Cracking day at Oare

I woke early on Sunday and decided I'd make the short run down to Oare hoping to be back by lunchtime to allow me to keep my family commitments for the afternoon.

I hadn't checked the weather and on arrival at 6am it was raining quite heavy and I was the only person on site for a while so I parked up by east flood and scanned the water where I quickly found the returning Bonaparte's Gull in the distance before it flew closer to rest with a group of Black-headed and Med Gulls.

Bonaparete's Gull at Oare marsh 1st August 2021

A Great Egret hunted with Grey Heron and Little Egret and a Barn Owl quarted the fields in the rain. Turtle Dove could be heard but remained distant specks. Ten Avocet, around a hundred Black-tailed Godwit, eight Lapwing, two Redshank and a Ruff made a small wader count in the deeper than usual water with no exposed mud or shingle island putting off the small waders you'd usually find at this time of year. A Green Sandpiper flew over but didn't stop as if to underline the point of the water level. I guess those in charge at KWT have a plan for the reserve but I remember visiting last year when it was dry as a bone and it seems to me they are struggling to find the correct levels. The Black-tailed Godwit numbers did swell during the morning and I'd guess around 400 were present in the roost before I left.

Some of the hundreds of Blackwits present

As the rain stopped another couple of birders arrived and it turned out they were from the states. I helped them locate the American gull and they were happy to also see Med Gull before I moved on to walk the wall to the sea wall hide where I found a reeling Gropper which is a first for me at Oare. Looking at the bird distantly through the scope it looked very scruffy and mono toned and did have me considering Savi's. I pointed the bird out to the other eight visitors for the morning and all seemed to be happy with Gropper but I did leave with that little nagging doubt. At the hide I found my first autumn Wheatear and as I returned to the slipway another birder asked if I'd seen Napolean today and as I was explaining it was resting on the flood when I left it flew over my head and landed on the mud so I was able to get him onto it and I managed to get all the other guys onto it too with some struggling more than others to keep on it. A Greenshank dropped in and Turnstone, Curlew and Oystercatcher took the wader count to just nine for the day. Little Terns fished close in on the early high tide and I noted Sandwich and Common Terns also in a very enjoyable five hours birding.

Wheatear

Year list now 212.

Barn Owl

Black-tailed Godwits

Bonaparte's Gull

Bonaparte's Gull