Wednesday 22nd December 2010

View from Barming Bridge towards East Farleigh

A very quick sortie down the River Medway, Barming this morning as I knew I wouldn't be able to get out at lunchtime - that would be spent in The Rising Sun for the East Malling Research Running Club Prize Giving (don't ask......I came third after leading the Grand Prix until November!).

Tufties - a rare River tick

There was no frost and much of the snow and ice of the last week had started to thaw but it was a dull, foggy morning.  First birds up were 2x Tufted Ducks (a rarity for the river), then 3x Cormorants overhead followed by a flotilla of Canada Geese that also contained one Greylag and a Greylag x Canada hybrid.

Canada and Greylag x Canada hybrid Geese

One Snipe was flushed from 'Snipe Marsh' but I picked up the trail of what I presumed was a Woodcock.  It meandered all over the snow, down into ditches and back up again with disturbed snow where presumably it had been feeding based on the 'probe' holes in the snow.  I followed the tracks to a small copse and up flushed a Woodcock - too quick for a photo - that flew low over the railway in dropped into the field SE of St Margaret's Church.  I felt like a right Davy Crocket (I'm sure that's prison slang for something?!)!

Signs of Woodcock - plenty of holes where it's been probing!

On the way through Bradbourne to the pub at lunchtime a lone Lapwing lifted up from in front of the house and the massed ranks of Grey Geese on the opposite bank of the lake had me wondering if a White-front wasn't with them?

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.

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!

Saturday 4th December

Another quick sortie down the River Medway west of Barming Bridge at first light.  A bleak scene if I ever I saw one (well perhaps not as bleak as Sheppey has been!) , but at least it wasn't as cold as a few days ago.

I was rewarded with 5x Snipe, 4x Lapwing, Sparrowhawk, Chaffinches and Redwings and masses of Pheasants in the old orchard on the West Farleigh side of the river....oh a couple of diesel engines, the first movement on the railway line 3 days!

Masses of Goldfinches on the teasels on the last stretch home - unfortunately only remained when I took the picture!

Then I enjoyed the last of the snow before the big thaw set in - it's amazing what you can do with a couple of ice-cream tubs and a wallpaper scraper!

Friday 3rd December 2010

An early morning visit down to the River Medway in Barming turned up 10x Snipe, a Lapwing and Grey Wagtail crouched down in one the streams that ran down to the river just west of Barming Bridge.  A Cormorant fished on the river and a male Sparrowhawk sitting in a tree next to the railway bridge at the bottom of South Street eyed up the Blackbirds and Song Thrushes (x3) that were flitting back and forth on the road.

Back to work today after spending an enforced day sledging with the kids!  The snow had really collected in Oaken Wood, 16" or so, which made it hard work to walk in but had left lots of tell tale signs of what had been around.  It was absolutely silent - not a bird to be seen, no Redpolls, no Bullfinches, nothing.  By Kiln Barn Farm Barn a couple of Pied Wagtails and Chaffinches fed around the hay that had been left out for the cattle, and with 2x tolerant Robins....a tolerant, non-territorial Robin - things must be getting desperate!

At lunchtime I checked out the orchards on the East Malling Research site.  Plenty of Woodpigeons, Chaffinches, Starlings, Blackbirds and Fieldfares but not in numbers I'd expect in such harsh conditions. The churchyard held high numbers of Redwings feeding in the Yews and Goldcrests were heard calling.

I then met a couple scanning the genebank at the church and asked if they'd seen anything of interest.  They told me that there was a big flock of what they thought were Chaffinches feeding to the west of the road to Park Farm.  Hoping for a Brambling amongst the flock I set off and quickly located the birds they had told me about feeding in a weedy plot to the west of the road.

There were a number of Chaffinches (20+), but also a few Goldfinch (5+) and lots of Linnets, probably 60-70 birds.  However, alongside the plot and on the road were a collection of birds I didn't instantly recognise, but one of the birds took the air and sang....Skylarks!  I'm not sure if it was because they were away from their usual habitat or just the sheer number of them, 52+ but I was completely thrown out!

Some of the large exaltation of Skylarks feeding on one of the Research station roads (click to enlarge)

Walking alongside the fence, checking the finches I noticed what I thought was the back of a hen Pheasant crouching in the weeds, I walked closer and up flew a Woodcock!  It flew silently (apart from it's wing beats) across the plot and round the back of me towards the Bullock Yard.  At last - I'd heard a few reports of one on site, I was just glad to connect with one at last!  Suddenly a Sparrowhawk glided low from the east and put everything up in the air, and had me wondering if it was me or the Sparrowhawk that had flushed the Woodcock.

Sparrowhawk spooking Skylarks

I carried on towards Bradbourne House, skirting the stream to check for Snipe...and bingo, a Snipe took flight from the edge of the waterfall pool - a species needed for the East Malling Tetrad (BTO Winter Atlas).  I thought today would be the day with so many Snipe being reported from around the county.  Bradbourne Lake had the usual Coots, Moorhens, Canada Geese and Black-headed Gulls as well as a pair of Gadwall, an infrequent visitor to the patch.  The last part of the patch was to check near the bridge to the Pavillion at Bradbourne where I expected a Grey Wagtail or even another Snipe, but was extremely surprised to flush another Woodcock sitting out near a Yew at the side of the bridge - this one shot across the boundary wall, over New Road and towards the Clare Park Estate.

The day was just getting better, but was topped off by a Lapwing drinking from a puddle in the Bradbourne House car park, an occasional flyover species but quite rare on the deck.  What a day!

Sunday 25th July 2010

A Hedgehog returned to the garden last night and 5+ Silver Y moths were caught feeding in the security light that beamed on to the Verbena bonarensis.  I seem to be seeing these everywhere, along with Red Admirals, definetly a recent influx.

I visited Wouldham briefly this morning to see if I couldn't catch up with one or more of the seals that have been hauling themselves out on to the mud at low tide.  There was evidence they'd be there (I later learnt 2 had slipped into the water at 08:00, an hour before I arrived), but I was content with 2x Turtle Dove, 3x Common Sandpiper, 1x Little Egret, 10+ Lapwing.

Back at home in Barming I was suprised to find a Whitethroat in my lean-to!  A first for both my house list and after I had eventually captured it, for my garden list!

Later in the afternoon I visited Igtham Mote with my parents - a Lancaster Bomber overhead, a very worn White Admiral and a Pied Wagtail visiting a nest high up in the main building. 

The lanes back to my parents cottage near Chart Sutton were alive with House Sparrows, Linnets and Yellowhammers and returning along the same lane near Church Hill, Boughton Monchelsea at dusk I was pleased to have a Barn Owl flying ahead of me.

Friday 15th January

The big thaw has set in and much of the snow from Wednesday and before was thawing quickly. The Redpolls in South Street didn't show this morning - the thaw probably opening up other feeding opportunities. However a Pied Wagtail flew from the roof of The Bull pub, the first I'd seen in Barming since November! A dead Blue Tit was found by the water tower off North Street, it was still warm, not sure if it had finally succumbed to the cold? Some snow remained along the path by Gallagher's gallop and I was uprised to see Badger tracks - they're often evident on the research land but I never seen any signs of Badger on this part of the patch. Nice find, nothing else out of the ordinary on the way in. Later my boss told me he'd had 20+ Lapwing in a field near Bradbourne House and a couple of Yellowhammers (which ahve been noticeable by their abscence this winter).

Friday 18th December

I didn't even attempt to get into work this morning after struggling to get home from East Malling at 23:00 last night. Barming was plastered with 4.5 - 6 inches of snow and Barming School was closed (one of 1,500 around the country). I started the day looking for the 'Mealy' Redpoll at the top of South Street, Barming again this morning, no sign, but all attention was soon turned to the nearby A26 which had come to a standstill - rush hour as you rarely see it!

Two skiers and three snowboarders past me as I walked down the main road towards Maidstone. As one might have expected lots of birds were seeking out any food they could find; 3x Dunnocks pecked at the snow-laden flower beds and feeders in the garden and House Sparrows followed my every move through the kitchen window as I tucked into my morning toast.

The day was spent sledging, snow ball fighting and snow man building. I visited the church and then orchards in Barming; masses of Fieldfares, Redwings, Chaffinches, small flocks of Goldfinches, 4x Skylark over South Street, vibrant Green Woodpeckers, Sparrowhawk and best of all a flock of +40 Lapwings over east.

Thursday 5th February

Out at lunchtime with Mike Easterbrook looking for Waxwings, but despite visiting all the usual haunts we didn't manage to find any. The churchyard had farm workers in all morning, thinning the apples, which may have kept them away. The earlier rain had dissolved most of the snow and there was a noticeable decline in the numbers of winter thrushes feeding around the base of the trees. The only birds of note in the churchyard orchard were a single Brambling, Green Woodpecker and Goldcrest.

Checking a few other locations potential Waxwing sites in the village yielded nothing, so we returned to work via Bradbourne House which still had a picturesque covering of snow. The Barnacle Goose was feeding on the lawn with the gaggle of Canada Geese. The Tawny Owl slept soundly in it's usual tree and a raft of new ducks were discovered on the lake; 2x Gadwall (drakes), 5x Tufted Duck (3 drakes) and a female Pochard - the latter two being new site ticks for me. A couple of Little Grebe drifted around the fringes and a Grey Heron perched high in one of the surronding willows. Just as we entered the car park near the main labs a couple of Lapwings rowed past heading east.