May 31st (Halling Common)

9.am-10.30 bright,NW,rather cool,nearing high tide.

Birds that I saw or heard this morning were 3 Shelduck,2 Mute Swans,2 Little Egret,7 Mallard,4 Cormorant,1 Kestral,50+ B H Gulls,2 Herring Gulls,4 Carrion Crows,8 Wood Pigeons,2 Collared Doves,1 Cuckoo,1 Pheasant,4 Goldfinch,3 Greenfinch,8 Linnets,3 Chaffinch,1 Dunnock,1 Wren,2 Great Tits,1 Blue Tit,10 House Martin,3 Common Swifts,60+ Starlings,20 House Sparrows,2 Common Whitethroats,3 Reed Warblers,1 Cetti`s Warbler,2 Blackcap,1 Nightingale (small wood at the northern end of the Common) 2 Grey Heron,2 Jackdaws,6 Magpies and 2 Blackbirds.

Still no sign of any Yellow Buntings.

May 30th (New Hythe)

8.00-9.30 river nearly at low tide,overcast first thing.

This morning I looked at Brookland lake,the river and Sunken marsh.

I saw or heard 4 Cetti`s Warblers,10 Reed Warblers,6 Common Whitethroats,2 Lesser Whitethroats,3 Blackcaps,2 Nightingale,2 Cuckoo (male and female) 1 Chiffchaff,3 Chaffinhch,4 Goldfinch,3 Greenfinch,2 Dunnock,2 Wrens,2 Great Tits,several families of Blue Tits,4 Cormorant,2 Mute Swans,34 B h Gulls,3 L B B Gulls,5 Herring Gulls,3 Crows,8 Wood Pigeons,1 Turtle Dove,1 Stock Dove,4 Coots,2 Moorhen,2 Mute Swans,8 Grey Herons,1 Sparrowhawk,35 Common Swifts,17 Mallard,7 Canada Geese, 1 Ostercatcher,2 Robins,2 Blackbirds,1 Reed Bunting,2 Magpie and 1 Song Thrush.

Later during the afternoon I saw one Oystercatcher flying along the Medway at Aylesford.

26th May (Reed Bunting recovery)

I received from the BTO yesterday details of a second recovery of one of my Reed Buntings I had ringed in the garden during December 2010.

L529907 (3f hatched 2010) ringed Rookery estate Snodland 28-Dec 2010.wing 77.0 mm w.t 25.6g.

controlled at Spurn B.O. Yorkshire 22 Mar-2011 wing 77 mm w.t 17.8g duration 84 days 257 Km N.

Some northern European Reed Buntings are known to spend the winter in Britain.The above bird may well be one of these and was trapped at Spurn on the east coast as it was making its way back to breed.

The recovery I received back in March was L529905 (3f) ringed Rookery estate Snodland 22-Dec 2010.

controlled at Shorne marshes Gravesend Kent 29-Dec 2010 wing 76mm w.t.17.3g duration 7 days 14Km N.

May 23rd (New Hythe)

Cloudy at first,clearing later,strong SW.

The main highlights from this mornings walk were 3 rather showy Lesser Whitethroats,at least 100+ Swifts over Brookland/Abbey Meads,1 Sparrowhawk,a ringed Nightingale (photo) which is probably a bird I ringed in 2007 (Brook House) area,a Great Crested Grebe family and the lone Turtle Dove which was seen again in the Sunken marsh area.