radar viewpoint
Wigeon - 3
Up to 200 shelduck
Oystercatcher – 2
Avocet – 100+
Great crested grebe – 2
Small numbers of coot

Along the…

Shelduck x 130
G L Geese x 30
Blackcap x 3
Dunnock x 2
Chiffchaff x 3
Wigeon x 2
Lapwing x 12
Coot x 12
Grey Heron x 1
Oystercatcher x 7
Little Egret
Avocet x 70
Great Crested Grebe x 3
Green Woodpecker
Med Gull x 6
B H Gull x 50
Goldfinch x 10
Teal x 20
Mallard x 10
Pintail x 2
Meadow Pipit x 6
Skylark x 6
Greenshank x 3
Redshank x 100
Reed Bunting x 1
Shoveler x 10
Sparrowhawk
Kestrel
Cettis Warbler
Nightingale x 6?
Sedge Warbler x 3 maybe mor…

Although not as heavily populated with wildfowl as over the recent winter months, there is still plenty to see at Cliffe Pools. Shelduck are present in significant numbers and on virtually all the pools, but especially on the islands in Radar, the Black Barn pools and on Flamingo. The islands on Radar also provided a roost for Greylags, a few Oystercatchers and a handful of Avocets together with about 200 Redshank and…

Our first Nightingale has arrived and was hear near Allen's pond. We also have reports of a short-eared owl seen this afternoon.

Coastguards
Grey Heron
Skylark
Black Headed Gulls
Shelduck
Avocet
Little Egret
Redshank
Lapwing
Kestrel
Reed Bunting

Flamingo
Shelduck
Black Headed Gull
Lapwing
Redshank
Great Crested Grebe
Moorhen
Coot
Goldeneye
Avocet
Ringed Plover
Teal
Stonechat
Meadow Pipit
Oystercatcher

Radar
Greylag Geese
Canada Geese
Shelduck…

I've received the following report from Mark Worgan:

Please see below the rough sightings and numbers on my 3hr patrol around Cliffe today:

Shelduck x 130
G L Geese x 12
Blackcap x 2
Dunnock x 3
Chiffchaff x 2
Wigeon x 12
Lapwing x 10
Coot x 30
Grey Heron x 3
Oystercatcher x 4
Little Egret
Little Grebe x 6
Avocet x 2
Great Crested Grebe x 5
Green Woodpecker
Med Gull x 3
B H Gull x 200
Goldfinch x 20
Teal x 20
Mallard x 10
Pintail…

Flamingo Pool
Avocet 1
Little grebe 1
G.G grebe 5
Mallard 13
Goldeneye 7
Pintail 2
Shelduck 19
Teal 61
Coot 11
Oystercatcher 3

Black Barn Pools
Mallard 2
Coot 4
Garganey 3
Teal 76
Pintail 2
Shoveler 211
Lapwing 12
Little Egret 1
Gadwall 8
Shelduck 28
Peregrine 1

Radar
Shelduck 120
Oystercatcher 10
Avocet 23
Wigeon 18
Tufted duck 6
Mallard 2
Teal…

the warden at Cliffe Pools has been enjoying the arrival of spring today:

On a beautiful spring afternoon it was wonderful to see some migrants had arrived; three garganey (two drakes and a duck) graced Black Barn Pools, a little ringed plover lifted off Crystal Pool calling excitedly and a little gull (adult winter) was seen just off the reserve. The black-headed gull colony was in full voice only occasionally broken by…

the Medway Local RSPB Group had a walk at Cliffe Pools on 16th March, and here is their report and list of sightings:

Despite the extremely dull and rather cold weather we had a very pleasant circuit of the whole Reserve and saw a total of 51 species.  Nothing unusual, but the highlight was a flock of 10 corn buntings seen from the Black Barn viewing mound.

Little grebe
Great crested grebe
Cormorant
Greylag goose
Canada…

There were a drake and duck scaup on the western end of flamingo, the drake looking particularly smart in the swirling fog!

Mark Worgan has sent us this report:

Lapwing x 100
Shelduck x 50
Wigeon
Lots of coots
Shoveller x 50
Tufted duck
Pochard
Oystercatcher
Teal
Goldeneye
Green Woodpecker
Pintail
Singing Skylarks
Cettis Warbler
Pintail x 20
Meadow pipit x 20
Great Crested Grebe
Little Grebe
Curlew
Gadwall

A lot more singing Chaffinch around the reserve – spring is here hurrah!!

Crystal
Tufted Duck 54
Coot 4
Black Headed Gull 4
Mallard 2
Shelduck 2

Black Barn Pools
Teal 120
Shoveler 330
Mallard 8
Shelduck 30
Pintail 50
Gadwall 6
Wigeon 20
Lapwing 200

Radar
Coot 120
Teal 45
Little Grebe 2
Shoveler 4
Shelduck 10
Tufted Duck 25
Wigeon 30

Flamingo
Coot 50
Tufted 100
Shelduck 100
Pochard 200
Goldeneye 12

thanks to Les Edwins, resident volunteer, Northward Hill