December 16th (BITS AND PIECES)

This period of very cold weather,which is due to end on Sunday.Has so far pulled in just one cold weather duck.an immature Goldeneye.Although the Bittern has been on show more,along with Snipe at low tide.seen from the Bucket wood.

In my garden a male Blackcap which first appeared on on the 13th,was joined by a female on the 16th,along with two Redwing and a rarity these days,a Song Thrush. 

The Bucket wood Robin is back again this winter.

Two Peregrine were seen on a pylon along with c 100 Skylark in the fields between Snodland and Paddlesworth on the 12th.

WISHING YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS

December 8th (Dungeness)

 Glossy Ibis Whooper Swans (ARC) Cattles Egrets Peregrine Green winged Teal (RSPB)

December 5th (BITS AND PIECES)

On November 30th,a Bittern was seen in flight along the Mill stream and on December 2nd a drake Goosander was seen flying north over Brookland lake.

Yesterday afternoon (4th),Glenn found a Slavonian Grebe on Abbey Meads,but a search this morning failed to locate it.Although I was compensated in some way,by a nice Peregrine on the Pylon at the edge of the Sunken Marsh.

Pochard have increased to circa seventy,with the majority being present on Alders lake (Leybourne). 

RECENT RINGING CONTROLS

Chiffchaff (3) ringed Icklesham Sussex 18 10 22 controlled  West scrub 24 10 22. 50 Km NNW 6 days.

Robin (5) ringed Northward Hill (north Kent) 30 03 21 controlled West scrub 21 11 22  20Km SSW.

The Yellowhammer was ringed on a farm in central Kent.

 

  

   

November 28th (Dungeness)

 A visit to Dungeness today with Bob Bland,Big and Little Jeff.

Our target species being Green winged Teal and Sabine`s gull.

The Green winged Teal took some finding amongst the hundreds of the commoner species.Distance and  poor light conditions didn`t help matters either (Burrows pit).

The Sabine`s gull was found only after a few minutes of watching,at the patch.

Other birds of interest seen at Dungeness were,16 Cattle egrets and two Glossy Ibis feeding in one of the pony paddocks.

On the way back we stopped at pits on the Kent and Sussex border.Hundreds of Grey lag,at least 2,000 Golden Plover and 27 Little gulls being present.On Walland marsh we came across a flock of at least 100 Fieldfare.

  

    

November 18th (CATCH UP)

November 17th 4 Wigeon,15 Pochard,8 Gadwall and circa 100 Coot were present on Abbey Meads.

November the 12th,3 G W Egrets flew north over the Sunken marsh.One was also seen in the area on October 22nd.

November the 7th,a Raven flew over Brookland lake heading east.

November the 13th,I saw my first Siskins in Alders along the Mill stream.

October 28th,was the day that 3 Firecrests were found in the area of Brookand lake.With singles still being recorded into November.

Eight Fieldfare flew west on October 24th.Most of this influx has passed on.

The first influx of Redwings occurred around October the 19th.On which day a rather late Hobby was seen hawking over the East Scrub.

Stonechat There was a small influx into New Hythe on or around October 10th (4).Later in the month and into November 2 were seen in the fields between Snodland and Paddlesworth.With a further pair found on the former Ham Hill golf course.