Tuesday 12th October 2010

After yesterday's excitement today was always going to be a bit quiet.  I walked across to Ditton Court Quarry at lunchtime and was pleased to see my first Redwings of the autumn, two initially that became eight - they keep themselves tucked away at this time of the year, but give it a couple of months and the orchard floor will be full of them!  A new Quarry tick in the form of two flyover Jackdaws was an added bonus, and a long time coming.  A GS Woodpecker and mixed flock of Blue and Long-tailed Tits added interest, as did increased number of Chaffinches, but no 'white-rumps' amongst them. A fresh crop of Field Blewit (?) mushrooms had emerged - fantastic coloured gills.

On the way home another fantastic sunset - it's been a good week for them. On the final leg down South Street, Barming there was a tight swarm of 20+ House Martins working their way south.

Wednesday 28th October

Today didn't quite live up to expectations weather or bird-wise. It remainded overcast but suprisingly mild for the end of October. A pair of Yellowhammers dipped into the hedgerow alongside Gallagher's Gallop as I cycled in. At lunchtime I did a tour of the resaerch station site in East Malling hoping to get some winter thrushes, but despite good numbers of them being reported elsewhere in the county today I turned up a blank. I moved onto Ditton Quarry, where a pair of Bullfinches were glimpsed, a Jay made it's prescence known with it prehistoric squawks. Blackbird numbers appeared to have increased with 9 individuals seen feeding in hawthorn, possibly continental birds? Lots of fungi have emerged over the last week - not sure I can put a name to them all, but I think this one's a Blackening Wax-cap (Hygrocybe nigrescens)?