opposite . There were some large birds about , including several Grey Heron coming and going to 
the river , and also Cormorants fishing and passing through . Two Kingfisher sightings and a 
mixed Tit flock , made up mostly of Long-tailed Tits helped fill the interest , against a clear blue sky . After an hour of watching , without a movement , I went for a walk back along the small 
track , and found the redhead Goosander that had done a disappearing act on my last visit . Once
again , I had the sun in front of me , so just had to do the best given the conditions . After getting a couple of shots , I watched it move further out into the lake , where it started diving for food .During my stay , I had tree sightings of Sparrowhawk , the last almost taking my head off as we converged on each other in a tunnel of Hawthorn trees . Another good hour watching the reed bed again , and again with nothing to show for it . I decided it wasn't going to happen for me today , it seems like it never does where this species is concerned . I walked back around Brooklands lake , and with the same sun problem , only took one shot of these two male
Shoveller in the car park corner . Before heading home , I stopped off at Lunsford Lane to see if anything was along the small stream . The only sighting along the stream was a third Kingfisher , this one landing momentarily on the small wooden bridge , before continuing upstream . The Hawthorns in the area were attracting good numbers of Blackbirds , Woodpigeons and Redwings . The latter were very nervous if I got out of the car , so I positioned it as close to the 
stream as possible and managed to get a few shots .
On the way home , with the gritters already out on the motorway , I thought about why I had dipped , again on the Bittern , then realised that someone had removed the red sign from above the reed bed , and the red arrows from the water . I knew that it wasn't my fault !
Parakeets . These two enjoying that sun , high in an Oak . Keston Ponds fared no better , with all three ponds still frozen over , there was no sign of any Mandarins , probably still at Kelsey Park in Beckenham , where the river flowing through the lake keeps some water free of ice . The 
mixed species residents were all sat in the centre of the middle pond , looking pretty glum .
mealworms for him . With hypothermia setting in , a small movement on the edge of the reedbed , produced another Water Rail , and after disappearing for a while , reappeared and 
showed well about 10/15 metres away . It was just a shame that the sun wasn't on it , but there 
again , it probably wouldn't have shown so well in clear conditions . I took lots of shots , before it eventually went out of sight , following the edge of the water . Well pleased I made sure the Robin was out , and closed up the hide . Stopping in at the main hide , it was just about possible to see the edge of the water and odd movements , but no better than that . A look at the lake that produced the Goosanders was slightly less foggy , but so sign of them today . The two small lakes are still frozen over , and there nothing to see from the Willow hide . I found the Red-
necked Grebe in the same area as last time , but managed to get a bit closer this time . I also 
managed a shot with it's cousin the Little Grebe for size comparison . I searched the fog for the Black-necked Grebe , and at one point thought that I had found it by the naked eye , but when I 
got the binoculars on the bird , it turned out to be a redhead Smew , which would make it a female or juvenile . It was a very difficult species to photograph , because no sooner had I got it 
on the viewfinder , then it would upend like a Grebe , diving to find food on the bottom of the lake . It did at one stage come up near a Coot , giving an opportunity of a comparison shot , 
showing just how small this relation of the Goosander and Red-breasted Merganser , is . Heading back to the car park , I again came across the Siskin flock . About the same number , but sounding much louder in the thinning fog . I also came across the first fungi found since before 
the snow , Lactarius rufus-Rufous Milk-cap , a species found under Pines , and very close by , another glimpse of a Water Rail after it had 'squeaked' it's whereabouts . In the horse paddock before reaching the road , a female Pheasant was hoping for a meal from under the 
thawing snow.
behind the cover of trees , I set up the camera and scanned again , between the trees . Yes , it was indeed a redhead female Goosander , right over the back of the lake , and coming out of the 
bankside vegetation to join her , was her mate , a superb male . I started clicking away , when the pair started to get agitated by something to the right . That something turned out to be 
another flock of Geese , Canadas this time , moving towards them en mass . As they approached , the flock took noisily to the air , and off went the Goosanders as well . I last saw the pair heading over the Visitor Centre . The shots are nowhere near Phil's/Sharp by Nature standards , but the light was bad , and they were at a good distance from the camera , so I felt pleased with what I got , even if it was curtailed .
go back to the fields again , after upsetting everything , and they took off noisily again . They 
turned at the end of the lake , and came back overhead before heading off . I didn't find the Black-necked , but eventually spotted the Red-necked Grebe , well out in the water , this time 
keeping station with a male Pochard . It did start feeding soon afterwards , but always well away from where I was concealed . It did come reasonably close at one stage and dived , staying under for a long period . My heart almost stopped when this popped up right in front of me . A Grebe 
yes , but the relation of the one I wanted . Perhaps the Great Crested Grebe in this position is the answer to the Loch Ness Monster story . The only other interest was a flock of 50/60 Siskins , that flew into the tallest Alder tree on the site and noisily started feeding . Once again 
the light was a problem , but there were 15/20 birds just in the very top of the tree in this shot . This is by far the biggest flock of the species I have seen this year .
decided to move on . The only interest whilst waiting was this Great Crested Grebe , that came up with a decent sized fish , and was struggling to get it down . I crossed the Diver's Bridge to see if the bird had flown to the Railway Lake , but it hadn't , and a couple of male Shovellers , 
pictured , and a few Pochard and a lot of 'black and white' , Tufted Ducks and Coots , were all 
that were found . As Phil had mentioned , the West and East scrub were alive with Redwings , plus a few small flocks of Fieldfares flying over .
turned out to be a Common Snipe . I watched it feeding for some time , and soon it was joined by 
a second . A third showed up , but never got close enough to the other two to get a shot of the three of them together . Another movement turned out to be a Robin fossicking , and in the 
same area , a Wren , searching frenziedly for it's breakfast . I was about to give up on the Water 
Rail , when the vegetation right at the back moved , and I managed a shot of this secretive bird . I felt well pleased and watched it get closer and closer to the edge of the vegetation , and 
eventually break out into the open . With the sun on it , this was definitely the best view that I have had of the species . How could things get better ? Well , having fossicked around , in and out 
of sight for some time , it jumped up onto some taller vegetation and started to preen . This went on for several minutes , before it went back into the water , heading for the gulley at the back , where it usually disappears to . Trouble was , this time , the three Common Snipe were resting in that area , and as the Water Rail reached them , it flew at them , and they flew off , and that was the last I saw of any of them .
would lift and land en mass on the wires , this being just a short section of them . I found it impossible to get anywhere near the Fieldfares , so decided to see if I could find the spot where Adam has been watching the Redpolls . I had a general idea , but that wasn't enough , and soon after crossing a railway line , the cloud came in on the wind , and I turned back . All the way I could make out tyre tracks , and expected at any time to find Adam's bike in the hedge , but didn't . On the way back , I did catch sight of a chap on a bike with a reflective jerkin , heading back to the Research Centre at just after 2 o'clock . I wonder if that was him , and I just missed him ? Passing through the buildings , several Fieldfares were seen in the higher trees , but in the 
first orchard on the right I spotted a single bird , quite close to the road . I got a few shots of it feeding on the Apples that are covering some of the trees . Slowly , I moved closer to the fence , taking shots as I went . Eventually , I got as close as I could , and was pleased that the bird carried on feeding , not bothered by me , and as I 
left , it was still in the same place .
ablutions , and a male Pochard that was diving for his breakfast just outside the hide . The second hide was even quieter , with just a couple of Wrens fossicking around , but never still enough for a shot . Over the back of the reedbed , a Green Woodpecker was searching for it's 
breakfast amongst the snow . I had noticed on entering the hide , that one flap had been left open , and some seeds and nuts were on the window ledge . Just as I was leaving , I found out 
who they were left for , when this Robin landed on the sill , and eyed what was on offer . He took 
a few small seeds , then attempted a peanut , which he couldn't manage and had to drop . Taking no notice of me , he then proceeded to search the inside of the hide for any other food . Whilst he was doing so , I crushed the peanuts and spread them on the floor , and as I closed the door on leaving , he was tucking into his breakfast , now in edible form . A quick look at the large hide didn't produce apart from the usual , Mallard , Tufted , Shoveller , Teal , Gadwall , Canada and 
Greylag Geese , and lots more Gulls , including several Greater Black-backed .
small area of open water , being kept open by a single Great Crested Grebe . Returning to the main lake , I bumped into the chap I saw earlier , and he told me that he had been trying to photograph a Red-necked Grebe that he had seen yesterday . Why did I make that first decision ? Anyway it had just disappeared behind the island , so started a game of cat and mouse between myself and the bird , that made getting a shot of the Slavonian Grebe at New Hythe like a walk in the park . I got brief glimpses of the bird every now and again , but the two things against me were the light and the distance it could travel under water . I gave up trying to walk quietly , concentrating on trying to get in front of it whilst it was under . Eventually I managed to get a few , what I would call record shots , but I was pleased , as with the Slavonian Grebe , I 
have seen the species before , but always out of camera range . Fortunately , a couple of the 
shots were in a bit better light and showed the red on the neck and the yellow on the bill . The chap also mentioned that he had seen Black-necked Grebe the day before , but hadn't seen it today . Eventually the Grebe took itself well out into the lake and started to preen itself , just as a bank of cloud rolled in , by which time my feet were like blocks of ice , so I headed back to the 
car , getting a shot of an overflying Grey Heron on the way , and having two flocks of Fieldfare fly over . Near Knockholt Station , the road is lined with heavily ladened Hawthorns , and I spotted a few Thrush sized birds as I passed . Turning around and parking opposite , I could see 
that they were a small flock of Redwings , but still the most I have seen together this Winter . I 
know it's not sharp , but I couldn't resist posting this shot showing exactly how the species gets it's name .
Could it be that I got some shots of the Black-necked Grebe , without realising it ?
As always , I stand to be corrected . If it is , that's another species seen before but not photographed .
