Thursday 26th.March 2009

The final work day of the season up on the Common , was called off this morning because of weather conditions then and those forecasted for the remainder of the day . I earned some brownie points taking Carol shopping this morning and after lunch headed off for a walk around Hayes Farm .

The site is totally different to my last visit , with no sign of the large flocks of Gulls , just a few of the large number of Carrion Crows and Jackdaws showing . The most surprising thing was the number of Mistle Thrushes seen , somewhere around 10/12 , with one male in full song on the large Oak at the stile at the entrance . Six seemed to be playing tag around another Oak , all calling with the 'wood on comb' call and hardly taking any notice of me . I did manage one shot of one of them . As you can see , it was in fine voice , even if it's feathers were being ruffled by the strong wind . At least another four were seen in two different horse paddocks .

I didn't see the female Kestrel today , but did see a male for the first time on the site . He came over a hedgerow and flattened out low to the ground like a Sparrowhawk . He landed on an old water bowser , but was gone again before I got the camera out . Heard or seen were Green and Great Spotted Woodpecker , Blue and Great Tit , Greenfinch , Goldfinch and Bullfinch , Woodpigeon , Stock and Collared Dove .

At the Trout Fishery , not much had changed . Two of the white farmyard geese were on nests on an island in the middle , and the Egyptian goose was still with the 'Bitsers' . Coot and Moorhen numbers were down and Tufted Duck up to 8 with 3 males and 5 females . As well as the Greylag crosses , there were two real Greylags in the adjoining field with two Canada geese .

A pair of Mallard were tucked in out of the wind , the male catching fourty winks , whilst the female preened . I left the Fishery and headed to see if there was any sign of the Little Owl , which there wasn't , but on the way had at least two calling Chiffchaffs , one of which I disturbed have it's ablutions in the River Ravensbourne . Along the way , I first found what could be Spring Quill-Scilla verna , a member of the Lily family . Not the best of shots with the sun bleaching the colour . Always difficult to be sure that it is a true wild flower , or a cultivated version , especially close to a built up area . Not far away , I found the first Honesty in flower this year . On my return journey , my attention was drawn to a tree on the edge of the wood with bright green , what I first thought was foliage , but on getting closer , realised it was flowers . It was the Norway Maple , a cousin of the Sycamore , the difference being that this flowers before leafing and the Sycamore flowers after leafing . On the way back to the car , Wren , Blackbird , Pied Wagtail , Magpie , Jay and of course Rose Ringed Parakeet were found .

I called in on Keston Ponds on the way home , and basically the status quo stands , with the exception of just the male Mandarin , no sign of the female , nesting ? The Coots nest that I posted a while back has been destroyed , by whom or what I don't know , but they have already rebuilt further down the pond , and the female is sitting again .

No sign of the Redpolls since , but in case you were wondering , this was one of the male Bramblings late this afternoon , now they come for tea as well .