Birding and other distractions

A short visit to Dungeness after collecting a painting at Benenden. The weather was generally ok, cloudy but dry. The first stop was at the visitor centre where a large collection of gulls could be seen on the islands of Burrows Pit. The most numerous species by far was Great Black-backed Gull, with small numbers of Lesser Black-backed and several adult Yellow-legged Gull also present. A probable first-winter Caspian Gull was also found though the bird didn't hang around for long. On the ARC pit there were numerous ducks including a good quantity of Shoveler. Many Lapwing were there though few other waders. Four Great White Egret on the ARC made a total of five for the day, though strangely no Little Egret were seen. The final visit was to Walland Marsh where a dozen swans near Swamp Farm comprised two Whooper and 10 Bewick's. A flooded field along Midley Wall had attracted many Black-headed Gulls and amongst them a single Green Sandpiper. A Sparrowhawk flew through and surpris...

I headed to Devon this morning following news that a yellow billed tern at Dawlish Warren had been identified as Lesser Crested, a species I'd never seen. I had b een Unable to make an early start from home so arrived rather late at Dawlish, around one o'clock. I then had a 30 minute walk to reach the site, initially overlooking the estuary from the dunes. Fortunately the tern was seen straight away though was distant from the viewpoint in the dunes. I therefore moved to watch from near the disused hide, almost halving the distance to the bird.  Initially the tern was sleeping but eventually began stretching and preening then flew around the estuary, occasionally catching a fish. At one point it was heard to call, sounding much like a Sandwich Tern. The bird then settled on a yellow buoy near a fishing boat and after watching it for another 20 minutes or so I headed back as my parking session was due to expire. Even so I soon realised that I wouldn't make it back in time an...

A lovely sunny day after overnight frost. I first checked the field by Cooling Church that held numerous finches and buntings last winter. However, on this occasion I only saw half a dozen Chaffinches. Three Pink-footed Geese had been reported at Northward Hill, being found amongst the Greylags. On arrival there was no sign of the Pink Feet from the Sweeney Viewpoint so I moved to view the goose flock from a different angle. This worked, with the Pink Feet being reasonably close. After that I walked to the E Henslow viewpoint though on the way a vocal Phyllosc caught my attention, the call being different to the usual Chiffchaff. I didn't get a good view of the bird which mostly stayed high up in the trees and was very active, so I recorded its call and posted the video on the WhatsApp group. The consensus of opinion following this was that it was an atypical Chiffchaff, and Merlin also agreed! Near the EH viewpoint four Redpolls were feeding in a birch tree.  From the viewpoint a...

A lovely sunny day and I decided to try my luck at Marden where numbers of buntings and finches are reported to be building up in the fields and hedgerows near Plain Road. Not being familiar with the area I walked the public footpath to the west of the road, initially near orchards but eventually came to set-aside fields flanked by alder trees. A big flock of Linnet flew up into the trees and Chaffinch were also fairly numerous in the area.  I found a flock of Yellowhammer in the hedgerow dividing two set-aside fields. Numbers were difficult to assess though at least 20 birds plus a few Reed Buntings. Nearby a Stonechat was unexpected. A smaller flock of Yellowhammer was later seen on the opposite side of the field, about a dozen birds plus a few Goldfinch. It's fantastic what has been achieved with farmland birds in the Marden area, a credit to the farmers and to RM who has been advising them over the years. Male Yellowhammer  Presumed female Yellowhammer  Reed Bunting L...

A lovely sunny day and I headed to East Kent following bird news from the region. Starting at Botany Bay I hoped to catch up with two Pallid Swifts that turned up yesterday and had remained in the area. I saw the birds though they were very high up in sunny skies so views were poor. A Black Redstart on the roof of a nearby house was some consolation. Then on to Westbrook where a Dusky Warbler had reportedly been showing quite well in the Sunken Garden. However, the bird had flown to the undercliff prior to my arrival and was occasionally being seen in scrub there. It was calling quite often and I eventually obtained good views, my first Dusky Warbler for several years. Whilst watching the warbler news came through that a Desert Wheatear had been found at South Swale LNR. I set off and arrived there at 3 pm, parking near the Sportsman. The bird had been present along the sea wall though had flown and my first views were not so close. I went back to the car and retrieved my 'scope th...

A short visit to Bredhurst primarily to check on work that had apparently been carried out in Pylon Valley. I was pleased see that National Grid had cut two broad tracks beneath the power cables as had been done in some previous years. The objective of this management is to keep the power lines clear of vegetation though in the process it improves the habitat no end and augers well for an interesting new year in the area. Whilst there I found a couple of Marsh Tits and also heard one or two Bullfinch. Pylon Valley  Marsh Tit