Greenie in the wild

Sunday 29th. January 2012

2012-01-29T18:23:00.000Z

This morning was grey , misty , dank and any other adjective that could be thrown at it , but it is nearly February , so I suppose we must accept the conditions . We decided to get the monthly shop out of the way whilst conditions were bad , but even before we left , the Fieldfares we around for their breakfast .

Fourteen in the frame this time , but once again the total was nearer 25 . This shot has been lightened to be able to see the birds and that also made the sky lighter . It was nearly lunchtime before we got

back , and about the same number were still around . Again I tried to get out into the garden to get closer , and again I was thwarted , and left with nothing in the viewfinder . After lunch , I concealed myself half way down the garden in the hope that the flock would turn up . They didn't , and as it got very close to things dropping off with the cold , I went on a tour of the berried trees on the estate . To my surprise , I didn't see a single Winter Thrush , and the berries on the trees seem untouched compared to the Cotoneaster next door . On getting back home , I was putting the camera away ,

when a pair of Rose-ringed Parakeets landed in the Laburnum tree next door and started feeding on the seeds . After a good feed on the seeds , the pair flew down to the Cotoneaster , presumably for desert . The pair got stuck into the berries , so I tried again to get closer , and this time managed to

get behind a conifer without being seen . The game plan was obviously to rip off a bunch of berries with the bill , then transfer the bunch to the feet , and then wok through the bunch at leisure . Once

that bunch was finished it was just a matter of ripping off another bunch . The other one of the pair

was more dainty , just taking one berry at a time . And the Fieldfares , I never did get another sighting all afternoon .

Saturday 28th. January 2012

2012-01-28T18:31:00.001Z

Had to stay in this morning for a delivery , and , what a surprise , it didn't turn up . And so , with the best part of the day over as regards weather , grey clouds once again rolled in . So anything I saw today was to be out of the back bedroom window or the back garden . Early on the 3/4 Fieldfares that have been seen on next door's Cotoneaster berries , which are being devoured quite quickly now ,

turned up for their breakfast , but as usual , sat for a long time in the trees above the berries to make sure there was no danger , or persons with cameras around . Eventually , these birds gained

confidence and dropped down to gorge on the ripe berries . Some of the Cotoneaser bush is obscured by a conifer , and being further away and out of view of the houses , a popular area for the birds to drop down and feed out of view , so I never really know how many are feeding at any given time . It

wasn't long before more calls could be heard and more birds joined the initial few . I can only think that one of them 'tweeted' , as even more birds arrived . As the earlier arrivals had done the looking bit , these later arrivals flew straight into the Cotoneaster and started eating the berries . I would estimate that there were 25-30 birds at any one time on the bush , but the most I could manage to get

in one frame was 12 . The first shot was the only one I managed from the garden , before being spotted , and all the birds flying off .
Whilst at the window , I also did the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch , and with the Fieldfares , which

flew over our garden to get to the berries , finished up with 17 species .Finches were well represented

with Goldfinch , Chaffinch and a species that has been in decline recently , but four of which turned

up to be counted on the day , Greenfinch . Of course , as is usual with this count , after the hour was up several other species showed themselves , and I'm sure some of them were sniggering .

Thursday 26th. January 2012

2012-01-26T19:24:00.000Z

Spent the day working up on the Common burning off Gorse that had been cut over the last few weeks , left to dry , got soaked by the overnight rain , and produced so much smoke that just clung to the ground . Said clinging smoke obviously got someone worried , as we soon had a visit from the local Fire Brigade , who were ordered to the local town , about a mile away , and then followed their noses to find the source . We burned for the rest of the day , thankfully without any further visits .
As I arrived at the car park first thing , a large flock of Redwings were devouring the berries from a Rowan and a Holly standing side by side . I took two steps from the car towards them , and they were gone . During the afternoon , we did get good views of a female Sparrowhawk , but nothing more exciting .
Best weather of the day was when I returned home this afternoon , with a sinking sun and clear blue skies . The local Jackdaws seemed to enjoy the better conditions too , with 80+ arriving in the tops of

the Lime Trees . I couldn't get them all in the frame together , but managed about 60 in this shot .

The light conditions really showing off their plumage , then something spooked them , and they were gone again .
Back to finish off the hedgelaying tomorrow .

Monday 23rd. January ( Part 2 )

2012-01-24T15:15:00.001Z

Well , for once the weather forecast was spot on , with the rain arriving just about 8 o'clock , and with it lightly to continue all day , there will be no outing for me today , so getting on with yesterday : Heading for the Tower Hide , good numbers of Chaffinches were found , mostly feeding on the ground , and even though they were all scanned , again , no sight of a Brambling . Just before the hide , a small flock of Redwing flew along the East Lake and shortly afterwards , the 'chak chak' of Fieldfares were heard beyond Slingsby Hide . First look from the hide produced 2 Teal , 2 Mallard a Coot and a Moorhen in the small bay directly below and 2 more Coot and 3 Tufted Ducks in the distance , where the reedbed meets the lake . Not very exciting , until I noticed a bird drift out from behind the reedbed and attempt to take over the occupancy of a floating log from one of the Coots . With vegetation in front , even with binoculars I couldn't make it out . I stayed put , and after a

while , this bird relinquished the log , and moved out into open water to have a wash and brush up , and could be identified as a female/redhead Goosander . After getting the drake a few visits ago , I

had read that up to three redheads had been seen , so it was good to finally catch up with one of them . It soon became apparent why it was keeping tucked away originally , as it seemed to attract

the attention of every gull that was in the air , here repelling another attack . It would have been nice if it had been a bit closer , but beggars can't be choosers . Whilst watching the Goosander , I caught a fleeting glimpse of a bird landing in a tree over by Slingsby hide , but it was too fleeting to get an

ID . I took a very long range shot of the tree , then hot-footed it over to Slingsby Hide , by which time of course , it had moved on . I suspected a Sparrowhawk , being as I had already had two sightings around Willow Hide , but cannot be sure . Thanks to Marianne and Warren for confirming my suspicion . The 'sentry' was on duty at Slingsby Hide , and in the tallest tree around , a Great Spotted Woodpecker was drumming his heart out , against a grey

sky , and being answered by another , somewhere back over by the Public Hide . From the hide , a Kingfisher 'flyby' , one of four today , but I didn't manage a shot from any of them . Heading back towards the car , large numbers of Lords and Ladies / Arum maculatum are already well above

ground level , and other species like Nettles , Ground Ivy and Cow Parsley are pushing through well too . I hadn't taken lunch with me , but I had put a banana and an energy bar in the car before leaving , and made do with that , as something was telling me to have another look at Willow Hide before leaving , encouraged by a couple of birders saying that they had several Kingfisher views from that hide . I gave Carter Hide a quick look , but apart from another Kingfisher sighting as soon as I arrived over the far side of the lake , it was just Coot , Moorhen and Tufted Ducks to show . Having found the Lords and Ladies earlier , I also had a look for a Winter Spring fungus that is found on the site . Although they are still young and small specimens , these Scarlet Elf Cups / Sarcoscpha

coccinea , they certainly brightened up a grey day .Arriving at Willow Hide , no the Bittern wasn't out on display again , but a small window of less grey sky enhanced the colours on two of the more

common species here , in the form of a drake Gadwall and a drake Teal , in a very fetching 'looking

over the shoulder' pose . Another birder made a short visit to the hide , informing me that he had just seen a Water Rail outside , but it had been spooked by a pair of Mallard , so I'm still waiting to see one here this Winter . Back on my own again , I was just about to pack in , when a bit of disturbance

started , just to the left of the island . I could see that a Cormorant was involved and it looked as if it had brought something up from underwater . I couldn't make out exactly what it was , but from distance it looked like a plastic bag or such . There ensued a lot of thrashing about and diving to

retrieve whatever it was , until the Cormorant reared up out of the water , with a very large fish in it's bill . There then followed an amazing period when the Cormorant charged around with the fish , which I could now see was a good sized Pike , that reminded me of the comedy act where a chap

dances with a doll which is attached to his feet , whilst at the same time , trying to swallow the Pike , that's the Cormorant , not the chap with the dancing doll . All this lifting and 'dancing' was obviously taking it out of the Cormorant , as several times it had to drop the Pike , take a breather , then dive down to retrieve it . I was beginning to think that with all the commotion , a Grey Heron or

something was going to enter the story , and probably make off with the Cormorant's intended meal . At one point , the Cormorant had well over half the fish in it's mouth , but the problem was , how was it going to get the other half in , especially as the bird was sinking under the weight of the Pike . When a second Cormorant turned up , the first spat out the Pike and it appeared as if they had a bit of a tussle underwater , with the Pike floating to the surface . When both Cormorants returned to the surface , they both swam away from the area reaching the middle of the lake , before both started diving some distance apart . The Pike seemed to just drift towards the left side of the island , totally ignored by both , so perhaps a Grey Heron did have the last laugh , and a full belly to boot . The moral of the story must be 'the eye is bigger than the belly' or in this case , the mouth . At the second time of trying , I got back to the car and this time headed home , stopping just briefly on the track out

to photograph one of a handful of Redwings high up in an ever gloomier sky .
And finally , whilst I was at Sevenoaks , Carol had 11 Fieldfares , on/around the Cotoneaster bush

next door , and this morning , in even worse light , five came back for breakfast , and I managed a shot of four of them . Later in the morning , the screeching of Rose-ringed Parakeets announced their

arrival above the berries , and I managed the same number of them in the frame .
Hedgelaying again tomorrow and probably Friday , but might manage to get out tomorrow .
And really finally , thank you for your suggestions to solve my Blogger problems .
ShySongbird , I have changed to the pop up comments page , fingers crossed . Thank you .
Mike H and Rob , I do already use Google Chrome as my browser , but thanks for the suggestion .
Warren , I don't really want to swap things over again , mainly because I don't really know what I'm doing when I try that sort of thing , but if needs must I shall remember your suggestion .

Monday 23rd. January 2012 ( Part 1 )

2012-01-23T19:33:00.001Z

With rain on the cards for all of tomorrow and another day hedgelaying on Wednesday , I set out for Sevenoaks Reserve in cool and cloudy conditions , which were forcasted to improve , which they didn't . I made my way straight to Willow Hide , as my usual , in the hope of another Bittern sighting . As I looked out of the hide , I could see much more machinery making much more noise , on the building site behind the reedbed favoured by the Bittern . Anyway , I settled in and kept watch . The water level seemed higher and there were few waterfowl on Snipe Bog Lake , but favourites like

this male Shoveler got the shutter moving . The two adult and one juvenile Mute Swans also

performed in front of the hide , with one of the adults showing exactly what 'Swan upping' is all about . Whilst watching the reedbed , Grey Heron and Little Egret both emerged from the area , but no sign of the Bittern , too noisy now ? Just a couple of Tufted Ducks on Long Lake , but East Lake produced large numbers of Canada and Greylag Geese , I looked for the White-fronted that had been

reported , but did not find the bird . Amongst the other were two oddities , a white goose that I think turned up last year or the one before , and another that was definitely 'of doubtful origin' , showing

bits of Canada , Greylag and possibly Brent in it's varied parentage . Down at the end of East Lake , a flock of 8 Rose-ringed Parakeets were noisily arguing over possession of a couple of nest holes .

Six flew off as I approached , but these two stayed at home . The 'Rose ring' , from which they get their name can be seen clearly on the neck of the male . No sign on any additions to the two Great Crested Grebe nests , do they know something ? Looking across to the Public Hide , two large shapes

on the roof turned out to be two Egyptian Geese , two of seven seen today . The Adler trees before reaching the Public Hide , contained a small flock of Siskins again , no Redpolls this time , but an

unexpected Goldcrest , right at the top of the tree . The Egyptian Geese had moved on by the time I got to the hide , but on the nearest island with other species were several Wigeon , a species that

seems reluctant to come close to the shore here . With their favoured area again free from frost , the

Common Snipe were showing well again , though not quite in their previous numbers . I didn't see what caused it , but all of a sudden , all the Lapwings that were on the small islands , took off en

masse , and proceeded to fly together for about five minutes . This shot caught most of the birds , but there were a few stragglers as well . At the end of the five minutes , someone said 'down' , and back

onto the islands they returned , like a fall of snow . Heading off towards the other hides , I passed two

Carrion Crows who seemed to be in deep discussion . But whatever it was , it will have to wait till tomorrow , as with 54 species seen on the visit , tomorrow's post should be of interest to both birders and anglers .

Sunday 22nd. January 2012

2012-01-22T18:25:00.000Z

Three days of hedgelaying , finishing yesterday with the Surrey Group , and at least one and a bit more days next week , was definitely showing this morning , but at least just one of days was wet , which was a result , and yesterday was almost barmy in the sunshine . Whilst catching up with some chores in the garden this morning I heard the 'chak-chak' of Fieldfares in the surrounding area , and heard them again whilst I was sharpening and servicing my hedgelaying tools . With those chores finished , I took a cup of coffee up to the back bedroom window , and it wasn't long before five Fieldfares appeared in the trees above the Cotoneaster bush next door . They flew off a couple of

times being very wary of any sound or movement , but did eventually come down to feed on the

berries , albeit in very gloomy conditions . I got a few shots from the back window , but decided to

try and get nearer , in the back garden . I managed to get about halfway down the garden , when one of the birds gave a call , and that was the last I saw of them . After lunch , I made a short visit to a very windy Hayes Farm . The Gull flock , made up mainly of Black-headed with the odd Common ,

seemed very nervous in the conditions , lifting and settling back continuously . A very windswept Trout Fishery once again didn't produce much interest , apart from 3 Little Grebe and the white farm

Geese . On the return journey , a Rose Ringed Parakeet managed to find one of the very few sunny periods , high in an Oak . Heard before they were seen , were two Egyptian Geese , heading for the

Trout Fishery . I only managed to get one shot through trees , but I like the way it turned out . Which is more than I can say for Blogger , as this short post has taken ages to write , and once again , am finding that I cannot comment on some other blogs , just getting a white screen instead of the comments page .

Monday 16th. January 2012

2012-01-16T18:11:00.000Z

-5C was the reading on the car thermometer as I pulled off the drive this morning , heading for Sevenoaks Reserve . The temperature did thankfully rise to 1C by the time I arrived , but it certainly was a shock stepping out of a warm car into the cold . I made straight for Willow Hide following East Lake which was almost completely free of ice but it was a different story at Snipe Bog Lake , which was frozen over apart from around the island and small areas along the far bank , all of which were bathed in the bright Winter sunshine . That sunshine had not yet reached the reedbed favoured by the Bittern , nor was there any sign of it . The area of open water to the left of the island held a good number of Coot , argumentative enough normally , even more so when all couped up in such a small area . Constant squabbling encouraged some to get away , which meant a long slippery walk

over the ice , and they became prime candidates for John Cleese's Ministry of Funny Walks . A flock of Canada Geese decided to vacate the far corner of the lake , to head for the fields behind , and two

of the flock gave a display of synchronised flying that would grace the Olympics , the timing of the rest of the flock was awful . With all extremities getting very cold , I only just managed to fire off a

few shots of a passing juvenile Cormorant , but when a Kingfisher flew by , almost touching the ice , I couldn't even feel the button to operate the shutter . Still no sign of the Bittern and the sun was now touching the tops of the reedbed , but I needed to walk around and warm up . A look at Long Lake

only produced a trickle of Lapwing overhead , they too heading for the fields . Both GCGrebe nest sites on East Lake were quiet , not surprising given the temperature difference from when they were building and many of the Ivy covered trees showed movement , which turned out to be a few

Blackbirds and a small flock of Redwing , like the ones on the Common , gorging on the Ivy berries . A small bird , hovering like a Goldcrest in the ground vegetation caught my attention . Fast moving ,

I did manage one bad shot of it , which appears to identify it as a Chiffchaff . The walk around the other side of East Lake was very quiet , even the Common Snipe had left the frozen ground that they been feeding on for some time now . Lots of Finches feeding on the ground in small flocks , but they

all turned out to be Chaffinches , not a single one could I make into a Brambling . Reaching Slingsby

Hide , I was greeted by the usual sentry , but that was just about the only sighting . Heading back towards the car park , and warmth , I found a small flock of birds in an Alder over the path . The

majority of them were Siskins , the first I have managed to find on the site during recent visits . Only trouble was I was wrong for the sun and they came out very dark . They were quite happy with me standing quietly , but when two mums with kids came along , they flew off . It wasn't until I got

home that I realised that at least one of the flock was a Lesser Redpoll . Almost at the car , a Long-

tailed Tit was going through a few trapeze tricks , but would it turn and face the camera !

Sunday 15th. January 2012

2012-01-15T17:57:00.000Z

Had a couple of hours up on the Common this afternoon trying to get near to some of the many

Redwings that are still gorging on the Holly berries but also now turning their attention on to Ivy
berries . Still very difficult to get close to them , with so many eyes watching . Also had a flock of

about 20 Fieldfare over , along with a mixed Tit flock made up of Long-tailed , Great Blue and a single Coal . Whilst watching the mixed flock , another movement caught my eye much lower down .
It was moving through quickly and I only managed to fire off three shots . I tried to follow it , but very soon lost it in thick scrub . I then had the opportunity to see exactly what it was , thinking it was

a Wren or Goldcrest , but to my surprise it turned out to be a Firecrest . Not the best shot by far , but showing enough to confirm the find , the first that I have found locally . I spent the next half hour trying to relocate the bird , but didn't find it . Disappointed , I went off looking for Purple Hairstreak

eggs , and managed to find 3 , all laid tight up against the buds that will produce fresh young leaves for the caterpillars to feed on when they emerge . Whilst looking for the eggs , and like Rob / The Living Isle found , several of the Oak buds had in fact burst into leaf , probably during the recent mild spell , but then been caught by the hard frosts of the recent nights . Also found was a gall on one

set of buds , that I think is the Oak hop gall or Artichoke gall , caused by the gall wasp Andricus fecundator . Whilst taking about galls , one of the lads found another one whilst we were working on

the Common on Thursday , which turned out to be the Bramble stem gall , this one caused by the gall wasp Diastrophus rubi .
Finally , some shots from the World Wetlands area at Barnes :

White-fronted Goose , Lesser White -fronted Goose

Barnacle and Red-breasted Goose ,

Crested Pochard , Red-Crested Pochard

Eider , male ,

Cape Teal ,

Ringed Teal ,

Ruddy or White-headed Duck , White -headed Duck (male)

? Swan . Black-necked Swan

Many thanks to Marianne for the amended IDs

Saturday 14th. January 2012

2012-01-14T15:37:00.000Z

For a little while now , Carol has been wanting to have a day up in London . I can't stand all the people that you have to be with there , but , as I usually do my thing , decided to take Carol to where she wanted to be . Local bus , tram and finally underground , and there we were looking down on the Thames , a very low Thames , and still getting lower . As we walked along the bank , several Cormorant , Teal and Black-headed Gull were seen , and where a small stream emptied into the main

river , this Great Black-backed Gull , usually very hard to get close to , was found looking for something to eat . A tree lined lane looked inviting , and produced Blackbird , Song Thrush , Robin ,

Blue , Great and Long-tailed Tits , and of course Rose Ringed Parakeets , these two checking out a possible nest hole . I must admit it was a bit chilly down by the river , and I could see Carol was missing her regular tea/coffee intakes . The lane opened up and overhead a flock of Lapwing

shimmered as the sun caught their colours . Thinking only of Carol's lack of caffeine , I pointed to a gateway and suggested we tried to get a coffee there . Carol agreed and we walked into the London Wetland Centre at Barnes . Caffeine sorted , we thought we would have a look around , seeing as how we had stumbled onto it . With few people about , we headed out towards the first hide . Tufted , Shoveler , Mallard and the usual Coot and Moorhen were all seen , along with a couple of juvenile

gulls , which I think are GBBG , but only managed a shot through a window before they flew off . The reedbeds were very quiet and it was the common species that were singing around the edges of
the site . We were watching a 'Coot war' in one of the ditches and I was hoping that one of the birds
would fly directly towards where I was standing on a small bridge . That didn't happen , but this

Great Crested Grebe popped up right beside me , and wasn't worried at all by my presence . By now , Carol was needing a rest for her leg so we made for the Tower Hide , which also got her out of the chilly wind for a while . I made for the top floor and had a scan over the area from this vantage point . The grazing marsh held good numbers of Wigeon along with the species already seen , and

also just two , a pair of Pintail , which stayed around just long enough to get two shots at distance , before flying off and landing even further away , before disappearing into the bankside vegetation .
From the same place I found 2 possibly 3 small birds , flitting about amongst the dead Bullrushes .

They too were distant , but finally managed to identify them as Stonechats , both male as above and female were seen . A Common Snipe was also seen as it flew into the same area , but vanished straight away . When I found Carol back on the ground floor , she said someone had spotted a Water Rail on a different side of the hide , but it was only fleeting . Moving on , we found male and

female Wigeon sunning themselves , they too didn't seem worried . A lot of noise drew our attention to a pair of adult Egyptian Geese and two juveniles joining in the racket . The adult male was

pushing down and pecking at the adult female and she was calling out which seemed in turn to make the juveniles make more noise . I stopped to check the replay on the camera , when Caro said 'you've missed it ' . The pair had mated and flew off noisily , along with the juveniles . Didn't hear of any Bittern sightings whilst we were there , but from the hide where they have been seen , a male and female Pochard , once again usually difficult to get near to , hauled out of the water for a wash and

brush up , as the early afternoon sun began to drop on the sky . On leaving that hide , we were heading back to the visitor centre and on the way , as we crossed a small bridge , had a close

encounter with a second Grebe species , this time Little . The Shoveler , many of whom were tucked into the bank snoozing earlier , now seemed to be more active , and managed to get these two a little

further on . Almost at the courtyard of the visitor centre , movement high in a Silver Birch caught my eye , but I was looking straight into the sun , so had to get around the other side to confirm my

suspicions . Sure enough , it was a small flock of Redpoll . I took several shots , but a lot of them had

the birds deep in shadow , but they rounded off the day nicely .
No dancing Bittern today , but the important thing was that Carol had her day 'up in the smoke' .
I did take some shots in the World Wetlands area , covering foreign and some native species , if things are quiet tomorrow , I might post some of those for interest .

Wednesday 11th. January 2012

2012-01-11T19:23:00.000Z

Cloudy with bright periods was the forecast , nothing was said about a barmy warm day , that would have been appreciated over last Summer . I made an early start , unsure exactly where I would finish up , but with reports of redhead Goosanders joining the male and a pair of Pintail yesterday , I made Sevenoaks Reserve my first stop . The car park was empty on arrival , but several anglers cars were in their car park . I made my way down the side of the East Lake , heading for the GCGrebe nest site beyond the island , but on the way spotted another pair building a nest much closer to the Visitor Centre . Unfortunately they spotted me at the same time , and moved off to ablute further out in the lake . The pair beyond the island were still working on their nest , but being constantly given grief by a flock of Canada Geese , and that pushed them further out into the lake too . With the low sun temporarily behind some cloud , I scanned the lake , but did not find the Goosander or Pintail , but had to stop when the sun reappeared . A quick look at Long Lake , and then on to Willow Hide . The sun had only reached the far side of Snipe Bog Lake and things were very quiet directly in front of the hide . I had already scanned the reedbed where I had seen the Bittern before Christmas , but there was no sign . I watched a pair of Egyptian Geese abluting in the sunshine further to the right until

they flew off noisily , then went back to the reedbed and spotted the Bittern , just coming out of the

right hand edge . It soon came out right in the open , and didn't seem worried about being away from

cover . In fact , at times it seemed to be full of the joys of Spring , as it went into a really strange dance , with wings flapping and moving quite fast . I was beginning to wonder if it was a display to another bird in the reedbed , but just the one was seen . Every now and again , it would dive back into

the reedbed and not reappear for a couple of minutes or so . I was joined by a regular birder at the site , who was well pleased to get it on his year list the next time it showed . After about 13 minutes ,

looking back at all the shots , the Bittern made one last trip across to the right of the reedbed , and wandered off out of view . I stayed around for a short while , but it didn't show again . Once again , no Kingfisher on the sticks , but I did have a couple of sightings later on the East Lake , but the back

up turn was this Canada Goose , trying to turn itself inside out whilst abluting . Just one Redwing ,

the only Winter Thrush seen or heard on the site , was found on the way around to Tyler Hide , mind

you , it's British cousin was belting it out very close by . No sign of Goosander or Pintail from the hide , but an opportunity to up the number of Common Snipe in one frame presented itself , this time

eight specimens making it in . The sun was still shining as I left the site , heading for New Hythe to trespass on the patch of Phil / Sharp by Nature , in search of another duck species , the two Goldeneye that have been on the Trout Lake . They were not to be seen today , and found out later that they hadn't been seen yesterday either . I decided to text Phil to see if he was on site , and got the messasge back , 'yes , just found a Bittern on Brooklands' . Quite some distance from where I was , so I drove to Brooklands car park and shortly afterwards met up with Phil at the 'raptor viewpoint' .
In between , the Bittern had disappeared back down into the reeds and with several Water Board workers in 'hiviz' jackets , there was not a lot to be seen . It was good to catch up though , and whilst

we did so , we did get a Sparrowhawk flypast . We gave the Bittern plenty of time to reappear , but it didn't , and with Phil's time running out , we headed back to the car park and went our separate ways . Good to meet up again Phil . I checked the Trout Lake on passing as I went to make my second trespass of the day at East Malling Research Station , one of the patches of Adam / East Malling , Ditton and Barming , a site that was teeming with Winter Thrushes and later Waxwings last year . I parked by the church and walked the footpath leading to the Research Station . With plenty of apples on the ground as well as still on trees , it was eerily quiet . A few Woodpigeons and a Robin were seen , and I was half way down the footpath before a Fieldfare was heard , not seen . Four Fieldfares in the corner orchard by the buildings was all that could be mustered , and they were at distance . A few Chaffinches ands three Goldfinches , and I was heading back to the car . Finally , on the large tree , festooned with Mistletoe , at the junction of the road and the cross footpath , right at

the top , the only Fielfare to get in the frame today . What a difference from last year . As I reached the car , the first wisps of cloud could be seen , by the time I was half way home blue sky was at a premium and by the time I got home , it was back to grey all over sky . But it had been an extraordinary day of weather , and the car thermometer reached 14C , in January .

Tuesday 10th. January 2012

2012-01-10T16:47:00.000Z

Firstly , a quick catch up with yesterday's bird survey at Down House . Just 16 species were recorded , with needless to say nothing outstanding , but surprisingly just one Fieldfare and one Redwing , given the good numbers that were found just 3/4 miles away on the Common . Best find were three seed heads of Violet Helleborine , not noticed whilst in flower , and taking the total number of plants to look forward to next year to five . As usual , I had a quick look at Keston Ponds on the way back home , finding 3M and 1F Mandarin in their favoured place and another large flock of Redwings , again feeding solely on Holly berries . The Holly is so thick where they were feeding , it was impossible to get a number , but it wouldn't surprise me if the flock was as big as the one on the Common , especially given the noise of them all chattering . Having read Dean's / DDD post of finding female Hazel flowers already , I had a look around , having spent an age failing to get a

single shot of the Redwings . Well , I did get a shot of the female Hazel flower , and for once , down South is keeping stride with up North .
Today , I had a couple of errands to do and a visit to the tip / recycle centre , so in between two of them , I had a look around Kelsey Park in Beckenham , and actually managed to arrive in one of the few glimpses of sunshine to be had this morning . My arrival was announced by a Song Thrush ,

singing his heart out , high up , near the entrance . Before reaching the lake , a Grey Heron swooped

over and landed on top of a Yew , looking somewhat discheveled , a possible answer to the state was found later . This was just the first of many Grey Heron seen , as on the large island , at least 15 , probably more , nests are in state of construction or refurbishment , so there was much toing and froing as materials were brought in . No surprises waterfowl wise , with Tufted , Mallard , Coot ,

Moorhen , Greylag and Canada Geese all in good numbers , together with this 'Canlag' species , which , according to a local , turns up every now and again . Around the other side of the island , I

found this juvenile Cormorant , unusually , the only member of the species seen there today . Down where the lake become The Beck river again , I could see several Mandarin , tucked well away under overhanging Laurel , but not interested in venturing out . I arrived back in front of the Heronry , where activity had increased markedly , especially by one pair , the male arriving with fresh twigs for the nest on a regular basis and the female busily knitting them into the structure . He must have been

doing the right thing , because he then got his reward , noisily . Talking of noise , the sideshow on

the lake was when 4 Mute Swans appeared , two cool customers in front , followed by two on a mission behind . Each cool customer was hounded up and down the lake by one of the mission birds , but always able to stay at a distance to keep themselves safe . Even when the mission bird decided to

fly rather than paddle , the cool customer once again manage to keep out of harms way . The local chap told me that the cool pair turned up a week ago and the scrapping has been going on constantly since then . It is believed that the cool pair could be the offspring of the mission pair from 2/3 years ago . Last years offspring keep well away down the other end of the lake , but no doubt will be driven off eventually . All this action seemed to inspire the pair of Grey Heron directly above the previous

pair , and they too got on with ensuring the continuation of the species , but they did have the courtesy to turn around . With lunchtime , and cloud approaching , I had one last look for the Mandarins , and found two males and one female that had been tempted out by bread being thrown

from the bridge over the waterfall at the end of the lake . They were very shy at first , but got used to me eventually . The colours on the males were incredible , and with the breeding season close , there

was much posturing from both males in front of the female . Here one of the males is just about to rise up and throw his head back in display . The female wasn't going to be outdone , looking very

prim and proper , and ready for the big occasion , when the males sort themselves out .

Sunday 8th. January 2012

2012-01-08T18:48:00.001Z

A return to the grey skies after yesterday's brighter weather was to be expected I suppose . Having completed my third day of hedgelaying for the week yesterday , my tools were badly in need of sharpening and maintenance . So most of the morning was spent doing just that , with brief visits to the bottom of the garden every now and again when the harsh 'chak-chak' of Fieldfare was heard . There were only half a dozen birds around , but very nervous , staying well up in tall trees and only coming down to next door's Cotoneaster berries for a quick 'smash and grab' . The only shot I

managed was when one was high in a Sycamore , against that grey sky . More photogenic was a

female Blackbird that stayed to have her fill before too flying off . A few Redwings were also seen overflying the garden , so once the tools were finished , I had a quick look around the local 'berries' , which found zero , lots of plump berries , no Winter Thrushes . Whilst driving along the bottom lane , I saw a large flock of birds , too far off to make out the species , above the trees , high on the Common , so that was where I headed . At the bottom , some of the Holly trees that were laden with berries last visit , were half stripped and some completely stripped , but there were still plenty of food around . As I walked up to the high ground I could hear the sound of large numbers of Redwings high in the big Oaks , and along the way was the continual sound of berries dropping from the Hollies above the path . Reaching the heathland at the top , I found where all the noise was coming from , with almost every tree holding good numbers of Redwings . Once one bird saw me , they all took off , and with so many birds swirling around , the wing noise was incredible as they passed

overhead . Just this one area of tree top held 30+ birds and a conservative estimate , which wasn't easy with the constant movement was 250+ . The best single bird shot was this one , but

photographing into that grey background did not make things easy , and I had to lighten the shot to get any detail . With lunch approaching , I headed home , and just checked the garden once more , finding no Winter Thrushes , probably due to 3 Rose Ringed Parakeets having taken over the

Cotoneaster for their lunch .

Friday 6th. January 2011

2012-01-06T17:06:00.002Z

Finally got the car fixed on Tuesday , thankfully without too much grief on the wallet , but got a good soaking both after dropping it off , and again , going to pick it up . Then spent Wednesday and Thursday hedgelaying in a very unprotected area , at the top of a hill , and got almost blown away by some of the gusts and squalls , especially on Thursday . I did however see the largest flock of Fieldfares fly over , about 50 in number .Today we needed to catch up on the belated monthly shop , but managed to put that off till the afternoon , making an early morning visit to Sevenoaks Reserve first . Arriving just as the sun was coming up , it was nice to see some blue sky and a relief that that wind had relented . Straight away , the higher water levels was very noticeable as I made my way to Willow Hide . Before arriving , it was obvious that there was plenty of activity on Snipe Bog Lake , but it was down to the usual suspects , and even though the warmth of the sun was coming through , there was no sign of the Bittern in the furthest reedbed . The majority of the noise was coming from many male Teal , relentlessly persuing a small number of females , the males attempting to get in front of the female

and displaying to her , by rising out of the water and throwing the head backwards , very similar to the Mandarins .This male was right in the middle of the display . Lots of Gadwall , a few Wigeon and Shoveler and the usual Mallards and Tufted completed the ducks . Even with the sticks well out in the water now , no sign of a Kingfisher here . Heading down towards Long Lake , I spotted movement out on the East Lake , where Great Crested Grebes had made a nest last year , amongst trailing branches in the water . Once again , a pair were busy collecting stick and other materials .

Only problem was , the sun was rising directly behind the pair . I managed to get reasonably close ,

and after a while , the pair swam out into the lake and started displaying to each other . A few

minutes later , they returned to the nest , dived down for more materials , and both surfaced with a bill full of material and started the 'walking on water dance' . Needless to say , I was in the worst position possible to take photos , but took what I could , and cursed under my breath . After the dance , the pair moved further out into the lake and had a wash and preen session . I headed around the other side of the lake to get the sun behind me . From the Public hide there was a good mix of Gulls .Greylag Geese and scanning to the right , spotted a male Goosander . I hot footed it around to the viewing point just past the islands , to find that the male was now outside the Public hide , but

well out in the lake . I retraced my steps and finally got him in the frame . He then went into a wash

and brush-up routine , never coming closer than the outer island , and finishing with a good flap to

dry things out , before settling on one of the islands for a preening session . Checking out the other islands for any more of the species was unsuccessful , but did turn up a Greater Black-backed Gull ,

looking almost as large as the Greylag Geese it was standing next to . Plenty of Lapwing constantly lifting off for the slightest reason before settling back in the same place , and at least 21 Common

Snipe , probably a few more unseen were also of interest . I did walk down to Tower and Slingsby hides , but found little of interest , but plenty of debris left over from the two days of high winds . A quick look for the Goosander on my way back was unsuccessful . Plenty of birdsong all the way around the reserve with three Kingfisher sightings , no Siskin sightings this visit , but Redpoll and Fieldfare were heard but not seen . As usual , plenty of Tit species around , the best poser being this

Great Tit , and a Great Spotted Woodpecker looked very dapper against that cloudless sky , whilst

looking for food , high up on an Alder . Two very quick , but exquisite male Bullfinch sightings that failed to get captured , and finally , a shot from the shadows , but one that appealed

to me as I walked by , even if the branches got in the way , again .
Another days hedgelaying tomorrow with the Surrey Group , not far from RHS Wisley .

Friday 30th. December 2011

2011-12-30T15:10:00.000Z

Well , never too old to try something new the old saying goes , so this morning I set off to do some birding around Hayes Farm , by bus . No Warren , not the actual birding from the bus , just the getting there and back . Mind you , as I waited outside Hayes railway station for a connecting bus , a Mistle Thrush was in full song , and was joined just as the bus arrived by a Redwing . Arriving at the farm , I had the place to myself , with most dog walkers having done their bit , but a few energetic runners were still in the throes of theirs . The usual mixed Gull flock was on the horse paddocks , but no sign of any Corvids on the ground today . A single Fieldfare called and flew off from the edge of the woods , and several Rose Ringed Parakeets flew over noisily . An odd Chaffinch and a mixed Tit flock on the edge of the woods and 4 Cormorants , looking as if they had just left the Fishery , was all that was about . Arriving at the Fishery , it was bitter , with the usual strongish wind blowing across the highest point on the farm . I was pretty sure that the female LTDuck wouldn't be seen , as I have seen a couple of non-sightings since the first time I couldn't find her . I suppose she could be on the other fishing lake close by , but there is no access to that . A scan

around the lake found little change , apart from the Gadwall numbers having increased to 7 and the Little Grebe dropping one to 3 . No sign of the Egyptian Geese , but there were a couple of Canada Geese on the far side , along with the white farmyard variety and the couple of farmyard/Greylag crosses . The pair of Mute Swans decided to take off soon after I arrived , only to turn around and land exactly where they started from . An angler turned up and went to their shelter , putting anything on that bank into the water and heading for the middle , but nothing exciting came from that either . Ever since seeing a posting that a Water Rail was seen there , I have always scanned the two small reedbeds on the far side of the lake , but only found the resident Moorhens and Coots and several of

the latter were again engaged in 'square dance' practice . In not good light conditions today , I could see something moving on the edge of one of the reedbeds , but being 75ish mtrs. away , it was difficult to make out what it was with binoculars . Then , whatever it was got spooked by a couple of Coots , and disappeared . Getting colder by the minute , I had another look and on the edge of the

water , a bit further away from the reedbed was the Water Rail . I managed a few long distance

record shots of the bird , before once again the Coots chased it . It did reappear once more very briefly , before the white farmyard geese decided en masse to haul out of the water right infront of the Water Rail , and that was the last I saw of it . I hung around for a while , and in that time two of

the Cormorants , both juveniles , landed on the floating duck houses in the middle of the lake , much to the annoyance of the angler and another that had joined him . Much hand clapping and arm waving ensued , and I decided that any more time spent getting cold would be a total waste of time . I started heading for the bus stop , seeing the two Cormorants circling the lake , until one of them made a

respectable landing in the top of a large Oak . The other one kept circling the tree , attempting to land near the first one . After several attempted crash landings , it gave up and headed towards the other

lake , to be followed by the other one . The only other interest were 6 House Sparrows , just before reaching the road . I was lucky with both buses on the way home , but still arrived frozen , and with the first spots of rain . I was glad to see the Water Rail , but it could have been an expensive sighting , 4 bus fares @ £2.20 , had it not been for the Freedom Pass .

Wednesday 28th. December 2011

2011-12-28T16:18:00.000Z

Still without the car , it's been down to 'Shanks' pony' for the last three days . On Tuesday I headed through the local wood , or more correctly dog's toilet , as there was no way you could look upwards for fear of what you might tread in . From there headed towards the Farm lake and headed back home along the bottom lane . The wood was just about devoid of birds , and apart from Corvids on the rest of the walk , the only interest was five Yellowhammers that flew up from a hedge line into top of the

nearby large Oak , ensuring that any chance of a shot was minimal . One almost showed itself , but almost immediately all five flew off .
Yesterday I walked up onto the Common in slightly less grey conditions than the day before , but the most noticeable thing was the number of birds in full song . Blackbird , Song and Mistle Thrush ,

Robin , Blue and Great Tits and this Dunnock , all trying to convince everyone else that it was Spring already . I also found a reasonable number of Redwings , found not so much by sight as by the constant debris falling through the Holly trees on which they were feeding and landing on the dry material below . By the time I got near the trees though , they were off , getting the merest glimpse of red and a bold eyestripe . There were also a few Fieldfares around , but the Redwings well and truly outnumbered them , the first time I have seen that this Winter .
Today I returned to the Common in what looked slightly less grey conditions than yesterday , but by the time I got to the top of the Common , the darker clouds were rolling in , this time threatening rain . Once again I failed to get any shots of the Redwings in the Holly , but just about managed to

get a couple of shots when they perched at the top of the highest trees , where they once again

refused to allow my close presence flying off well before I would have liked . Mind you , it might also have had something to do with the local Sparrowhawk , which was loitering on the ever

increasing wind above them , and suddenly stooping down amongst the tree tops , hoping no doubt for a plump meal . Other movement in the trees , came from the Grey Squirrels in twos , threes and

fours , spiralling up and down the trunks . Well , it is the start of their breeding season .
Still a few days till the car hopefully is repaired , and three hedgelaying days next week too . Hopefully then , things will return to normal .

Saturday 24th. December 2011

2011-12-24T16:43:00.001Z

I was hoping to have visited Ashdown Forest today , but as I went to pick Carol up from the town before setting off , the car 'died' . Total lack of power , had to crawl home at walking pace .
Could have been worse had it happened there , could have been better , can't get it sorted till the New Year .
Not the best of starts to the festive season , I hope yours is less troublesome .

Thursday 22nd. December 2011

2011-12-22T15:48:00.001Z

A trip to the local recycling depot this morning , tied in nicely with a look around South Norwood Country Park . With blue sky and sunshine , the conditions were the total opposite of yesterday's , and the birdsong showed that they were enjoying the change . As soon as stepped onto the feeding platform nearest the main road , everything that was on the lake flew/paddled towards me . Lots of Tufted Duck ,

Mallard , Coot and Moorhen , along with a few Shoveler , the drakes looking very smart in the sunshine . Black-headed Gulls were arguing with the Carrion Crows and several Magpies were

noisily occupying the island . Whilst watch these , a flash of orange and turquoise in the background caught my eye . It was over on the right-hand side of the lake , about 50 mtrs. away . Unfortunately

there was no way to get any closer , so like at Sevenoaks the other day , I had to make do from distance . One day , I will get close up . I think the bird must have caught a meal , as it then spent

quite some time grooming , before flying off across the lake . A young dad arrived with his daughter to feed the ducks , which brought everything over again , but the bits of bread , dropped by the child ,

caught the eye of other hungry animals . About 6/8 Brown Rats , both adult like the one above , and juveniles just appeared , as if by magic . The adults were very cautious , but the juveniles like this

one , were much more brazen , dashing out into the open , grabbing some bread , and rushing back into cover . I then headed to the platform beyond where the Kingfisher had been , finding no new
species , until a couple of Kestrels appeared in the distance , but heading my way . One broke off ,

and the other turned soon afterwards , but I did manage a few shots of the second bird before it drifted into the distance again . From the platform I could see a Cormorant on a post in front of the next platform . Using everything that I have seen Ray Mears do , I stealthily made my way around the lake and down the track to the platform . As got near the platform , I could see the head of the

bird , the remainder blocked out by the safety rails around the platform . Slowly , I edged closer and closer , several times thinking that the bird had seen me . Inching my way to the back of the platform , I hear someone approaching from behind . It turns out to be one of the Rangers , coming to empty the litter bin on the platform , which he did very noisily , but having done so , left , with the bird still in the same position . I picked up the camera and tripod and walked onto the platform , got

set up again , and started taking shots . Apart from the odd glance my way , this usually very wary species , sat preening itself in the sunshine . Even when another family came to feed the ducks , it carried on regardless . Ray Mears , eat your heart out ! This particular bird , apart from looking very

photogenic , was obviously dyslexic too .
After lunch , with the sun still shining , I went for a look around Hayes Farm . The usual mixed Corvid flock was on the horse paddocks , most , as usual , flying off well before I got into camera

range . But one Rook took just a bit longer to leave , and I managed just one shot before it too was gone . Just before reaching the Trout Fishery , two Robins were having a singing duel , and to my

mind , this one was the winner , hands , or should that be wings down . At the Trout Fishery , most of the expected species were seen , with one notable exception , no sign of the female Long-tailed Duck . Whilst there , a fellow enthusiast Keith , who had foregone his lunch break to get a sighting of her arrived . I had already been looking for about half an hour without success . During the time he was there , we had a good catch up , but he didn't catch up with the LTD , and don't worry Keith , she didn't turn up after you had gone , good to meet up again . The walk back to the car produced little

more than several Pied Wagtails , all looking dapper in their evening suits , especially this one .

Tuesday 20th. December 2011

2011-12-20T16:43:00.002Z

After not getting out yesterday , today I was delayed by a dentist appointment , so I didn't get to Sevenoaks Reserve until nearly 11 o'clock . The sun was out , but a chilly wind was blowing down the site . The Public hide was full with a group , so after checking out the area from behind the screens and finding the usual species , but no sign of the Common Snipe , I headed down to the Tower Hide , which was standing right in line with that wind , and not surprisingly didn't have much in the water in front . Having seen a report of a Water Rail at Slingsby Hide , the two of us , me and the Robin , settled down to watch the flooded ditch , the top end still in the sunshine . During the stay , not even a Wren moved in the ditch , and if hadn't been again for the odd Reed Bunting ,

nothing would have been seen at all . Heading back to the entrance , a few small flocks of Siskins were seen , but they always settled high in trees with the sun behind them . On a stump , I found

three different species of fungi , the large orangey one , Velvet Shank /Flammulina velutipes , the small white edged bracket , Many-zoned Polypore /Coriolus versicolour and in amongst the two , Stag's Head or Candle -snuff Fungus / Xylaria hypoxilon . With the sun rapidly giving way to grey clouds , I walked the other side of the East Lake , finding no new species . Heading for Long Lake , I met another birder who asked if I had seen the Bittern . He said that Willow Hide was full , probably the group that I encountered earlier , but you could see the bird from the screen to the side of the

hide . I made my way to the screen , and in the distance , sitting up on the reedbed , was indeed a Bittern . Trouble was , the light was going quickly and the bird was about 100 mtrs. away . After a couple of minutes , the group started to leave , making some room in the hide , which I eagerly filled . I got a few more shots and very soon after the last group member left , the bird dropped back down into the reedbed . Whilst waiting and hoping that it would show again , three Mute Swans , one

a juvenile flew in and landed noisily very close to the reedbed . The sun was completely gone by now

and things didn't look good , when out popped the Bittern again , but this time infront of the reedbed . At one point , it left the reedbed completely , but returned very quickly when a Sparrowhawk

panicked everything in the area , and the Bittern assumed it's head up - you can't see me pose . Two families came separately into the hide before I left , and both managed to get their first sighting of a

Bittern ,but shortly after the second family managed to see it , the Bittern slipped back into the reedbed and stayed unseen for some time . By now , I was feeling decidedly chilly , and the flask of hot soup that was in the car was calling me . I hope the last family got another sighting , but the weather was going further downhill by the minute . I had my late lunch in the car and warmed up , an in the horse paddock on the track leading out to the road , finished off the visit with not one , as it

was on a previous visit , but two Egyptian Geese . Heading home , the only stop made was near Keston Church , where I found the first flower buds of Winter Heliotrope / Petasites fragrans ,

usually the first flowers of the year , but beaten by the Primroses found in flower whilst coppicing last Saturday .
I have also dug up some info on the icicle , but I have more digging to do .

Monday 19th. December 2011

2011-12-19T18:14:00.002Z

This morning , it was grey and cold .This afternoon it was grey , cold and wet .Not a nice day to be out at all . Apart from taking Carol shopping , I spent most of the day processing the photos taken over the last week . The calls of Parakeets from the Cotoneaster bush

next door was one of the few movements in the gardens in what was really bad light conditions , but I think that the berries aren't ripe enough yet , as after a couple of samples , they flew off again . When the berries are ripe , they just sit and gorge themselves .
The main reason for this post , is for what Carol found when she went out to put down some bird food this morning . Along with the food , she checks the drinking water , which this morning was frozen solid . One of the dishes , a plastic flower pot dish , which the Blue Tits are particularly fond of using for drinking and bathing , contained what can only be described as a wonder of nature . The dish was standing on the barbecue , but here it is on the patio table , with a piece of hardboard

behind . 'Growing' out of the dish is what I can only describe as 'an upside-down icicle' , at an angle

of about 60 degrees from the horizontal . There was no water source near the dish , the remainder of the water was almost frozen solid , and there was no other object in the dish . The length of the 'icicle' and the diameter of the dish was about 7.5cms.
Naturally , the 'icicle' melted slowly through the day , and I have been wondering just how this could have happened . If any reader could explain , I would be very grateful .
This is not a put up job , and it isn't the 1st. April either .

Sunday 18th. December 2011

2011-12-18T15:47:00.000Z

Like today , yesterday morning was very frosty , but the coppicing job started last week needed to be finished , and once everyone got used to the temperature on arrival , a brisk mornings work saw the job completed . Of interest during the morning , a good example of layering Hazel , where branches

from an existing Hazel stool , top right of picture , are bent over and pegged down into the ground . Nature then does it's thing , and a new stool grows up from the layered branches , and also makes a useful place to hang your jacket . Also found , the first Spring plants in flower , not the usual Winter

Heliotrope found about the turn of the year , but Primrose / Primula vulgaris . Many fungi are hard to identify , but this one found amongst the leaf litter , The Goblet / Cantharellula cyathiformis , is one

of the easier ones , as it looks just like it's common name . And , just before leaving the site , I

spotted a really good sized specimen of Wood Blewit / Lepista nuda , amongst some smaller ones . That's the last Surrey Group task now until the New Year .
Today , in one of the few bright spells , I spent an hour or so , wandering around one of my Winter haunts , Hayes Farm . The walk to the Trout Fishery produced the usual mixed Corvid flock in one paddock and the mixed Gull flock in another . 5 Mistle Thrushes were found in the Oaks near the farmyard , and one amongst them was in full song . A mixed Finch flock , made up mostly of Goldfinches and an almost totally Blue Tit flock was also seen . Three Rose Ringed Parakeets flew over noisily and landed in another Oak . One of the birds was sat up nicely , until the shutter went ,

or to be precise , a split second before the shutter went . In the short time it took to get to the Trout Fishery , that blue sky had closed in and the temperature seemed to halve . An initial scan failed to find the Long-tailed Duck , but the 4 Little Grebes were still around , but only 3 were willing to

gather together for a shot . Most of the waterfowl seemed to be hauled out on the bank , but the pair

of Mute Swans were feeding along the edge by the footpath , and weren't bothered about me . As on my last visit , as if from out of nowhere , the female Long-tailed Duck showed up , right in the middle of the lake , and proceeded to 'fly through the water' for quite some distance , before settling down to preen , and eventually get back to the important business of diving for food . I kept meaning to check on what she would be eating , and finally remembered to do so . I thought that it would be weed and other vegetation , but the book says molluscs and crustaceans , so the lake must be healthy to have kept her in residence for almost a month that I know of , perhaps it has been even longer . Just one Egyptian Goose was found , the juvenile , who spent all the time I was there preening in the

far corner , and having a good flap afterwards . Just before I headed back to the car , an adult

appeared , and the pair seemed to go straight into a good old chinwag , no doubt catching up on recent goings on . A few Pied Wagtails on the way to the car , but I must admit , I was more interested in getting out of that wind .

Wednesday 14th. December 2011 ( Part 2 )

2011-12-15T09:20:00.002Z

Walking back along the road towards the car , the Fieldfare and Mistle Thrush were still arguing and this time the smell of the fallen fruit was strong . Usually the Winter Thrushes are gorging themselves , but just the few Fieldfares were around . As I reached the car , I heard the short contact call of a Fieldfare , but it was coming from deep within the vegetation . Then it flew up and started to

eat Haws , high in a tree , and straight into the sun , but it was the best that I had managed since I arrived . As I waited and hoped that it would move to a spot where there weren't several branches infront of it , I heard another call from across the road , this too came from deep within vegetation . I manage to spot this one , sitting motionless . Eventually , having digested it's previous meal , and

getting rid of the waste , it emerged to get a refill . Being on the other side of the road , the sun was

behind me and showing the bird in all it's glory . It stayed feeding and hiding for another 20 minutes or so , giving more good photo opportunities and the closest that I have ever managed to get to the species without some form of cover , until an alarm call from the other side of the road , and both birds departed , heading for the orchard . Well worth the cold feet I thought to myself . One last

look at the North Lake produced a couple of Common Snipe that must have been amongst the sedges when I had scanned the lake before . Once again ready to leave , when a large bird appeared over Winkworth Wood , and started heading my way . Binoculars confirmed that it was a Common

Buzzard , and it was soon joined by another bird . Unfortunately , the pair veered off and started circling , rising , and drifted back away from my position . At one point , they came together and

and almost locked talons , but by now they were well distant . The last shot I got of the pair shows not so much size differential between the two of them . I assume that the second bird was a juvenile

Common Buzzard , but by now the local Corvids had locked on to them , and proceeded to escort them away , not to be seen again . I headed back to the car , again , this time being overflown by a fast moving flock of Redpolls , that settled briefly high in the Lombardy Poplars , but left again almost immediately . I must admit that one of the main targets was my first Brambling of the year , and the fact that I had missed out earlier , had me stopping for a final look around the feeders . On

the way down the path , a Wren announce my arrival , but unfortunately it wasn't announcing even a single Brambling on the site . The same species were found , with the addition , under the main feeder of several Chaffinch , a couple of Moorhen , one with a damaged leg and 3 female Pheasant ,

all hoovering up whatever was dislodged by the birds above . And above was still very busy , with

more Greenfinches showing up and the odd House Sparrow . The sun was turning decidedly watery now and the wind was getting colder by the minute . I was heading home , but I hope that the couple who replenished the feeders are back today , as the main 12 port feeder shown above , was already about one sixth empty . By the time I reached the main road , the watery sun had been covered with grey wintery clouds , and I was glad to be inside the car .

Wednesday 14th. December 2011 ( Part 1 )

2011-12-14T17:01:00.002Z

I had expected today to be much worse weatherwise than this morning turned out , and I had already started catching up on chores . By 10 o'clock , with Carol gone shopping , the sun was still shining , enough was enough . Chores were put aside for another day , I loaded up the car and headed for Bough Beech . On my way along the bottom lane , my suspicions from the last time I passed were confirmed ,

with not one nest but a second and the start of a third at the rookery . Apart from the birds involved in the nest building , about 20/25 birds were foraging on the horse fields , indicating how well this rookery has done over the last couple of years . Mind you , this early nesting might not be one of their better ideas . By the time I reached Bough Beech , the sun had become watery , and as usual there , the wind was cold off the water . Well , off what water there is , as the level of the main

reservoir is almost as low as during the drought year of 1976 , as can be seen here . This is the point where the under-road culvert joins the min reservoir and the North Lake , and at present the North Lake , which is fed by a small stream from the hills behind , is in turn feeding the reservoir . The bottom of the concrete causeway can just be seen bottom right and the waters edge is 10s of metres beyond . Normally at this time of year , water is pumped into the reservoir from the River Eden and the level of the water almost covers the whole of the concrete . A warning for next year ? The low Winter sun made it difficult to make out much on the main reservoir , but Cormorants , Great Crested Grebe and Teal were distantly seen . On the small North Lake , Teal were the most numerous species by a long way , with a single drake Wigeon amongst them . With not much else about , I made my way along to the Oast House , passing the orchard on the way , which was carpeted with fallen Apples , where a small number of Fieldfare were heard along with a couple of Mistle Thrush . Arriving at the Oast House Visitor Centre , which now has a brand new hide overlooking the scrape . Unfortunately the only species seen from the hide was Mallard . A look over the reedbed , which now sports a ramp to match the new hide , only produced a few Fieldfare flying down to feed on the ground . The only other people around were a couple who were refilling the bird feeders . he word of the replenishment must have gone around like wildfire , and several species , including a Marsh Tit were seen on the feeders that side of the stream . As I crossed the small bridge back towards the road , I had a second look for the Water Rail that resides in the area , but did not find it . By the time I got to the feeders in the orchard , they were alive with birds . The vast majority were Blue and

Great Tits , but other species like Goldfinch and Marsh Tit got used to my presence and freely came in to make the most of the replenished feeders . Some species , like the Nuthatch , were much more

reserved , searching for more natural food , but sooner or later , the lure of the feeders overcame their

reservedness , and they joined in with the main species . Lots of Blue Tits were coming to the feeders

but every now and again they too were joined by other species , here Robin and Great Spotted Woodpecker . The odd Starling also arrived , no doubt to find out what all the movement was about ,

often occupying a high perch to get the best view . But , when a flock of the species arrived , there

was no standing on ceremony , just crash bang , out of our way , this is ours now , and the smaller species got out of their way , and left them to it . Mind you , when something disturbed the Starlings , the small ones got in quick , and had a good feed before they came back . Also on the outskirts of all

this going on , an obviously married male Blackbird was quietly making sure that the Haws that he had been watching all year , became his meal , and not going to a foreigner . Just before leaving the

feeders , it was good to see several Greenfinches come in to feed , hopefully they are getting over the infection which has been troubling them . Feet now freezing cold , I headed back towards the car , and home , as I hadn't brought any lunch , but what distracted me ?

Monday 12th. December 2011

2011-12-12T17:02:00.000Z

With most of the rest of the week looking not very good weatherwise , I got out early in the sunshine and headed for Sevenoaks Reserve , with the intention of having a look around , then moving on . It might have been sunny , but it was still cold , with a cold breeze by the water . I headed towards Willow Hide , and it wasn't long till I heard the constant chattering of Siskins , right up in the top of

the Alders . Their constant movement , along with the breeze , did not make getting a few shots

easy , but just the odd ones came out half decent . There were probably 50/75 in the flock , spread amongst several trees . Just the usual waterfowl from Willow Hide , and Egyptian and Canada Geese in the fields beyond . Lots of Chaffinches , mixed Tit flocks and a couple of Song Thrushes were seen along the track between East Lake and Long Lake ,along with

this Dunnock , that looked as if it was still wearing it's thermals . On the way back , a small flock of

about 10 Lesser Redpolls was found , once again high up , this time in Silver Birch . I'll be glad when

they have eaten all the high stuff and pose lower down . Several Jays and Magpies seemed to be arguing , but it didn't seem to bother the Redpolls , but when the Air Ambulance helicopter flew over low , that was the last I saw of them . I put up two Grey Herons on my way to the Public Hide , but no sign of the Little Egret today . Lots of Lapwings and mixed Gulls and the usual Greylag Geese on the islands from the hide , and on the grassy area to the left , about 15/20 Common Snipe , could well

have been more . Just the small area covered by this shot held 7 of the species . The walk down to Tower Hide found a couple more small groups of Siskin , but little else . The view from the hide found nothing at all . A quick look from Slingsby Hide failed again to produce a Water Rail , just a couple of Reed Buntings , several Blue Tits and the resident Robin . Retracing my steps , I heard Green and GSWoodpecker and also Mistle Thrush . Getting back to where I started , I decided to have a look at Carter Hide , but it only produced a Sparrowhawk in the trees on the far bank . I followed the alternative path to Willow Hide , finding the 'ugly duckling' , fast asleep on the way . I

managed to past without waking it .A second look from the hide , now that the sun had got onto the

water did produce a couple of juvenile Pied Wagtails , searching for their breakfast , and the sun now

made the drake Teal look very dapper as he followed his lady . There then followed the most unusual couple of hours . As I said earlier , I was going to move on , Phil's New Hythe was in mind , but as I rejoined the track alongside the East Lake , constant calls from Kingfishers were heard , and the first of probably 35/40 sightings of the species began . I know for a fact that there were at least 5 birds involved , and it looked to me as if there were two pairs , and the odd one , but there could well have been others . The two pairs seemed to be arguing and one minute the pair from the corner near the Visitor Centre would chase off the other pair and all would go quiet , then the reverse would happen . All this was going on beyond the trees on the edge of the lake , but I found that by waiting at one of the fishing platforms in between the VC corner and the island half way down the track , the birds would spot me and veer off and head over the Darenth and in the direction of the Willow Hide , only to reappear shortly afterwards and continue the feud . I did find a spot on the corner where I had a

good view of the goings on , but it was very distant . I tried to get shots of the action , but it was all too quick , as they appeared and disappeared into the trees . The above shot was the best I could manage , but it was very distant . The odd time , a single bird flew into and settled briefly in the

corner , no doubt to get it's breath back , but once again it was at distance . Apart from the visual aspect of the scene , the constant calling of the birds , even when they had flown some distance from the lake edge , could be heard . By the time I left them to it , which was nearly two hours later , I had taken lots of shots , but 99.9% of them turned out to be totally useless , thank heaven for digital

photography . On my way back to the car , two Great Crested Grebes , who seemed to be on a mission , made it into the viewfinder , but a small raft of Pochard way out in the middle of the lake didn't .By now it was too late for New Hythe , or anywhere else for that matter , just where the time went watching and attempting to photograph the Kingfishers went , I have no idea .
This post is a day late , as , having done all the work and about to publish it last night , Internet Explorer crashed , and I lost the whole thing apart from the opening couple of lines . The computer very nearly joined the wind and rain outside the back bedroom window last night .

Sunday 11th. December 2011

2011-12-11T18:34:00.001Z

After a beautiful day yesterday , coppicing Hazel near Dorking , to provide materials for future hedgelaying jobs with the Surrey Hedgelaying Group in brilliant sunshine , followed by the Group's Christmas meal in a local pub , today was a real let down . Dismal , gloomy , wet and grey were words that described this morning . The only good thing was that there was no frost , unlike yesterday's start .But , it wasn't birdless , as a look from the back bedroom window revealed five Fieldfares , through the gloom , sitting high above the Cotoneaster bush , covered in bright red berries in my next-door

neighbour's garden , in the already mentioned gloomy conditions . I tried to get closer walking down the garden , but one of the five spotted me and gave the alarm . Surprisingly , one stayed put and

allowed a gloomy closer shot , before it too flew off . By lunch time , the drizzly rain ceased , but things didn't get much brighter . In need of some air though , I got my gear together and headed for Hayes Farm . Once again , the wind was strong and bitter as I headed towards the Trout Fishery . On my way there , a flock of about 15 Rooks lifted off well before getting into range of the camera , as did a good sized flock of mixed Black-headed and Common Gulls , with more of the latter than on

the last visit . Mistle Thrush and Green Woodpecker were heard , the former in full song . Just a single angler on the fishery , who informed me that an earlier birder had been looking for the Long-tailed Duck , and that it had gone . I scanned the lake finding a male and female Gadwall right over the other side , which could well be my first sighting of the species here . With nothing else new around , I started scanning the far bank , which contains two small reedbeds , for the Water Rail which has been reported recently , but without a sighting . The peace and quiet was constantly broken

by the Coots , who were either arguing or practising the square dance . Then , from nowhere , the LTD appeared in the binoculars , right over in the far corner . That makes it 19 days in residence to my knowledge , perhaps even more . Once again she looked very comfortable and as usual , spending 90% of the time underwater . With darker clouds rolling in , I headed back to the car , finding a ring

of Horse Mushroom / Agaricus arvensis on my way in one of the horse paddocks .

Wednesday 7th. December 2011

2011-12-07T16:33:00.001Z

Nothing more exciting than a walk through Kelsey Park in Beckenham this morning , in strong chilly winds and and a sunny sky .

Mandarins could be seen , tucked away under overhanging branches , but it wasn't until I stopped to talk to another chap with a camera , whom I have met before at Sevenoaks Reserve , that some of the water fowl came to see if we had any food , and it was too much for the Mandarins , and for a few minutes they came out of hiding .

Even though it isn't the breeding season , the drakes looked fantastic .

The females seemed to have a glint in the eye , perhaps because the drakes outnumbered them by a ratio of 4 to 1 .

At least one of the partial albino ? Coots is still around .

The same Winter sun caught the yellow eye of the Tufties too .

And the Moorhen wasn't to be left out of the picture , with it's red eye .

Away from the water , one of the Grey Squirrels showed how to balance ,

while it's friend decided on a more comfortable position .
Lots of berries on the Hollies in the park , but no sign of a Winter visitor .

Tuesday 6th. December 2011

2011-12-06T18:20:00.001Z

Yesterday , I did the Down House bird survey , and finished up with an average 21 species for the visit . Mind you , with the cold wind ripping through the site , I feel that it was a good result , the pick of the bunch being a male Bullfinch , 8 Fieldfare and a single Stock Dove . No Deer sightings during the visit and no sign of the 'silverback' Jacob's ram , who must have done his duty .

A stop at Keston Ponds on the way home , produced just 6 Mandarins including 4 drakes , but as usual , they stay well tucked up amongst the overhanging branches , but very little else .
A look on the Common turned up very little too , just a small stand of Red-cracked Bolete / Boletus

chrsyenteron , of which this was one , and a bunch of the chunky form of Honey Fungus / Armillaria

mellea , at the base of a Beech that looks very close to the chainsaw .
Having seen a recent report of a Black-necked Grebe at Sevenoaks Reserve , I wrapped up and headed there to see if I could find it . It was bitter on arrival , and things didn't get much warmer during the visit . If the BNG was still there, I'm pretty sure that I , or one of the other birder's who had come for the same , would have found it , as very little was on the lakes early on . The bird

population went up dramatically , when this skein of about 50 Canada Geese flew in . Fr the first time in several visits , I did not see a Kingfisher this time , but as some compensation , I did find a couple of small flocks of mixed Siskins and Goldfinches . The Siskin numbers are nowhere near what was seen last year , but there's still time for them to grow . Getting a shot with the birds high in

the Alders and very bad light , was difficult . Beyond the Public Hide , I came across a very

confiding Great Creasted Grebe , unusual I find for this species . In front of the Tower Hide I found a large flock of Greylag Geese , many performing their morning ablutions , and even though I checked

each one individually , I couldn't find a single White-fronted . The only variations were a couple with too much white on the bodies , and two Grey Heron statues , standing amongst them . It was too cold

to spend too much time at Slingsby Hide , but whilst there I did see two Reed Buntings including this male that posed for a shot , and in the ditch that should have produced a Water Rail , the best I could

manage was this Wren that would stand a good chance of winning Dancing on Ice , the way it managed to skate over the surface . On the way home , I had some stuff for the tip , and as I was passing the Trout Fishery , made a quick visit , finding the female Long-tailed Duck still in residence . Also found in residence was a second pair of Little Grebes that were feeding very close to the original pair . I tried to get an 'all four' shot , but it proved impossible to get all four on the surface at one time . I did get a 'four' shot with one pair thought , when they surfaced very close to the pair of

Mute Swans , showing the massive difference in size of the two species . Also on the Fishery today

were two Egyptian Geese . The adult , standing on one of the Barley straw bales put in to attempt to control the Blanket Weed growth , seemed to be displaying to the juvenile standing behind the bale . Of interest , I read today that this species was declared a 'pest' in 2009 . With the temperature dropping like a stone , I headed off home for a hot cuppa .

Sunday 4th. December 2011

2011-12-04T14:42:00.001Z

Only managed to get out for a short while yesterday , so headed for Hayes Farm . Fortunately , I had several layers on , as , in the open the wind was extremely lazy . Compared to other years , the farmer has left very little in the fields where in the late Summer and Autumn , people came to 'Pick their Own' , just one small stand of the remains of the Maize crop . Normally there is a large area of Brussel Sprouts which would attract Finch flocks and several different passerines , but not this year . I seem to remember there were large quantities of sprouts left on the plants last year , they must be going out of favour these days . Gull numbers are increasing on every visit , mainly Black-headed , but more and more Common Gulls are being seen . Likewise the Corvids , mainly Crows and Jackdaws , but a few Rooks also coming down on the horse paddocks , which also still hold good numbers of Pied Wagtails , working hard , breaking open the horse droppings . I could hear dogs barking as I approached the Trout Fishery , and found a training class going on in the field just before the Fishery . I'm not sure just who was training who , as the person I assume was the instructor , spent more time shouting commands at dogs in the back of a car than the dogs that were under training . There was no sign of the female Long-tailed Duck when I arrived , nor of the Wigeon that seemed as if they might stay for some time . Scanning the far corner found the 2 Little Grebes along with a few Tufted Ducks and the large number of Coots and Moorhens . Then , as if from nowhere ,

the Long-tailed Duck just appeared and started diving for food , she is the tiny speck in the middle of this shot , almost at the far bank , an area that she seems to favour .As luck would have it , the bailiff was on site talking to an angler on the bank to the left , but then the two of them walked to the corner then along the bank from left to right in the shot . Their presence encouraged the LTD to gradually move over to the footpath side of the Fishery , where I was standing , and provided me

with the closest shots that I have managed of her , down to just 10 metres at times , and in the best

photographic conditions , without too much light reflection off the water and not too much wind on

this side . But , by far the most constant view of her was this one , as she dives yet again . More birders are coming to get a view of the duck , as it is mentioned on various websites now , but these will be the last shots I post of her , for fear of boring the reader . Of interest , on one of the websites , I read that a Water Rail was recorded at the site , a species that I haven't managed to get there .
After helping Carol with the monthly shop this morning , I had a look up on the Commons before lunch , and before what turned out to be some very wintry showers this afternoon . Birdwise it was quiet , with a couple of Tit flocks and a GSWoodpecker and a Sparrowhawk being seen to the parish boundary by a couple of the local Corvids . Even the fungi was quiet compared to last visit , with still no sign of any Helvella , neither White nor Black , after an amazing show of the two species last year . However , a few species were found ,

on a rotting Oak stump , Sulphur Tuft / Hypholoma fasciculare ,

amongst wood chippings , Bolbitius vetellinus ,

on heathland , under a Scots Pine , False Chanterelle / Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca ,

and on woodchips in a front garden , close to where I parked the car Stropharia aurantiaca .

Friday 2nd. December 2011

2011-12-02T18:08:00.001Z

Had expected to be hedgelaying today , but got the hedge finished earlier than expected , so managed to get out this morning in cold , crisp , sunny weather . With two Bitterns being seen at New Hythe earlier in the week , that is where I headed , arriving shortly after 0900 . I headed straight to the reedbed where the sightings had been , and set up . Mist was still rolling off the reedbed and over the water , as the temperature was just about 5C , but the sun was up and starting to fall on the reedbed . I know for a fact , that if Phil / Sharp by Nature , had been around , there would have been Bitterns everywhere , but he wasn't , nor were the Bitterns . Being in the shade of the adjacent trees , it very

soon got very cool , but it didn't seem to worry the Mute Swan directly in front of me , who went

through it's morning ablutions as if I wasn't there at all . The same cannot be said of the Bitterns , as after well over an hour in the same spot , not a single movement was spotted from the reedbed . To get some heat into my feet , I left my position opposite the reedbed and walked the ditch up towards the scrub , looking for Water Voles . This too was not productive , but a few Fieldfares were seen feeding on Hawthorn on the way . Crossing the scrub , heading for the railway crossing , a flock of

Linnets and a small number of Greenfinches kept the interest . Just before crossing the railway , it

seemed as if almost every head of Teasle had a Goldfinch , industriously extracting the seeds . Reaching the river , which was about half way on it's way out , I took the overgrown path alongside it , getting several sightings of Bullfinch , the males looking magnificent in the low Winter sun , but never managed to get a clear shot of any individual . The same for the Fieldfares and Redwings along my path , all flying off noisily before I could get them in the viewfinder , and warning the ones further down the river too . The Sunken Marsh looked and sounded very empty , apart from the odd Cettis Warbler , half breaking into song . I decided to cut across the top of Abbeymead , up to Phil's raptor viewpoint and then down between Abbeymead and Brooklands lakes , finding no more than I had already come across . Almost back at the railway , the corner of Abbeymead held an adult and

two juvenile Mute Swans , the latter posing in line for a shot . Back along the railway path , more of the same , with a mixture of Blackbirds , Mistle Thrushes and Fieldfares , feeding right at the end ,

but only a female Blackbird stayed for a shot . Heading back to the reedbed for another try for the

Bitterns , a distant Fieldfare gave the only opportunity for the species today . The second stint at the reedbed was just as unproductive as the first regarding Bittern , but it did produce a shot of a Great

Crested Grebe , out of the water , and I can only remember seeing them out of the water on nests before . It was incredible how awkward it looked out of water , given how agile the species can be in the water . After heading back to the car for my lunch , I headed for a look at the stream alongside Lunsfords Lane , Alders Lake , and the small fishing lake alongside . The only one to produce

anything different was the last one , in the form of a female Goldeneye . This small lake seems to

attract this species most years , and like all truly wild birds , she was very difficult to get anywhere near to get a shot , but with a bit of stealth , patience and luck , I managed a couple in the end . Heading back onto Lunsford Lane , the Cormorants were already gathering on Alders Lake ,

preparing for another cold night , as the watery sun disappeared behind another bank of cloud . I decided that although I couldn't wait till dusk for any Bitterns to come in to roost , I would have one more try before leaving . This visit to the reedbed , like the other two , was Bittern-less , but I was

rewarded with a visit from a Kingfisher , which landed very briefly on the tree on the small island in front of the reedbed , before flying off again . By the time I got back to the car and on my way home , the temperature was back to that on my arrival .

Monday 29th. November 2011

2011-11-28T14:43:00.001Z

The first hard frost of the winter last night , led to a very chilly morning , and the afternoon wasn't much warmer . I decided to have a look at Sevenoaks Reserve , and set off hoping that the colder weather might have brought in some winter visitors . Well wrapped up , I made a short stop at Carter Hide , but just two Tufted Ducks were all that was found .On my way to Willow Hide , a Kingfisher flew past me , heading for Carter Hide , was it going to be that sort of day ? Before reaching Willow Hide , another , or the same Kingfisher flew past me again , this time heading in the direction I was

going , but there was no sign of one once I got to the hide . There was though a Grey Heron , looking even colder than I felt , if that was possible . The usual waterfowl were present , with the exception of geese , not a single Canada , Greylag or Egyptian Goose was to be seen , probably out feeding in the fields , and possibly with the 3 White-fronted relations that someone had recorded in the book recently . Heading down the side of the East Lake , a few Pochard and Tufted Ducks , along with 2 Little and several Great Crested Grebes . Long Lake only held a few Mallard and Tufted Ducks , and in the corner , the classic 'ugly duckling' , a juvenile Mute Swan , trying not to be seen , well , not until it gets it's white plumage . At the outlet from East Lake , I disturbed another Grey Heron and a Little Egret . The fields on the left at the end of the track held not a single goose , but whilst there , I

did get a fly-over from 10 Lapwing , heading for the islands on East Lake . In the corner of which , I heard the raucous call of Rose-ringed Parakeets and soon found a pair , seemingly looking for a new

home . The male was looking very smug having found this 'des-res' , but it was obvious that the

female was still giving the new pad the once over , before making up her mind . She spent ages sizing it up , then several tentative looks into the hole , before working up enough courage to look

around inside . She eventually did , and seemed to like what she had seen . I can't be certain , but as

she exited the hole , the male just might have mentioned something about her weight , as she flew straight at him , noisily squalking , and the pair flew off , seemingly arguing . Heading to the other side of the East Lake , very little was seen , with the exception of several Wrens , busily searching for

food and managing to get behind a branch just as the picure was being taken . The Public Hide was closed because the screen on the approach has blown down and was lying on the path , but I don't think much was missed from there . From Tower Hide , at last 4 Common Snipe were seen , two

were having a doze originally , but when joined by a third , the first two decided to join in feeding

with the third . Both a Grey Heron and a Little Egret flew in and promptly disappeared into the reedbed . Some time later , first the Little Egret came out into the open , closely followed by the Grey Heron . All I need now , I thought to myself , is for the two of them to be followed by a Bittern , but , alas , it didn't happen . Just the usual Robin at Slingsby Hide and again no sign of a Water Rail . On the way back to the car , I found a relation of the Rubber Buttons fungi posted yesterday . This was

Neobulgaria pura , no common name for this one . Almost at the car park , I found this Grey

Squirrel ,avidly eating the seeds of this small Field Maple , as if it was the last food available .

And finally , the weekend may be over , but this pair of Shoveler certainly seen to be still in the
weekend spirit .

Sunday 27th. November 2011

2011-11-27T18:19:00.001Z

Hedgelaying has been top of the pile recently , and so it will remain next week too , but today I did manage a look around the Common , and a check on the female Long-tailed Duck on the Trout Fishery at Hayes Farm .The Common produced a few fungi , which included ,

Black Bulgar or Rubber Buttons / Bulgaria inquinans ,

Gymnopilus penetrans , on a dead conifer that was also hosting Ivy ,

a cluster of the bracket Root Fomes / Heterobasidion annosum ,

but , by far the most common species found , was Butter Cap /Collybia butyracea .
The Trout Fishery was quieter than previous visits , but the female Long-tailed Duck is still in residence , and looking very happy in he environment , constantly diving to feed . The better weather

conditions, albeit windy , improved photographic opportunities , and a couple of new shots are

posted . Also caught in the better light , one of the male Wigeon .

Found whilst making my way to the Trout Fishery , a new fungi species for me , Calvatia

excipuliformis , a species similar to the Lycoperdon family , but much larger , as the 35mm. film canister shows .
Apart from the hedge itself , the only interest yesterday came when a Red Kite flew directly overhead . With a chainsaw running and with ear defenders on , I knew nothing about it , till it was well out of sight .

Tuesday 22nd. November 2011

2011-11-22T15:49:00.001Z

Two very similar days yesterday and today , in that the mornings were spent doing jobs in the garden , and although the weather was anything but good on either , I managed to get out both afternoons .Yesterday , I spent a couple of hours at Sevenoaks Reserve , finding very little change from my last visit . Once again , I had two Kingfisher sightings , the first from Carter Hide , when a bird flew past , carrying the largest fish that I have ever seen a Kingfisher carrying . It landed some 20 mtrs. away , and started to knock seven bells out of it's proposed meal . At times , the action of swinging the fish to hit the branch almost caused the bird to topple off it's perch . It moved several times , always further away , until it was almost out of sight . I gave up after 10/15 minutes , so I don't know whether all the bashing was successful in the end . The other sighting was on the East Lake , alongside Long Lake . Not so many Common Snipe were seen , just 5 , but Cormorant numbers were well up . No sign of the Goldeneye that had been reported a couple of days ago . At

Slingsby Hide , I wasgreeted by the usual Robin , but apart from several LBJs diving into the reeds and moving about , little else was seen . On the way back to the car I did find a nice fresh specimen

of Coprinus comatus / Shaggy Ink Cap or Lawyer's Wig . The easiest sighting of the visit came as I

drove down the track to the road , finding this very confiding Egyptian Goose in the horse paddock

alongside .Even when I stopped the car alongside and got out , it just carried on with it's tea , just a shame the light was so bad .
This afternoon , in very similar dull , but milder conditions , I went for a look around Hayes Farm , not expecting to find much , and so it was with just a few House Sparrows at the entrance and several Pied Wagtails following the horses around the paddocks . I made my way to the Trout Fishery , and was amazed to find it alive with birds . Scanning around , I found 14 Mallard type , 2 Little Grebe , 2 Mute Swan , 7 Tufted Duck , 3 Wigeon - 2M,1F , 18 Coot , 12 Moorhen , 4 Canada Geese and 1 Egyptian Goose . With them were anything from 40 to over 100 Black-headed Gulls , constantly coming and going for their evening ablutions . Also around were 9 farmyard geese and a farmyard duck . The Wigeon were right over in the far corner , and whilst watching them , I caught sight of a small , black and white , at a distance , diving bird . I only had binoculars , and at first thought that it

might have been a Grebe , as it was small , as can be seen here later against a Moorhen when it came to the middle of the Fishery . But now I could see that it was a duck , but not one that I recognised . It

spent more time under water than on top , but did come closer to the area that I was able to conceal myself behind a tree . Trouble was that I was hoping for it to come even closer , but all the time the light , which was bad anyway , was getting progressively worse , but I was being serenaded by a Mistle Thrush in full song which was very pleasant . Eventually , it came to within 10

metres of where I was and I got the closest shot that I could , just before it dived again , and headed back to the middle . I have done some research since getting home , but haven't managed to identify it yet , but think it is going to turn out to be an escapee , but if anyone has any ideas , I would be pleased to hear from them . As I made my way back to the car , more species made the book , totalling 17 , in addition to those seen at the Trout Fishery . One of these was a lone Fieldfare which flew up calling as I passed the log piles , but I met up with it again at the entrance and managed to

get a shot , once again , shame the light was so bad .
And finally , many thanks to the 'old blind git' , his words not mine , for getting me through the gobbilty gook to alter the font size on this blog . I hope you can read it without straining the eyes now Warren .

Saturday 19th. November 2011

2011-11-19T15:10:00.001Z

Playing catch up again , after yesterday morning's request from Carol whether we could have a trip to the coast , before the the pack ice closes in . So off we set for Broadstairs in very pleasant conditions . On the M2 , and about to take the A299 , the signpost read Margate . I wonder if it's still there , I thought to myself , and suggested a stop on the front above Palm Bay . I looked in the back of the car , and , lo and behold , my camera and binoculars were laying there . Whilst Carol sat in the sun and read her book , I made my way down to the beach , hoping to spot the Eastern Black Redstart that had been in residence for about a week . I found the spot , just below the Palm Bay Cafe , and also half a dozen other birders , but no sign of the bird . Two had been there since 0700 and it was

now 1000 , not good news . There birds about , plenty of Rock Pipits like the one above , a few Meadow Pipits , that didn't seem to get on too well with their relations , and a few Pied Wagtails and Starlings . The most entertaining species though , were the Turnstones , or as one of the other birders

suggested , Seaweed Pushers , as they constantly pushed into the piles of seaweed like mini bulldozers , to find the insects beneath . Curlews and Herring Gulls were very vocal on the incoming

tide , especially three juvenile Herring Gulls , although as big as the parent , still following it and

begging for food . Plenty of Brent Geese moving along the coast too , but no sign of the EBR . I was the last to leave the beach , after hearing from locals that 'it was there yesterday' , and seeing that it , or another , turned up at Holy Island , just north of Newcastle . Carol got her look around Broadstairs from inside the car , as quite a chilly wind had sprung up by then . Heading back , we made a stop at Reculver . Using the same system , Carol carried on with her book , whilst I headed past the Roman fort and the oyster farm , to see what was about . By now , the tide was well in , and many species ,

including scores of Brent Geese were heading for their roost sites or to the fields , as these were , that came right over my head . Not a lot was seen once the birds on the tideline had departed , but the odd

one or two , like this Oystercatcher , provided interest . Then , the fun and games started , as a flock of about 20 Snow Buntings came into sight , zig zagging the beach , undecided where they would land . I thought at one stage that they were going to settle right in front of me , but , at the last second , the flock decided not to , and headed off towards Minnis Bay , with me trailing behind . I

did manage to get a shot of three of them just before their departure . I caught up with them twice before I reached Coldharbour , only to see them depart again before I got anywhere near them . Coldharbour only produced a couple of Mute Swans and about a dozen Redshank , including a very

vocal one , probably complaining about the fly tipping . The fields behind Coldharbour were being ploughed , with the usual collection of Gulls and Corvids following the plough , and it was two of the

Corvids that left the crowd to see off a hunting Marsh Harrier , unfortunately right into the sun from my position . I carried on towards Minnis Bay finding just Linnets and Goldfinches in small flocks , but , with Minnis Bay in sight , I was passed again by the Snow Buntings , this time , heading back towards Reculver . I about turned and retraced my steps , scanning the pebble beach , especially where plants had grown during the Summer , but without success . By the time I got back to Coldharbour , I knew my parking time was getting close , but could see figures , one standing with a tripod , the other behind the concrete side of the sea wall . My pace quickened , and on reaching the chap with the tripod , was pleased to hear that he was watching several Snow Buntings feeding , deep in vegetation . The other chap was 15 mtrs. further towards Reculver , so I guessed that some were moving that way as they fed . I took up position beyond this chap and waited . Slowly but surely ,

small movements could be seen , and eventually , the odd individual moved into the open , and

hardly taking any notice of us , posed in all their glory . I must admit , I forgot about the parking , until Carol sent me a text , but , even that didn't disturb their feeding . Chatting to the second chap , they had arrived at Margate at 0700 and left 0915 , without seeing the EBR , then walked miles at Sandwich Bay with little success , so they too were well pleased with the end of their day . Eventually , I tore myself away , and hot footed it back to the car park , stopping very briefly to see if the Black Redstarts that have been reported below the fort were showing , which they weren't ,

and had to make do with this Cormorant , just before leaving .
And finally , just before leaving home in the morning , this Ladybird , another variation of the

Harlequin Ladybird with 19 spots , was found in the bedroom , no doubt , hoping to get it's head down for the Winter .
You can see I have changed the font , as an older reader was having difficulties . I don't particularly like this font , but it was the only one that gave larger letters , as I couldn't find a way to enlarge the original font , but someone might know ?

Monday 14th. November 2011

2011-11-14T15:37:00.001Z

With the weather returning to grey and damp again , I decided not to venture too far today and settled for a morning visit to Sevenoaks Reserve . I suppose I shouldn't moan too much about the weather , as at least it was decent for my recent days of hedgelaying .I must admit though , at one point on the way to Sevenoaks , I nearly turned around when the mist got very thick and heavy drizzle was falling , but carried on , and must say that it was reasonable whilst on site . A quick look from the viewpoint over the East Lake produced lots of Greylag Geese , Lapwings and Black-headed Gulls and not much else , so I headed for Willow Hide . Snipe Bog Lake , directly outside the hide , produced a good selection of duck species , which included M&F of :

Teal ,

Shoveler , still having a lay in ,

Wigeon and

Gadwall , along with Mallard and Tufted Duck , Coot and Moorhen and two flyby Kingfishers , neither of which even thought about stopping on one of the sticks out front for a photograph . I also scanned the far reedbeds for a first sighting of a Bittern on site this year , but that didn't happen either . Down on Long Lake , the direction that the Kingfishers had come from , just a solitary juvenile Mute Swan and more Mallard were in residence . Checking the far end of the East Lake , no

sign of any visiting Grebes as yet , but several small groups of Tufted Duck , always ready to move at first sight of any movement on the bank . The small grassy area between the East and Long Lake has been cut recently , and I disturbed a Jay and Green Woodpecker who were probably looking for breakfast . The area to the left of and the islands in front of the Public Hide have also been cut and were occupied by several Cormorants , good numbers of Lapwings and a mixed flock of Black-headed and Common Gulls . The best species found though , were at least 20 Common Snipe , nearly all hunkered down of the far sides of the islands , with just the odd one or two on the nearside , like

these two in front of a few of the Lapwings . I didn't see a Little Grebe this visit , but several Great

Crested Grebes , all in their drab Winter plumage , like the one above were seen . Nothing was seen from the Tower Hide and very little from the Slingsby Hide , not even a glimpse of a Water Rail . On

the way back towards the car , I got a distant view of a Little Egret , just before it was driven off by Corvids . In total , 41 species were seen , more than I expected to see given the weather .

A few species of fungi were found on the way around ,

Common Funnel Cap / Clitocybe infundibuliformis , two from the same family ,

Lycoperdon foetidum and

Lycoperdon perlatum ,

Shaggy Ink Cap or Lawyer's Wig / Copinus comatus ,

Shaggy Parasol / Lepiota rhacodes ,

and a species that I posted recently , Wood Blewit / Lepista nuda , but looking very different as gets

older . Still the odd bit of colour around , like this Red Campion / Silene dioica , a member of the Pink family , trying to cheer things up on a dull day .

Wednesday 9th. November 2011

2011-11-09T19:25:00.002Z

With two of the next three days seeing me hedgelaying , and having completed a couple of chores around the house while it was still dull and damp during the morning , it was good to see brighter weather with some good sunny periods turn up this afternoon . So after lunch , I set off for High Elms , primarily to check on the Magpie Fungus , which was just showing through last week . But

before leaving , I couldn't resist a shot of a male and female Chaffinch that were sunning themselves in next door's Laburnham tree . On arrival at High Elms , I made my way to the area around the

Orchid Bank , and on the way came across a large show of Clouded Agaric / Clitocybe nebularis , as often found , forming a ring around a rotting stump . A total of 30/40 specimens made up the circle which had a 2m. diameter . Also seen , in large numbers , were my first sightings of the year of

Stag's Horn or Candle-snuff Fungus / Xylaria hypoxylon . Reaching the Orchid Bank , I found that the original specimen of Magpie Fungus / Coprinus picaceus was not to be seen , but at least 15 other

specimens , in various stages , were found . Some were at their best , like the one above , some had

passed their best , but were still intact . Several had been eaten , then collapsing onto the ground .

And some had gone into meltdown , exuding black inky fluid , from which the family gets it's common name , Ink Cap . The black fluid used to be collected for use as writing material . While in the area , a quick look at Burnt Gorse revealed that most of the area has been cut , probably ready for

sheep to be put on to graze , and on the sunny side of the five bar gate , a native 7 Spot Ladybird ,

and at the other end , it's alien relation the Harlequin Ladybird , showing the W or M marking on it's mask . I must admit , after all the talk of this species over-running the native species , I don't think I've seen that many Harlequins this year compared to last , maybe the colder Winter got to them .

Two species found on the way back to the car , with very similar coloured caps , were Wood Blewit /

Lepista nuda , with stem concolorous with the cap , and Mycena pura , with it's thin whiter stem.

The last species found was one of the Milk Caps , Lactarius pubescens , an unusual hairy species , but not one for the table , poisonous . The Lactarius in the name , denotes that all the family exude , white , milk-like fluid when the cap is crushed or broken .
The best of the few birds heard/seen , were a few Marsh Tits in a mixed Tit flock , feeding high in the canopy , a couple of Bullfinches and the odd Nuthatch . All in all , a good visit , at last in some sunshine .

Monday 7th. November 2011

2011-11-07T18:33:00.002Z

Another damp , dark , miserable day , meant that I only got out for a short while this afternoon , then wondered if it was worth it . I decided on Keston Ponds / Common , and looked first at the lowest pond to see if there were any Mandarin about . The dense overhanging branches , which is normally their favourite spot , still had leaves , but tucked away at the back , I could just make out two females and three males . As I walked around the pond , I disturbed another male , which proceeded to fight his way through the 'pea soup' to get back to the safety of the overhanging branches . As he did so ,

he left a trail behind him . Apart from the Mandarins , it was down to the usual Coots , Moorhens and dodgy looking Mallard types .
I thought that the recent rain might have improved the fungi situation , but it was soon evident that very little had changed , with much searching necessary to find any . But , a few were found , like

these Brown Roll-rims / Paxillus involutus , a very common species , but described as 'piosonous -
possibly deadly' and 'dangerously poisonous' in my two reference books . The other end of the scale

though applies to these tiny Mycena galopus , pushing their way through the leaf litter . One

particular Silver Birch found , was host to two species , the first a very fresh specimen of Birch Polypore / Piptoporus betulinus , also known commonly as Razor-strop Fungus , suggesting how it was used in years gone by . At the bottom of the trunk was Silver-leaf Fungus / Chondostereum

purpureum , a species that attacks fruit trees , Plum being particularly susceptible . The only other

species found was Many-zoned Polypore / Coriolus versicolor , one of the small brackets . This species can be very variable , both in patern and colour .
A last look around the ponds before heading home , found the white gander with the topknot , in

close attendance with his mate , without the topknot .

Friday 4th. November 2011

2011-11-04T18:23:00.001Z

Firstly , many thanks to Rob for pointing out that the Sheild Bug which I ID'd as a Forest Bug on the post before last , was actually Picromerus bidens , a predatory species that preys on larvae of other species , especially caterpillars . A species that I have never come across before . Cheers Rob .The heavy overnight rain continued falling well into the morning , but a brighter spell , before showers started to move in , enabled me to get to Down House to do the bird survey , a very wet bird survey under foot it was too . Added to the weather conditions , the old detached house that adjoins the site , is in the process of being renovate by the looks of things , which meant much machinery noise , which didn't help . The results reflected the prevailing conditions , with just 15 species being recorded . Once again , not a sign of a migrant , either Summer or Winter was found , and the most excitement was when a large , probably female Sparrowhawk , appeared from nowhere on the edge of the large meadow and disappeared as quickly onto the footpath , no doubt hoping to flush a meal
from the overhanging trees . thought the fallen apples in the orchard might have attracted a Winter

Thrush , but only this Rose-ringed Parakeet was enjoying a healthy meal . A mixture of ordinary and Jacob's Sheep are in the meadows , but the small meadow by the cricket field contained just six

Jacob's Sheep , five ewes and this 'silverback' ram , who seemed very enthusiastic about his duties . No sign again of the Roe Deer , but with the grass so short it isn't surprising . Very little fungi was found whilst walking around the site , until I got back to the main lawn behind the house , which

usually produces a good crop of Wax Caps , and so it did this visit , like this Scarlet Hood / Hygrocybe coccinea even though they are well behind normal , probably due to the warmer , drier

conditions in October . The same applied to it's relations H. ceracea , and Snowy Wax Cap

H. nivea . For me , the best specimen found on the lawn , was this Hygrophorus hypothejus , which

unfortunately doesn't have a common name . Different from the rest , this Cavulinopsis helvola , was

found , squeezing it's way up through the grass . On my way back home , with threatening skies coming in again , I had a quick look around High Elms , and the effort was worthwhile , finding my

first Magpie Fungus / Coprinus picaceus , of the Autumn , this too having only just broken through the leaf litter . A member of the Ink Cap family , it will show how it gets it's common name when it

matures . And finally , a couple of shots from the back bedroom window , one of the local Blue Tits ,

and what must be a teenage Goldfinch , suffering from a bad attack of acne .

Wednesday 2nd.November 2011

2011-11-02T18:04:00.001Z

Yesterday , Carol and I travelled down to her brother's house near Rochester , to give him some help with a guttering problem . Unsure how long the help would take , I took the opportunity to put the camera bag and binoculars in the car with my tools , just in case . The job was finished just before lunchtime , in dull , overcast conditions . Whilst we had a sandwich and a cuppa , the sky began to open up , and by the time we were leaving , it was positively barmy . My original plan , if time permitted , was to head for Shellness on the Isle of Sheppey , where a second Rough-legged Buzzard had been reported over the weekend . To get there , we had to almost pass through Chatham , temporary home of a juvenile Long-tailed Duck and reported by Ken / Wildlife in Focus and others recently . On arrival , I parked up alongside No.2 basin , handed Carol her book , and I set off in search of the duck . Having scanned the basin without success , I thought it might have moved on ,

but then I headed for the corner with the footbridge , and found the duck diving and feeding , just the

other side of the footbridge . Not exactly the most striking of ducks , but I certainly haven't come across that many of the species . Having been successful there , we set off for Shellness , hoping that I would be as lucky there . The weather got better and better on the way , and arrived at the start of the Shellness track on what could have been mistaken as a summer's day . Driving slowly down the track , my hopes took a knock , as there were no signs of any other birders , or anyone at all . At the rise in the middle of the track , where you get a view across the grazing marshes , all seemed very quiet , the only movement being the blades on the wind pump out in the marshes . Arrival at the car park at the end of the track , and finding not a single car there also dented my hopes . I parked up with Carol and her book in the sunshine , got kitted up , and at last heard some bird life in the form of a flock of noisy House Sparrows in the bushes alongside the car park . On inspection , there were

also several Reed Buntings , a few Starlings and at least one Dunnock and Robin also in the bushes .The tide was about half way in and could hear calls from the beach and saltings , but as I made my way slowly along the sea wall , I didn't see any more birds until I put up this female ring

tail Hen Harrier from the long grass on the side of the path . Having taken to the air , she then proceeded to fly straight across the saltings and into the sun , making sure no more photographs were

possible . Further out on the same saltings I found three Little Egrets , seemingly having a

communal wash and brush up , and also a bit further on , one of three Curlew that showed briefly , before fading away into the longer vegetation on the saltings . Whilst scanning the area , I came

across my first sighting of the afternoon of a Short-eared Owl flying low over the saltings , which would turn out to be the start of a true SEO fest . Shortly afterwards , another birder arrived at the car park and made his way up onto the sea wall , and when we met , he told me he had also come for the Rough-legged Buzzard . With two pairs of eyes now scanning the 360 degree viewing area provided by the seawall , and with birds seemingly waking up from their early afternoon snooze , sightings started coming thick and fast , albeit the vast majority being distant . Several Marsh Harriers were sighted , and , with great joy from the other birder , one of the Rough-legged Buzzards hovered for some time before disappearing again . Both male and female Hen Harriers were seen on several

occasions , and at one point , both made it into the same frame , the male higher and on the left , but once again at distance . A brief view of a Merlin was closely followed by that of a Common Buzzard , and the time these sightings was filled with constant SEO sightings . At one point , I had three SEOs in view over the saltings , whilst the other birder had at least another three around the

wind pump , 180 degrees in the other direction , but none came really close . We both agreed that there must have been at least ten , and possibly even more SEOs over the grazing marshes and the saltings in the hour between 3-4 o'clock that afternoon . Well pleased with what we had seen , the other birder left for the Raptor Point at Capel Fleet , whilst , with Carol still happy with her book in
the sunshine , I had a look at the beach , it being just about high water . On the water , still catching the quickly dropping sun , were about 20 Brent Geese , several of them being juveniles with the

white bars on the wing and lack of white neck flash , like the one on the left . In the air , a small flock

of Golden Plover were wheeling , trying to decide exactly where they were going to land . Later , we saw 50+ on the grazing marsh as we reached the end of the track . Further along the beach there were

a few Turnstones and a small flock of Ringed Plover , the latter proving not to be interested in a

group photo . With the sun dropping fast and darkness not far away , we drove back down the track , once again stopping briefly at the high point , and checking every fence post and high spot along the way . This proved well worth while , as just behind the few houses half way along , but unfortunately

on the shaded side of the track , a Little Owl was posing on one of the posts . Reaching the end of the track , I failed to see a Kestrel that was perched on top of one of the telephone posts . He flew off over the rough grassland between the road and the beach and I watched it disappear behind a tree . In the same line of sight , but unsure exactly where it came from , appeared a Peregrine , flying low tom the grass and passing right over the top of the car . What a great finish to a wonderful afternoon . I very much doubt if I will ever see so many SEOs again , but feel very lucky to have been there to see them today and that's not taking anything from the other species on view .

Sunday 30th. October 2011

2011-10-30T15:35:00.001Z

Another busy week hedgelaying , left little time to get out , and the weather didn't help either , but I did manage a couple of visits . The first was up on the Downs , for what will probably be the last chance of reptile sightings this year . Conditions were very reasonable , with a temperature of around 16C and some good periods of clear sky . But , for all that , I only managed to find a single Slow Worm . Even the birdlife was very scarce , with the best being a flock of Common Gulls passing noisily overhead . Thinking about it , the whole year has been poor in that respect , with no Yellowhammers or Common Buzzards , and just a single Common Whitethroat being seen whilst on

site . Just a few remnants of Summer still remain , like this Harebell / Campanula rotundifolia , and

the odd Devilsbit Scabious / Knautia arvensis , still supplying nectar for the few insects that are still on the wing . The most interesting find for me was a group of Carline Thistles / Carlina vulgaris ,

found in a much more colourful condition , and showing the yellow sepal-like bracts , which according to the book , fold up in wet weather . I usually see the plant in it's drab beige/brown condition , in which it remains throughout the Winter . A few invertebrates were found on the way

round , like this Hawthorn Shield Bug /Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale , and it's cousin the Forest Bug

/ Pentatoma rufipes . On a nearby stack of old fence posts , a queen Common Wasp / Vespula

vulgaris , was looking for a safe , warm place to spend the Winter , before starting a new colony of the species next Spring . I also disturbed a female Dark Bush-cricket / Pholidoptera griseoaptera ,

which then posed helpfully on some Nettles , showing well the upward curved ovipositor which she would use to lay her eggs . The only other interest was when I turned over a large piece of wood that

was lying in the grass , and found four juvenile Wood Mice huddled up together .
The other visit was a very short one to the Farm lake . Short mainly because there was very little about . As I got to the lake , a Little Grebe that was in the nearest corner , spotted me in seconds , and

was off at full speed to the furthest corner off the lake . I watched it arrive alongside the reedbed , and was pleasantly surprised to see a mate/friend pop out of the reeds to greet it . That is the first

time that I have seen more than one on the lake , since the resident pair lost their brood during the Summer . Let's hope it is a mate , and they will be more fortunate next year . One male Migrant Hawker was recorded along with a single Red Admiral , like most that I have seen recently , heading South . The only other interest was a fast moving Tit flock along the hedgerow , composed of a mix

of Blue and Long Tailed , one of which posed just long enough to get a shot amongst the Spindle fruits .

Monday 24th. October 2011

2011-10-25T10:17:00.001+01:00

Firstly , many thanks to Ken / Focusing On Wildlife for identifying the aircraft on the last post . It is a Noorduyn AT-16 Harvard - 11B . Cheers Ken .
As I set off yesterday morning , still not sure exactly where I was heading , little did I know that it would result in a 55 species day , including 9 birds of prey . RSPB Elmley , on the Isle of Sheppey was my first port of call , but once again the track across to the car park was disappointing . Apart from the main ditches , all the scrapes and smaller channels were

bone dry , and although the sun was shining , a lazy wind was blowing across the site . A few
Lapwing were seen , and even a couple of pairs displaying , and the Skylarks were in the same

frame of mind , with many males hanging on that strong wind and singing their hearts out , when not chasing each other around . I did have a couple of sightings of Marsh Harrier , but they were very distant on the edge of the reserve . By the time I got to the car cark with both windows down , my hands were frozen . I made the decision not to go down to the hides , as the walk down the track would probably be as unproductive as coming in . From the car park I got a distant Common

Buzzard , right into the sun , and on the return to the entrance , found a single Whimbrel , busily

searching through cow pats for it's breakfast . I just missed getting a shot of a Kestrel as it dropped

onto it's prey , but did manage to get one of it manteling whatever it was that it had caught . The only

other interest found were a small flock of Stock Doves and a Rook that was copying the Whimbrel . Disappointed at the morning so far , I headed to Capel Fleet and the Raptor Viewing point , only to be disappointed again with the lack of birds . Eventually , I pulled off the road and sat hoping that something would happen . Another car pulled in behind me , probably hoping that I had found something , then another alonside that . This driver got out and spoke to the driver , then came to my window . 'Birdwatching ?' . Strange question as I had binoculars around my neck , but answered 'Yes' anyway . He then told me of a Rough-legged Buzzard that he had just been watching at Shellness . He explained where , I thanked him , and I arrived at the end of the Shellness track shortly afterwards . There were a few birders up on the sea wall , and they said that the bird had been showng well at distance , but hadn't been seen for a short time . Typical I thought . Then a call of 'it's up again' , and through binoculars I could make out a light coloured bird hovering in the distance , but one birder offered me a look through his scope , which was much better . Soon after it went to ground again , so I decided to walk along the sea wall to what I thought would be the closest point to where it was showing . Four other birders were already there , and fortunately it was possible to get out of the worst of the wind just down the bank a bit . Whilst waiting for the RLB to reappear , we were treated to a Peregrine and one possibly two Merlins , all I must add at distance . Also in the air ,

were several Kestrels , like this one which made a close pass . The RLB did show again , in short spells , and even though I thought I had shortened the distance between , it was still a long way

away , and just a few bad record shots were taken , but they do show the lightness of the bird , and

in particular the almost white leading edge of the wings . Watching it , the most remarkable thing was it's ability to hover , surprisingly with much more finess that the rapid wing beats of a Kestrel , it's low wing beats keeping it's larger frame in perfect position . Eventually it appeared to have caught something , only to be immediately mugged by a couple of the local Corvids . After that it went to ground for a considerable time . During that time , in an even more distant field , we watched a female ringtail Hen Harrier , searching the rough areas and ditches for a meal . By the time I walked back along the seawall and had a look at the beach , the tide was well out and heading further . Lots of Oystercatchers could be seen down on the water line along with several Gull species and a few Little Egrets . Closer in , I did manage to get a shot of two Sanderling , one still in Summer plumage

on the left , the other , just about to leave , already in it's Winter plumage , and on the right a Turnstone . By now , mid afternoon , the light was starting to get poor , with a thin veil of cloud coming over and the wind getting even cooler . Whilst chatting to another birder by the houses , the 8th. bird of prey almost passed overhead undetected , but a silhouette shot , almost into the milky

sun , just about made a record shot of the only Short-eared Owl to be seen today , although several had been seen in the area on pevious days . That birder also mentioned a site for Bearded Tits , so I gave that a try on my way home . As it happens , the path to the Bearded Tit site ran down the other side of where the RLB was showing earlier . On the way down the path I did find a late Wheatear .

Given their liking for high spots , it was open to the wind blowing across the grazing marshes , and didn't make the best of photo opportunities . I had a look for the Bearded Tits , but the reedbeds were so noisy with the strengthening wind , that it proved an impossible task . They did provide the last bird of prey of the day though , when a Sparrowhawk made a sorti along the vegetation , probably hoping that it's tea might be flushed . With the temperature dropping , I made my way back to the car , thinking back to a couple of Red Admirals I had seen earlier , desperately try to get back down South , straight into the strong SEasterly wind . I did get a last glimpse of the RLB , which seemed to be hunting further over towards where we sat in the lee of the sea wall , but that's birding I suppose .
And finally , I hope my brother John had a good birthday , another big one coming up next year !

Saturday 22nd. October 2011

2011-10-22T19:07:00.000+01:00

Another catch up post covering the last three days . A look for fungi around High Elms yesterday proved fruitless . Not a sign of any Magpie Fungus / Coprinus picaceus or Plums and Custard / Tricholomopsis rutilans , which would normally be showing now . In fact , there was very little fungi to be seen at all . Had it not been for three butterfly species being recorded , it would have been a totally wasted visit . Those three species were singles of Red Admiral , Speckled Wood , both of

which evaded the camera , and a Comma which did pose . All three were enjoying the sun in a sheltered corner of the Orchid Bank . On the way back home , I stopped for a look around the Farm lake . A Grey Heron lifted off as soon as I got there , but I did manage to get a shot of the Little

Grebe before that too disappeared into the reedbed . A distant view of a Common Buzzard being harried by the local Corvids was about the only other thing of note , until this plane approached and

started to make it's descent into Biggin Hill . I haven't seen this model before , nor do I know what model it is , but someone might ?
This morning , with skies still bright blue , although chilly , I headed to Bough Beech Reservoir , near Ide Hill . Since my last visit , the water level has dropped dramatically , meaning that the birds were a long way away from the causeway . A large flock of Greylag Geese were noisily occupying the area of the main reservoir , but the main interest seemed to be the culvert that connects to the small lake . Here , at least 6 Cormorants were feeding continuously , along with a couple of Little Egrets and three Grey Herons . One of the latter seemed to have found a 'hot spot' , right up against

the culvert entrance , and was making the most of it's find , seemingly catching small fish at every attempt . The only waders seen on this side of the causeway , was when a flock of Lapwing flew in , circled , and settled halfway down the reservoir . Just three Common Snipe were seen on the North lake , along with mumerous Mallard , a few Shoveler , and a good number of Teal , which included

this pair , who seemed to be sleeping off a late night . Just a single Winter Thrush was seen , first heard calling from the orchard , then appearing high above the reedbed on the North lake , but never

managing to show fully from behind foliage , except when it flew off over Winkworth Wood . As I watched it fly off , I caught a glimpse of another bird as it flew across the causeway . It was being chased by a Corvid , and I just managed to get three shots before it disappeared behind a large tree .

The first shot was useless , but the second above , shows a raptor with a protruding neck/head and a longish tail . The second shot has been lightened to try to show the underwing markings . I didn't even have time to get the binoculars on the bird , but have my own thoughts on the species , but would be grateful for other Blogger's views . As I made my way back to the car , a small flock of Linnets flew

in and two perched in the scrub , the others having disappeared into the ground vegetation . Once again , the branches managed to get in the way . At the car , I could heat Teal 'whistling' beyond the hedge , and a had a look over . The males must have thought that this was Spring , as several were

displaying to one of a couple of females , very similar to Mandarin males , stretching and bobbing their heads .

And finally , just for Warren .

Whilst having breakfast on Thursday , before I went off hedgelaying , Carol asked , 'what's that bird

on the feeder ?' . Admittedly she didn't have her glasses on , but this fat little Wood Mouse was what she was looking at . It was so engrossed in filling it's pouches that I managed to get upstairs for the

camera , open the patio doors , and almost close enough to stroke it . It was only when I tried to get a shot from around the other side of the feeder that it spotted me , and staggered off into the nearby hedge .

Wednesday 19th. October 2011

2011-10-19T18:51:00.000+01:00

With the hedgelaying season really getting under way now , visits have been somewhat curtailed , but also very thin on interest . A roundup of the visits since the last post reads :Whilst visiting the local tip , a walk around South Norwood Country Park , before returning home , produced my first Winter visitors of the Autumn . A small Finch flock , high in the top of a Silver Birch , contained

at least two Lesser Redpoll , one just about caught on camera , whilst the central scrubby area produced a small number of Fieldfares and Redwings , all feeding on one particular Hawthorn bush , the fruit of which were much deeper red than the rest . Unfortunately these were far too flighty to get a shot of these though . The lake did produce at least 10 Shoveler , mostly males , and these too

seemed very camera shy , keeping well tucked in to the island in the middle . A pair of Cormorants

were feeding in the lake , one appearing very close to where I was standing . As I left the park , a

specimen of Scaly Polypore , Dryad's Saddle /Polyporus squamosus was found on the ground , having been ripped from where it was growing . In the last couple of weeks , I have made three quick visits to Salt Box Hill , to look for the results of the female Hummingbird Hawkmoth that I saw ovipositing . I searched for some time on each visit , but did not find any caterpillars . I did however record several Red Admirals , all heading South , probably on their return migration . I stopped in at the Farm lake on the way home , but of interest , only found this Caddis Fly , which I believe to be

Limnephilus lunatus , but as always , stand to be corrected . I did also record yet another Red Admiral , and this too was heading South .

On Monday , I was hedgelaying on the A25 west of Dorking , and on arrival at the site , alongside

the A25 , I found two Roe bucks in a field , along with the farmer's cattle . As can be seen , they were not in a mood to be photographed . After a good day's hedgelaying , I decided to see if they were still around as we left the site in the late afternoon . Sure enough , they were still in the same field , albeit

further back off the road , and the animal on the left was a different one to the one on the left in the morning , going by the antler growth , so there must have been a minimum of three animals . A quick visit to Sevenoaks Reserve revealed that little had changed , but any chance of finding anything of interest was dashed by a workparty out on the islands on the East Lake , cutting and burning the vegetation . The usual species were seen , with the addition of at least 3 Shoveler . As I passed the

back of the Willow hide , I came across this juvenile Mute Swan that posed in the dappled sunlight .

before proceeding to see me off it's territory . Just a single Speckled Wood was recorded , but there

were still good numbers of Common Darters on the wing , but these will reduce now with the frosty conditions . Today , was the last Dormouse/Reptile survey of the year , and although it was a beautiful crisp autumnal day , the results were low . Just 4 Dormice were found , two at each site ,

all in separate boxes , and included this male with only half a tail . He seems to be getting around all right though , as he weighed in at 21 grams , which should be enough to see him through hibernation . Reptiles were even thinner on the ground , with just 3 Grass Snakes , an adult and two

juveniles being found . Not a single Adder , Slow Worm or Common Lizard were found today . Two Wood Mice and a Short-tailed Field Vole were found under refugia , and birdwise , Marsh Tit , Common Buzzard and at least 7 Bullfinch , 5 of them leaving their roost in tall Bracken , were the

species seen of note . Just one butterfly , a Small Copper was recorded all day , and was found in the same area as the aberrant specimens found on the last survey . And finally a couple of fungi , Fly

Agaric / Amanita muscaria , which had already been munched and seemingly few and far between this season , around here anyway , and , hoping that you are not eating , Cheiltmenia stercorea , no

common name , found on it's favoured habitat , cow dung .

Tuesday 11th. October 2011

2011-10-11T19:02:00.001+01:00

With forecasts of colder weather on it's way , I decided to have one more look up on the Downs for newly born Adders . I did stop in , on the way , at Sevenoaks Reserve . Everything looked 'as was' on my last visit , until I got to Willow Hide on Snipe Bog Lake . The usual Canada and Greylag Geese

were in attendance as usual , but today they were joined by at least 10 Egyptian Geese , several of them juveniles that had been born on the reserve . With no sign of the Kingfisher from the hide , I made my way to the small hide on the North lake . One watcher already there said that just the odd sighting had been seen . This didn't sound very good , but the sighting of two Grass Snakes swimming in the lake kept an interest . Eventually , a Kingfisher did fly in , straight past the hide , settling right across the other side of the lake , and that was where it stayed , giving plenty of views , perched , hovering and catching fish , but never coming across to our side of the lake . I gave up in

the end , and made my way back to the car , finding this pristine looking Red Admiral on the way . By the time I got up on the Downs , the wind had got stronger , bringing more and more cloud . But ,

even though the conditions were not favourable , it wasn't long before I found the first of four newly born Adders . It was some time before I found the next one , but interest was kept with a Noon Fly /

Mesembrina meridiana , and it was only half an hour late . This was followed by a Devil's Coach

Horse / Staphylinus olens , one of the Rove Beetles , and always difficult to photograph , as it just doesn't stop even for a second , trying to hide under anything that is around . A bit different , was this

Yellow-necked Mouse / Apodemus flavicollis , which I disturbed from it's sleep , in a bed of leaves and grass . Two of the other juvenile Adders were found next to each other , but I only managed to

photograph the slower one of the pair . Butterflies were certainly in short supply today , but in a sheltered corner , I did find another two pristine Red Admirals , someone must have opened a box , a Small Copper and a Brown Argus , both being blown sideways by the strengthening wind , and a

single Speckled Wood , that had definitely seen better days .

Friday 7th. October 2011

2011-10-07T18:41:00.000+01:00

First workday of the season up on the Common yesterday , and after the long lay off , needless to say it didn't come easy . The only thing of interest found , was this caterpillar , spotted by one of the

other volunteers , and then asked me what species it was . As luck would have it , after finding the

adult moth during the Summer and identifying it as a Beautiful Yellow Underwing , I looked up the caterpillar , and have spent some time recently , looking on the Heather , the foodplant of the species , whilst walking on the heathland area , needless to say without success . Tony , who found the caterpillar was just phoning his wife to get a lift home , when he happened to spot it , well camouflaged on the young Heather shoots .
This morning , with the temperature half of what it was last week , I thought I would give Knole Park one last go for the Fallow Deer rut . As I arrived in the area before the gates had opened , I had a very quick look in at Sevenoaks Reserve . Just two cars in the car park didn't bode well , and indeed the lakes were very quiet . That all changed when several skeins of Greylag Geese , a conservative estimate of 200/250 , flew in noisily en mass , and landed in front of Tyler Hide . They would have made a good shot had I been out in the open , but with the canopy still pretty full , it wasn't possible .

The only other interest found was a female Grey Wagtail , which landed in front of Willow Hide ,

and an up close pair of Gadwall from the same spot .
Arriving at Knole Park , not a sinle deer was seen on the way to the car park , and as I rounded the high ground , no sign or sound of any bucks . I did a round of the wooded area around and only sighted a small group of does , no more than 12 in number . Heading back up to the high ground , I met another couple of people with cameras , like me , hoping to witness the rut . One had walked in from the far end of the estate , and hadn't seen a single animal en route . I headed back to the small

valley between the car park and the entrance gate , and found in the distance a group of 10 does , and by the look of them , the majority of the group I had seen earlier . Just one buck was found , but he

wasn't the contender that I had seen on previous visits . The only other interest found was a large

stand of the 'chunky form' of Honey Fungus / Armillaria mellea , and a very inquisitive Jackdaw ,

that kept it's beady eye on me all the way back to the car . On the way out , I had to pass the Fallow

buck , and his attitude seemed to sum up the rut at Knole Park this season .

Wednesday 5th. October 2011

2011-10-05T20:05:00.002+01:00

My first stop today was at Down House to do the bird survey . As I arrived in the car park , the sky got very dark , and although no rain was forcasted , 10 minutes of light rain fell , enough to make everything wet under foot . There was nothing unusual found amongst the 18 species recorded , with not a single Summer or Winter visitor showing up , and with no water in the area , the result was reasonable for the site . All three meadows have been cut , and the hay taken off since my last visit , so there was no sign of any Roe Deer . The only other interest found was a ring of large whitish fungi

on the formal lawns at the back of the house , Agaricus macroporus , in the same family as the Field and Horse Mushrooms .
On the way back home for lunch , I had a quick look in Kelsey Park in Beckenham . Plenty of

Canada Geese and Black-headed Gulls , with just a few bits of interest . A Little Grebe , already in

it's Winter plumage , a couple of unusual Coots , with speckled heads and necks , one pictured ,

more 'Coot rutting' , as suggested by Warren yesterday , and the only Mandarins found on the visit ,

found tucked up in the overhanging bankside vegetation .
Whilst having lunch , the sky brightened considerably , which encouraged me to have another look up on the Downs for young Adders . Those brighter skies lasted for about ten minutes after my arrival , then it was back to the grey stuff with just the occasional sunny interlude . Should not

complain though , as I did find a youngster , not much thicker than a pencil , but still an animal to be

respected , and my question as to whether mating did take place has been answered . A few

butterflies were also recorded , including a very fresh looking female Brown Argus , possibly a third brood specimen , that was found ovipositing on Common Rock-rose , one of the species' food plants .

I thought that I had found it's mate , when another small butterflies was blown past me on a strong wind , landing on a Hawkweed flower to nectar , but when it moved on it turned out to be a female Common Blue . Two fly-by Red Admirals , seven Meadow Browns and a single Small Copper ,

found sheltering in the ground vegetation made up the remainder . Still quite a few Field

Grasshoppers about , but the cooler temperatures on the way , will put paid to them too probably .

Very little colour about , so it was nice to see an Ox-eye Daisy / Leucanthemum vulgare , still doing it's best to brighten things up .

Tuesday 4th. October 2011

2011-10-04T15:26:00.001+01:00

Like most , the temperatures of the last week or so have made finding anything of interest very difficult . I have been out most days , but hot and sweaty was basically all that I got . A few things did turn up , which I have rolled together into one post .Since the last post , Carol has had two and myself one , further sightings of Hummingbird Hawkmoth , both being in the garden .
One morning , before things got too hot , I found this Speckled Wood there , and the low angle of the

sun gave a different photo opportunity to normal .

A look around High Elms produced the small disc shaped Bisporella citrina / no common name .
In a previous post , I mentioned Feral Pigeons landing on the surface of the Farm lake , and on a

recent visit , managed to get a shot of this happening . The water depth would have been 2/3 feet , and this time the bird managed to take off again , having cooled it's underparts . That was obviously

not the outcome , when this individual tried the same manoeuvre some time previously .

A few dragonflies were recorded on that visit , the most photogenic being this male Migrant Hawker

On the edge of the nearby arable field , I found Common Flax / Linum usitatissimum .
Back in the garden again , on my return , Carol had found a female specimen of the Southern Oak

Bush Cricket / Meconema meridionale , a species that Alan / Sissinghurst Birds posted , found in a moth trap a while back and identified by the yellow making along the length of the abdomen . The

first recording was in 2001 and have now been recorded as far North as Nottingham ,
and all this by an insect without wings . How did they get here and spread Northwards , like many other immigrants the most likely answer is in/on lorries using the Channel Tunnel .
Today saw a dramatic change in the weather with grey clouds draped across those bright blue skies . Thinking that this would encourage the rut at Knole Park , I set off for another visit . I got there early , before the gate opened , so had to park along the back road and walk to the high ground by the

house . Whilst on that walk , I'm sure I saw more Green Woodpeckers than Fallow Deer . Three bucks were in their pits around the high ground , but no sign of any females , and even the bucks trotted off into the Bracken as I approached . I saw probably five bucks , all in the Bracken /wooded

area , just below the high ground , and even witnessed a skirmish between two of them , but it could not be considered as rutting , more 'you're in my way , shift' . On my way back to the car , I spoke to a local walker who said that many of the Deer had been rounded up and sold / sent to the abattoir , since the arrival of a new gamekeeper . This could well explain why so few animals have been seen on visits this year , compared to those in previous years . I had time to visit Sevenoaks Reserve on my way back home , and found it pretty much as I left it last time . I headed straight to Willow Hide ,

where all the disturbance was coming from the Coots , who were practising their 'square dance' routine , where four form a square , and attempt to do damage to each other , usually reserved for

Spring , but they they didn't seem to mind . Just one different species out on the water , a Wigeon , a female I believe . I am still waiting to get a Kingfisher on the sticks outside the hides , but got closest

so far , when this individual landed briefly on the stick that has fallen into the water on the right , looking out of Willow Hide . A few seconds later , it dived , caught a fish , and disappeared as quickly as it came . Just a shame the light was so bad , would have loved to have got it in last week's sunshine . The only other interest found , was this male and female Teal , that dropped in to have

their 'wash and brush up' .

Tuesday 27th. September 2011

2011-09-27T19:43:00.001+01:00

A foggy , cool morning , gave the perfect opportunity to take Carol to do the monthly shop , and get that out of the way . Over lunch , the skies began to clear , and that was all I needed to get out . Having heard that the ponies had finally been removed about two weeks ago from Salt Box Hill , the London Wildlife managed site below Biggin Hill Airport , I decided that I would see if anything was left of the site . The answer is that the ponies seem to have eaten all the long grass , much favoured by the Marbled White butterflies , but have left untouched the regrowth of the Ash , Hawthorn and Dogwood , cleared by contractors . The presence of the ponies on site for the best part of a year , without any 'clearing up' being done after them , has meant that their droppings will have enriched the ground , which has encouraged many species that are certainly not on the agenda of this Site of Special Scientific Interest . Chalk grassland it most certainly not . Without treatment to the scrub , the site will return to scrub in very quick order , and then I suppose Lottery money or something similar will be applied for , and the whole circle will turn again , as it has done three times before to my knowledge . The good thing about the visit was that it was in barmy , warm sunshine , that would have been very nice back in the Summer . Also that refugia have been laid , to monitor the reptiles on site , and refugia can't be passed by in my book . A few Slow Worms were found , then right at the top of the site , a flash back to yesterday morning , when a very confiding Wood Mouse was

disturbed from it's sleep . Just five butterflies were recorded during the visit , with three of them

being Meadow Browns , which are coming to the end of their flight season now , and the other two

being a femaloe and male Brimstone , the first of the species that I have recorded for 3 weeks , and could well have been encouraged out of hibernation by the rising temperature . Fortunately for them , some pollen sources were still available , like the Dandelion pictured , and also several stands of

Great Mullein / Verbascum thapsus , a member of the Figwort family . The highlight of the visit though , was just before the end of the visit , as I approached an old fire site , around which a good growth of Hedge Bedstraw / Galium mollugo had sprung up . From a distance I could see movement but couldn't make out what , until I got closer and found my second Hummingbird Hawkmoth of the year . It must have felt at home in the warm conditions , and unlike the the first at High Elms which

was concentrating on feeding , this one had another thing on it's mind . It was a female , as she was

laying eggs on the fresh end growths of the Hedge Bedstraw , the end of her abdomen tucked under . I watched her lay many eggs as I photographed her and she had probably been there some time before I arrived . Since getting home , I have read that she could have laid up to 200 eggs on the site , and given the warm conditions prevailing , they could hatch out in 6/8 days , so I will be visiting again in about two weeks time , when , with luck , I hope to find the caterpillars . After a few minutes , she flew off and quickly was out of sight . I put up 5 Pheasants whilst on site , but the only other birds of note were on my way back to the car , when I heard two Common Buzzards calling ,
but did not get sight of them .
On the way home , I made a short visit to the Farm lake , still in glorious sunshine . Just two feral Pigeons , one of which landed on the lake surface before flying off again , were additions to the Coots and Moorhens . 2 Meadow Brown and a single Speckled Woods were recorded , along with 8

Common Darter and this male Brown Hawker that was enjoying the afternoon sun , in between feasting on the many insects that were trying to enjoy it too . At least 4 male Migrant Hawkers were

also recorded , this one being found on my second lap around the lake , in almost the same place as the previous Brown Hawker .

Monday 26th. September 2011

2011-09-26T19:39:00.000+01:00

This morning , I arrived on the Downs with the license holder , to check the 50 small mammal traps . I asked how many were trapped yesterday , getting an answer of 2 Wood Mice , 1 Short-tailed Vole and one Common Shrew . But , with the traps having been in situ longer , better results were expected today . I have to admit that the number trapped was up , but 6 Wood Mice was as good as it got . I could have done with a few Vole or Shrew shots , especially close up , but it wasn't to be .As it was so close , and the drizzle was giving way to a few bright spells , I made another visit to Knoll Park to see how the Fallow Deer rut was progressing . Passing around the high ground on the way to the car park , not a deer in sight , and positively no rutting taking place . I walked to the top of the high ground and headed down the other side , with the intention of looking for the Devil's Fingers fungi again . On my way , I came across the animal that I mentioned after the last visit that could be a

contender , spreading his scent amongst the bracken . Although he knew I was close by , he took practically no notice of me , and after letting every other male know that this was his territory , he

sauntered off to the gym . The gym being , a large branch that had fallen from a nearby Beech , and obviously , this was how he built up the neck muscles , as he lifted it clear of the ground on several occasions . He was giving the equipment another good work out , so I left him and went looking for fungi . Again I failed to find any Devils Fingers , and with warm weather being forcasted for the rest of the week , it could well be some time before they appear . In the area , I did find the odd specimen

of the Wax Cap , Hygrocybe coccinea / Scarlet Hood , but no sign of the target species . Making my way back towards the high ground , I met up with the contender again , and it looked as if his work

out had been a bit too strenuous , as he was taking a rest in the shade at the foot of a large Beech . As I got back to the top of the high ground , I heard my first bellow of this year's rut . Whilst I had been away two stags had taken up station , one amongst the trees , the most coverted place , and the other

had settled into one of the many pits surrounding the trees . Neither seemed to know what they were doing there , and even less when the odd doe came to see what all the noise was about . A third stag

moved into one of the lower pits , and although noisy , he didn't seem to know what to do either . I'm sure the contender will sort these two out , once he makes his appearance . The only action seen was

between two very young stags , with a gentle clink as they touched antlers , compared to the crash of the older animals . It will be some time before either will be a contender , perhaps a pretender .
I did make a short stop at Sevenoaks Reserve on my way home , but things were really quiet .

A female Teal was paddling around outside Willow Hide ,

several male Migrant Hawkers were enjoying the sun , in between territorial battles ,

and the only Kingfisher seen was taking a nap , as far from the hide as it possibly could .

Saturday 24th. September 2011

2011-09-24T19:52:00.001+01:00

Last night .I got a phone call from the owner of the Farm lake , to say she had seen large birds overhead , and proceeded to make a reasonable imitation of a Common Buzzard call , and had also seen a smaller , faster , hawk-like bird too .I visited this morning , to find an empty sky and empty lake , apart from 2 Coot and a single Moorhen . I stayed for about an hour , and only managed to add 3/4 Chiffchaffs in the reedbed and the occasional Corvid flying over . I did however find 2 Brown Hawkers , 3 Migrant Hawkers , and 3 Common Darters , which at least added some interest . With no sign of any birds of prey , I headed to look around a set aside field , not far away from High Elms . This too proved to be quiet , but I did

find a few plants that were still in flower . The first is a member of the Dock family , Knotgrass / Polygonum aviculare , easily overlooked by taller vegetation . Also in flower still , Scarlet Pimpernel

/ Anagallis arvensis , a member of the Primrose family . It was whilst I was photographing the tiny

Field Pansy / Viola arvensis , a member of the Violet family , that I got a text from Carol , saying that the Farm lake owner had just rung and that the birds were back again . I made my way back to the car and back to the Farm lake , where I found things exactly as I had left them . I had a good look over the surrounding fields , but found nothing . I was about to leave , again , when a single Common

Buzzard call announced three of them , at height , being persued by some of the local Corvids .

Unfortunately , all three never made it together on a single frame , and before long , they had lifted higher and higher , until small specks in the sky . I packed up my gear , and headed back to the car , passing the lake on the way . As I did so , a flash of movement caught my eye , which turned out to be the first Hobby that I had seen there this year , better late than never . I grabbed the camera again ,

and just managed to get a bad shot of it , as it stooped down towards the lake , probably having eyed one of the dragonflies that I had seen earlier . As quickly as it appeared , it disappeared out of view . I waited , hoping that it would return , but it didn't . But , whilst I was waiting , a third bird of prey

came into view over the woods , this time a Sparrowhawk , and once again with an attendant Corvid .

A second bird was seen seconds later , at distance over the horse paddocks . I gave it another 10 minutes , then headed home , having confirmed the Common Buzzards , albeit second time around .
This afternoon , with other members of the Kent Reptile and Amphibian Group , baited and layed small mammal traps , in an exercise to see what food is available for the Adder population in the area . I will be helping the license holder check and re-bait the traps on Monday morning , which could prove interesting . Other members are assisting in the twice daily checks between now and then . Whilst laying the traps , two male Adders were found , one made it to the lens , the other

didn't . A few butterflies were recorded during the visit , being 9 Meadow Brown , 1 Small Heath , 1 Speckled Wood , 1 Small Copper and a late female Chalkhill Blue .

Thursday 22nd. September 2011

2011-09-22T20:04:00.001+01:00

I thought I would have another trip to Knole Park this morning , as two weeks have passed since the failed trip for the Fallow Deer rut . I have to report that once again there was no activity on the high ground , but I don't think it is too far off . Having been disappointed on the high ground , I had a wander around the slopes surrounding it , concentrating on large area of Bracken . From the tracks and flattened Bracken , it was obviously well used by the deer for shelter , and by the look of it , for sleeping . As I wandered through the bracken , I came face to face with this boy , just look at the

muscles in his neck , and the air sack in his throat that will allow him to roar . I just managed to get the one shot before he turned and walked off . I watched him from a distance , and at one point he crossed some open ground , allowing a full shot of an animal that I think will be a contender for the

'king of the hill' . I left him hovering , just below the hill , and as I said , things will kick off soon . The only other interest found on site was a fungi that fruits at the base of deciduous trees ,

especially Oak and Beech , and this one , the size of a football , was at the base of an Oak . With things so quiet , I decided to visit Sevenoaks Reserve , which is only a short drive away . My first stop was to see if I could strike lucky with the Kingfisher again . I had several flybys and saw it catch

a couple of fish , but never came closer than the far corner of the lake . Until , it just appeared much

closer , but , just as I got it in focus , it took off again , leaving me a blurred shot of the action . In

between views , I spotted a good sized Grass Snake swim into view from the right , looking as if it was struggling . It slowly made it's way to a mat of Blanket Weed , where it managed to haul itself out and get it's breath back . While it was resting , two Grey Herons circled the lake , and criss-crossed the Grass Snake . I felt sure that one of them was going to take it , but neither did .

Eventually , the Herons flew off , and the Grass Snake took it's chance to sprint for the overhung bank , and safety . All this happened at 20/25 metres out from the hide . Still nothing special on the large lake , and as I walked between it and the Long Lake , I was escorted by a family of Mute Swans

who were moving between the two lakes . The one in front , with attitude , was the cob , followed by the pen and their cygnet . The only other interest found was a juvenile Cormorant , a species not

easily approached , but was more concerned with the large number of Canada Geese that were around , rather than a bloke with a camera .

Tuesday 20th. September 2011

2011-09-20T19:40:00.000+01:00

This morning , I ran Carol down to a friend's at Ashford , and after the visit , offered Carol a detour off the motorway on the way back , which she accepted . Half an hour later , we were pulling into the car park at Oare Marshes , a Kent Wildlife Trust reserve near Faversham . Quite cloudy conditions with occasional sunny spells with a strong breeze were the order of the day . I happened to look in the back of the car , and found my camera bag and binoculars , so whilst Carol got stuck into her book , which just happened to be in the car as well , I set off to see what was about .
From the small number of cars around , it was obvious that the Long-billed Dowitcher wasn't around , but given that it was still some time till high tide , there were quite a few waders on the

flood .The majority turned out to be Black-tailed Godwits , some still showing their summer plumage like the one in front , and many sporting their drab , by comparison winter plumage . Some were

feeding like the two above , but the majority formed a large flock , sheltering on the leeward side of one of the islands on the flood . Large numbers of Lapwing and a few Redshank were also seen ,

along witha few Ruff , the one pictured I believe is a juvenile . Just a few Avocets , busily feeding all

the time , but probably many more were out on the Swale , frantically feeding , before the rising tide stopped the feast . At least 10 Little Egrets , a couple of Grey Heron , a Cetti's Warbler calling from the bushes between the car park and the sea wall , a distant view of a Marsh Harrier and a couple of Curlew flying along the water line near the Swale hide all added interest .Near the East Hide , it was

good to see , and hear , a good sized flock of House Sparrows , some of which pictured here . By far the largest numbers in the air , were several large flocks of Starlings , nosily swirling around before all landing together for a short while before all taking off again together . It was in one of those brief

sessions on the ground , that I spotted this unusual light brown , almost beige coloured individual .

Several Cormorants were roosting on the islands , and the odd one gave a fly past over the road . also over head was a constant stream of Swallows and House Martins , all battling against that strong breeze . Coot , Moorhen , Pied Wagtail and Little Grebe were seen and probably several other species went undetected ,due to the noise of the breeze , especially near the reedbeds in areas out in the open , and no sign of a Yellow Wagtail or Wheatear , which I hoped might have turned up . Very

little colour to be found apart from Haws and Rosehips , but the odd stand of Golden Samphire / Inula crithmoides did it's best to cheer things up , but eventually , heavy grey clouds rolled in , and it was time to head back home .

Monday 19th. September 2011

2011-09-19T20:21:00.000+01:00

Firstly a quick catch up from a short visit yesterday that I didn't have time to post .

Larch Bolete / Suillus grevillei .

Calocera viscosa , growing on a conifer stump .

Green Wood-cup / Chlorosplenium aeruginascens .

The pink fruits of the Spindle / Euonymus europaeus have split open revealing the orange seeds .

Not many insects about , but the Common Wasps are still shaving wood to take to the nest .
Today's visit was to Bough Beech reservoir , as I had to go close by . The water level is low now , meaning that any birds present were seen at a distance , making photography difficult . The few bits of interest found included ,

A few Meadow Pipits , feeding along the causeway .

No sign of the hoped for Osprey , but several Common Buzzards , all at distance , were seen , along with a single Sparrowhawk and Kestrel .

Part of a 50+ Lapwing flock that wheeled around several times , before choosing a sheltered bay half way down the main reservoir to land .

A Common Snipe that was awakened from it's sleep by a gang of Teal .

Two of just three Green Sandpipers seen today .

A Little Egret and a juvenile Grey Heron seemed to be getting on well together ,

until the Grey Heron got too close , and the Little Egret took evasive action , flying back over the causeway to the main reservoir . A Water Rail was seen near the Visitor Centre , but by the time I got there , it was back in the reedbed .
This is the third time I have tried to publish this post , having lost everything on the two previous occasions at this point , and having to start over again . Third time lucky ? Here goes .

Friday 16th. September 2011

2011-09-16T19:24:00.001+01:00

After playing host/chauffeur for best part of a week to visitors from Australia , I was really pleased to be out and about again , and already , the Dormouse/Reptile survey up on the Greensand Ridge was due . Once again , I was very pleased to have the assistance of Phil/Sharp by Nature and Terry , both of whom were out on the last survey , when 19 animals were found . The good news from that survey was that all the boxes that contained families one month ago were found empty this time , with all youngsters hopefully now finding their own ways in the big outside world . The first 50 boxes , which produced a singleton and two families , totalling 9 animals , today produced a singleton , and a very young family of a female and 6 youngsters , which were probably no older than a week old . The family were just counted and returned to their box , with the hope that the weather stays fair and gives them a chance to put enough weight on to ensure a successful hibernation . The second site , which produced 10 animals on the last survey , produced 14 animals this time . Both families found

last time had left their boxes , and two new families , one with five youngsters , well on their way to leaving home . The most entertaining time came , when we opened a box , which I must admit very rarely contains any animals , only to have a female and 7 very boisterous youngsters jump out like

Jack-in-the-Boxes . There in fact five animals in the left hand bunch in this shot . Other mammals found during the day included one Wood Mouse and two Common Shrews , all of which managed to escape the camera .
The reptile survey didn't produce the numbers recorded last month , probably due to cooler nights , but 19 Slow Worms , 1 female Adder , 5 Grass Snakes and 5 Common Lizards , all made in into the book . Two Common Buzzards were seen at the second site , but overall , bird sightings were few .
The second site also produced 7-10 Small Copper butterflies , and amongst them were a couple of abberations of the species . The first was an individual that didn't have the copper band across the

hindwing , and a second individual that showed signs of the aberation lacticolour , with a

cream/straw area on it's forewing . The aberration didn't seem to bother a second butterfly , probably a male , trying to court it . After a few minutes , the lower specimen seemed to get fed up , and gave up . The only other interest found was this Robber Fly of the Asilidae family , which decided to eat

it's recently caught meal on Terry's binoculars , while we were sexing and weighing the 7 young Dormice .
Another good day , which hopefully means that six families will be around next season , and make next season's figures even better . Many thanks to Phil and Terry for their help and good company on a most satisfying day .

Friday 9th.September 2011

2011-09-09T20:00:00.000+01:00

I set off this morning to see how the Fallow Deer rut was progressing at Knole Park near Sevenoaks . I quite expected to at least hear some bellowing up on the rise above the house , but , all was very quiet , with not a single animal being found on the traditional rutting hill . When I went last year in mid October , I felt that I had just caught the end of the rut , which is why I visited today . With nothing happening rut-wise , I set off to look for a species of fungi found on site last year , Devil's Fingers/Clathrus archeri . Once again , I failed miserably , as after much searching , not a single specimen was found .Once again , when found last year , they were going over , so again , an earlier visit should have proved successful . Off the beaten track , a lot of the Bracken had been flattened , and these areas seemed to attract many of the deer found , like these two females , one much darker

than the other , probably due to in breeding between the resident population , which also includes another introduced species , Sika Deer . None of the older stags were seen today ,probably still feeding up before the rut , as they will not eat during it . Just a few young bucks were seen , like this

one . There were also quite a few juveniles around , like this one , reminded me of the two fawns

that I found in the long grass back in mid Summer . The birds were few too , just a single Green Woodpecker , what looked like a family group of Pied Wagtails that might have contained a Yellow Wagtail amongst them , but wouldn't let me get close enough to be sure , a mixed Starling / Corvid flock , and of course the inevitable Rose-ringed Parakeets , were all that was seen until just before

leaving , when I spotted this female Pheasant , as she ushered three youngsters off the track and into

the cover of the Bracken , this being one of them . I stopped on the Downs on the way home , but things were no better there , a few Slow Worms , a very fresh Comma and a still presentable male

Common Blue . The best to the eye though was a large stand of Devilsbit Scabious , that gave

the hillside a purple hue . I had to pass Sevenoaks Reserve , and as things had been so quiet , I decided to have a short visit . Everything was quiet where I had the Kingfishers last visit , but found

a few Teal preening themselves outside Willow Hide , and a family group of Tufted Ducks (sorry

Warren) , on Long Lake . Almost fully grown now , the mother is back right . The small meadow was not so sunny today , which reduced the activity there , but there was a couple of Hornets criss

crossing the area . Following one , I watched it catch a Crane Fly , dropping into the grass with it's

meal . It moved several times , with me following , before it finally took it's meal into the tree , for some peace and quiet . I couldn't leave without a last visit to the Kingfishers , and once again was rewarded with several sightings of two birds , and also watched them diving for fish . Although they

were first seen on the perches from last visit , one did move a bit closer , perching on the branches

of a swaying Willow , from which it also made a couple of attempts to catch fish . That's closer than last time , perhaps third visit will find one of them on the sticks .

Wednesday 7th. September 2011

2011-09-07T16:15:00.000+01:00

It seemed again that the morning was going to be the better part of the day , so after breakfast I headed for Bough Beech reservoir , a Kent Wildlife Trust site , near Ide Hill .Just one car was parked along the causeway , so I guessed that the recent bad weather hadn't dropped anything special . I parked up and scanned the North lake with binoculars and very soon found a long legged and billed wader feeding in the shallows . It turned out to be a Black-tailed Godwit , a species

that I personally haven't seen at the site before , and in the same area were at least 8 Green

Sandpipers , one of which joined the Godwit for breakfast . No sign though of any Common Sandpipers . I was so engaged in watching these waders , that it was some time before I looked over

towards the island and spotted two Avocets feeding over in front of the island . Soon after , I had my first look over the main reservoir , with the strong wind blowing straight down it from the dam .

There was not a lot to be seen , but it did give an opportunity of a size comparison between a juvenile

Grey Heron and one of the Little Egrets that could be seen around the waters edge . A few Cormorants , Mallard and Teal , Black-headed Gulls , a single Pied Wagtail and a good number of GCGrebes were all the interest that could be found on this side . Moving back to the North Lake and out of the wind a bit , I noticed that the Godwit was no longer where it was feeding , but after a scan

found it , snoozing on one leg , in the lea of the wind , only to be rudely awakened by a squalking Heron that sent the Godwit into a crazed zig-zag flight , before settling down to start feeding again .

In the meantime , one of the Green Sandpipers came as close to the road as any did whilst I was there . Just a single Kestrel and Corvids hung on the wind , no sign of a passing Osprey , which would have been nice . There was a constant stream of Martins , both Sand and House , coming in over the North Lake , feeding avidly over the water , then heading off South , but I only saw just the odd Swallow amongst them .

To get to Bough Beech , I had to cross the Greensand Ridge , and on my way home , stopped off for a quick look around . The wind was even stronger up on the Ridge , and the sunny intervals were becoming few and far between . The first few sets of refugia lifted failed to produce any reptiles

the only species found were Violet Ground Beetles/Carabus violaceus , like this one . Slowly

things started to improve , with this juvenile being the first of six Grass Snakes found . The only

Adder found , was this large female , that was found with a large Grass Snake , on the edge of a brash pile , left after we cleared the glade a few years ago . I attempted to get a shot of the pair of them , but before I got into position , the Grass Snake shot off , fortunately the Adder moved off slower .

Two Slow Worms were also found , one being this very gravid looking specimen .

Heading back towards the car , across a meadow , two things caught my eye , a very fresh looking

Small Copper of the form aberration caeruleopunctata , having blue spots above the copper band on the hindwing , and several small patches of Tormentil/Potentilla erecta , a member of the Rose

family . I also found my first Fly Agaric/Amanita muscaria of the year , but unfortunately , someone

else had already found it , and had most of it for a meal .

Tuesday 6th. September 2011

2011-09-06T11:36:00.019+01:00

A miserable , wet and windy day , meant no volunteering today , but , being trapped indoors did give a chance to catch up on a visit made yesterday to Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve .

As the later part of the day was going to get cloudy and wet , I set off in sunshine , and arrived in the car park in similar conditions . I headed straight to the North Lake , prepared to give the Kingfishers ample opportunity to pose on the sticks in front of the hide . I must admit , it wasn't long before the first sighting , two specimens flew down the lake and within 2 metres of the hide , but did not stop at the sticks , and flew on towards the West Lake . The only action out front was a Grey Heron , who was busy having it's morning wash and brushup . It was very methodical , making sure that every nook and cranny was in good condition . When finished , it flew to the island then waded out looking for breakfast , which turned out to be a good sized Roach of about 1lb. in old money . One further sighting of a Kingfisher , on a return journey , and I was getting fidgety and decided to move on . Snipe Bog Lake held plenty of geese , having come off the surrounding fields , including a family , 2 adults and 3 juvenile Egyptian Geese . A few Teal , Gadwall and Mallard , along with the Coots , Moorhens and GCGrebes , but nothing out of the ordinary . On the way down to Long Lake , I found a young Grass Snake , warming itself , out of the wind . The small meadow produced a few butterflies , mainly Green-veined Whites like this one , but a Red Admiral also showed briefly . A few Common Blue and Blue-tailed Damselflies , a Brown Hawker and several Common Darters were also found . Checking the far bank of Long Lake , where I have seen Bittern before , only produced a small raft of Tufted Ducks and a left over from the Ninja Turtle craze , just a good job they don't breed here . I retraced my steps to see what was about on the other side of the reserve , but stopped off again at the North Lake for another try . Once again I had early sightings of Kingfisher , but this time they flew into the back of a large Willow , and out of sight . But then a single bird flew out and pose towards the end of the branch that the Grey Heron had been standing . It was about 35/40 metres away , but did provide me with a few half decent shots of the species , which I have been trying to get for some time . Perhaps next time , it will pose on the stick . The Tyler Hide produced just more geese , a few Lapwing , but nothing of more interest . Heading towards the Tower Hide , I found a teneral damselfly on the seed head of a Buddleia . Going by the dark markings , it seems to be destined to be a male Common Blue , that is it he survives the weather today . Tower and Slingsby hides produced nothing at all , getting the full force of the wind across the water . The most sheltered area was definitely over by Long Lake , so I made my way back around there again . On the Lake I found a pair of Mute Swans , and this , the female , gave an opportunity to see it feeding on the bottom . The male just moved off when I arrived . I don't know if it was the same individual , but I found this pair of Green-veined Whites being blown around by the ever strengthening wind , before finding sanctuary on a bunch of Rose-hips . Mind you , shortly after this shot , they got blown off but manged to land in a thick clump of Bramble . As they did so , a Grey Heron flew noisily down the length of the lake , and in a somewhat sheltered small bay between the reeds , a male Migrant Hawker was letting everyone know that this was his patch . Close by , I found several patches of the water loving Gipsywort/Lycopus europaeus , a member of the Labiate family . Only other plant of interest found was Bugloss/Lycopsis arvensis , a member of the Borage family , not to be confused with Viper's Bugloss . And finally , the dead Willow stump has produced another good crop of fungi this year . This one being Sulphor Polypore or Chicken of the Woods/Laetiporus sulphureus , and was a good 1.5 metres in height .

Friday 2nd September 2011

2011-09-02T16:51:00.011+01:00

Whilst battling a strong , but mild , easterly wind at RSPB Elmley yesterday , I planned today's visits . My thoughts being that that mild easterly , might just bring an odd Clouded Yellow over from the Continent , a species that I hoped might turn up yesterday , and could have , and been blown straight past me . So , with that species' favourite habitat being large fields of Clover , I headed this morning for Down House , as I could kill two birds , metaphorically speaking , with one stone , and do the bird survey , as this was also due . Unfortunately , no one let the weather know , and I arrived on site in humid but cloudy conditions , not at all conducive with Clouded Yellow requirements . Considering the fact that no Summer , or Winter visitors were recorded , a total of 19 species was quite respectable for the site , and could have been made better if Mistle or Song Thrush , Jay , Dunnock or Yellowhammer , all regularly recorded , had made it to the notebook . The Roe Deer did not let me down though , as although their rut has probably passed , mid July-mid August , I did find a female down in the bottom corner of the large meadow . I did find another female later on , but it could well have been the same individual . Whilst on site , I did record 5 butterfly species , unsurprisingly Meadow Brown being the most numerous .

Having failed to find the target species , I decided to do the High Elms butterfly transect on my way back , but also because the Conservation Field contains plenty of Clover , and my hopes were high as I set off from the Golf Club car park . Almost straight away , my thought process was rewarded , as I disturbed many Silver Y moths , immigrants from the continent from the fields , but no sign of the Clouded Yellow . 8 species were recorded over the two hour transect , and again Meadow Brown (121 - including a mating pair ) were the most numerous , but well down on the 215 , recorded on the previous transect . Other species numbers were low , with Brimstone (5 - pictured ) , Speckled Wood (8) , Common Blue (8) ,Small Copper (1 - pictured ) , Small White (7) , Green-veined White (1) and Large White (5 - pictured ) .Whist doing the survey , a Hornet , a species that seems to have had a bad year in my estimation , came bashing it's way through the vegetation , and grabbed something in front of me , and dropped to the ground with it . When I managed to catch up with it , the Hornet seemed to be tucking in to a Common Wasp , but on my arrival , took off with it's meal , to enjoy it in the tree tops . The best sighting of the visit , was at the end of the Conservation Field , when I spotted an orange flash by the side of the path . I followed it for some time before getting a proper sighting , but when I did , it turned out to be a Hummingbird Hawkmoth , another immigrant from the Continent . It then proceeded to lead me a merry chase over that area of the field , but , for once , it was not in a hurry to leave , fuelling up on the Black Knapweed flowers . I managed a good number of shots , but understandably , many were blurred and useless . But , several turned out OK , showing well the long proboscis which makes photography of the species so difficult , as it never stops to feed , nectaring on the wing , just like it's namesake .

A last minute decision had me visiting the Farm lake , just before arriving home . A Grey Heron and three Mallard were the only addition to the two adult Coots , who seem to have driven off their offspring , as they usually do , and the three Moorhens . Two Migrant Hawker males , a male Brown Hawker and a few Common Darter were the only Odonata seen , until just before I left the lake , when two Damselflies flew by in tandem , the first I had seen at the site for some time . They turned out to be a pair of Small Red-eyed Damselflies , and once landed , proceeded to get into the 'ring' or 'wheel' position , to enable the female , behind , to take the male's sperm sack and fertilise her eggs . Before I left the lake , I watched the pair fly in tandem out onto the lake , and start laying eggs on the mats of blanket weed . Hopefully , I'll see their offspring next Summer .

Tomorrow is the first outing of the new hedgelaying season with the Surrey Group . And the expected temperature in the afternoon , 27C . Happy days .