Yet another dull, damp miserable day on the peninsular. A late start at The Point this morning, a light S.E wind was blowing but it did nothing to improve the sea passage.
09.15-10.15 with MH
Brent Goose: 38 up
Red-throated Diver: 2 down
Gannet: 16 down 6 up
Kittiwake: 17 down
Auk: 14 up
On the ARC south end from the causeway, 2 Goosander, a Bittern, a Great White Egret, a Little Egret, a Marsh Harrier, c100 Gadwall, c50 Shoveler and 4 Pintail.
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3 Black-necked Grebes, Scotney.
At Scotney the 3 Black-necked Grebes at the Kent end and the 1w drake Scaup at the Sussex end.
The 2 Mink taken through glass from Scott hide.
While sitting in Scott hide this afternoon watching the Smew, a loud screaming from underneath the hide startled me, it sounded just like a Rabbit being attacked by a Stoat so I thought no more of it. A minute later 2 dark shapes dashed up the bank through the brambles, at the top I could see they were Mink and took a quick snap through a dirty glass window of them. I left the hide to see if I could get a better look, one of them disappeared under the hide the other ran across the path into the reeds, reappearing seconds later and running off down the path towards Makepeace hide.
By the track from Scott-Makepeace.
Coot with a Perch
A brief visit by the Kingfisher
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Another Perch about to go down head first.
Hi good to meet you in the Firth hide today,the Kingfisher did turn up again and a water rail flew in front of the hide
ReplyDeleteNice shots Martin . Shame you didn't have a gun instead of a camera when the Mink showed.
ReplyDeleteCutesy pics of the minks Plod but, of course, not what we want to see on one of our premier wetland reserves. Unfortunately, they are much commoner than we realise. The RMCanal is crawling with them and the National Trust who own much of the bit between Appledore and Kenardington, do nothing about it, and they are easy to trap. At Lade the other day one of the fisherman also reported seeing a mink, which were formerly controlled by a shoot over by the airport, and I`ve also seen mink out the back of Scotney recently, and a dead one on the lane near Midley.This does not bode well for ground nesting birds this coming breeding season, let alone water voles (if there are any left on the Marsh).
ReplyDeleteMartin, considering the cloudy weather your getting some quality Smew pics this winter - well done! Shame there's no space in the world for the Mink because they're beautiful creatures you've photographed.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly to me, for all my birding and some fishing on the canal in the last 20 years I've never seen a Mink, just the odd Stoat.
Have a good day!
Nick
They are really beautiful animals that are out of there natural environment. They are running riot on the marsh with no predators to control them except Humans. Try counting Moorhens, Coot, Mallard and Water Voles along the RM Canal from Appledore to Ruckinge, you wont need a calculater now the Mink have moved in.
ReplyDelete