Kent Ornithological Society 
- Details
- Peter Eerdmans
- Outdoor Meeting Reports
Ray O’Reilly - KOS Outdoor meetings organiser - writes:
On 22 July 2026, I led our monthly Kent Ornithological Society field outing. Weather wise, we have rarely had a better day, which was warm with little wind and it only became hotter towards late afternoon.
We recorded 79 species of birds that included a pair Turtle Doves at Oare Marshes, 6 Cattle Egrets, 6 Little Ringed Plover, several Bearded Tits, 2 Green Sandpipers, a handful of Whimbrel, Greenshank, Peregrine and great views of the adult Bonaparte's Gull still in breeding plumage. During the day several Clouded Yellow butterflies, a Hummingbird Hawk Moth, Garden and Red-tailed Bumblebees and an Emperor Dragonfly added to our enjoyment.
With the tide dropping at Oare, we decided to go to Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory and have lunch in their lovely garden.
Following lunch we went to the New Downs area and met Keith Privett before seeing our second American species of the day, a fine adult Pectoral Sandpiper which had befriended a Common Snipe. Up to 4 Water Rails, adults and juveniles were feeding in the open and another bunch of Bearded Tits were feeding at the base of the reeds on the mud. We finished our day at the Restharrow Scrape, adding duck such as Eurasian Teal, Northern Shoveler and Gadwall to our day list and enjoying all the birds there that had young.
Pectoral Sandpiper - Bruce Rolls
It was the stripy-headed Little Grebes and the cute Tufted ducklings that won the most praise.
House Martins and Barn Swallows were hawking over the pool.
All in all it was a very enjoyable day.
Members note: I still have space on the Wednesday August 5th outing. So message me please on 07831-362502 if you would like to join us.
Thanks to Lyn Griffiths for her usual assistance and being in charge of the day list (and what goes on it) and to Yuti Chernajovsky and Bruce Rolls (shown image) for their photography.
- Details
- Peter Eerdmans
- Outdoor Meeting Reports
Snow Bunting - Ray O'Reilly
Ray O’Reilly, KOS Field Trip Organiser writes:
‘On Wednesday 7th January we held our first KOS Field Trip of the year. Our day began at a very icy RSPB Worth Marshes, where we were met by resident ornithologist Neil Davies.
Many of the pools were frozen or semi frozen but there were still good numbers of wildfowl and waders, including several Common Snipe, Pintail, Gadwall, Golden Plover, Curlew and many Lapwings. Two Water Pipits were spotted and we compared the calls of these with the more numerous Meadow Pipits.
Winter thrushes - namely Redwing, Fieldfare, Blackbird and Song Thrush were also present. A hidden Water Rail was screeching as were several Ring-necked Parakeets! Marsh Harriers, Common Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, Peregrine and Kestrel were all present and on the hunt - frequently flushing all other birds regularly.
Whilst it was very cold, the light was spectacular and enabled us to really enjoy the gleaming colours of the birds - especially the Eurasian Teals’ vivid green speculums (wing-feathers).
- Details
- Chris Roome
- Outdoor Meeting Reports
Ray O’ Reilly, KOS Field Trip organiser writes:-
Wednesday 17th December was our final KOS Field Trip of the year. We all arrived in the early morning on a bright sunny windless Dungeness beach.
Patches of golden sunlight decorated the sea as we watched a few seabirds drifting up and down the Channel. Always fascinating, we spotted Gannets, Guillemots, Red-throated Divers and some distant Common Scoter. Then ‘Hawkeye’ Lys Muirhead spotted a Peregrine on top of a nearby pylon that flew off towards us. From here we went to Cockles Bridge where we had wonderful views of a flock of sixteen Cattle Egrets.
Our next port of call was Walland Marsh where we were using telescopes to view two Whooper and ten Bewick's Swans - regular winter visitors to Romney Marshes, but dwindling in numbers. A singing Corn Bunting sounding like jangling keys was photographed and then - the serendipity that makes birding so fascinating happened again - we found a male Merlin.
Merlin by Yuti Chernojovsky.
- Details
- Chris Roome
- Outdoor Meeting Reports
KOS Field Trip - Saturday 7th June 2025
Ray O’Reilly - KOS Field Trip Organiser writes:-
‘We held our June 2025 KOS Field Outing on Saturday the 7th and facing a gloomy weather forecast we chose a trip to Dungeness.
- Details
- Chris Roome
- Outdoor Meeting Reports
Ray O’ Reilly - KOS Fieldtrip organiser writes:-
‘Our April 2025 KOS Field Outing was an Inter County affair starting in East Sussex and finishing in Kent.
- Details
- Chris Roome
- Outdoor Meeting Reports
Ray O’ Reilly writes:- ‘The March 2025 Kent Ornithological Society Field Outing took place on March 25th.
It was a splendid Spring day and we saw many butterflies - especially Commas - as well as 69 species of birds.
- Details
- Chris Roome
- Outdoor Meeting Reports
Ray O’Reilly - KOS Field Trip Organiser writes:-
“We wasted no time in getting our 2025 Kent Ornithological Society Field Trips underway this year with our first outing taking place on Thursday January 2nd.
We had a record five cancellations for this outing mainly due to ill heath but we still managed a group of eight of us for the day.
We started at the RSPB's Cliffe Pools and it was a classic case of what a difference a day makes. New Year’s Day’s high winds and rain had given way to a dry, cold windless morn with beautiful sunny spells in the afternoon. Cetti's Warbler and a bonny male Stonechat were two of the first birds recorded and a couple of Song Thrushes serenaded us as we walked the trail. Ralph Todd found a Sparrowhawk and we admired several Redwings and marvelled at 35 Little Grebes or Dabchicks as they are colloquially called.
- Details
- Chris Roome
- Outdoor Meeting Reports
November 19th 2023 - KOS Field Trip to Dungeness
Ray O' Reilly, KOS Field Trip Organiser, writes:- "Yesterday, 19th November 2023, we carried out our monthly KOS Field Outing once again to Dungeness and it proved to be a fruitful venue.