April 29th (New Hythe)

 A few days after two Greenshank were seen along river(18th),four were seen (record number).

Two flocks of Whimbrel past over NE,at about the same time.

There are now at least twenty singing Nightingales in the Park and ten east of the railway.

Photo - Garden Warbler Cetti`s Warbler fields between Snodland and Paddlesworth (usually ploughed in,this year killed off,Skylarks were nesting in the fields) Nightingale.

  

April 16th and 18th (New Hythe)

A White Stork flew over south on the 17th and on the 18th,1 Red Kite was seen and along the river 1 L R Plover  2 Greenshank  1 oystercatcher and 1 Common Seal were present.

   

April 13th (New Hythe)

 Mild,light overcast, light SW.

On average at New Hythe,the first few Nightingales can be expected by April 4th and the bulk of the population by the 14th.This year however,I did not record my first birds until this morning,when they appeared on mass,twelve in all.The predominant northerly winds up until recently holding them up further south. 

This morning,I also saw my first Reed Warbler and  Common Whitethroat.

BLOODY CATS

Over the past few days,the wife and I have been watching a pair of Blackbirds busy feeding small young in our garden.The nest is only four feet away from a Bobin`s nest,also with young.Every now and again we had been chasing a cat away.This evening we noticed the Blackbirds had stopped taken food to the nest.I walked up to the nest to see what had happened and found the female dead on the ground with feathers all around.Will the Robins be next.

Why people have cats,I will never know.All they do is roam around in others peoples gardens crapping and killing.

Photos - Cetti`s Warbler,Nightingale,Whitethroat and Reed Warbler.

April 10th (New Hythe)

On the 3rd,a Garganey was found on Abbey Meads,along with a Black Redstart at the northern end of Brookland lake.On the 7th,a Willow Warbler was heard and on the 8th,3 L R Plovers,3 Oystercatchers,10 Teal and 1 Green Sandpiper were present along the river.A flock of 10 Greenfinch, was a good count for recent years.

Photos - Cetti`s Warbler,Chiffchaff and Linnet.

A walk around on the 10th,still failed to locate any Nightingales.Hopefully birds will be back by Monday or Tuesday,with a forecast,change in the wind direction south.

March 31st (Dungeness) and April 6th (Sevenoaks wildfowl reserve)

 Dungeness - cold,some snow.

Pintail Garganey Glossy Ibis (Dungeness)

LR Plover Egyptian Goose Sparrowhawks male and female,Oystercatcher,young Herons and Dunnock,Sevenoaks 

male Sparrowhawk far left and female far right.This was the first time any of us had seen a male and female Spsrrowhawk together.We must have watched them for at least ten minutes or more,just above us.The female was very interested in the male and kept flying around and then perching close by.(observers,Bob Bland,Jeof Winn,Jeff Vine and myself. .