During the day the birds leave the woodland to feed out on the marshes and at dusk they return, en masse, to their woodland roosts.
At a recent event, the RSPB’s North Kent area manager Alan Johnson took a group of volunteers on a guided tour around the site. On returning late from the woodland the volunteers were suddenly ambushed by thousands of rooks squawking overhead.
One of the group, George Wise said:“What an amazing sight. As the sun was setting, suddenly the sky turned black and the noise was incredible. We just looked up at the sky dumbfounded.”
As well as its rook spectacle, Northward Hill on the Hoo Peninsula, is home to one of Europe’s largest heronries and also contains a very sizeable colony of little egrets. In winter, large numbers of wildfowl gather on marshland floods. Wintering thrushes, finches and buntings gather in the scrub and Redwings and Fieldfares can be seen in the orchards.
The public will have a chance to watch the aerial display of the rooks returning to roost at a special Autumnwatch event on Saturday November 28 at RSPB's Northward Hill.
The event is part of a series of Autumnwatch events hosted by the RSPB in North Kent. It will run from 3pm to 5pm on November 28, timed to coincide with the rooks return to roost. For further details please ring 01634 222480 or visit www.rspb.org.uk/northwardhillevents.
Story by RSPB