Friday 10 December 2010

Friday 10th December 2010


With a thaw setting in I decided to pay a long overdue visit to Ditton Court Quarry.  The quarry was dripping in berries, the SW corner have a real red hue to it.


The snow was stained with discarded berries, and they will make an excellent feast for any passing Waxwings (if the record number of birds, 170+,  ever leave B&Q in Folkestone). 


A few birds were eagerly pecking at this bumper crop; Blackbirds, Song Thrushes, a single Redwing and 5x Bullfinches.  I checked all the Alders and Silver Birches for a Siskin or Redpoll and was successful in locating 3x Lesser Redpolls feeding with 10+ Goldfinches in one Alder.  They were joined by a volery of Long-Tailed Tits and a single Goldcrest.  A smart male Kestrel made a couple of sorties across the snow-covered scrub area and was mobbed by a Jay of all things at one point.  As it made it's second low pass a Meadow Pipit flew up to the top of a nearby tree and continually called - my first for this site and totally unexpected location to find one!


Walking back through one of the orchards on the East Malling Research land I was surprised at how the Fieldfare numbers had increased in the last 24 hours - 100+ in this single orchard.  


They were joined by masses of Wood Pigeons and Starlings.


2 comments:

Greenie said...

Adam ,
I'm sure I recognise that Fieldfare !
Roll on the food running out at Folkestone , then we can all hopefully see the Waxwings in number .
I'll email you beforehand if I do another trespass 'on your land' .

Warren Baker said...

Well done with the Mipit Adam. Looks a good place for some of those Waxwings to drop in - I hope they come tome first though!