can you recommend the Jeffrey Harrison Reserve ? (1 Viewer)

[ruddyduck]

Hello,
Can anyone give me any information as to what I can expect to see at the Jeffrey Harrison Reserve near Sevenoaks kent? I plan to vist this site soon and although other birders say it's a great place, they never tell me what they see when they get there! At the moment, my local favourite site is Stodmarsh Nature Reserve near Canterbury, Kent. I'm fairly new to this hobby, but here is my most recent list of birds spotted at this reserve. I'm sure that in my ignorance, I probably missed a lot more!!!

17th April 2006

56 Species Spotted:
(Common) Blackbird
Blackcap
Blue Tit
Carrion Crow
Cetti's Warbler
(Common) Chaffinch
Chiffchaff
(Eurasian) Collared Dove
(Eurasian) Coot
(Great) Cormorant
Dunnock
Feral Pigeon
Fieldfare
Gadwall
Garganey
Goldcrest
Great Black-backed Gull
Great Crested Grebe
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Great Tit
(European) Green Woodpecker
(European) Greenfinch
(Common) Greenshank
Grey Heron
Greylag Goose
Herring Gull
House Sparrow
(Common) Kestrel
(Northern) Lapwing
Little Egret
Little Grebe
Long-tailed Tit
(Common) Magpie
Mallard
Marsh Harrier
(Common) Moorhen
Mute Swan
(Common) Nightingale
(Common) Pochard
(Common) Redshank
(Common) Reed Bunting
(European) Robin
Ruddy Duck
(Common) Shelduck
(Northern) Shoveler
(Common) Skylark
(Common) Starling
(Common) Swift
(Common) Teal
(Eurasian) Tree Sparrow
(Eurasian) Treecreeper
Tufted Duck
(Northern) Wheatear
(Eurasian) Wigeon
(Common) Wood Pigeon
(Winter) Wren

 

[david2004]

You've seen a Swift in Kent this early? I'm still waiting for mine! Hope you reported it to Springwatch! - www.bbc.co.uk/springwatch. Sorry I've never actually heard of that reserve, I'd like to find out about it too! I'm hoping to go to Stodmarsh soo

 

[ruddyduck]

You've seen a Swift in Kent this early? I'm still waiting for mine! Hope you reported it to Springwatch! - www.bbc.co.uk/springwatch. Sorry I've never actually heard of that reserve, I'd like to find out about it too! I'm hoping to go to Stodmarsh soo

Yes! I was 99% sure it was a swift, then 2 days later I went back and while talking to the reserve warden, he pointed out more swifts and said they were the first he'd seen this year too!
You will enjoy Stodmarsh, the marsh harriers are really active at the moment, plenty about too!

 

[ruddyduck]

You've seen a Swift in Kent this early? I'm still waiting for mine! Hope you reported it to Springwatch! - www.bbc.co.uk/springwatch. Sorry I've never actually heard of that reserve, I'd like to find out about it too! I'm hoping to go to Stodmarsh soo

I've just recorded the swift sighting on the springwatch website and unless I've missed something, it seems I'm the first to report any, couldn't find any other reports of sightings? Can't wait for the programme to start on TV again (I think it starts 29th April??) I would love to stay on that farm for a week or so, they're so lucky to have so much wildlife on their doorstep! But they work hard to make it so wildlife friendly and are well rewarded for their trouble! If I ever win the lottery, I'll beg them to sell it to me!!! I would swop posh cars and caviar for Badgers and Barn owls any day!!!!

 

[ruddyduck]

You've seen a Swift in Kent this early? I'm still waiting for mine! Hope you reported it to Springwatch! - www.bbc.co.uk/springwatch. Sorry I've never actually heard of that reserve, I'd like to find out about it too! I'm hoping to go to Stodmarsh soo

I've taken the liberty of enclosing some details for you.


Jeffrey Harrison Reserve
Reached from A25 immediately North of Sevenoaks, between Riverhead and Bat and Ball village

A conservation area of lakes, woodland, grassland and river. Home for a variety of wildfowl, plants, insects and woodland birds.

Bradbourne Vale Road
Sevenoaks
Kent
TN13 3DH
Phone: 01732 456407


Opening times: Open Wed/Sat/Sun/BH 1000-1700. Closed between Christmas and New Year.
Facilities: Information Centre. Café. Events. Museum
OS map: 148
OS grid reference: TQ523572

 

[JohnZ]

I have been to the Jeffrey Harrison Reserve several times lately and find it very good but how good it would be for an experienced person may be another matter. I believe I have seen at least 35 of the birds mentioned in the list above and if truth be told it is probably more and I have failed to recognise them.
I normally go on a Saturday morning and although there are people about it is fairly quiet which suits me as I am primarily into photography. There are quite a few hides dotted about. At the moment there are a pair of Herons, and Swans, nesting in perfect positions for photography but, as usual, I have yet to see the pair at the nest at the same time.
I believe the sign outside the site says that it is open daily from dawn till dusk but I maybe wrong.

 

[JohnZ]

Well I have obviously done a splendid job extolling the virtues of the Jeffrey Harrison Reserve. I went again yesterday and checked the opening hours. It says on the board outside it is open from dawn to dusk daily.