Thursday 25th March

Poor pic in the rain of one of eight Pipits

A miserable start after very heavy rain overnight.  Still it had stopped by the time I set off for work.  Three Chiffchaffs today; 1 calling near the Water Tower (top of North Street, Barming) and 2 others along the eastern edge of Oaken Wood.  No sign of the Little Owl, probably hunched up somewhere in the barn, drying out.  Detouring past Paris Farm Paddocks, East Malling I searched for yesterday's Wheatear but no sign, he must have escaped before the rain set in.  Likewise the Willow Warbler.  However I was pleased to see 8x Meadow Pipit which have been noticeable by their abscence around my patch this winter.  A Skylark also made it's prescence known.  That was it for the day - the rain just got heavier and worse at lunchtime and on my way home.

Wednesday 24th March

Two Chiffchaffs were singing on the eastern edge of Oaken Wood, Barming - at least another migrant had dropped in and I managed a slightly better photo of one of the birds.  Zipping down Gallagher's Gallop I half expected to find a Wheatear on one of the fence posts, but it wasn't to be, and I had to be content with the drumming of a couple of distant GS Woodpeckers and the Little Owl which took flight in response to my squeaky brakes as I passed Kiln Barn Farm. 

Willow Warbler - unexpectedly early

Instead of carrying on down Kiln Barn Road, and into work, I decided to take a slight detour across the footpath that runs east from Kiln Barn Road (almost opposite Potts) to The Rocks Road and Paris Farm in East Malling.  The greatest part of this footpath is bordered by paddocks on the north side and always looked to have potential, but I'd rather negelected it as it added about 20 mins on my journey into work.  A big pile of stable manure steamed and I was suprised to see a small bird making fly-catching sallies out the adjacent hedgerow - a Willow Warbler!  Of course I thought it was another Chiffchaff until it sang, but I was pleased to see that a few had turned up at Dungeness and Warren had one on his Pittswood patch today as well (http://pittswoodpatch.blogspot.com/), certainly a lot earlier than I would have expected - after all my Chiffies were only in 2 days ago.

How much fencing does a migrant need?! 

Looking north across Paris Farm Paddocks (Aylesford Newsprint spewing out steam in the distance). 

Further along I scanned in vain amongst the eastern-most paddocks - so many fence posts, so little migrants!  It must have 10 times as much fencing as Warren's Migrant Alley, but he gets 3 Wheaters at a time, I get none!  Then.....oh joy.....a Wheatear hopped into view, an immaculate male.  He remained distant, and although I enjoyed good views with the bins, photographing him proved a bit tricky.  I managed some record shots (below) just to show what a smart little chap he was.   At last I think I've found my own 'Migrant Alley'!

Carrying on to work (slightly late) I notched up a Yellowhammer and a couple of Song Thrushes in the final paddock, and a healthy number of House Sparrows in a hedgerow just west of Paris Farm Barn. On site Skylarks sang, Pied Wagtails wagged and a couple of Collared Doves copulated...and showed signs of prospecting nest sites.  Another Song Thrush struck a pose on top of the main lab buildings. Twenty plus Fieldfares 'chac-chacked' over from the orchards, not long now before they're gone.

I managed a quick sortie out to the Paris Farm paddocks at lunchtime and was pleased to see the Wheater still around although a few paddocks further on.  A couple of Greenfinches flew overhead, displaying.

Leaving work at dusk, I was pleased the Little Owl looking a bit more alert - sorry for more photos but he just sat there waiting to be snapped!  On one of Gallagher's Gallop fenceposts a male Sparrowhawk sat silently.  He was hunched up and his underparts, puffed out and startingly white had me thinking I'd found a Barn Owl for a couple of seconds!  A couple of the 70+ Carrion Crows that loitered nearby started to harass him and he was off, low across one of the fields and into the trees surronding Gallagher's Quarry.  A good day all told.

Tuesday 23rd March

A thick fog enveloped Barming as I left for work this morning - may be good for bringing down some migrants?  The song of a Chiffchaff carried through the stillness of the mist at the edge of Oaken Wood.  The Little Owl was in his favourite spot and a Murder of Crows loitered, portensously.

The sun shone briefly mid-morning, and checking my strawberry plots I discovered Badger trails and pawprints all over the place. 

A couple of Skylarks sang continously.  Only 10-minutes at lunchtime to get out, so I decided to check a newly ploughed field opposite the East Malling Conference Centre - 10x Pied Wagtails (inc 2 females that briefly looked like alba) hopped over the recently turned clods, another case of spot the bird in the photo below!  Another Skylark shuffled through the furrows.

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)

Sunday 21st March

Down to New Hythe GPs again, this time with the kids.  Sand Martins were vagain my target after being informed by Eddie Denson that 8+ had been at Alders first thing.  With the kids in tow, I did the Brookland, Streamside, Tesco, Alders Lake circuit.  I was suprised to see the Whooper Swan on Steamside - the kids threw it some bread and it immediately made came towards us and out of the water to eat out the kids' hands!  Wild bird...mmmm.  A Mute Swan hassled it, and eventually it moved on.  I only had my mobile phone camera and thought I 'd got some shots of it out the water, but didn't, only the one above came out.

It developed into a lovely, sunny afternoon - warm and with lots of flies around to attract those migrants out.  Unfortunately I didn't manage to pick up a Sand Martin.   I somehow managed to pick out Terry Laws amongst the thronging crowd - he'd had a Sand Martin and 'Egret' and suggested I speak to Mr Bill Pattern at WWT about whether the Whooper was the one we had last year - that one went right over my head! 

Red-legged Patridge, Allington (courtesy of Richard Walker)

Back in Barming I received an email from Dave Walker to inform me the Harris Hawks that had been frequenting his road had disappeared on Wednesday, and another from his son, Richard, with some nice pics of a Red-legged Partridge that's frequenting a residential area in Allington!

Saturday 20th March

Working today, but managed to grab 20 minutes down at New Hythe GPs after receiving the news from Steve Nunn that a small number of Sand Martins had been seen in the morning.  Unfortunately I didn't see any - a dead Wood Pigeon, Phil Sharp and a small patch of Violets were my consolation.

Friday 19th March

Another early start and off to Boughton again to see the showy Lesser Spotted Woodpecker.  I was with James Bushnell for whom this had become a bit of  a bogie bird - he needn't have worried as the bird showed very well as soon as we stepped out of the car, albeit in rather poor light (hence the dull image!).

The rest of the day was spent at a meeting in London, but added Bald Eagle to my 'train' list as one swept above the train just past Eynsford (Eagle Heights bird presumably!).