This evening was the sixth and penultimate walk of the RSPB Medway Local Groups’ Festival of the Nightingale Walks.
I had been at the venue, RSPB Cliffe Pools a day or so beforehand to sus out the territories and as usual they were along the main path skirting Hidden Pools and up to Flamingo Pool eventually ending up at Cliffe Creek looking toward Cliffe Fort.
It was great to see 18 members of the public gathered as well as Adrian Olsen and Des and Carol Felix from our local group.
After the local talk about Medway Councils’ plans to build houses at Lodge Hill and Deangate etc on Nightingale territories (trying to not get too political, but I’m afraid that is very difficult) off we set to hear the famed bird and subject The Common Nightingale or Luscinia Megarhynchos, to be precise.
After about fifteen minutes along the track we were treated to a male ‘limbering up’ not quite a full song, but not bad for starters.
At the Cliff Creek hard standing we were, as in past years able to admire the setting sun illuminating the mud, making a gloomy grey scene into a riot of various shades of light and dark and orange.
Walking along the asphalt track we were serenaded, as before by Chiff-chaff, Blackcap, Wren and Blackbird. It was lovely to introduce the group to the explosive song of several Cettis’ Warbler, especially as one lady was Italian, and Signor Cetti, an
Italian Naturalist after whom the bird was called.
So back along the Conoco track we managed to connect with another singing male, everyone was happy again. It was good to see Shelduck, Coot, Tufted Duck, Mallard and best of all quite a few Great Crested Grebe on the water.
Reaching the end of the track we happened upon a young couple who told us there was a singing male a little further along the track. Time was getting on, but we decided to back track. Sure enough it was singing pretty well and at times seemed to be only a metre or so into the scrub. This was borne out by it, after a few minutes giving its’ alarm, telling us to go away.
We took the hint and left.
Back at the RSPB car-park everyone was very complementary as to the evening and at 9.20 with the light fading we departed.
As is tradition now, it seems, a Nightingale sang as I locked the gates to the car-park.
The North Kent Marshes are a very special area and worth preserving at all cost.