Friday 5th May 2011

Two Wheatears, including a fine male, in the Sweets Lane paddocks, East Malling this morning.

Wednesday 4th May 2011

The Ring Ouzel was still present (distantly) in the Paris Farm Paddocks, East Malling this morning and was still being reported late in the afternoon.  Blackbirds, Pied Wagtails, Magpies and Starlings all hopped around in the same paddock and a small group of Swallows scythed along the low turf nearby.  A flyover Yellow Wagtail was also seen (per John Clements) in the afternoon and a Red Admiral was also on the wing along the footpath.

Nearby 2x Wheatears and a Little Owl were seen in the Sweets Lane this morning, with Yellowhammer, Lesser Whitethroat, Whitethroat, Skylark and Linnet all singing along Easterfields.  Gallagher's Gallop held Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Garden Warbler and Willow Warbler.  A Cuckoo was also heard calling from the Easterfields/Sweets Lane area in the morning.

A unexpected sight was the BBMF Lancaster flying directly over the research station, East Malling at midday.

Tuesday 3rd May 2011

Lots of news to catch up after from the last 3 weeks, but thanks to Ken Beckett I managed to catch up with a fine male Ring Ouzel in the Paris Farm Paddocks.  A female Wheatear was also present (per Steve Nunn) so suddenly it's all happening!  My ability to take a good photo hasn't approved during my extended break - come on you can see what it is!  An April update will be published soon.

Tuesday 31st August 2010

With so much dropping in across the county I was expecting to find something on the paddocks in Ditton/East Malling as I cycled into work. Nothing - apart from 17 Swallows on the wires by over the Sweets Lane Paddocks, 9x House Martins over the Paris Farm Paddocks and 6x Pied Wags on the Kiln Barn Farm fields. I cycled back to Oaken Woods at lunchtime to see if any butterflies were on the 'snake track' just east of Oaken Wood that was bordered by Buddeleias in full flower. Only a single Red Admiral, not sure where everything else was? Cycling back past Gallagher's Gallop and Kiln Barn Farm I was pleased to see my first Wheatear of the autumn perched on one of the fence posts - must have dropped in mid-morning, It certainly wasn't there first thing! It was still feeding happily as I cycled home at 18:00.

Friday 30th April

An early start - the kids got me up 05:15, so it seemed criminal not to go for the Iberian Chiffchaff that was residing in a wood in Walderslade only 15-20 minutes away.  So just before 06:00 I found myself standing next to Andy Appleton and another birder from Bromley listening and watching this Spanish sprite.  It was noticeably different from my local chiffies - more yellowy tinge and of course the call and song were very distinctive.  Five Swifts overhead, my first of the year, were an added bonus
.

Back in Barming I made another attempt to locate the Cuckoo that everyone apart from me seems to have heard, but no luck.  The first apple blossoms were just starting to unfurl in the orchards just east of South Street.

The cycle into work turned up a showy Garden Warbler on the east side of Oaken Wood, it's bubbling warble competing with a nearby Blackcap. A quick sortie of the paddocks round East Malling turned up my third Wheatear of the week, sitting on a telegraph wire of all places near the Paris Farm paddocks - possibly Wednesday's bird lingering?  Three Swallows were also seen to scythe across the paddock turf.

I finished the day with the briefest of views of the Hoopoe at Lenham Heath.  Good to see it, even if it was for such a short time and good to catch up with a few familiar faces!  All in all not a bad day.

Thursday 29th April

Appointments with a couple of visitors today and doing the school run curtailed my usual cycle into work.  After dropping my lad off to school I stopped by take a peek at some paddocks that lie south of Sweets Lane/Easterfields, East Malling.  The habitat looked perfect for migrants, but all I picked out was a Pied Wagtail and a couple of Linnets.  The scratchy song of a Whitehroat carried from the nearby hedgerow. 

Three Orange Tips and a possible Small Tortioseshell flitted by. Taking a final scan around the hedgerows and trees surronding the paddock I picked out a Wheatear sitting a top one of the smaller trees.  It nervously from one tree to the next but never touched down on the ground. 

Not sure if it's 'Greenlander' - didn't seem as big or orange as the bird I had on Tuesday, but still my 3rd Wheatear for the Spring so I'm not complaining!

I managed a quick trip out at lunchtime, no Wheatear but for you train buffs a King Arthur class steam loco through East Malling station as I waited to cross the line - 30777 Sir Lamiel on it's way to Canterbury

Tuesday 27th April

A wonderfully sunny day and actually warm!  I did the usual circuit/routes from Barming through Barming Woods to East Malling Research Station via the Paris Farm paddocks.  All the usual species were encountered (Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Willow Warbler, Jay) but I was pleased to find the Common Buzzard again at the northern edge of Oaken Wood.  It was sitting out on the branch of an Oak, but as I closed in to get a photo a couple of Mallards made a low, quacking pass and it took flight (what were the chances of that - I've only recorded Mallards twice before in the wood!).  Consolation was soon to follow in the shape of female Wheatear in the centre field at the southern end of Gallagher's Gallop (just SW of Kiln Barn Farm).  I noticed it because it was orange and stood out like a sore thumb in the paddock.  Although it was distant it appeared large, with a very upright stance, and just looked orange! 

It was also was peculiar in that rather than hopping or fast, jerky running this bird walked....slowly!  Very strange.  Anyway I managed some superb shots which I hoped would help me confirm if it was of the 'Greenland' race (Oenanthe oenanthe leucorhoa) or not - but they didn't quite turn out as expected (see below)!  That peachy-orange smudge on the left was the bird - you may be able to make out it's colouration and upright stance - or you might not!  Enlarging the pic by double-clicking on it might help, it definetly had an orange tone to it.

Having bagged what I thought were excellent photos I moved on, taking in the Little Owl (sorry but he's so photogenic) and Kestrel feeding on a Slow Worm. 

A pair of Linnets flew from a hedgerow as I approached Paris Farm Paddocks and a Yellowhammer fed on the dung heap. 

A Skylark sang high over head, but the paddocks once again failed to yield anymore migrants.  Crossing the railway at the east end of East Malling railway station I was pleased to hear a Chiffchaff calling and see a GS Woodpecker sticking it's head out of a nesting hole.

Out again at lunchtime in the hope of connecting with the Wheatear proved unsuccessful, although a couple more Yellowhammers were seen and good numbers of Peacock butterflies, along with singles of Green-veined White, Orange Tip, Speckled Wood and Large White were seen.

While working out in my strawberry plots this afternoon, I saw another Yellowhammer and 10x Stock Doves feeding in the strawed alleyways.

The cycle home in the dying sun was rewarded with 6x Swallows feeding voracioulsy over the Kiln Barn Farm paddock and the song of Blackcaps along the length of Gallagher's Gallop.

Thursday 27th August

All white-arses today-Wheatear, House Martins and Bullfinches! The (or another) Wheatear was still in the field behind Kiln Barn Farm cattle shed, Ditton this morning. In the opposite field Swallows, House and Sand Martins swept low over the turf and finally, a female Bullfinch shot across by path just before I reached work.

Wednesday 26th August

The 'muck' field at the top of Gallagher's Gallop, Barming was deserted as I cycled into work...not even a Wood Pigeon. I was pushed for time to free-wheeled down the bridleway intent on getting into work on time - if a migrant wouldn't be attracted to all the flies in that field then there wouldn't be one anywhere else on my journey - WRONG! A Wheatear at the bottom of the hill brought me to a screeching halt. There it was, pumping it's tail, all brimming with confidence and in the exact spot I got them last year.

10+ Swallows and 20+ House Martins swept low across the cattle field and the Little Owl was kept tucked up against the wind in the barn at Kiln Barn Farm.

Back out at lunchtime to the same spot and the Wheatear was bounding around the cattle field by Kiln Barn Farm, the Swallows and House Martins had been joined by 15+ Sand Martins.

The Wheater had moved on by the time I left work at just after 6, as had the House Martins, but the Sand Martin tally was now nearer 60+. They were hugging the tree tops at the eastern perimeter of Oaken Wood.