Tuesday 6th February

A month without posting - work and trips around the country getting the better of me! Oh well back now, but not much to report from my first trip out for a number of weeks. Fieldfares and Redwings have moved into more open ground on the research station site, East Malling as the windfall fruit has been cleared prior to winter pruning. Number are each are seem fairly equal now, probably due the Redwings being less timid than in November/December. A small flock (20) of Linnets fidgeted around some open ground, before nervoulsy bounding up into the air as I approached. Regular updates on the Wallcreeper et al across the channel from Steve Nunn made me think I'd rather be somewhere else!

My trips of late have taken me up to Norfolk, where I reluctantly paid homage to the White-crowned Sparrow and found a Black Brant, flock of Twite and Great Grey Shrike to boot on the same day. Last week I braved the cold of the North, spending a day by the Solway Firth, where 1000+ Barnacle Geese rather put the flock of 3 at East Malling to shame. I was suprised how numerous Tree Sparrow and Willow Tit were in this area, but on the flip side the noticeable abscence of Little Egret were on such a large estural area - a geniune case of the north-south divide. I travelled back down on probably the worst day of the year, stopping briefly, in a snowstorm, at Warton Bank, Lancs in the forlorn hope of glimpsing the Glossy Ibis....it didn't show! The M40 Red Kites excelled themselves, 27 on the way up, 35 on the way down, surely a coomon bird to Kent in the next decade?