Sunday 8th November

Thursday 5th November

Only 20 minutes or so to check out the orchards at on the research station, East Malling. I quickly located increased numbers of Fieldfares - 27 feeding in a Bramley windfalls, not the orchard I usually get them in at this time of the year, but they seem more desirable than the the dessert apples for some reason! They were joined by a large flock of Chaffinches, 50+ but no sign of nay Bramblings amongst them...yet! There were good numbers of Woodpigeons on the ground, but few in the air, looks like I'm missing the 'big migration'.

Saturday 31st October

A brief jaunt out with my youngest this afternoon, visting the area around Hall Park Farm, Barming. I've not been along this footpath for a few months so was pleased to see Skylark, 7x Yellowhammer, 4x Meadow Pipits, melanistic Pheasant and best of all for me, a Common Buzzard picking over the carcass of a 'Sparrowhawked' feral pigeon. This is only my second record of Common Buzzard in Barming and most probably the same individual I saw about 6 weeks ago in nearby Teston. It was reassuring to see some farmland stalwarts, especially after reading about the continued decline in their numbers in the recently published 'State of birds of Britain, 2008'. The local farmer who usually leaves winter stubble has ploughed half his field bordering St Margaret's church, but has left a good area of set-aside. It's attracted 30+ Black-headed Gulls and a number of crows, but hopefully will continue to hold all the aforementioned species.

Friday 30th October

Over Ditton Quarry again at lunchtime, all the usual suspects, including some elusive Bullfinches. A GS Woodpecker seemed to be very showy and vocal, not a regular species here for me. An added bonus was a Skylark over, often heard on the adjacent Research Station site but as not yet actually seen from the Quarry! Blackbirds were again very vocal. Fieldfares and Redwings continue to elude me - the research station should be a huge Fieldfare feeding station with the bounty of windfalls. Finally I managed to catch sight of 7x flighty Fieldfares as I checked the plots just before dusk, along with 4x Mistle Thrushes.

Thursday 29th October

A foggy start to the morning, with only 3x Pied Wagtails sitting out on the fencing around Gallagher's Gallop nr Kiln Barn Farm. The Little Owl was also still present in the barn. The day inproved and at lunchtime I went out in search of winter thrushes, but despite kicking through the orchards on the research site I failed to find either a Redwing or Fieldfare, amazing when numbers have been reasonably high around the county. I decided to check the area south of the research station and did a circular walk through The Rocks back to Kiln Barn Road. A Kestrel aborted landing on a post after catching sight of me nearby (!), 30+ House Sparrows washed in a newly-created puddle and another couple of Pied Wagtails sat out on a barn roof. There is a large area of horse paddocks in this area, lying slightly elevated and directly south of the Medway gap and full of posts, fences and short turf that ought to make it ideal for migrants, but have I ever seen any here?! Of course not. I was hoping a Ring Ouzel might be loitering as quite a few have been dropping in and around London today - no chance!

The picture above is looking north towards the Downs (Upper Halling by exposed chalk face and Snodland/Holborough by chimneys). The large shed-like buildings are Aylesford Newsprint (adjacent to M20). The railway line is the Maidstone west - London mainline, between East Malling and Barming mainline. The area immediately north (just the other side) of the railway is research station land. The tower of St Peter's Church, Ditton can be see just above the first train carriage on the right. From where I took this picture I could just make out the M2 Medway bridge near Rochester. I can't understand why this area isn't more productive for migrants - it's right opposite the Medway gap which must surely funnel birds between the downs in a strong N-NE. Oh well, I'll keep watching!

Wednesday 28th October

Today didn't quite live up to expectations weather or bird-wise. It remainded overcast but suprisingly mild for the end of October. A pair of Yellowhammers dipped into the hedgerow alongside Gallagher's Gallop as I cycled in. At lunchtime I did a tour of the resaerch station site in East Malling hoping to get some winter thrushes, but despite good numbers of them being reported elsewhere in the county today I turned up a blank. I moved onto Ditton Quarry, where a pair of Bullfinches were glimpsed, a Jay made it's prescence known with it prehistoric squawks. Blackbird numbers appeared to have increased with 9 individuals seen feeding in hawthorn, possibly continental birds? Lots of fungi have emerged over the last week - not sure I can put a name to them all, but I think this one's a Blackening Wax-cap (Hygrocybe nigrescens)?

Tuesday 20th October

All the usual suspects at Ditton Quarry at lunchtime, plus a single Redwing skulking in some hawthorn and a fly-over Little Egret. A pellet was found along one of the tracks, broken up, grey colour and quite furry, but not much bone, presumably a Tawny Owl's (which would be new for the Quarry list, but possibly a Sparrowhawk's?