I have to admit the weather for the morning didn’t look too promising but at least it wasn’t raining or cold but high expectations of high numbers of birds were not, well, high .
So 9 members attended and we were joined by a family of four the Taylors, from Essex bringing the count up to 13, after a quick briefing and having had a chat with Will the Warden to find out what was about, we just missed the Firecrest caught by the ringers.
We set off on a leisurely stroll up Ernest Hemsley View Point and soon found a still naked silver birch with a colourful male Chaffinch, Blue tit and three Redpoll, which are always nice to see, but a bit too far away to say which species though.
Continuing on a Greenfinch was in the next tree even against the light showing that oh so distinctive forked tail. I spotted a Common Buzzard just alighting on a distant telelgraph pole. It the took off and flew over the heads of the group the first one of the day. Up on the [point was really the highlight for mee of the day a male and female Peregrine Falcon perched on a distant (about ¾ of a mile out). The two Swaroski’s found them allowing fine views to all and really showing the difference in size of the almost 1/3 smaller male.
Plenty of gulls were on high including a couple of Mediterranean Gulls, by now we had been joined by a couple of new late ladies.
We made our way up to Sweeney View Point which gave me a moment to reflect on the sadly missed Owen and his wife Linda who I never met, and the prospect of the soon to be ereturning Nightingales in three or so weeks time.
Out on the Marsh Richard caught a brief glimpe of a Marsh Harrier drppping down into the far reed bed where we know they breed .
Down in the dip we heard our first Chiff-chaff and the ever amazing voluminous song of a Wren, a brilliant bird with a song unbelievably bigger than its' latin name Troglodytes troglodytes..
Reaching Ewarts Orchard another Peregrine was spied on a distant pylon and on to the Heronry the subject of this mornings walk.
Access to the wooded section where they bulid their huge twiggy nests is restricted but by walking out into the field about a dozen could be seen in amongst the corvid nests that appear to to be crowding them out somewhat.
Towards the Thames some of us saw a hare hot-footing through a gulley not so much mad, as madly dashing.
After a twenty minute viewing we were all ‘heroned out’ and slowly made our way back, popping into Gordons Hide picking up Shelduck, Shoveller, Widgeon, Teal and Gadwall.
The North Kent Marshes are a very special area and worth preserving at all cost.