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