A find at Elmley 19th May

The sun was shining so we decided to visit Elmley today. On arrival, we stopped to watch a young Egret stalking some fish. The Egret slowly walked upstream making hardly a ripple as he patiently waited, but today he was not in luck and we did not see the Egret catch anything

A slight movement in the grass caught our eye. It was a rabbit creeping along quietly so as not to attract any attention. There are several birds of prey living at Elmley so these rabbits have to be very careful to stay hidden otherwise they will become a raptors dinner.

A bit further into the reserve and we came across a small herd of cows. This Mother was giving her young calf a nice good morning kiss, and the calf was just loving all the fuss and attention she was getting

Watching enviously from the grass was another young calf, but she seemed far too content to enjoy a good laze rather than get up and join in the fun.

There are still plenty of Lapwings at Elmley and they are so tame. They will let you drive right up to them to take their pictures before flying off with a loud peee weeep to perform their famous aerial acrobatics

We stopped up by the farmhouses and in the small enclosure watched a female blackbird digging in the grass for some nice grubs. Slowly she walked back and forth digging away until with a whistle of delight she pulled up a good beak full.

We were not the only ones watching the blackbird. As I finished taking her shot I noticed that a young sparrow looking as well. Maybe he was learning some new tricks from an old hand

There is a public walkway that runs alongside the houses that we have not been across before, so today we walked down to see what we could find. As we passed the houses, it was nice to see that the occupants also like to look after our feathered friends

As we made our way along the walkway, we noticed a pretty little blue butterfly flitting amongst the tall grass. It took many attempts but we managed to get a picture of it to show you

After a few minutes walking we came across an old derelict schoolhouse. A subsequent conversation with the Farm manager of Elmley reveals that this school dates from the late 1800’s and was the school for the 200 plus villagers that lived on the Marshes. The School was shut down around the beginning of the 19th century

In this shot you can see the shape of the school windows. At the apex of the roof you an also see the remains of the school bell enclosure. Apparently it was a very handsome school when in use and is built on the grounds where an old church once stood

Unfortunately there is no evidence of the church anymore except for a single battered gravestone propped against a tree, the wording long weathered away.

As Mick is a carpenter, he took lots of pictures of the building and gave me a running commentary on the workmanship involved.

I also took lots of pictures of the building as it was a fascinating place to visit. We hope to find out more information on the School and church and would be grateful for any you may have.

To finish of today’s tale, we would like to leave you a few more shots of this old schoolhouse.

More pictures can be found in our galleries at www.voinapics.co.uk

Steve & Mick

A few weeks of sunshine 22nd April

What a superb few weeks we have had since we last wrote. Spring is certainly here with us, and nature is now in full bloom. We have been visiting a few of our favourite locations over the past weeks and have lots of pictures to show you. The walks at Northward hill take you past a nicely maintained cherry Orchard that is now in full blossom, what a superb sight it makes.

Also enjoying the blossom was this Bumble Bee, buzzing happily away to himself as he collected all of the goodness from the flower to take back home.

And it was not only the Bees that were enjoying the blossom flowers. The butterflies were out in force, flitting from flower to flower and dancing playful aerial duets with their partners

Down at Elmley we found this little Ringed Plover sitting on her nest that was just inches from the roadway, and she did not seem in the least concerned when we stopped for a few minutes to admire her nest. Can you see how she is only half sitting on her eggs to keep the temperature just right.

Out in the river, a female Coot was also sitting on her nest. The nicely woven collection of reeds keeping her nest high and dry from the water but safe from any unwanted visitors.

The frogs were also out making extremely loud burbling noises to attract the females. They were mainly all hidden in the reeds but one obligingly swam out into the middle of the stream and posed for us with a big beaming smile

Across the river a quick movement caught our eye. It was a Hare stopping for a quick drink before hopping of back out of sight. Hares are a declining species in the UK so it was nice to see some of them out enjoying the sunshine

As we have not had rain for a while it was quite dusty on the reserves. I was trying to make out what the loud whistling noise was that I could hear and it turned out to be Mick, blowing the dust off from his lens!

Later on the walk, I spotted a pair of large birds coming our way, I quickly pointed them out to Mick and we got ready as they flew closer to us

And it was a pair of magnificent Mute swans, flapping serenely across the reserve. What an absolute superb sight they made as they flew past us to continue on their journey.

We would like to finish of today’s tale with a view from the top of the Northward hill walk, looking down at the farms surrounded by the fields of Rape. It will be a few more weeks before the Rape is ready to be harvested yet, but already it has started to get that gorgeous yellow glow to it.

We hope that you enjoyed todays tale. More pictures can be found in our galleries at
www.voinapics.co.uk

Steve & Mick

It's still Chilly but Nice at Elmley 31st march

Although it was nice and sunny, a strong chill wind was blowing at Elmley this weekend, so we wrapped up warm and set of for a pleasant mornings outing. As we drove through the marshes, we spotted a pretty Plover searching for insects. It was nice to see one of these about as we have not seen any for ages.

Nearby a Lapwing was also searching for food. This one was a bit more successful and happily showed off to us his prize catch before swiftly gobbling it up when the Plover wandered over to see what he had caught

Although chilly it was a lovely day and a nearby Mute Swan smiled back at us as he swam off to enjoy a slow lazy swim in the sunshine

You can see that spring is now with us, as the coots are busily making their large nests in the river. This one is now complete, and the female Coot was just checking it out for size whilst having a crafty nap before her partner came back

We saw some Redshanks here again today with quite a few Males running along the riverbanks, stopping every now and then to do a nice display of head bobbing to attract a mate.

A Loud honking overhead turned out to be a small flock of Mullard Ducks practising their synchronised flying. The honking was from the lead instructor giving the rear learner shouts of encouragement. As you can see, the learner has not quite got it right yet.

We stopped at the main car park and walked down between the bushes to see what small birds were about. Mick could hear a finch singing and walked back and forth trying to isolate it from the branches without any luck



I was more successful when I went after a little Robin. This Robin lives in the garden by the main RSPB office and normally pops over to say hello when we visit Elmley



Instead Mick checked out some of the smaller flying creatures and took this lovely shot of a busy bee sniffing out the nectar in some of the early spring flowers

Mick also wanted to try and take a shot of the Owls that can just be seen in the trees at the back of the toilet block, but I was too cold and sat in the car for a quick warm up, it was so nice and snug that I too had a crafty kip.

The Owls were a long way off and the day was very hazy but Mick managed to take this picture of one of them sitting near the Owl house that they live in. Can you see him sitting on a small branch on the right of the tree? As with all the photo's on this blog, if you click on it you will get a larger picture to see.

We hope that you enjoyed reading about our day out. More pictures can be found in our galleries at www voinapics.co.uk


Steve & Mick

A chilly day at Oare and Elmley

We have been informed that snow may be on the way over shortly, and this weekend was certainly a bit chillier. So we wrapped up warm and set of for Oare Marshes. On arrival we met a pair of magnificent Mute swans that were still finishing their breakfast.

Breakfast over, the pair settled down for a good wash preening that culminated in a vigorous wing flapping session to blow out all those loose feathers. What powerful wings these Swans have.

Shortly after, a young Moorhen wandered over to say hello. Moorhens are notoriously shy birds so we were very pleased to see him. We managed to take a few pictures before he disappeared in the reeds.

As it was very quiet here today, we decided to move on to Elmley, but before we went, we walked over to the small inlet where we photographed some coots last week. And sure enough, they were both there. These Coots are very friendly, and swam over to us in greeting.

Mick was also keen on taking another picture of those elusive Stonechats. He settled down and waited until he started to get cramp, but alas, the Stonechats just kept themselves teasingly out of reach of his camera

We arrived at the entrance to Elmley and a Magpie caught my eye. Although a common bird, we have not managed to take any good picture of them so I was keen to get one. But these Magpies were too quick for me so I laughingly admitted defeat

We started our drive through the marshes and a loud commotion caught our attention. It was a pair of male Mallards vying for the attention of a female, who waddled up and down with head held high obviously enjoying all the attention.

Further on we spotted a Redshank hunting for titbits along the bank of one of the streams. He stopped to give us his best profile for a photograph

There were more Lapwings here today then the last visit which is a good sign. Lapwings must be one of the most laid back birds going. They are not fazed at all by the sounds of the car and will let you get very close.

Just before we reached the RSPB car park we spotted a little Skylark a long way off. He landed on a little grassy knoll just long enough for us to squeeze of a shot, before disappearing across the marshland with a brief tweet of laughter.

Up in the bushes by the house we hoped to find the little Robin we had seen a while back. This time we were lucky and spotted the Robin hopping between the branches of the hedgerow.

Watching his antics we also spotted a young house sparrow sitting up in a tree all fluffed up against the cold winds. And colder it was too, and getting darker with rain clouds on their way in. So we said goodbye to the sparrow and made our way off back home

We hope that you enjoyed today’s outing. More pictures can be found in our galleries at www.voinapics.co.uk

Steve & Mick

Oare in the sunshine 10th March 2007

After all of the rains just lately, it was so pleasant to wake to a gloriously sunny day on Saturday. We gathered our gear together and headed of for Oare. At first it seemed a quiet morning until a loud squabbling filled the air. It was a pair of Little Egrets fighting over a much prized patch on the Marshland

We watched their antics for a while until one of them admitted defeat and flew off. The other Egret then settled down to preen. Meanwhile, a Grey Herron flew past looking to see what all the fuss and commotion was about.

A lovely female Kestrel also flew over and hovered overhead for a while, but all was now quiet so she flew off looking for something to catch for dinner.

The excitement over, I sat down for a quick rest, but Mick suggested that we walked over to the footpath behind us to see if we could see the Stonechat we photographed last time we were here.

Alas, we could hear the Stonechats but they were too shy today to come close. Instead we walked over to the small stream and said hello to a pair or Coots. Coots are normally very shy and run off long before you can get close, but today they were enjoying the sun and happily posed for us.

There seemed a lot of Gulls flying about today, so we walked towards the main River to try and photograph some of them. The Little Egret we saw earlier flew past us to show how nicely her feathers were after her meticulous preening

As we approached the River a series of loud shrieks assailed our ears. It was a trio of black headed Gulls doing their choir practice. Although the melody was not as pleasant as the songbirds they certainly sang it with some gusto

We walked back to the main roadway and now it was Mick’s turn to sit for a quick rest and a head rub whilst enjoying the sunshine

It was nearly time to go home, but just before we left we noticed this little Moorhen playing hide and seek in the long grass.

Back home, it was such a nice day that we spent a little while in the garden taking some macro shots. This shot is of a little Zebra jumping spider, it is only about 5mm long but is certainly a formidable hunter and moves very fast.

We hope that you enjoyed todays pictures. More pictures can be found in our Galleries at www.voinapics.co.uk


Steve & Mick

Elmley 25th February

We have not been out for a couple of weeks due to bad weather but were determined to visit Elmley on Saturday come what may. The day was another wet and dreary one but the rains have certainly helped the Kent marshland, it is staring to get nicely waters soaked again and the birds are slowly returning

We drove slowly through the marshland following the roadway up to the RSPB office. It was nice to see a few Redshanks back at the marshland, feeding along the waters edge and strutting along on their longlegs

And there are more Lapwings apparent today as well. A few years back, the marshland was covered with Lapwings but the drought caused most of them to move on or face starvation until only a few groups remained. Now that the Marshland is recovering, the groups are getting larger so it is so nice to see these friendly little birds recouping again.

Whilst we were stopped, a little Shoveler warily walked past us, watching our every move out of the corner of his eye. However, we did not pose a threat to him so he settled down at the waters edge for a well deserved sleep.




A bit further along is a gateway in the fence. Sitting on the gatepost was a female Kestrel enjoying her morning breakfast. We kept back out of the way so as not to disturb her meal.

And in return, once finished, she allowed us to get a lot closer and happily posed for us, taking great pleasure in showing off her sleek feathers. You must admit, she is certainly a beautiful bird

We stopped at the house and walked along the bushes and hedgerows to see what we could find. Our old friend the Robin hopped over to say hello, but today was a little camera shy and only let us take his picture whilst looking coyly back over his shoulder

There were Sparrows by the dozen here today. Chirruping away to each other and playing in the branches. They moved so fast that we could not take any shots at all, until one took pity on us and posed briefly, before flitting off to join his friends on another high speed chasing game.


It was time to go home, so we drove slowly back out of the reserve, just before we left we had a quick look along the exit boundaries and were fortunate to find a little female Stonechat who sang us a delightful solo to round off our visit.

We hope that you enjoyed our trip out today. More pictures can be found in our galleries at www.voinapics.co.uk

Steve & Mick

Another Sunny Winter Morning 3rd February 2007

It was another glorious sunny morning and we decide that another visit to Oare was in order. When we arrived there was an excited buzz in the air and a large group of birdwatchers was congregating by the waterside. We quietly crept up to join in

And there down on the shore was a Twite. A very rare visitor to this part of the UK, the Twite normally resides in the North of Britain or Scandinavia, so this was a lovely treat to start to off our day.

We watched the Twite for quite a while, but an insistent twittering nearby finally caught our attention. It was a Reed Bunting that wanted to show off his nicely trimmed moustache and was getting quite agitated that we were not taking any notice. We apologised and took his photo to show you. If you click on the picture, you will see how neat his moustache is.

Whilst watching the young Bunting showing off, we heard a regular thrumming noise getting louder and louder. The sound came from the powerful wing beats of a Mute Swan that was flying serenely past. What a superb sight he made as well.

And it seemed like everyone was enjoying the mini summer sunshine. A pair of Pintail ducks flapped past us playing a game of chase, squawking with excitement, showing how easy they could fly in formation

Not to be outdone, a Shoveler Duck came rushing in low over the water, his little wings beating rapidly as he lowered his legs to show how a proper landing should be conducted

And what a perfect landing it was, with hardly a splash, he glided slowly across the water to a stop.

Nearby, a flock of lapwings were watching the show of antics of the ducks and were twittering together in hushed tones as they discussed how to outdo the Ducks. With a loud whooshing of wings, the flock took off.

And what a show they put on. Lapwings are very agile in the air and they took great delight in swooping in great loops and whirls, accompanied by high speed banks and turns with a perfect formation landing as a finale, Suitably satisfied, they settled down with smug expressions for some well earned preening.

The aerobatic shows over, we decided to go to a bushy area on the reserve away from the water where we had noticed some small birds on a previous trip. Mick Settled down to wait patiently to see what he could find.

And it was worth the wait. A little Stonechat landed nearby and presented the perfect picture to us. We hope that you enjoy it as much as we did.

And we hope that you will enjoy looking at our other pictures in our galleries at www.voinapics.co.uk

Steve & Mick