Monday 29 April 2013

Monday 29th April 2013

3x Wheatear (2m, 1f) ...


...and 1x Bald Birder on the Research Station, East Malling today.



Friday 26 April 2013

Friday 26th April 2013

Some highlights from the East Malling section of the patch this week:


Not one, but two Whinchats on site on 26th April, only the second record for the patch and first on research station land both for me and the Bald Birder (whose been watching a long, long time).....


....here he celebrates in his finest office attire.


Nearby up to 4x Yellowhammers showed well, as did a couple of Whitethroats and 3x Skylark and 2x Wheatear on 25th April, and 3x on 26th.


Swallows have also been in evidence around the area, including this showy individual on the wires in Sweets Lane.  Willow Warblers and Blackcaps were also in full song in Ditton Court Quarry.



Wednesday 17 April 2013

Wednesday 17th April 2013

A few interesting things have dropped in on patch in the last couple of days:


A blurred White Wagtail on one of the East Malling paddocks


Meadow Pipit; one of three birds seen today


Princess Anne......


....who kindly planted a 'Waxwing' tree right opposite my office window, which was nice.


Even the Bald Birder joined the 'twitch', the 2nd record for him on patch (1st record for East Malling was in 1988), although something in the distant windbreak seemed to distract him!

Also first House Martins of the year over the research station today.

Monday 15 April 2013

Monday 15th April 2013

Just back from two weeks in Cornwall/Devon which didn't yield many of the summer migrants I have come to expect when visiting in April in previous years.  Some excellent birds were still to be found, but more of that in another post.

I had the first Swallow of the year on patch this afternoon, looping over the research station.  Comma butterflies and Beeflies also in evidence so things must be warming up.