Tuesday 28th February 2012

Glad to have caught up with the Hooded Merganser, just 20 minutes off patch at East Peckham, late this afternoon after missing out a couple of weekends ago.  Both my lads were in tow, having picked them up straight from school, and it cost be a couple of quid in sweets to entice them along - but once there they seemed quite interested.  I can feel a few trips coming on!

Sunday 26th February 2012

A short visit this morning to nearby Wateringbury to check out a report of a possible Red-necked Grebe.  This bird couldn't be found, but 2x Little Grebe, 2x Green Sandpiper, 4x Greylag Geese and a Kingfisher were all seen on a newly scrapped out fishing pool between the Millpond and Old Road.  The three former species all new for the Wateringbury Tetrad so a useful visit!

Friday 24th February 2012

Needing some fresh air to combat my jet-lag I followed a tip off that the Great White Egret was still present in nearby East Peckham.  I was lucky as well as seeing the Great White Egret (distantly) with 3x Little Egrets and a Grey Heron, I also saw a drake Smew, 2x Treecreeper, 8x Lapwing, 1x Grey Wagtail.  Not bad for an hour's stroll!  On the way home I also find a Mediterranean Gull and 6x Stock Dove amongst 190+ Black-headed Gulls that were following the plough N of Teston Corner - both new species for the West Farleigh/Teston tetrad.

16-23rd February 2012

My recent trip to China yielded a massive 11 species!  Well it was a business trip, and I only managed to get out for pre-dawn sorties around the conference centre on the outskirts of Beijing!  It was about -5.C most days with smog, so it was hardly surprising I didn't manage more!  The list:

Tree Sparrow
Magpie
Azure-winged Magpie
Carrion Crow
Chinese Grosbeak
Oriental Greenfinch
Little Grebe
Kingfisher
Green Sandpiper
Water Pipit
Hoopoe

A partially-iced up, rubbish strewn river near the conference centre proved the most productive area, with up to 8x Green Sandpipers, 2x Water Pipits and fly-by Hoopoe (!) being the highlights.

Unfortunately the only other wildlife I saw was on the end of skewers outside food stalls in the centre of Beijing!

Wednesday 15th February 2012

 Usual time, usual place - the White-fronted Goose was refound with the Greylag Geese on the research station, a hybrid Canada x Greylag also stood out like a sore thumb.

A new addition was a drake Shoveler with 3x Teal (2 drakes) providing a supporting cast.  Loads (50+) of Common Gulls have come in over the last two days to the freshly thawed out fields.  Fieldfares were also numerous around the site.

Off to China tomorrow with work - looking forward to hearing about the Hooded Merganser touching down in East Malling/New Hythe in my absence!

Monday 13th February 2012

Just 20 minutes over lunch and just enough time to see if anything had dropped in on the East Malling site during the big freeze up.  The Greylag flock were picking waddled through one of the apple orchards, but I couldn't find the White-front amongst them. At Bradbourne Lake (private site) a couple of drake Teal and two pairs of Gadwall were on the lake, and amongst the Black-headed Gull flock was a Mediterranean Gull.

However top billing went to a small, inconspicuous, mouse-like bird that I've waited for over 12 years to find on the research site (unbelievable I know, but  it's not through lack of trying!) - a Treecreeper.  There are areas of habitat on parts of the site that are perfect for Treecreeper, and I've seen one (once!) in East Malling village, but for some reason this species has always eluded me. I managed a quick snap, up to the usual standard!

Sunday 12th February 2012

An early start down the River Medway to try and relocate yesterday's redhead Smew.  I was in luck as I located two!  They were with a raft of Tufted Ducks just west of the last pontoons in East Farleigh and eventually drifted as far as Barming Bridge.  Nice to have a couple of Smew at the bottom of the road!

I cycled on towards Tovil hoping to connect with the redhead Goosander I'd also seen yesterday - but instead, and in heavy snow I found 10 (ten) Goosanders on the river just east of Farleigh lock.  They took to the air as soon as I braked (squeaky brakes!!), circled up and back on themselves before flying strongly west above the river.  I returned to Barming hoping to find them on the river but I never relocated them.  What a morning!  In addition I had a Snipe just west of Barming Bridge on one of the brooks that runs down to the river, and a sorry looking Green Woodpecker, futilely stabbing at the frozen earth with its beak.

With the heavy snow it was less 'water of a duck's back' but 'snow on a goose's back'!