Sunday 13th March 2011

Sunday afternoon in Mote Park. Maidstone with the kids but still managed a bit of birding ;-)  At least 13x Med Gulls on the football pitches to the E of the Leisure Centre amongst the massed BH and Common Gulls - quite a gathering.  I'm sure there are more (Simon had at least 15 on Tuesday) with the constant 'yaa-yaas' that were emanating from the the lake and surrounding pitches.

One bird had a green leg ring but I didn't have my bins and despite taking some photos I still can't make out what it says - any help appreciated!  Video, click here.

Update: I heard back from Camille Duponcheel of the Med Gull Ringing Scheme who has confirmed the bird '3CU1' that was first ringed as a pullus in Zeebrugge, Belgium in June 2000.  Since then there have been 60 sightings of the bird, predominantly from Finistere, NW France in the winter and the Isle of Wight in the summer.  Must be on it's way back, in a round about sort of way - keep an eye out for it if you're visiting Bembridge this summer!   

Monday 8th March

Two Jackdaws over the potting shed on the East Malling Research site (scarce here) was a good omen of things to come.  I got out at lunchtime and off to the field that I'd seen the tractor and plough heading for first thing this morning.  I was rewarded with a massive flock of gulls, 150+ restlessly lifting and dropping along the furrows - predominantly Black-headed Gulls, with a few Common Gull scattered in for good measure.  I frantically searched for a Med, but just could keep up with them.  Glancing north I saw a white mass on the sports ground - more gulls.  I made my way, across the plots, to the sports ground, disturbing a large number of Redwings that were picking through the windbreak clippings.  Both flocks of gulls suddenly lifted before I'd got to the Sports Field and circuled en masse (and like something from a Hitchcock film) and drifted high and west, I heard a Med call, but they were now flying off towards West Malling. 

Med Gull on patch....with my trademark twig in the foreground

Well my luck was in, and they turned and slowly drifted back and down onto the lake - and there, amongst the masses, and in all their glory, were two summer-plummaged Mediterranean Gulls - lovely.  I managed some better shots than on Friday, although they didn't tolerate me getting too close.  Then without warning they were off again - off west - I wouldn't be suprised if they dropped down on Clare Park Lake or even Manor Park, West Malling.

Most of the East Malling site is PRIVATE LAND, although the gull flock on the ploughed field can be viewed from the public footpath that runs from East Malling Church to Ditton Church.   

For comparison to Black-headed Gull (Med Gull on the left, BH Gull just moulting into sum plum on right)

Friday 5th March

Nice crisp morning and pleased to add Coal Tit to my 'walk in' year list - fliiting around the trees bordering the North Pole allotments, Barming.  3x Great spotted Woodpeckers, chasing each around the treetops by the Water Tower, making a hell of a racket!  At lunchtime I added another 2 Coal Tits to the day list, this time by the footpath crossing the railway just east of East Malling railway station.  Also a few pairs (not parties) of Long-tailed Tits.  Fieldfares are still hanging around, with 25 seen on the orchard floor with a single Redwing. 

I headed off to Bradbourne, passing the South Park plot on the Research Station which was being ploughed.  A few Black-headed and Common Gulls followed the plough, but a larger flock sat out in the adjacent field, 80-90 Black-headed Gull and....a Mediterranean Gull....yeh hey, at last, about bloody time!

6th gull from the left - OK he's looking away - but nice, darkest black hood, all the way down the neck (compare to Black-headed gull above it, with brown-dull black hood) and nice red legs.  No black on wing tips, and if you could see his face, nice big red bill and white eye surrond.

A smart adult, almost in full summer plummage, and only the third record for site.  Unfortunately it was a fair few metres away across the open field and I couldn't get close enough to get a good picture......as ever!  Visit Tony Morris' St Margaret's Blog to see how it should be done (http://stmargaretsphotodiary.blogspot.com/2010/02/looking-at-page-of-bockhills-latest.html)! 

This time 11th from the left, almost in the centre.  Nice dark hood again, and if blow pic up can even see a red bill!

I moved closer an old plane growled over sending them all up in the air, ironically I got a better pic of that the gull (come on Twisden, what is it?  Harvard?  Grumman?).  This flock of gulls is viewable from the public footpath that runs north, along the research station road, from East Malling Church to Ditton Church.

I zipped down to the lake to see if the Med had dropped in there, but was met with just 25+ Black-headed Gulls, and another new bird for site for the year - a Mistle Thrush! 

Also I've heard from Dave Walker in Barming who was kind enought to send me a photo of one of three Harris Hawks that are frequenting the west Barming area.  He's seeing them on an almost daily basis - so if you see a large raptor floating over the A26, it could well be one of these!  Thanks Dave.

Friday 10th July

A busy day at work, so no butterflies or hirundines today. Back home and refreshed by a beer I wandered around the garden contemplating what a lot of work needed to be done! A gull call made me look up, adult Med Gull flapping overhead heading NW - well that was nice, and unexpected! They seem to be everywhere in NW Kent at the moment, breeding like buggery on those unhabitated islands in the Medway/Thames estuary no doubt. Watching the gull fly away the Starlings and Collared Doves on the chimneys and TV aerials caught my eye, this how birding used to be in surburban Birmingham! No Med Gulls up there or Hawfinches on the tiles at Christmas! Then I heard a thin, high-pitched 'tsee' - occasionally Pied Wagtails run the ridge tiles, but this was different. Scanning the roof I was delighted, no, well-chuffed to see the head and thin bill of a Spotted Flycatcher poking over the roof (just right of the chimney - blends in well eh!).

I'd been searching out one of these fantastic little birds for the last 2 months and drew a blank at all the usual haunts. This bird had come to me, an added bonus to my 'ridge tile' and 'garden' list (though still savouring the pair of Black Redstart that head my 'work ridge tile' list!). It performed wonderfully, sallying from roof to branch to fence to runner bean pole over and over again. Overhead a group Swifts and House Martins efficiently cleaned up what the flycatcher had missed.

Monday 1st June

A Peregrine was mobbed by seagulls, that included at least one adult Mediterranean Gull, over the eastern end of the East Malling Research Station site at 17:00 today. It stooped over the area of Hermitage Lane Quarry to avoid the attack. Haymaking was much in progress near Kiln Barn Farm, Ditton and attracted 5x Lesser Black-backed Gulls. It was also reassuring to see a pair of House Martins nest building on Kiln Barn Cottages, Ditton (but none on the research station site for the first time oin 12 years!) and a couple of Swallows flight up South Street, Barming this evening.

Thursday 28th May

Two Mediterranian and one Black-headed Gulls dropped down on newly ploughed land on the eastern end of East Malling Research Station. The flow of Painted Ladies continued unabated throughout the day with 42 counted in less than 30 minutes at midday.

The first Bee Orchid flowers were found open in the glasshouse area (private). A total of 14 spikes have emerged.

Saturday 14th March

In Folkestone 'trainspotting' with my lads - the last train out of Folkestone Harbour and a couple of hours playing on the Lower Leas Adventure Park and just being at the seaside...a good day out if you're 2 or 5 years old! Birds? Just a couple of Med Gulls on the street lights near Copt Point.

Wednesday 25th February

I've rather neglected the blog the last few weeks - a combination of not getting the chance to get out very often (apart from a Dungeness dash to see the splendid King Eider - record shot at the end of this post) and there being little about-Fieldfare numbers have dropped dramatically in the last week.

This morning started with a Song Thrush and Skylark singing. I was keen to walk over to the newly-ploughed field at the back of mine; the field sandwiched between the A26 and St Margaret's Church, East Barming. Yesterday I'd seen a flock of 30+ gulls following the plough and was sure that a Med Gull might be in there, especially with recent reports from Mote Park and Halling. Unfortunately I was taking my eldest lad to a swimming lesson and by the time I got back it was dark. This morning was my chance. What did I turn up - a single Black-headed Gull...that was it! With a bit of time to kill I explored the trees in the churchyard in the hope I couldn't turn up a Firecrest.....they seem to be on everyone else's patches at the moment, but not mine it transpired.

At lunchtime I hunted out a Woodcock, another species missing off my patch list, despite being seen in East Malling in the last 2 months and about everwhere else according to the current thread on KOSnet. I trampled through the only bit of suitable woodland on the East Malling Research site with no avail. Resigned to the fact that it was just going to be one of those days I headed back to the office. Ross called before I got back - he'd found a Mediterranean Gull with a flock of Black-headed Gulls on the playing fields opposite Bradbourne House. Strange that I'd gone out looking specifically for one this morning! What a fantastic bird, summer-plummaged (the photo doesn't do it justice as ever) - they always remind me of a 'Disney' gull, very cartoon-like, but maybe that's just me?! Eventually it took flight west, probably towards Blacklands Pool on the edge of East Malling village. Ross confirmed this was the first grounded sighting of this species on the Research Station site (although John Clements had had a flighover a few years ago).

I wonder if it was the same bird Ken (http://disabledbirderofhalling.blogspot.com/) had seen on the Medway in Halling yesterday?

For the record:

Just about recognisable as a King Eider I think - shame it did eyes left as I pressed down the shutter release. All the other photos were of waves. To have one of these lovelies turn up on Bradbourne Lake!