Sunday 10th. February 2013

With foul weather today , the only good thing is that it gives a chance to catch up with the last few days . After seeing a drake Goldeneye reported from New Hythe , the work day up on the Common meant that I could not get down there on Thursday , but read later that evening that Phil had seen the bird in the morning , so I set off Friday morning to try and find it . It was a nice bright morning , ideal for photography , all that was missing was the Goldeneye . The best sighting on Little Alders lake was a Little Egret , but it was no compensation for the target , which must have departed sometime Thursday . The large Alders lake was busy with the usual Coots and two floats of Geese , one of Canadas the other Greylags . Both left , noisily , whilst I was there . Another sign of Spring was

found with the head plumage of the Cormorants having turned silver/grey . A check of the stream along Lunford Lane didn't turn up any surprises , but at the bend by the entrance to the lakes , a Song

Thrush was filling the surrounding area with song . I decided to have a look around the other lakes , to see if the Goldeneye had moved onto one of them . Nothing much was seen until I got to the high viewpoint above Abbeymead , when whilst scanning the surface , two small ducks flew in and landed two thirds of the way down towards the paper works , and I could just make out that they were

redhead Smew , as can be just seen on this distant record shot of the pair . Even the river was against me on the visit , with it being as high as I have ever seen it , filling the inlet by the 'Bucket Wood' . A couple of Bullfinches were heard but not seen , and at the heronry several birds were noisily

discussing squatter's rights from the sound of it , whilst doing their pterodactyl impersonation . Alongside the millstream , four Long-tailed Tits were foraging in the vegetation on the bank , and

carried on , seemingly oblivious to my presence . I was hoping to find some Siskins in the many Alder trees on site , but only had one small flock fly over near the Diver's Bridge . With no other interest found , I decided that as I was so close , I would give the churchyard at Barming another try for the Hawfinch , but it was not a good sign to find another birder packing up , having spent nearly two hours on site without a sighting . I still decided to give it a try , and having spent about the same period of time , finished up with the same result . The question ' has Adam put them back in the box for another year '? came to mind . But , not only were the Hawfinches missing , there was very little

of any species seen , but at least this Wren that I watched fossicking amongst the grave stones put on a good show . On the way home , and just as the cloud was rolling in , I stopped briefly at the horse

field , and for once found the juvenile Common Buzzard  perched on one of the closer fence posts . It wasn't long before it flew off towards the woodland , but as it did so , I managed to get a few flight

shots against the sky rather than against the ground . Yesterday's hedglaying took place in almost constant sleet and drizzle , and by the time we were leaving the site , the track was beginning to resemble the Somme . Several birders passed by whilst we were there , some hoping to find the Pallas's Warbler that had been around recently , but none had seen it by the time we left . Apparently there were good numbers of Goosander , many already paired up on the more distant pits according to the birders , and a Barn Owl was seen hunting not far away from the hedge , but nobody told me until after it moved on .

And finally , an update on the Barming Hawfinches , I see that on the KOS site , Adam had two birds mid afternoon yesterday , so they haven't been put away yet .