June 26th (Brookland lake)

Common Scoter

Drake Common Scoter on Brookland lake (9:am),it looks settled.

Common Scoter

June 24th (New Hythe)

Linnet (male)

I walked out to the Sunken marsh and river this morning.Birds of note I saw - (1) Oystercatcher and (11) Grey Herons along the river,a calling Cuckoo and (2) Turtle Doves in the Sunken marsh and a pair of Linnets in the bushes which run along the northern edge of Brookland lake.

June 23rd (Halling Common)

Little Egret and Grey Heron

A visit to Ken`s patch at Halling this morning produced only thirty species,which was probably not that surprising in the windy conditions.Birds of note I saw - (3) Oystercatchers,(2) Skylark,(2) Shelduck,(2) Linnet and (1) Little Egret.Still no sightings of Yellow Bunting for the second year running.

This ghostly impression was found on a neighbour`s window ( it looks like an Owl,probably a Tawny).The dusty print was left by the birds powder made of keratin,in the birds feathers.

June 18th (Dungeness)

Common Buzzard

I went to Dungeness today with Bob Bland and Jeff Wynn.We approached via Walland Marsh,seeing on the way (2) Common Buzzards,(4) Linnets and singles of Marsh Harrier and Common Kestral.We saw not one Corn Bunting,a sure sign of changing farming practices.

Common Tern

On reaching Dungeness,we met up with Trevor Maynard in the ARC car Park and then made straight for the sea.Although we saw,Common Terns,Sandwich Terns,Gannets,one Curlew and one Grey Heron which came in off the sea,there was no sign of the hoped for Roseate Terns.

Marsh Harrier (male)

We had our lunch at the view point overlooking the reed beds at Dengmarsh.Birds of note that were saw on the reserve were - Wigeon (1 male),Bittern (1) Bearded Tit (2),Marsh Harrier (3),Hobby (8) and no less than (4) Ravens,which were more than likely a family party.

Hobby

Ravens

Bittern

OWL FEAST

Little Owl

At 9:15 pm,a soft call from one of the parent birds saw the youngsters come running out of the nesting hole for their first feed of the evening.

A short harsh call would send the youngsters scuttling back into the hole.

The nesting site is in a hole between the roots of a tree on a bank.

Six more feeds followed between 9:15pm and 10:20 pm,after which I called it a night.

June 10th (New Hythe)

A nice bright day,with no wind.
I had a look at the river and Sunken marsh this morning,the main players that I saw were - (2) Shelduck and (1) Oystercatcher along the river,a male and female Cuckoo in the area of the Sunken marsh and a Pied Wagtail collecting food near to Brookland lake.