Nothing in the mist this morning about from a flock of calling Herring and Black-headed Gulls near Kiln Barn Farm. With the fog lifting mid-morning I made a concerted effort at lunchtime to get Coal Tit on the East Malling Atlas Tetrad. I reckoned my best bet would be the yews/conifers in and around the churchyard in East Malling, but after 30 minutes, with various near misses with Blue and Great Tits I realised it wasn't going to happen today! Still I managed a nice brace of Thrushes, with 2x Mistle Thrushes, 5x Song Thrushes (amazing number!), 2x Redwing and 30+ Fieldfare and even better for the patch - a Grey Wagtail on the roof of Court Lodge in Church Walk - not the the most obvious place to look for one, perhaps I should have gone looking down the stream for the Coal Tit!
A Sparrowhawk flew into the churchyard and perched high up and partly obscured, but his bright eyes gave him away! He managed to put everything into the air so finally putting a nail in the coffin for my Coal Tit....but I've got until the end of February so no rush.
There is a Sparrowhawk in there...honest!
Moving into the next Tetrad to the west, Mill Street and West Malling, I hoped to pick of a Greenfinch or Goldfinch or two - again another species missing off the Atlas and within 10 minutes got 3x Greenfinches, 12x Goldfinches, 1x GS Woodpecker and 2x Jay - all gaps on the winter distribution map. I'll get the East Malling area dark green before the winter's out!
3 comments:
Nice photo's as usual Adam.
East and West Malling are full of childhood memories for me. I wish i'd started my birding adventures then!
Adam,
Your Grey Wagtail comment was interesting because yesterday - Friday - I had one round the edge of my garden pond in Minster, Sheppey. A very unlikely bird in the garden here.
Hi Adam.
Nice shots of the Grey Wagtail.
What do you think it is going, taking in the suns rays in the warmer weather, of looking for bugs under the roof tiles?
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