Cliffe Pools in Kent are a mix of saline lagoons, freshwater pools, grassland, saltmarsh and scrub. It is renowned as a site for wading birds, with massed flocks moving from the Thames Estuary onto the pools on winter high tides, a wide range of passage birds in autumn and spring, and breeding avocets, redshanks, lapwings and ringed plovers. Great crested grebes, shelducks, and little egrets are all resident and are joined by large flocks of pochards, tufted ducks, shovelers, teals and other ducks in winter. In spring and summer look out for hobbies, nightingales and turtle dove.