Wednesday 3rd March

Another sortie around East Malling site for an hour this afternoon - the sun shone on and off.  A circuit of the lake at Bradbourne turned up the following: 2 Little Grebe, 2 Gadwall, 22 Coot, 15 Moorhen, 150+ Wood Pigeon, 43 Greylag Geese, 96 Canada Geese, Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, 55 Black-headed Gull, 16 Mallard, 1 Greenfinch, 9 Goldfinch, 1 Jay, 4 Song Thrush, 1 Blackbird, 1 Grey Heron, 3 Magpie, 12 Chaffinch, 2 Blue Tit, 1 Grey Wagtail, 7 Pied Wagtail, 1 Little Egret

Egret on the right, plastic bag on the left

...a bit closer in case you couldn't see it in the previous photo...skulking or what?!

The highlight was the Little Egret again - this time I managed get a plastic bag, albeit blue, in the same shot just to prove to the Bald Birder I can tell the difference.  As I approached the reed bed it flew and disappeared across the main lawn.  I carried on and added Grey Wagtail to the list, only my second record on this site.  Driving back to work I noticed the Egret standing like a statue on the main lawn,

I watched it for 5 minutes before it started to stride to stride round like a Peacock! 

Eventually it made it's way to the ditch where I'd seen the Green Sandpiper a couple of weeks ago, and dropped down to feed. 

The car proved an excellent hide, so I managed some marginally better pics! 

You can just about make out the yellow feet through the water in this pic

A group of Pied Wagtails were washing in the same stream, including the headless individual:

A Fox was also seen on the south side of the lake, it seemed to be attempting to get the Mallards, and a group of Moorhens were seen climbing in a nearby willow, presumably to avoid the preadtor?!

Unfortunately the Bradbourne House and Lake is a PRIVATE SITE with no access to the public.

Monday 1st March

What a difference a day makes - lovely blue skies and crisp frost, with some reminants of yesterday, frozen raindrops.  The River Medway had well and truly burst it's banks at the bottom of South Street.  Not a Coot, Moorhen or Kinfisher to be seen and no chnace of checking out for Snipes - the path was totally submerged.

Drawn out by the sunshine, I visited Bradbourne Lake, East Malling again at lunchtime, all the usual suspects, including Black-headed Gulls, no Meds yet although I see some have turned up in Mote Park (http://motepark.blogspot.com/ ).  A couple of Pied Wagtails picked around the side of the lake and the Gadwall pair were skulking at the far end of the lake. 

I found another 'plastic bag' (Little Egret) feeding around the western edge of the lake - posed very well in the sun in it's nuptial plummage, occasionally tossing it's delicate plumes in the air as it groomed itself.

 

Friday 26th February

A windy but sunny day - a couple of good sightings (for me) on the way into work - five Lesser Black-backed Gull on the field in the field at the back of Kiln Barn Farm, Ditton, an uncommon visitor on the deck on my patch.  Better still - 43 (forty-three) Stock Doves, I've struggled to get double figures so this was species, so this was a real result.  Viewing them en masse I was struck by how glaucous they're plummage looked.

 Down to Bradbourne, East Malling (private site) at lunchtime.  The wind was rippling the leaf-strewn surface of the lake, and I was was rewarded with yet another duck tick - a pair of Gadwall - not a new one for site but my first for this year and only my second for site.  A couple of Mute Swans which had been noticeable by their abscence had returned.  Even better was to come as I struggled against the wind at the end of my lunch break, I stopped off at one of the plots and flushed eighteen (yes, one eight - 18) Skylarks, out of a Miscanthus test plot.  They took flight in 3 groups, all flappy, nice white sides to tail feather and a few bits of subsong as they lifted, circled and then dropped down in the adjacent wheat stubble.  Five Yellowhammers, inc 2 males, were also present as well seven hen Pheasants.  I've often had a small group of five Skylarks near my strawberry plots this winter, but 18 is a new record for me.

Monday 22nd February

Round Bradbourne Lake, East Malling (Private site) again at lunchtime - in the pouring rain!  I was searching out the Green Sandpiper that had been reported again yesterday afternoon, but no luck today.  A Little Egret took off from the western edge of the lake as I walked across the cricket field, and a Grey Heron stood statesque on the opposite bank.  A couple of inquisitive Goldcrests checked me out, but didn't linger long enough to be photographed.  A small flock of Redwings 'seeped' in a nearby Holly tree.  Fieldfares are still in evidence on the research station site but feeding almost exclusively on the rain-sodden fields now. 

Friday 19th February

All the usual species on the walk into work, accompanied by drizzle for most of the way, except
when I passed through Oaken Wood and it magically turned to snow. Winter hasn't loosened it's grip just yet.

I headed back down to Bradbourne at lunchtime and got another site tick for the year in the form of Mike Easterbrook. With his beloved butterflies all tucked up for the winter it was a good time to get some birding in. As is always the case when Mike accompanies me, the target bird (Green Sandpiper) was not to be found.

However, scanning the lake we picked out the drake Shoveler, hiding in the shadow of an overhanging willow. I was determined to get some pics of this East Malling scarcity - but flighty wasn't the word for it, I only had to blink and it was off and down to the opposite end of the lake. I walked the length of the lake at least eight times to try and get a picture of it, but in the end resorted to trying to get some pictures of it in flight - and the ones above were the best of the lot - appalling I know! I've got so many pics of bits of the bird I would have been better off compiling a photofit! You wouldn't think Shovelers were difficult to photograph - just look at Steve Ashton's pic (http://www.eastkentwildlifepics.co.uk/photo_5528450.html)

And that was my lunch hour over!

Thursday 18th February

'Snipe marsh' by the River Medway, but only 1 bird today.

Another frosty trip down to the River Medway first thing. I was hoping to get a pic of one of the Snipe that have been frequenting the small marshy area just west of Barming Bridge. I took my time scanning the relatively the stream and vegetation, no sign of any Snipe, well until I walked off to go and predictably, 'SQUELCH', up flew a Snipe! So bloody well-camouflaged! Nearby a couple of Cormorants dived in and out of the misty river.

No sign of any Harris Hawks this morning as I cycled to work, but lots of Crows round by Kiln Barn including 2 in the cattle shed (the usual haunt of the Little Owl).

Just for Greenie - a scramble of Coots - notice the bird centre left - he tripped up, like only a silly Coot could!

The weather deteriorated during the morning, and by lunchtime it had become a steady downpour - things might be more lively down the lake at Bradbourne in this weather I thought. Armed with the camera (for return of the Shoveler) I made my way down to Bradbourne, picking out 4x Green Woodpeckers feeding on the grassed area just east the Hatton Garden. A Jay flew across my path a little further down the track. The lake was disappointing, the usual Moorhens, no Little Grebes, 12 Black-headed Gulls and 2 Herring Gulls. 32 Coots scrambled towards the lake and 112 Canada Geese kept 6 Greylags company on the west lawn. A flight of 6 Pied Wagtails busied themselves around the feet of the geese.

Keeping a low profile, tucked in tight to the left bank.

Surprise of the day was yet to come - a GREEN SANDPIPER - another site tick for me. I caught I glimpse of a white rump fly up a ditch in front of the house - and then as I walked on an elegant wader suddenly towered up, nice white belly, no upper wing markings and prominent white block on the rump (like the Bullfinches and Jays I'm seeing everyday). It flew high, zig-zagging and dropped down into the stream. Creeping towards it I managed a few crappy record shots of it's head (always the most diagnostic of features!!!) before it took flight again - high again and then lost to view, for all I know probably further down the stream, through the grille in the wall and into that garden on St Peters Road (please respect residents' privacy) ! It did throw me slightly as its upper parts were so light - more Common Sandpiper in colour, and not really dark at all. There wasn't any obvious mottling and I couldn't discern the bars on the tip of the tail - in flight it looked like a single block of brown. It certainly wasn't Common, there's nothing else it could have been but Green.

Not as dark as Greens I've seen before and no sign of mottling but Common it ain't!

Please note that unfortunately Bradbourne House and estate is a PRIVATE site with NO PUBLIC ACCESS.

There will be a public Open Day in April - details to follow.