Tuesday, 30 October 2012

PAST TIMES (1994)

Leysdown (Coastal Park) October 16th,overcast,NE,drizzle by 9:am (finnish)

Birds ringed - Goldcrest 4,Linnet 1,Common Redpoll 1,Lesser Redpoll 1,Robin 4,Blackbird 3,Great Tit 3 and Pallas`s Warbler 1.

Other birds noted - Grey Partridge 15,Water Rail 1 (came down on the football pitch) Merlin 1,Redwing 6 and Fieldfare 5.

October 30th (Leysdown)

Redshank
I spent the first half of this morning ringing at Leysdown.

I saw - Goldcrest 4,Blackbird 6,Jay 5,Pheasant 1,Wood Pigeon,Magpie,Curlew,Marsh Harrier 1,Black-headed Gull,Common Gull,Starling,Carrion Crow,R L Partridge 6,Little Owl 1,Teal,Meadow Pipit 2,Linnet (40 and 100 north),Kestral 1,Sparrowhawk 1,Redwing 1,Fieldfare 3,Chaffinch 5,Dunnock 1,Great Tit 3,Robin 6,Goldfinch 8,Skylark 1,Oystercatcher,Curlew,Redshank,Sanderling 1,Turnstone,Herring Gull and Brent Goose.
Sanderling
Sanderling
Turnstone

Monday, 29 October 2012

October 29th (Reculver and Grove)


Shore Lark
Snow Bunting and Shore Lark were the target species today,so with friends I headed off to Reculver.After  were had seen both species we spent the remainder of the day at Grove.
Shore Lark
Shore Lark
While at Reculver we saw - Starling,Swallow 50,probably many more,Robin,Pied Wagtail 3,Herring Gull,House Sparrow,Black-headed Gull,Crow,Chiffchaff 1,Dunnock,Jay 2,Wood Pigeon,Chaffinch,Brent Goose,Cormorant,Great Black-backed Gull,Redshank 2,Rock Pipit,Meadow Pipit 100+,Skylark 4,Goldfinch,Common Scotor 2,Kestral,Mute Swan,Little Egret 2,Mallard,Reed Bunting,Grey Heron,Turnstone,Dunlin 1,Sanderling 1,Ringed Plover 6,Long-tailed Tit 15,Collared Dove,Redwing 1,Blue Tit,Blackbird,Linnet 50,Snow Bunting 1 and Shore Lark 2.
Snow Bunting
Snow Bunting
Teal flock from the viewing ramp (Grove)
While we were at Grove we added to the day`s total - Teal,Magpie,Sparrowhawk,Fieldfare (100s),Gadwall,Green woodpecker,Pintail 5,Pochard,,Shoveler,Coot,Lapwing,Water Rail,Wigeon,Little Grebe,Marsh Harrier 3,Bearded Tit,Stonechat 1,Moorhen,Mistle Thrush and Tufted Duck.(60) species for the day).
Teal
Marsh Harrier
Fieldfare
Lapwing

Sunday, 28 October 2012

October 28th (New Hythe)

Teal and Mallard
A better day than the forecast had suggested,it didn`t rain,although it remained cold.

During the morning I walked around the lakes and had a look at the river.Many Redwings,with smaller numbers of Fieldfare were feeding on the Hawthorn crop in the area of  the Sunken marsh,Blackbirds were very noticeable in this area also.A Water Rail called  from within the marsh and feeding on Willowherb along the edge were four Lesser Redpolls,I also saw two Goldcrests and one Kestral.

Along the river which was almost high was a handful of Teal and two Redshank.On Abbey Mead the Wigeon were still present ( 1 drake and 3 duck),but there was no sign of the Goldeneye seen earlier there during the week,although new in were ten Pochard.

Before I went home I called in at Leybourne.I wanted to see if the Goldeneye had turned up there (Trout lake),but it hadn`t.However on the main lake (Alders),I had a good count of seventy Pochard.
Wigeon
Lesser Redpoll
Pochad

Wednesday, 24 October 2012

October 24th (New Hythe)

This morning I walked through the west and east scrub.Then from there over the railway crossing for a quick look at Abbey Mead lake.The scrub area produced  about 30 Redwing,1 Green Woodpecker,1 Goldcrest and 3 Siskin (flyovers).The lake - 3 Wigeon (1 drake and 2 duck),9 Gadwall, 20+ Tufted Duck,2 Canada Geese,12 Mute Swans,8 Great Crested Grebes and 100+ Coot.

Tuesday, 16 October 2012

Saturday, 13 October 2012

House Sparrow (female)
Jeanette and I spent last week in Cornwall,near Looe.Although the weather wasn`t great,it made a nice change.
House Sparrow (male)
Chaffinch
Shag
Shag
Shag
Common Buzzard
Common Buzzard and Rooks
Common Buzzard and Rook
Common Buzzard and Rook
Blue Tit
Coal Tit

Thursday, 4 October 2012

October 4th

Nice day,calm before the storm.
This morning I went for a  walk across the fields at the back of our estate towards Birling.As I neared a small wood two Common Buzzards came up,and shortly after they were joined in the air by two more and a few minutes later by a Sparrowhawk.What a fantastic sight they made,if only I had my camera with me.Other birds of note that I saw were four Jays,one Kestral and a flock of twenty linnets.

Wednesday, 3 October 2012

October 3rd (New Hythe)

Hobby and B H Gulls
I had a quick look at the river and Sunken marsh between 1215 - 1315.
One of the first birds I saw as I came out from under the bridge was a Hobby,which was being mobbed by two Black-headed Gulls and a little later as I neared the Sunken marsh,a lone Dove sitting on the overhead wires turned out to be a Turtle ( perhaps a little late to be still in the area).Seeing as the river was high,I didn`t expect to see much,but a Redshank which flew up from the bank was the first I have seen in the area since about March.Five Stock also flew over the river from the area of Eccles island.Apart from one Cetti`s Warbler which called from deep within the marsh,the only other Warblers I came across were two Chiffchaff along the edge of Brookland Lake,which held just twenty Tufted Duck,a few Coot and two Mute Swans.

If I had walked round to the east scrub,which I usually do,I might have seen the Wryneck that Terry Laws found there.The last one that I saw in the area was over forty years ago,they were still nesting then just across the river at Eccles.