Home : Bird Watcher's Digest: The Big Sit! 2005: Cliffe Birders Team Report

Autumn Big Sit 2005: West Point, Cliffe - October 9th

Inspired by American Magazine Bird Watcher's Digest, through Bo Beolen's email to KOSNet, I registered my team as 'Cliffe Birders' for the annual International Event ('Sitting Ducks' had already been selected), which took place this year on October 9th. Bob Davison was with me from start to finish, Nigel Matthews was present between 7am until noon and two genuine Cliffe birders -- Paul Larkin and Dave Mercer added their expertise for about thirty minutes, around high-tide, during the late afternoon. It was a last minute arrangement, so little preparation was possible, but a total in excess of 80 did seem a reasonable target to aim for.

As Bob and I settle within our circle, it feels cool under a starry sky, with a light southwesterly breeze and clear visibility across the Thames to the lights of industrial Essex, the scene was set for a good day's birding in fine weather. A Tawny Owl continues to hoot for some time, as we -- or mainly Bob -- hear calls from a variety of species and the list builds rapidly -- Shelduck, Dunlin, Lapwing, Mallard and Coot, followed by Herring Gull, Moorhen, Teal and our first bonus species, a Water Rail -- ten species in the same number of minutes. Another ten are heard in the next ten minutes or so -- Common Snipe, Carrion Crow and a rather early chorus from several Jackdaws; Redshank, Grey Heron, Grey Plover, Curlew and the first passerine, a Blackbird. Little Grebe whinneys, a distant GBB Gull's call is recognised and song from a Robin is heard close by. Calls from a GC Grebe and an Avocet are identified, followed by a most welcome screech from a Barn Owl, then calls from BH Gulls and a RL Partridge. The temperature drops a little as dawn begins to break, a Song Thrush slips by and a Magpie calls. By 6.45am it is just possible to identify a few species by sight and both Tufted Duck and Pochard are noted. While Bob scans for other waterfowl, a Kingfisher streaks through his telescope vision -- another welcome bonus. Little Egrets start to fly from their roost and appear in front of us over the pools. A Wren calls and a pair of Mute Swans can be seen swimming on the Alpha pool. Pheasants call as they fly from their roost and calls emanate from a distant flock of Greylag Geese and a few Shoveler can now be seen, shortly before 7am, when a Jay calls, a Woodpigeon flies over and a Sparrowhawk flies low over the quarry. While scanning the pools, five Oystercatchers can be seen and two Cormorants fly over.

Nigel arrives at 7.05am and hears a Lesser Redpoll call, as we watch it fly W. A Dunnock calls a few minutes later, quickly followed by a Grey Wagtail, as it too flies W and a small flock of Goldfinches does likewise, while a few Greenfinches and Linnets circle around the area. A Blue Tit moves through the scrub beneath us, a few Chaffinches fly W followed by two Collared Doves, as we endeavour to identify a distant wader, about 800 metres away, which we all agree is a Ruff. It is nearly 7.30am when a GS Woodpecker flies over -- possibly ten or so were seen during the day -- followed by a Reed Bunting, while a Goldcrest calls from the scrub below us. The first Starlings are noted as a flock flies over and a Skylark calls clearly, as it passes overhead. The tide is dropping rapidly and a flock of some 200 Black-tailed Godwits flies out across the Thames from the far end of the Flamingo Pool, which is also about 800 metres distant. The Thames is about two kilometres away at its closest point. As Bob scans inland, a Pied Wagtail and two Stock Doves fly over the quarry. Seven Wigeon fly from the pools and four Gadwall can be seen on the Flamingo pool, as the first of a good number of sightings of Kestrel is noted, just after 8am -- time for some breakfast, with 63 species already on the list.. I think a secretary would be a welcome addition, to give me a chance to be more involved with the birding, particularly during the almost hectic first couple of hours -- or should I move to modern electronic methods, rather than traditional note taking? Barely time for breakfast, this early in the day, as a Turtle Dove flies W -- an unexpected, most welcome addition, as the majority had already departed. A Chiffchaff calls from the scrub, a Rook calls from beyond the quarry -- a welcome sound, as this species can be difficult to record from this point -- a Meadow Pipit calls as it flies over, a LBB Gull is identified as it swims among a flock of BH Gulls and a Great Tit flies beneath us. A Mistle Thrush alights on a tall distant poplar and a Common Gull is identified in Higham Bight. A male Sparrowhawk, or maybe more than one, keeps reappearing and by the end of the day there had been maybe a dozen or more sightings. Just before 9am a Blackcap calls from the scrub beneath us, but fails to show, while the next sighting concerns probably the scarcest bird of the day -- for this area -- a Yellowhammer, which flew W. Shortly before 10am, by which time new species were becoming increasingly difficult to find, two Swallows were seen, again picked up as they flew through Bob's telescope view, while he was scanning the pools -- the last of the five summer visitors recorded.

There is a small westerly movement of passerines and we're hoping that it might include a Redwing or Fieldfare rather than just a few Song Thrushes -- but it wasn't to be. A lone Greenshank alights in the Radar pool just after 10am and continual scanning of Cliffe Marsh is eventually rewarded with the sighting of a Marsh Harrier. While scanning the pools, it was obvious that in excess of 30 Little Egrets were present, either resting or feeding around the edges. Cliffe Marsh produces another addition around 10.30am, when a flock of 60 or more Golden Plover circles around several times before dropping down again. A flock of at least 60 Canada Geese flies in from the east -- number 80 at 10.50am, when calls from a Green Woodpecker are also noted. The roof-tops at Manor Farm are continually scanned and at 11.30am they eventually produce that much needed House Sparrow. Two more Swallows fly by and two -- three Lapwing flocks, roosting on the pools and totalling maybe 400 birds, occasionally fly up and circle around before alighting again. Sadly, as his sharp hearing has contributed considerably to the ever-expanding list, Nigel departs at noon.

In the warmth of the sun Large White and Wall Brown butterflies appear and later a Red Admiral is also seen. Following lunch -- difficult to call it a lunch break, as we don't really stop -- a few Avocets can be seen feeding in Higham Bight, as the tide rises. At this stage Bob and I are feeling confident that we can exceed the Kent 'Big Sit' record of 84 species, particularly as the rising tide will bring waders in to roost, even though it may be difficult to identify them, with the roost some 600 metres distant and a heat haze to contend with. However, we do feel confident.

The first few waders fly in around 1.45pm and it is possible to identify three or four Ringed Plovers among them, but it is after 3pm before numbers of waders begin to arrive, with small groups of Grey Plovers and larger flocks of Redshanks flying in from the river. Paul Larkin and David Mercer arrive -- with the high tide -- around 3.30pm and mention that they've just seen a BN Grebe, among the increasing concentration of Little Grebes on the Radar pool -- I count at least 120 a little later -- and the bird is quickly studied through our telescopes, number 84, equalling the Kent 'Big Sit' total. I'm told that all the Ruddy Ducks are on the North Quarry, with many of the Pochard and Tufted Duck -- so Ruddy Duck is an unlikely addition. Sometime is now being spent scanning through the increasing numbers of waders on the roost and while they continue to move and feed identification is still a possibility. A Bar-tailed Godwit is preening alongside a Black-tailed and the differences are discernible. A feeding Knot also provides an opportunity to separate it from the numerous smaller calidrids but finding a Little Stint or a Curlew Sandpiper -- both still present the previous day -- proved impossible. Paul and David leave around 4.30pm and we continue to scan through all the wader flocks but without any further success. However, Bob glimpses a couple of Siskins as they fly towards the Radar Tower at 4.30pm. Five more Swallows fly S at 5.15pm and another Kingfisher flies over the pools. A few more finches are flying around, some dropping into the dense scrub beneath us, presumably to roost.

Apparently a few Brent Geese may be seen flying up the Thames at dusk, but the only species we feel we might still add is Peregrine -- one has been seen raiding the wader roost fairly frequently -- but sadly, not for us this evening, as the sun drops rapidly towards the horizon. It disappears at 6.15pm, an attractive end to an extremely successful and enjoyable day, having set a new Kent -- if not British -- 'Big Sit' record.