Monday 27th. February 2012

Gone was the weekend of Spring , it was back to the grey of Winter again this morning , and even though the car thermometer read 9C , it didn't feel anything like that . After an early visit to the tip with the result of Carol's 'spring clean' of the back garden over the last couple of days , I set off for Sevenoaks Reserve , which has become a regular site to visit over this Winter , and usually on a Monday . A few Siskins and possible Redpolls were feeding in the Alders near the Visitor Centre , and skulking below the feeders by Grebe Hide was this magnificent male Pheasant , dressed in all his

finery . Plenty of birdsong despite the gloom , and a look from the viewpoint at the end of the East Lake showed small numbers of waterfowl spread around the lake , no longer confined to small areas of open water . A flyby Kingfisher and a Little Egret fishing near the island were a good start . As I walked down the track between East Lake and The Darenth , the Greylag Geese that were down by

 the spit decided it was time to head off to the fields , and took off in twos and threes . The three

Mute Swans that were on East Lake also decided to move into the small pond alongside the Darenth .
No excitement on Long Lake , so I returned and crossed the Darenth to have a look from Willow Hide . Now , I don't know if it says something about me , but as soon as I got settled in , the pair of

Canada Geese that were out in front decided to depart too , was it something I said ? At least the two

male Pochard stayed put , but would have looked so much better with a bit of sun shining on their plumage . I wasn't expecting the Goosander to be still there , so wasn't disappointed at their absence . Also not showing was the Bittern . Walking back on the other track alongside the West Lake , a Song

Thrush was in full song , just where the river runs out of the lake . On the way to the Public Hide ,

another small flock of Siskins , this male looking sadly rather drab in the conditions . The usual Lapwing and Gulls from the hide along with a minimum of 20 Common Snipe feeding amongst the

grass tussocks and marshy areas . A last sweep of the islands found a single redhead Goosander on

one island , and a Cormorant playing 'King of the Castle' on Cairn Island . Out on the water , there

were at least three pairs of Great Crested Grebe displaying to each other , one of the pairs were starting to collect nesting materials , and whenever either of the other pairs got too close , a chase

ensued , until the intruders were far enough away to satisfy the nest builders . At one point , the nest building pair swan over to the side of the hide and displayed , then moved into the overhanging

trees , and I'm sure performed the 'weed dance' , but with so much in the way , I could not be sure .
Just my luck , last time was branches and right into the sun , so all I got was a silhouette . The pair

returned to the nest building , and I had to be satisfied with a Little Egret that flew across into the same area . I could have done with two other birders in the hide to watch the three pairs of GCGrebes , but on my own , I had to keep moving from one pair to the next . Patience finally paid off , when I returned at one time to the nest building pair , who were further away than their nest

site , but swimming towards each other with weed in their bills , and gotcha , I finally managed to get a few shots , albeit at distance . The whole thing only lasted eight shots of continuous shooting , but it's by far the best I have managed so far . Next time , right outside the hide please . Elated , and

cold , a last scan around the islands found three Common Snipe feeding on the edge of the nearest island , that was until someone on the building site dropped something on the building site behind the Bittern's reedbed , that made one hell of a clang , and everything on the lake , and probably the Reserve , took off . That was my cue to make my way back to the warmth of the car , and headed home .