Wednesday 24 October 2007

Wednesday 24th October


No frost this morning, but instead a cold, easterly breeze and overcast skies. There wasn't much along the track from Barming to Ditton, apart from the remanants of a Slow Worm on the path next to the allotments at the top of North Street, Barming. However as I approached the main building on East Malling Research site I noticed what I at first though was a distant Grey Heron, flying south/south-east on the east side of the old Ditton labs. I got the bins on it just to double check and saw it was an Egret species, and straight away noticed it had black feet - not yellow as I've come to expect from the Little Egret(s) that can be found in the area from time -to-time. I tried to get a tag on it's bill colour, but it was now flying away from me and in the low, glum light, and from a distance, it wasn't at all dicernable. I wondered if it might be the Great White Egret that had been reported at RSPB Rainham yesterday, but a report came through at 09:30 that it was still there, although the Cattle Egret had flown!
A quick jaunt out at lunchtime turned up a Kestrel, huge numbers of Wood Pigeon and Stock Dove (approx 200 and 50 respectively in one newly-sown field) and, of non-avian interest, another steam train passing through East Malling Station!

2 comments:

Steve said...

Nice one with the Egret Adam. I have been away recently with work just getting back in the swing of things now. Hence I haven't put anything on my blog for a bit. Out today though which was good.

DJM said...

A very nice photo of the steam train passing through East Malling. If possible, I would like to use this photo on my East Malling Blog (http://eastmallingvillage.blogspot.com/). I will also add a link to your site. Keep up the good work.
Dean