Wader Action at Oare Marshes

15th October 2022

Now that the ground works at Oare Marshes have been completed time for a visit and hopefully get some wader action. A beautiful sunny day so therefore let's start with a wander round the sea wall. Unlike our previous visits during July/August the exposed mud on the River Swale was virtually devoid of waders with not even a single Black-tailed Godwit, and on the rocks the only birds that came anywhere close were a Pied Wagtail and a Meadow Pipit. Luckily they showed up well against the dark seaweed and rocks.

By the slipway four Turnstones were doing what they do well, turning stones, and as usual were fairly confiding.

Further along by the sea-watch hide a few Grey Plovers were keeping their distance on the huge expanse of mud................

..............and Curlews were making the most of it before the tide comes in.

This one was concentrating its efforts on the seaweed and appeared to be quite successful in pulling out some crabs which obviously thought it was safe haven.

Faversham Creek held rather more waders including these Dunlin and Redshank. Perhaps the mud up the narrower creek felt a little more secure than the wide open mudflats on the River Swale.

On East Flood this Heron had caught itself a problem, an eel that must have been at least two feet long when compared to the size of the Heron. I am not entirely sure what happened to the eel as the last time I looked it was half way down the Heron's throat and the next time I looked it had gone, so presumably it had swallowed it. If it had changed its mind and dropped it it would have been visible in the shallow water.

Very few ducks present, mostly Teal.

So now on to the waders. There were a few hundred Black-tailed Godwits present, fewer than expected, but they were keeping out on a submerged spit in the middle of the flood. Behind them was a flock of some 30 Avocets.

By far the most numerous waders were the Golden Plovers whose numbers must have 1000+.

Here are a few on the closest spit with a few Ringed Plovers which were also well represented.

And the beauty of photography is that you can take hundreds of photos concentrating mainly on the camera settings and then look at the results more leisurely when you get home. It is only then you realise just what you have taken like this Lapwing, Dunlin and a surprise Curlew Sandpiper. I also found some Little Stints both in flight and on the ground, but both fairly distant.

But the beauty of Oare Marshes is the influx of waders when high tide covers the mud on the River Swale and pushes them all on to East Flood. Such a frenzy of activity magnified by the occasional disturbance due to a passing Marsh Harrier, Peregrine or Sparrowhawk.

Even when they have arrived and settled down Lapwing are easily spooked and so you get several fly-pasts.

Ringed Plovers are a bit more difficult to photograph as they twist and turn quite rapidly.

Also good numbers of Redshank................

....................but you can't beat the Avocet ballet, especially against a dark sky!!!

But the best spectacle of all is the Dunlin performance where hundreds of the birds fly around at great speed in a very tight flock and somehow don't collide. Just how good is that?

Oare Marshes never disappoints.