Wednesday 24th November 2010

The tetrad gap filling continued today - I hoped to get some of those missing species for the East Malling tetrad (TQ75D).  Bradbourne House was in my sights, but I stopped off en route to see if I couldn't locate the Blackcap that Greenie had seen earlier in the week.  No sign of it, but not surprising considering the disturbance caused by road laying operations been carried out nearby.

Bradbourne I quickly connected with Goldcrests and a couple of tit flocks, which to my relief contained a Coal Tit....but then I realised this was just over the tetrad line and it was actually in TQ75E, a gap filled for that tetrad, but still one in my own!  I persevered and after following another flock of Long-tailed Tits, this time in TQ75D I found one tucked up by the bridge over the stream...phew!

The best views I had of Coal Tit...but still, it's a gap filler for TQ75D!

On the way back home I had the misfortune to find a freshly-dead Badger across my path.  There was no indication what had caused it's demise, but it was still warm so I moved of the track and into the hedge, a sad end to the day.