Thursday 2nd January 2013

Belated Happy New Year to you all!  2013 has started well with the reappearance of the pair of Hawfinches in Barming.  I caught a brief glimpse of them in the field maples on the east side of the South Street playing fields at 09:45 this morning, but got much better, and prolonged views in St Margaret's Churchyard, Barming from 11:45 onwards.  The birds were often seen in the large ash tree that is just south-east of the church, and they were often in the company of a small flock of Greenfinches.  The birds were not always together and sightings of one or the other of the pair were also had in the Oak tree to the west of the church and also in the smaller trees on the eastern and southern perimeter of the churchyard.  The Hawfinches would linger for a short period, disappear on feeding sorties to both the east, south and north of the church, often flying out of sight, but often returned within 5-10 minutes during the period I watched them. As I left a male was still perched in atop the ash tree, but was seen to fly off strongly north as I walked back home.  Both the Hawfinches and Greenfinches were seen to go into the largest Yew tree in the churchyard - I wonder if this may be a roost site for them?

Also seen were 26 Linnets, 4 Yellowhammers and a Skylark in the stubble field N of Church Lane, GS Woodpecker, Sparrowhawk, Mistle Thrush, 2x Song Thrush, 3x Redwing and 17x Fieldfare in the churchyard.