A week on the creek
Like many of us finding time to go out specifically with the aim of bird watching isn’t always easy for me. Consequently I try to make the most of what opportunities I have in day to day life. I’m quite fortunate in that whilst most of the mornings walk to the station is through the town about a ¼ of a mile is along Faversham Creek which whilst largely developed holds a reasonable mix of habitat. I start pretty much where the town ends and the open fields start, right on the edge of town. The opposite bank has houses right up to the boatyard but the side I walk along initially consists of a steep grass bank dotted with mature willows and smaller rowan, cherry and other trees, leading down to a fair sized sedge filled area that’s fed by a culvert from the creek filling with water at high tide. Separating this area from the creek is a raised path and a small number of hawthorn, wild roses and brambles. Continuing towards the town a few houses separate a couple of areas of mown grass and small trees before I reach the bridge. The creek is tidal but is also fed with freshwater from nearby ponds. Heavy silting creates large mud banks at mid-low tide.
What my mornings walks to work have brought this week (in approximate order of number of birds):
Black Headed Gull
Starling
Feral Pigeon
House Sparrow
Mallard/Mallard domestic hybrids
Blackbird
Greenfinch
Blue tit
Long-Tailed Tit
Dunnock
Jackdaw
Robin
Herring Gull
Moorhen
Rook
Magpie
Redshank
Wren
Chaffinch
Pied Wagtail
Mute Swan
Kingfisher
Cormorant
Greylag/Feral goose
Great Tit
Nothing greatly exciting but it makes the walk to the station almost enjoyable. As it turns colder more waders are a possibility (if the mornings are light enough to see them by, and if my identification skills are good enough…) The bit of the creek is only about a mile as the crow (spoonbill?) flies from Oare Marshes so you never know what might turn up!
Richard
Like many of us finding time to go out specifically with the aim of bird watching isn’t always easy for me. Consequently I try to make the most of what opportunities I have in day to day life. I’m quite fortunate in that whilst most of the mornings walk to the station is through the town about a ¼ of a mile is along Faversham Creek which whilst largely developed holds a reasonable mix of habitat. I start pretty much where the town ends and the open fields start, right on the edge of town. The opposite bank has houses right up to the boatyard but the side I walk along initially consists of a steep grass bank dotted with mature willows and smaller rowan, cherry and other trees, leading down to a fair sized sedge filled area that’s fed by a culvert from the creek filling with water at high tide. Separating this area from the creek is a raised path and a small number of hawthorn, wild roses and brambles. Continuing towards the town a few houses separate a couple of areas of mown grass and small trees before I reach the bridge. The creek is tidal but is also fed with freshwater from nearby ponds. Heavy silting creates large mud banks at mid-low tide.
What my mornings walks to work have brought this week (in approximate order of number of birds):
Black Headed Gull
Starling
Feral Pigeon
House Sparrow
Mallard/Mallard domestic hybrids
Blackbird
Greenfinch
Blue tit
Long-Tailed Tit
Dunnock
Jackdaw
Robin
Herring Gull
Moorhen
Rook
Magpie
Redshank
Wren
Chaffinch
Pied Wagtail
Mute Swan
Kingfisher
Cormorant
Greylag/Feral goose
Great Tit
Nothing greatly exciting but it makes the walk to the station almost enjoyable. As it turns colder more waders are a possibility (if the mornings are light enough to see them by, and if my identification skills are good enough…) The bit of the creek is only about a mile as the crow (spoonbill?) flies from Oare Marshes so you never know what might turn up!
Richard