Sunday 31st October

I've been paying special attention to Starling flocks of late, partly as a result of scanning for Rose-coloured individuals (well sandy-coloured individuals) on my recent holiday to Cornwall, but also because they might materialise into Waxwings, especially after this weeks countrywide influx.  So a quick sortie out from Barming to East Farleigh Bridge and back had me scanning and checking every Starlings.  To be honest there wasn't all that about to check out - no winter thrushes in the South Street orchards and only a few Goldcrests calling from the Court Lodge Yews (South Street) and Rectory Lane Holm Oaks. However my diligence eventually paid off, not in the form of a Rosie or even a Waxwing but with three leucistic (albino) starlings.  Albinism in birds is a rare occurrence, wikipedia citing the probability at 1 in 1800, but I had three albinos sitting on the wires above the orchard just east of Farleigh Lane/Rectory Lane junction amongst a flock of just 38 normal birds - what's the chances of that!  Perhaps I ought to start doing the lottery again ;-)  I managed a few poor shots (compact held against the eyepiece of my 8x 42 bins) but I think it shows what needs to be shown!

The trouble is with the breeding statistics you can never be 100%  certain what the resultant progeny will turn out like - check out my second offspring below:

Saturday 6th March

Only sighting today was the two leucistic (albino) Starlings, in flight over the Beverley Road/Abingdon Road junction this afternoon.  I'd love to get a pic of the both of them!

Tuesday 23rd February

Wow wee - 3 (three) Song Thrushes in the garden this morning - small sand all that, but I was pleased when one returned in December, and the last time I think I can remember seeing more than 2 in my garden was probably 1984, so a big event for me!  There seem to be good numbers around at the moment, let's hope they stop and breed successfully (if the cats don't get them).  Got a snap of two of them above.

I tried something different at lunchtime today, and instead of turning left at the research station gate I went left.  A 40-minute jaunt took me off under the railway and then parallel with it and back to East Malling church.  Despite the looming rain there seemed to be plenty of things on the move.  Seven Blackbirds, 3 Song Thrushes and a Green Woodpecker all hopped around a field just SE of the railway bridge.  A GS Woodpecker did a undulating fly-over one of the gardens at Kiln Barn Cottages.  All the usual suspects were seen including good numbers of Blue Tits, however the best find was a murmaration of 500+ Starlings feed voraciously in the paddocks near Paris Farm.  Fieldfares and Redwings were mixed in with them, but it seems like quite a roost has built up here. 

Thursday 10th December

Before work I managed a quick walk along the footpath from South Street across to Rectory Lane, Barming and up Glebe Lane and back to South Street. I was immediately taken by the numbers of Fieldfares - in the orchards alongside Rectory Lane I reckon there 500+, with Redwing, Goldfinches and Chaffinches (150+) amongst them (but again no Brambling!). There was also a large murmuration of Starlings, c250 individuals which to my great suprise contained TWO albinos! I've never seen a single albino Starling, let alone two!

Later I made my regular lunchtime visit to Ditton Quarry, as well as all the usual suspects I was pleased to relocate a small flock of Redpolls (x6). One individual immediately caught my eye, it looked paler than the other birds, and seemed to be lacking any of the 'buffish' colouration that the other birds were-could it be a Mealy? Coincidentally it was in the same Alder I had a Mealy last year, but I struggled to get to grips with this bird, and try as I might to get a view of it's rump it just wouldn't play ball. I managed some snaps before the flock got spooked by a Jay (of all things!) and flew off high south. I've posted loads of pics - any ideas?

Tuesday 6th October

The rain, long awaited, really set in today. Puddles started to appear where last week there had been dust bowls. A 30 minute walk around the Research land, East Malling proved pretty barren. The rain-beaded apples added a bit of colour to the gloom.
A Kestrel hung in the air over it's patch near the Great East Hostel (adjacent to the public footpath from the Church), a bounding charm of Goldfinches moved restlessly around the grassed area near the main buildings. A pair of Linnets were new for the month. Four Swallows zipping low and fast south and a fresh Comma were unexpected finds.

The highlight of the day for me though was the increasing roost of Starlings on site - 500+ minimum and weighing down the wires across the plots.