Wednesday 17th January: Pett Level and Rye Harbour

 Our annual pilgrimage to Kent was a little earlier than usual due to other travel plans, and the conditions were dry but very cold. We arrived at Pett level around 9.45, finding a Meadow Pipit foraging under a gate and Rooks across the field. We pulled off road for a scan over the levels, and quickly picked out Lapwings, Curlews, Snipe and a few Dunlin feeding. There were plenty of geese covering a wide area, and scanning though the flocks we quickly located a group of White-fronted Geese amongst the Greylag and a couple of other geese, which we debated for some time, unsure if they were Bean Geese or Pink-footed, with both having been recently reported. Other observers on Birdguides concluded Pink-footed, and when we caught up with a pair of Bean Geese later in the day, we were inclined to agree. As we watched, a flock of Brent Geese flew in and started feeding alongside the others, notably smaller in size. A few Bar-tailed Godwits were also picked out, feeding at the back of the levels. 

At the pools we found Coot and Wigeon in large numbers, together with a few Gadwall, Shoveler, Tufties and Teal. Many of the pools were semi-frozen, leading the birds to congregate in quite a small area, or to roost and feed on the grassland. A Stonechat paused on a small twiggy bush and a Marsh Harrier sauntered across.

From the tidal wall we scanned the beach and sea, picking out a few Oystercatchers amongst the rocky shoreline and a flock of Common Scoters on the sea. Despite our best efforts we were unable to find any Velvet Scoters amongst them, and we soon gave in to the icily cold conditions in this exposed spot,  returning to the comparative warmth of the car before suffering from frostbite!.

We always spend much more time at Pett than we expect, because it is such a rewarding and atmospheric location, but we eventually tore ourselves away to head for Rye Harbour. Our first planned stop was the cafe, but right outside was a very obliging Spoonbill, dipping it’s head beneath the surface and swishing for food, so there was a pause while Tim took some photos and video clips of the distinctive feeding action.

Spoonbill

A very obliging Little Egret posed on a rock just feet away, providing a photo opportunity too good to miss.

Little Egret

Across the muddy pools we found a flock of Dunlin and Ringed Plover, with a few Grey Plovers alongside and a couple of Shelduck. I have not noticed before, their ‘wannabe Spoonbill’ feeding action as they too put their heads down to swish the mud from side to side, I found it fascinating to note the similarities.

After some lunch we continued onto Gooders Hide, where a flock of Oystercatchers and good numbers of Pintail were noted. On a small island a group of Skylark were feeding and we saw a flock of Linnets bobbing across the shingle. The number of birds here on Flat Beach were substantially less than in previous years, so we strolled down to the harbour mouth, finding a few delightful Sanderling scurrying on the beach on the far side of the river. Retracing our steps,  I was delighted to spot a dazzling Kingfisher zip past, my first of the year.

As it was already afternoon, we decided against walking round the reserve and to head straight to Romney Marsh, where we could continue birding from the warmth of the car. We searched in vain for farmland birds such as Yellowhammer and  Tree Sparrow, but stumbled upon a lovely flock of Golden Plover, which we had earlier seen wheeling back and forth across the sky. A pair of Cattle Egret strutted purposefully across a grassy field, and in the treetops we found Fieldfares and Redwing, before eventually we encountered a flock of Bewick Swans not too far from the road.

Bewick’s Swan

On Birdguides there were reports of a pair of Bean Geese with another large group of Bewick’s and we soon managed to locate these, although by now the light was fading, so photo opportunities were not good. However, the orange legs of the Bean Geese were very noticeable. This was a satisfying conclusion to a good day’s birding,  with a tally of nearly sixty birds and a good number of new annual ticks.