Thursday 17th November 2011

My first visit out in a while.  The sun made a brief appearance picking out the apples in the East Malling orchards that will provide winter sustenance to the winter migrants.  The crab apples were particularly vivid.

All seemed quite on the bird front: a Kestrel was mobbed by a crow near the Conference Centre, and a Great Spotted Woodpecker pecked voraciously on the line-side trees, but soon a flock of Fieldfares was put up, 100 or so, with a 70+ Linnets and 35+ Goldfinches soon leapfrogging up, and ahead of them.  These were followed by Chaffinches, a couple of Yellowhammers and a smattering of Meadow Pipits and Skylark, quite a mix.

Linnets

good number of the birds alighted onto wires above the orchard, allow me to creep closer for some snaps in really poor light.

Sunday 13th November 2011

Too nice a day for a 2-hour round trip to Margate for the Eastern Black Redstart.  So stayed local, went for a beautiful walk down the Medway with my wife and youngest lad and spotted this Kingfisher (well hidden) to boot, not too far from Teston Bridge just before dusk.

Thursday 3rd November 2011

It was one of those dull November days when you don't expect anything out of the ordinary to turn up on patch - no bins, no camera - just a trudge out into a wet field.  Therefore I was extremley surprised when I a Short-eared Owl flew up from one of the alleyways between the strawberry beds.  It landed a short distance away but was immediately mobbed by the resident crows and again took flight but this time moved high north , gaining height as flew towards the Medway Gap.  I immediately phoned Phil Sharp and John Clements, but unfortunately neither of them were able to connect with it.  A first for site, and a cracking patch record!