Marsh Harrier Update 10th July

10th July 2026

So the Marsh Harrier chicks have now fledged and good to see there are three of them. The female obviously thinks she has done her job and is now absent from the site for most of the time, leaving the male to hunt and provide the food. So the male is visble for much of the time either flying around the site or going off hunting.

The youngsters had taken over his favourite bush so he has had to find alternative accommodation.

The juveniles spend most of their time just sitting in the bushes around the nest............

....................with just a few wing flaps to strengthen the muscles in those wings.

The youngsters all seem to get on with one another and would often share the same bush.

And it must wonderful to realise you have the power of flight.

When the male brought in food he didn't take it to the youngsters, but kept on flying around with it encouraging them to come and collect it.

His plan obviously paid off as here is one of the youngsters follwing him and calling for hime to release the food.

I missed the actual food pass but in this shot the youngster now has the food.

So another three Marsh Harrier chicks have reached the flying stage at Fowlmere. I spoke to Ade Cooper and he says that according to his records they have raised 12 young to flying age in the years 2020-2026 inclusive which is an average of nearly two chicks per year, a very impressive record.

Also good to meet Nick Levene at long last.

The Oare Marshes Bonaparte's Gull

5th July 2026

But the Oare Marshes Bonaparte's Gull is not just any old Bonaparte's Gull. Hailing from North America it first appeared at Oare Marshes in early July 2013 in its full summer plumage. It then stayed until it had moulted into its winter plumage a few months later and then disappeared, never to be seen again, that is until the next year when it repeated the process. This is the 14th year it has returned and nobody knows where it goes for the rest of the year, but probably not back to the states. It returned on the 3rd July this year so let's go and find it.

I haven't been to Oare Marshes for a year and it was great to walk around the sea wall by Faversham Creek and see the large swathes of Sea Lavender.

Also Linnets flying around the bushes on the marsh.

Now round to the River Swale where the tide was out revealing acres of mud where the gull likes to feed east of the slipway. Being summer there were very few waders out on the mud, just a single Curlew and a few non-breeding Black-tailed Godwits but still in their summer plumage.

Also a couple of Shelduck.

The gulls present were mainly Black-headed Gulls with a few Herring Gulls thrown in and a couple of Mediterranean Gulls, one of which is shown here.Just look at that stonking crimson bill and pure white wings!!!

But what I was looking for was a rather small gull with a black cap stretching to the back of its head and a small black bill. I eventually found it a few hundred yards east of the slipway and about half way from the sea wall to the water's edge. Not as close as I would like but close enough for some shots.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!!

A Caspian Tern at Dungeness

5th July 2026

As I was in Kent it would be rude not to try my luck with the Caspian Tern at Dungeness. Since its arrival it has been fishing around the Denge Marsh area and then resting at the Northern end of Burrowes Pit, so the best plan seemed to be to sit in Dennis' Hide and wait for it to return if it was not already there.

Apparently it had flown off about an hour previously so had to wait about half an hour or so, but then the call went up "CASPIAN TERN". The bird had flown in from the East so unfortunately didn't have far  to fly before landing on its favourite island. Luckily I managed to grab a couple of shots before it landed. Just look at the size of that bill!!!

Once landed the main problem from a photography point of view was the horrendous heat haze due to the heatwave and the island being 150 yards away, so these are the best I could manage.

Still at least I saw it and only my second Caspian Tern, the first being at Lackford Lakes in the early 1990s.

More Stone Curlews at Weeting Heath

02/07/2026

After a successful day at Lakenheath Fen just time to drop in to Weeting Heath to see how the Stone Curlews are getting on. As soon as I arrived I could here a Curlew calling and then it took off and flew towards me landing just 25 yards away and making alarm calls.

At that point it took off and landed further out in the field.

Nearby was a juvenile Curlew which would account for its stress calls. Note the much shorter bill.

And even at that age they know how to keep an eye skyward to assess threats overhead.

So what about the Stonies? Well, there were a few around but this time keeping to long grass which made photography a bit more difficult.

The stonies were also keeping an eye overhead.

And after all that lack of activity, time for a wing-stretch.

Only saw one juvenile today with its indistinct markings.

Certainly more cooperative this year.