Friday 9th. March 2012

It has been a bit of a hectic week , hence just the one post , so it down to playing catch-up again . Amongst everything else going on , I managed to do the bird survey at Down House on Wednesday . A very cold survey it turned out to be too , but it was pleasing to record an above average 20 species . Plenty of them were in full song , and the best of the pile were two Goldcrests , busily feeding , constantly on the move as usual , and as usual , managing to keep out of the viewfinder . The Ring Necked Parakeets won't be too happy though , as their favourite nesting tree has been cut down since my last visit , and the stump revealed that it was their favourite tree as it was rotten inside , and situated on the Sandwalk , a path frequented by many of the visitors to the house and grounds , it was indeed a danger . On the way home , I stopped near Keston church to get a shot of the Winter

Heliotrope /Petasites fragrans , as they are in full flower now . An added bonus on the site was my

first Lesser Celandine / Ranunculus ficaria of the year , a bright spot in a dull day .
Yesterday was work day up on the Common , and again it turned out to be the best day of the week , but it started even more Summery , with a male Blackcap in full song in the back garden before I set off . Up on the Common , the Long-tailed Tits have almost finished their nest , beautifully

camouflaged in the Gorse . Fingers crossed for them and to a second pair that I spotted with nesting materials in a glade on the way back to the car park at the end of the day .
I got out today , but being unsure of the weather , which has remainder grey all day , decided to just visit Kelsey Park in Beckenham this morning . On arrival , I could hear the different calls that I had

heard on a previous visit , being much more 'Parrot-like' than the screeching of the RNPs , and I was soon looking at four of the Blue-crowned Parakeets , high up in a London Plane . They stayed as two pairs , never coming into frame all together , neither did they come down from the top of the tree . Eventually two flew off , and returned shortly afterwards landing in another London Plane , and

getting rather amorous with each other . In The Beck , just before it runs into the lake , I caught a

male and female Mandarin , two of 15+ seen today , still dozing . Further along , on the lake itself , a

pair of Greylag Geese were practising their lumberjack moves . As I approached the open area where people feed the ducks , I spotted a Little Grebe working it's way along the edge of the lake , where the tree roots meet the water . It seemed to be finding odd bits and pieces , so I waited for it to

arrive . I managed a few shots , just before it paddled at speed across the open area , to continue feeding on the other side . Near the waterfall , in another London Plane , already occupied by at least

two pairs of nesting RNPs , a pair of Jackdaws were considering the large hole behind them , until a Sparrowhawk flew over , and everything sounded alarms and lifted off . Food must be a bit short for the Mandarins , as further on , several were out of the water , challenging the other species for the bread brought by two young families . They didn't stay out long , and as I got close they were

heading back to the water , lead by this fine male , doing his 'funny walk' . Getting towards the far end of the park , I heard a Grey Wagtail calling but couldn't spot it . Turning back on myself where the river leaves the park , I arrived again at the bridge and small sluice , and as I arrived , so to did a

smart male Grey Wagtail , landing and calling in front of me . Walking back on the other side of the lake , the heronry was still very noisy , with many more juveniles in evidence , but it would

appear that some of the birds are still on eggs too . A juvenile Cormorant was preening on the edge of the small island , and almost at the gate leaving the park , a pair of Tufted Ducks were found ,

the male seemingly checking that everything was in place for this important time of the year , and from the look of it , his partner making sure too . If only there had been a bit more light about today .