Saturday 25th December 2010

A walk down the River Medway between East Farleigh and Barming Bridges turned up a good count of ducks for this stretch of the river; 26x Tufted Ducks, 4x Pochard (3 male/1 female) and 1x Gadwall (a first for me on this stretch of water).  Thirty-one Cormorants and a Kingfisher were also seen.  However one bird stood out from the flock as it quite an extensive area of white around the base of the bill.  It lacked the greyish vermiculations I'd expect on a Scaup, but did not have a 'tuft', had a less-angled head and lacked black on it's bill.  The 'pale' area on the flanks seemed more extensive then on the neighbouring Tufted Ducks.  It probably is a Tufted but I wondered if there was any possibility it was Tufted X Scaup hybrid?

Further along the river 35x Canada Geese and the hybrid Greylag X Canada Goose were seen and a single Snipe was flushed from one of the streams.

Thursday 9th December 2010

Attending my lad's navity play at school I was amused to see a backdrop of 'robins'......American Robins!  Barming has been well and truly Americanised, what with The Redstart pub sporting an American Redstart on it's sign.

Back at work I managed another trip down to Bradbourne.  The snow was still thick on the ground, but a large flock of Canada and Greylag Geese took advantage of a  few small, exposed areas of grass under the larger trees to feed.  Otherwise much of the usual fare with the addition of  8x Gadwall, 1x Tufted Duck, 9x Lapwing, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail and a single Snipe.  

Sighting of the day though went to a Green Sandpiper in the same stream I had the Woodcock on Monday, but as you can probably tell by the poor (and only) photo it didn't hanging around!

On the track back to the labs, 7x hen Pheasants ran ahead of me - their numbers, like the wildfowl seem seem to be increasing.

Wednesday 8th December 2010

25+ Lesser Redpolls were still in the silver birches at the north end of Oaken Wood this morning, and seemed more confiding than on previous occasions - food becoming short I guess.  Also 6+ Bullfinches along Gallagher's Gallop and a couple of Goldcrests near Gallagher's Underpass - the first time I've had them here.

What should have been a short cycle to Bradbourne House, East Malling at lunchtime turned into a nightmare as I developed another puncture.  Discarding my bike in the hedge (!) I carried on on foot.  Walking through a plot of head height Miscanthus I disturbed 6x Pheasants a couple of Dunnocks and probably a few rodents telling by the speed at which a Kestrel appeared from nowhere!  20+ Linnets were still feeding on the weedy area alongside the track to Park Farm. 

At Bradbourne Lake I noted a single Pochard, but not the nasal ringed bird, 1x Tufted Duck (not regular here) and 10x Gadwall (a high count for this site). 

A GS Woodpecker, Mistle Thrush, 2x Greenfinch and a Jay all added some interest along the tree line.  Mike Easterbrook was spotted on the other side of the lake and inadvertently flushed a couple of Lapwing my way - they settled down on the pavillion field with three others amongst a flock of Black-headed and Common Gull (x10).  Three Snipe took flight as we walked towards the stream.  Walking back along the norethern edge of the lake, and meeting Sue, we picked out 4x Little Grebe and Grey Wagtail and had the briefest of views of a Sparrowhawk speeding low through the trees.

Tuesday 7th December 2010

Another cold day, with the snow cover persisting but at least the fog had lifted.  Back down to Bradbourne at lunchtime (with newly repaired bike).

The Woodcock was a no show, but a couple of Pochards remained, including the bird with the 'nasal band'.  Thanks to all those who have contacted me about these tags - it seems this bird could well have been tagged in France or Portugal, further investigations should tell.  I managed to get a closer look and could make out the character 'J4' which should help give me some history.

A pair of Gadwall were also present, along with 11x Common Gulls.  Walking around the lake I flushed out 2x Snipe and a Grey Heron and located 8x Lapwings with a flock of 60+ Canada Geese.  One of the flushed Snipe, sped off zig-zagging and 'squelching' in the overacting they way they do, and sped high over John Clements house in Ditton and all the way back again before dropping in amongst the geese and Lapwings!  A couple of the Lapwings then lifted off and joined the gulls - all very cliquey!

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.