Friday 26th November 2010

Track at northern perimeter of Oaken Wood, looking west.  The Redpoll flock are frequenting the silver birches on the right of the photo.

Cold, very cold this morning.  I detoured off my usual route into work to check out the northern perimeter of Oaken Wood in the hope of adding either Coal  or Marsh Tit to tetrad TQ75C (Oaken Wood).  I failed to find either species but not noticed a small charm of Goldfinches feeding in the band of silver birches just to the west of Gallagher's Gallop (cTQ718559), number 34 for the tetrad.  Then, from no where 40+ Redpolls took to the air, calling distinctly as they looped back on themselves and into the trees nearest the gallop.  I could see them flitting around and feeding but they were too distant and I'd run out of time to try and identify them all.....a job that would have to wait until my lunch break.

Cycling down past Kiln Barn Farm I noticed the dead Badger that I'd discovered on Wednesday had gone - too close to cattle to be left I guess.

Back out looking for Redpolls at lunchtime and the flock was quickly refound in it's original location.  They were quite well dispersed amongst the birches and I only managed to pick out 10 individuals, all Lessers as far I as could make out, before the flock took to the air and I counted 42 birds, by far and away the largest flock I've had on patch.  A couple of Bullfinches lisped nearby and a Kestrel was mobbed first by Crows but then by Rooks as it flew over.   On the nearby gallop pasture were a mix of Wood Pigeon, Stock Dove (x11), Crows, Rooks and Jackdaws, but unfortunately all just over the tetrad line -  three of those species are needed for TQ75C on  BTO winter atlas.  I took the track around the northern perimeter of Oaken Wood and then past Luckhurst Farm and back down Sweets Lane to the Research Station.  I added Redwing (x3), Fieldfare (x9) and Jay the day list but didn't find the hoped for Skylark or Linnet that I thought I'd find at or near the Sweets Lane Stables.

Friday 19th October 2010

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!

Monday 22nd March

Lots of skywatching today - hoping for that first hirundine to zip by.

A sunny, but brisk day, and with expectations high of a migrant.  I wasn't to be disappointed, a Chiffchaff- the first of my year, on the eastern edge of Oaken Wood and trying to claim territory over every available branch.  The Little Owl peered over the parapeet at Kiln Barn Farm again.  I took a slight detour, taking the footpath from Kiln barn Road across to paris Farm, East Malling, scanning all the fences and posts around the extensive paddocks hoping for a Wheatear.  Everything about it smacked Wheatear but I didn't have any luck - getting impatient like my friend Warren!

Chiffchaff (in the shade...or is it the middle of the night?!)

Back out at lunchtime and checking the same area as this morning in case I'd missed anything, but again no luck.  However in the field to the SW of Kiln Barn Farm I was pleased to see the full collection of corvids; 100+ Crows, 5 Rooks, 8 Jackdaws, 2 Magpies and a Jay. 

A couple of Rooks, such a rare sight on patch that I took the pic in soft focus, brought a tear to my eye!

Three Mistle Thrushes took flight and I managed 20+ Fieldfare and a Redwing.  The Jackdaws and Rooks are real rarities at this end of my patch - almost as good as getting a Wheatear!  Maybe tomorrow?!  Maybe the photos will be better as well.

Woody (also staring towards the skies for hirundines) and Fieldy (should be thinking about going East rather than West)

Friday 5th March

Nice crisp morning and pleased to add Coal Tit to my 'walk in' year list - fliiting around the trees bordering the North Pole allotments, Barming.  3x Great spotted Woodpeckers, chasing each around the treetops by the Water Tower, making a hell of a racket!  At lunchtime I added another 2 Coal Tits to the day list, this time by the footpath crossing the railway just east of East Malling railway station.  Also a few pairs (not parties) of Long-tailed Tits.  Fieldfares are still hanging around, with 25 seen on the orchard floor with a single Redwing. 

I headed off to Bradbourne, passing the South Park plot on the Research Station which was being ploughed.  A few Black-headed and Common Gulls followed the plough, but a larger flock sat out in the adjacent field, 80-90 Black-headed Gull and....a Mediterranean Gull....yeh hey, at last, about bloody time!

6th gull from the left - OK he's looking away - but nice, darkest black hood, all the way down the neck (compare to Black-headed gull above it, with brown-dull black hood) and nice red legs.  No black on wing tips, and if you could see his face, nice big red bill and white eye surrond.

A smart adult, almost in full summer plummage, and only the third record for site.  Unfortunately it was a fair few metres away across the open field and I couldn't get close enough to get a good picture......as ever!  Visit Tony Morris' St Margaret's Blog to see how it should be done (http://stmargaretsphotodiary.blogspot.com/2010/02/looking-at-page-of-bockhills-latest.html)! 

This time 11th from the left, almost in the centre.  Nice dark hood again, and if blow pic up can even see a red bill!

I moved closer an old plane growled over sending them all up in the air, ironically I got a better pic of that the gull (come on Twisden, what is it?  Harvard?  Grumman?).  This flock of gulls is viewable from the public footpath that runs north, along the research station road, from East Malling Church to Ditton Church.

I zipped down to the lake to see if the Med had dropped in there, but was met with just 25+ Black-headed Gulls, and another new bird for site for the year - a Mistle Thrush! 

Also I've heard from Dave Walker in Barming who was kind enought to send me a photo of one of three Harris Hawks that are frequenting the west Barming area.  He's seeing them on an almost daily basis - so if you see a large raptor floating over the A26, it could well be one of these!  Thanks Dave.