Bough Beech Reservoir in Kent has been host to a Grey Phalarope since the 22nd of September. Since it's arrival it has spent its time on North Lake. Seemingly reliable, we made the forty mile trip this morning. Arriving shortly after 7am we found the reservoir and lake covered in a heavy blanket of fog. Eventually, the sun appeared and the fog cleared. However, there was no sign of the Phalarope! I was just about to cross the road and scan the reservoir when a local birder arrived and said: "have you checked the small pool"? I hadn't, but as soon as I did the Phalarope was seen! It was quite distant and the fog hadn't quite cleared, but I took a couple of record shots. It was feeding on its own in a typical Phalarope manner until several gulls flew in and eventually the Phalarope relocated to North Lake. The small pool also had a Green Sandpiper and two Common Snipe.
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| Grey Phalarope through the fog |
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| Grey Phalarope (After the fog had cleared) |
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| View of North Lake from the causeway |
A scan of North Lake quickly relocated the Phalarope, It would spend much of its time under over-hanging branches of waterside trees, occasionally emerging briefly only to return to cover. A scan of the Lake added another two Green Sandpipers, two Grey Wagtails, and another Common Snipe. Much more of a surprise was a day calling Tawny Owl!
We left the site and had a brief walk around Sevenoaks Nature reserve. It was pretty quiet but a Grey Heron dropped in allowing for a few photos.
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