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| Little Owl - looking directly at the birders! |
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| Little Owl - something much more interesting over there! |
Tuesday, 28 February 2012
A Little Update
Here are a couple of photos of a Little Owl, taken on Walland Marsh on Saturday (25th).
Monday, 20 February 2012
The search continues.... Ashford goodies are the result.
Well the search for the Eagle continues for both the parents and myself. Various areas have been looked at over the last five days, visiting areas such as the RM Canal, Walland Marsh, the Rother Valley, Park Wood (Appledore), Warehorne and Kenardington. The highlights have been the continuing presence of a Great White Egret along the Canal at Appledore Sluice (16th & 17th) plus the usual Marsh Harriers, Kestrels, Sparrowhawks and Common Buzzards in their usual haunts. The Bewick's Swans are still favouring the Midley area, though varying in numbers. Tree Sparrows, Yellowhammers, and a pair of Little Owls near Wheelsgate Farm were a welcome sight. A Peregrine Falcon was hunting the Midley area on the 18th and a Green Sandpiper was noted by Fairfield Church.
Late morning on the 18th we made a rare excursion into the Rother Valley, an area that is very under watched. 3 Shoveler (2 drakes) were noted in the flooded fields by Blackwall Bridge (Wittersham), another Peregrine at Hexden Channel and a Great Spotted Woodpecker along Rolvenden Layne. Late lunch was taken back at Eastwell Lake on the edge of Ashford where we met KP. Birds noted here: Common Buzzard, Kestrel, immature Peregrine, Grey Heron, 3 Wigeon (1 drake) and a Little Grebe amongst the common wildfowl, with the undoubted highlight being a female RED-CRESTED POCHARD spotted by Mum. A year tick for us all and only the third noted here.
We then followed KP to Conningbrook GP's where a drive along Blackwall Road revealed 3 Little and the Great White Egret, while further along between Blackwall and Goodcheap Farms we noted 1+ Brambling amongst a large mixed flock of c500 Chaffinches and Linnets, quite a sight for this winter. Inevitably birds of prey were attracted to this feeding frenzy and we noted 1 Kestrel, up to 3 Common Buzzards and a cracking male Merlin zooming through. To round things off a Woodcock flew around us, having been flushed by walkers in a nearby copse.
Of course the route back home came to an abrupt halt when I discovered the Iceland Gull in the roadside fields - see previous blog post. KP managed to return to the area to confirm the sighting. A great bird for Ashford. A red-head Goosander was noted from the main road bridge over the river Stour.
Sunday (19th) dawned bright and sunny but with a cold wind. We set off towards Conningbrook again and surprise, surprise, the ICELAND GULL was still present in one of the fields. A couple of calls/texts were made at 09:05 but by the time birders arrived the Gull had moved on (while we were checking out the lakes nearby). However between us all, we were able to confirm there were now TWO Great White Egrets present on site along with 4 Little Egrets, 4 red-head Goosander, 2 Great Crested Grebes, several Wigeon, 2 Mistle Thrushes, and a flock of Long-tailed Tits.
Late morning on the 18th we made a rare excursion into the Rother Valley, an area that is very under watched. 3 Shoveler (2 drakes) were noted in the flooded fields by Blackwall Bridge (Wittersham), another Peregrine at Hexden Channel and a Great Spotted Woodpecker along Rolvenden Layne. Late lunch was taken back at Eastwell Lake on the edge of Ashford where we met KP. Birds noted here: Common Buzzard, Kestrel, immature Peregrine, Grey Heron, 3 Wigeon (1 drake) and a Little Grebe amongst the common wildfowl, with the undoubted highlight being a female RED-CRESTED POCHARD spotted by Mum. A year tick for us all and only the third noted here.
We then followed KP to Conningbrook GP's where a drive along Blackwall Road revealed 3 Little and the Great White Egret, while further along between Blackwall and Goodcheap Farms we noted 1+ Brambling amongst a large mixed flock of c500 Chaffinches and Linnets, quite a sight for this winter. Inevitably birds of prey were attracted to this feeding frenzy and we noted 1 Kestrel, up to 3 Common Buzzards and a cracking male Merlin zooming through. To round things off a Woodcock flew around us, having been flushed by walkers in a nearby copse.
Of course the route back home came to an abrupt halt when I discovered the Iceland Gull in the roadside fields - see previous blog post. KP managed to return to the area to confirm the sighting. A great bird for Ashford. A red-head Goosander was noted from the main road bridge over the river Stour.
Sunday (19th) dawned bright and sunny but with a cold wind. We set off towards Conningbrook again and surprise, surprise, the ICELAND GULL was still present in one of the fields. A couple of calls/texts were made at 09:05 but by the time birders arrived the Gull had moved on (while we were checking out the lakes nearby). However between us all, we were able to confirm there were now TWO Great White Egrets present on site along with 4 Little Egrets, 4 red-head Goosander, 2 Great Crested Grebes, several Wigeon, 2 Mistle Thrushes, and a flock of Long-tailed Tits.
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| 3 of the 4 Goosanders taking off (all red-heads) and a Tufted Duck muscling in |
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| Great White Egret along the river Stour |
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| Great White Egret - not difficult to spot here |
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| Great White Egret in flight |
Saturday, 18 February 2012
Iceland in Ashford !!!
This has got to be one of my best finds around Ashford, since I started birdwatching.
Today (18th February - 15:00) Adult Iceland Gull (record shots below) in a winter wheat field behind Conningbrook Gravel Pits, TR036429, with Black-headed, Common and Herring Gulls. What a cracker, this bird has made up for this week's missed White-Tailed Eagle on the Romney Marshes.
Today (18th February - 15:00) Adult Iceland Gull (record shots below) in a winter wheat field behind Conningbrook Gravel Pits, TR036429, with Black-headed, Common and Herring Gulls. What a cracker, this bird has made up for this week's missed White-Tailed Eagle on the Romney Marshes.
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| Iceland Gull with 2 Black-headed Gulls |
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| Iceland Gull (right) with a Common Gull (left) |
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| Iceland Gull getting airborne |
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| Iceland Gull |
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| Iceland Gull |
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| Iceland Gull heading off towards the William Harvey Hospital |
Wednesday, 15 February 2012
Packham Talk and a Missed Eagle
Late on Sunday afternoon (12th) Angela and myself took a walk along the rather frozen RM Canal between Warehorne and Kenardington, where Thrushes were again much in evidence. Redwing and Fieldfare were plentiful with smaller numbers of Blackbird, Song Thrush and Robin. Several Lapwing were spotted along the thawing tops of the Canal banks. A Kestrel sat nearby but the highlights were 3 Yellowhammers (2 males) in the scrub and bushes.
On Monday (13th) with the temperatures slowly rising, the parents took a trip to Dungeness, noting a Common Buzzard near to New Romney at Hammond's Corner. At the ARC Pit they had a Marsh Harrier, 2 Ravens, a Chiffchaff, Kestrel, Green Woodpecker and all of the usual duck species on the free patches of water. On the opposite side of the road, the New Diggings held 11 Smew (2 drakes), 13 Goosander (5 drakes), a Great White Egret, 1 Bittern and 2 Grey Herons - quite a collection there!
They moved on to Scotney where they found 2 more drake Smew, 3 White-fronted Geese, 11 Brent Geese including 1+ pale-bellied bird and a male Stonechat. They ended the trip on Walland Marsh where the Bewick's Swan flock numbered 73, Tree Sparrows were noted on the feeders and 2 more Common Buzzards were seen (Old Cheyne & Woolpack Inn areas).
That evening Angela, myself & GF travelled to Canterbury, where Chris Packham was giving his 'Goes Totally Wild' talk at the Gulbenkian Theatre. Having grown up watching Chris on the Really Wild Show and now Spring/Autumnwatch, it was fantastic to meet the man and listen to his experiences of Antarctica, Wildlife Photography, Conservation, England Football Management and his beloved Poodles - Itchy and Scratchy. Thoroughly recommended.
A text message at work on Tuesday (14th) afternoon resulted in an early finish as a White-tailed (Sea) Eagle had been reported at Boltoph's Bridge near West Hythe. Sadly by the time the birdwatchers had arrived, the bird had moved on but it was nice to catch up with BB, MC, BH, CT, MW plus Mum, Dad and others. Birds noted as it got dark were: Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Green Woodpecker, 2 Grey Herons and several Fieldfare over. The best phrase for us all is "better luck next time".
Today (15th) my Dad had a walk around Conningbrook Gravel Pits where he had an excellent set of birds: 4 Grey Herons, 4 Little Egrets, 1 GREAT WHITE EGRET, 1 BITTERN, 5 Snipe, 30+ Lapwing, 100+ Tufted Ducks, 100+ Teal, 40+ Pochard, 50+ Gadwall, 3 drake Shoveler, 11 Wigeon, 7 GOOSANDER (5 drakes - possibly some of the birds noted at Eastwell Lake recently), 3 Great Crested and 2 Little Grebes, Green Woodpecker, Jay, 24 Linnets and a bird of prey with jesses - quite likely a hybrid falconers bird.
On Monday (13th) with the temperatures slowly rising, the parents took a trip to Dungeness, noting a Common Buzzard near to New Romney at Hammond's Corner. At the ARC Pit they had a Marsh Harrier, 2 Ravens, a Chiffchaff, Kestrel, Green Woodpecker and all of the usual duck species on the free patches of water. On the opposite side of the road, the New Diggings held 11 Smew (2 drakes), 13 Goosander (5 drakes), a Great White Egret, 1 Bittern and 2 Grey Herons - quite a collection there!
They moved on to Scotney where they found 2 more drake Smew, 3 White-fronted Geese, 11 Brent Geese including 1+ pale-bellied bird and a male Stonechat. They ended the trip on Walland Marsh where the Bewick's Swan flock numbered 73, Tree Sparrows were noted on the feeders and 2 more Common Buzzards were seen (Old Cheyne & Woolpack Inn areas).
That evening Angela, myself & GF travelled to Canterbury, where Chris Packham was giving his 'Goes Totally Wild' talk at the Gulbenkian Theatre. Having grown up watching Chris on the Really Wild Show and now Spring/Autumnwatch, it was fantastic to meet the man and listen to his experiences of Antarctica, Wildlife Photography, Conservation, England Football Management and his beloved Poodles - Itchy and Scratchy. Thoroughly recommended.
A text message at work on Tuesday (14th) afternoon resulted in an early finish as a White-tailed (Sea) Eagle had been reported at Boltoph's Bridge near West Hythe. Sadly by the time the birdwatchers had arrived, the bird had moved on but it was nice to catch up with BB, MC, BH, CT, MW plus Mum, Dad and others. Birds noted as it got dark were: Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Green Woodpecker, 2 Grey Herons and several Fieldfare over. The best phrase for us all is "better luck next time".
Today (15th) my Dad had a walk around Conningbrook Gravel Pits where he had an excellent set of birds: 4 Grey Herons, 4 Little Egrets, 1 GREAT WHITE EGRET, 1 BITTERN, 5 Snipe, 30+ Lapwing, 100+ Tufted Ducks, 100+ Teal, 40+ Pochard, 50+ Gadwall, 3 drake Shoveler, 11 Wigeon, 7 GOOSANDER (5 drakes - possibly some of the birds noted at Eastwell Lake recently), 3 Great Crested and 2 Little Grebes, Green Woodpecker, Jay, 24 Linnets and a bird of prey with jesses - quite likely a hybrid falconers bird.
Sunday, 12 February 2012
Driveway Pipit and a Snowy Bedgebury
With the snow, ice and subzero temperatures remaining, the garden has continued to attract interesting visitors. On Friday (10th) there was a Song Thrush, Redwing and a party of 7 Long-tailed Tits, while yesterday (11th) Thrushes dominated with 3 Blackbirds (2 males), 5 Redwing, 2 Song Thrushes and 2 Mistle Thrushes. A surprise bird was a Meadow Pipit, which Dad flushed off of the driveway when he opened the front door. The bird then returned later to the cleared drive to feed once more. The final highlight were two Goldfinch, briefly on the seed feeder.
The afternoon (11th) was spent with Angela and the parents wandering around a snow covered Bedgebury Pinetum.
At times it was tough going, but a good list of woodland birds were seen and/or heard. There were many Goldcrests and Coal Tits calling with an extremely confiding Goldcrest near the northern toilet block. The northern Forest Office feeding station held the greatest concentration of birds, with Blue and Great Tits, Pheasant, 2 Dunnocks, Song Thrush, Jay, several Siskins and Lesser Redpolls, Nuthatches, male Bullfinch and a party of 6 Crossbills flying over (with 2 briefly settling in the pines). We then headed back to the finch roosting area near the fallen tree where, amongst a group of c10 Greenfinch and several Siskin, Lesser Redpoll and Chaffinch, we located two separate HAWFINCHES perched in the top of the trees. A surprise male Tawny Owl hooted twice at around 15:15 while we were watching the gathering finches. With the cold starting to bite we headed back to the visitor centre where a small patch of free water on the lake held a number of Mallard plus a couple of Coot and Moorhen. A drumming male Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Wren rounded off another enjoyable visit.
The journey home added a Red-legged Partridge on the road near Goudhurst, with Mum spotting a Common Buzzard near Bethersden.
So far today (12th), we have added Pied Wagtail and another male Greenfinch to the growing list of garden birds visiting since the snowfall.
The afternoon (11th) was spent with Angela and the parents wandering around a snow covered Bedgebury Pinetum.
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| Snowy Bedgebury Pinetum |
At times it was tough going, but a good list of woodland birds were seen and/or heard. There were many Goldcrests and Coal Tits calling with an extremely confiding Goldcrest near the northern toilet block. The northern Forest Office feeding station held the greatest concentration of birds, with Blue and Great Tits, Pheasant, 2 Dunnocks, Song Thrush, Jay, several Siskins and Lesser Redpolls, Nuthatches, male Bullfinch and a party of 6 Crossbills flying over (with 2 briefly settling in the pines). We then headed back to the finch roosting area near the fallen tree where, amongst a group of c10 Greenfinch and several Siskin, Lesser Redpoll and Chaffinch, we located two separate HAWFINCHES perched in the top of the trees. A surprise male Tawny Owl hooted twice at around 15:15 while we were watching the gathering finches. With the cold starting to bite we headed back to the visitor centre where a small patch of free water on the lake held a number of Mallard plus a couple of Coot and Moorhen. A drumming male Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Wren rounded off another enjoyable visit.
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| Visitor Centre Lake - complete with Mallard, Coot & Moorhen |
The journey home added a Red-legged Partridge on the road near Goudhurst, with Mum spotting a Common Buzzard near Bethersden.
So far today (12th), we have added Pied Wagtail and another male Greenfinch to the growing list of garden birds visiting since the snowfall.
Friday, 10 February 2012
More Kumlien's Gull Photographs
This week I have managed to sort through a few more of the photos that I took of the Kumlien's Gull in Dover Harbour last Saturday (4th).
Thursday, 9 February 2012
Local Thrushes & Hard Weather Movement around Ashford
As usual it's been a week at work so limited bird sightings from me. However my Dad has been out and about. Monday(6th) was another day of watching the garden, resulting in a flock of 14 Redwing coming to the Cotoneaster bush. One Redwing remained on Tuesday and a Song Thrush visited yesterday and today. There has been no further sign of the Tree Sparrow.
Yesterday (8th) Dad walked the Singleton - Great Chart - Godinton Park triangle where the highlights were a Woodcock, 1 Snipe, Sparrowhawk, 2 Jays, several Redwings, 2 Green and 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker.
Today he visited Eastwell Lake and noted: 4 Common Buzzards, 9 GOOSANDER (5 drakes) - a first for this site, c50 Teal, c40 Tufted Ducks and a similar number of Pochard, 6 Gadwall, 3 Little Grebes, 2 Jays and singles of Green and Great Spotted Woodpecker.
Yesterday (8th) Dad walked the Singleton - Great Chart - Godinton Park triangle where the highlights were a Woodcock, 1 Snipe, Sparrowhawk, 2 Jays, several Redwings, 2 Green and 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker.
Today he visited Eastwell Lake and noted: 4 Common Buzzards, 9 GOOSANDER (5 drakes) - a first for this site, c50 Teal, c40 Tufted Ducks and a similar number of Pochard, 6 Gadwall, 3 Little Grebes, 2 Jays and singles of Green and Great Spotted Woodpecker.
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