Saturday 12th May 2012

Early doors for my Nightingale surveys this morning, so pleased it was a cracking weather wise at long last.  The only Nightingale I connected with in over 3 hours of searching was the one that I'd found earlier in the week.  Plenty of Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps, Garden Warblers and Whitethroats in full throttle along with a Cuckoo calling from both the Medway Valley and East Malling Heath.  A new addition was a Spotted Flycatcher in Ditton Quarry, a first for the year and even better a first this site for me.

Thursday 10th May 2012

The wet weather continues, and its not at all conducive to being out birding!  I spent the weekend on a scouts camp in Tovil - yeh, I know - but managed to tot up some new birds for the KOS Atlas there, and was pleased to see my first Swifts of the years scything through the wet skies.

Yesterday I cycled through the quagmire but skidded to a stop when I thought I heard what was a Nightingale. I've never had Nightingale on patch and have spent some early mornings recently hunting them out for the BTO survey without success.  Listening intently I was pleased to find it was a Nightingale, and even managed to get a snap of it today.  I won't give its exact location away for obvious reasons, suffice to say it was in the Barming side of my patch.  A Song Thrush, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Bullfinch and Dunnock all sang or called nearby.

At the research station a lone Swift sped North, while 4x House Martins were seen busily repairing last year's nests.

Nothing out of the ordinary on the East Malling paddocks, although a Skylark showed very well on the short turf (as opposed to singing it's heart out over the nearby cereal fields).  Along the stream near Bradbourne House a wet looking Grey Heron looked poised to 'go over the wall' into John Clement's garden!

Wednesday 2nd May 2012

No Ouzels today or arrows today, but instead a couple of Wheatears in the Sweets Lane Paddocks, East Malling - part of an overnight influx if other nearby bloggers reports are to go by

Also a pair of Red-legged Partridge to boot, as rare as Ouzels in these parts.

Tuesday 1st May 2012

A lone Meadow Pipit was seen first thing, perched near Gallaghers' Gallop, potentially a breeder?? Two Ring Ouzels on the paddocks in East Malling today - thought I'd had two at the end of last week, so I was pleased to see a male and female hopping around this afternoon.  As ever the birds were fairly distant and often behind wire, posts, horses, etc., but a few record shots below.  6x Swallows, a Little Owl, 2x Whitethroat, 2x Skylark and 3x Yellowhammer were also close by.

 A Cuckoo was heard calling from the east side of the research station at lunchtime, and was reported in a Scots Pine near Kiln Barn Road yesterday morning.

Late in the afternoon 4x House Martins (the first of the year for me) were swooping around the main laboratory buildings on the research station (all this mud is going to be good for their nest building) and a Spitfire made a couple of flypasts!

Two Turdus - yeh they look like two piles of horse crap in this cracking photo

Heavy crops of the first photo showing 2 birds