Tuesday 16th November 2010

Tetrad TR51I (Aylesford and British Legion Village)

A hard frost in Barming this morning, but I missed out on my usual ride into work as I had to drop my car off for repairs on the Quarrywood Estate, Aylesford.  I unloaded my bike from the car and rode the short distance along the footpaths from Aylesford to East Malling.  As soon as I left the industrial estate in Aylesford I heard, then saw, 3x Jackdaws on the newly ploughed opposite Calves Leys Cottage.  This was quickly followed by a Bullfinch that darted in front of me and ducked into the adjacent hedgerow.  This got me thinking whether either of these species had featured in the winter records form the BTO Atlas?  This is the final winter for Atlas work and Tim Hodge recently posted an excellent summary of the 'species richness' for each tetrad in Kent on the KOS website.  So when I got a break at work I quickly checked if either of these species were needed for TQ51I (Aylesford & British Legion Village)....and they were!  With this in mind I got back on my bike at lunchtime and went off patch, well 5 minutes east to see what I could find.  By the end of the hour I'd filled in six gaps; Stock Dove (x2), Grey Heron (x1 sitting in a stubble field), Pheasant, Little Grebe (2x on a small pool next to BHS!), Linnet and Skylark (37+ and 6 respectively in the same stubble field as the Heron).  Others seen but already on the list were Jay (x5), Goldcrest (x2), Woodpigeon (+160), Carrion Crow (+45), Common Gull (x3), Black-headed Gull (x23) and low numbers of Blue, Great and Long-tailed Tit.  A very satisfying hour and a chance to discover some new places and habitats close-by.  I know I can probably add a few more species; LBB Gull has got to be a cert on the warehouse roofs, a small grove of Holm Oaks and Scots Pine should turn up a Coal Tit (possibly overwintering Chiffies or even a Firecrest?) and Yellowhammer or Meadow Pipit have got to be in or around the stubble field.  This nut platt was a nice find, though not sure what potential it has bird wise?

To top it all off, a work colleague told me he had a Woodcock feeding on the grassy area adjacent the research car park at 18:30 last night as he left work - he described it perfectly-and one I still need for then patch!

Finally, with the sun shining I wasn't too surprised to see a butterfly flitting around outside the office window - a Red Admiral that had tucked itself somewhere warm to avoid last night's heavy frost. 

Monday 16th December

Another blowy day, leaves everywhere but most trees still standing. Fieldfare numbers have increased over the weekend on the research station (East Malling) with an estimated 80+ in the orchards, still not particularly high compared to previous years. I checked out the dormice boxes, no evidence of any, but a Great Tit nest with a lone, long-forgotten egg still in place!

Three Pheasants crept around the orchards, strangely when I toured Kent last week and got 80+ species in a day I failed to find a single Pheasant - typical!

Friday 31st July

Running the East Malling Research Running Club's relay at lunchtime I was sure I heard the bisyllabic call of a Quail! It was only heard once, from a stunted cereal field next to weedy area, as I sped past. I had someone of my heels so didn't stop! I racked up a reasonable 6:37 mile and returned to spot latter in the day. Nothing heard or seen, except a hen Pheasant. Intriguing. Kent's had a good year for Quails, but late-July in the midday sun - mmmmm?!

My earlier disappointment was soon to be forgotten. I sat out in the orchards between South Street and Rectory Lane, Barming early this evening, hoping for a Spotted Flycatcher (my garden bird has been absent for 10 days now). A couple of Swallows dipped low over the burgeoning 'Discovery' trees and then a small bird took flight from a pair of old, knarled apple trees. It's deep undulating flight, black-and-white colouration with a dash of red on the head meant it could only be a Spotted Woodpecker. It's very small size, and the deep troughs it dipped into in flight, made me instantly think Lesser. Fortunately it alighed into the uppermost branches of a large willow on the bank of the River Medway not to far from where I was sitting. I had excellent views of the white-barring on its back and small red cap as it swivelled around the branches and flitted amongst the treetop. By far the best views of had of Lesser-spotted Woodpecker, and my first for this patch (although I've heard reports of them further upstream).

Saturday 28th March

Back into work today - yep I know it's a weekend but we haven't managed to breed a line that flowers 5 days then stpos fot two! I walked from East Malling village across the Research Station land to the glasshouses complex. It was very cold with squally showers and so I shouldn't have been suprised to see 32 Fieldfares and 7 Redwings flying over the churchyard orchard. Not too far from here people are seeing Swallows!

I had to return again later in the day so I paid a quick visit to Ditton Quarry around 16:00 to check out the Redpoll situation. Five Lesser Black-backed Gulls dipped in and out of the sky and a Song Thrush sang from the shrubbery. Being careful, after Tuesdays mistake (!), I located a flock of 8+ Redpoll feeding on the ground near the alder trees in the SW corner of the site. Bingo - I quickly picked out a Mealy Redpoll amongst them, instantly recognisable by it's more 'washed-out' appearance and bulkier, larger size. I attempted some photos but the flock were very flighty, often taking cover in a nearby willow, and not tolerant of me approaching too close. After watching them for a good 10 minutes or so they took flight as a Kestrel loomed overhead.
After pollinating, and with more rain clouds looming, I scanned across the nearby ploughed area next to the new experimental Pear Orchard. I was hoping for something out of the ordinary -but a cock Pheasant with a harem of four hens was all I was rewarded with. For some reason the male Pheasant kept lying low in the mud, not for my benefit I'm sure. Driving back to Barming I saw more hen Pheasants and 8+ BH Gulls in the field adjacent to St Margaret's Church.

From this......

...to this. What was he up to?!