I've said it before and failed but once again I'm going to give online logkeeping a go and try to keep it up this time! I've spent the last eight months as Assistant Warden at Dungeness, which was a valuable experience, and I'm now enjoying reacquainting with my local patches back in Surrey.
On Wednesday, I joined Christian C, Roger B and Kevin G on a gloomy morning in the hide at Beddington Farmlands. This winter will be the last that the landfill operates so an eye was kept on the larids, producing two first-winter
Caspian Gulls, one of which was particularly striking. Once the rain gave in mid-morning, Christian and I headed off for a walk around the mound, where a soft grating call alerted us to the presence of a
Dartford Warbler, which we soon tracked down.
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| Dartford Warbler, Beddington |
Thursday saw me eagerly return to Canons Farm, where I convened with Paul G and Ian J and also covered parts of Banstead Woods. A heard-only
Reed Bunting overhead was quite a surprise and other decent patch birds included two
Stonechats, a
Cormorant and a
Grey Heron. I went out again at dusk, and was glad I did as I heard six
Little Owls, a
Tawny Owl and a
Barn Owl.
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| Common Buzzard, Canons Farm |
A bitter wind did not stop a trip to north Kent with Josh B today being a good laugh. We started at Leysdown-on-Sea, where a single adult
Mediterranean Gull was the only bird of any note before moving on to Shell Ness, failing to locate anything unusual but enjoying a panoply of typical waders and wildfowl. After a pit stop, we called by at Oare Marshes, where we only had time for a fleeting check of the East Flood but managed to see a
Little Stint and 14
Ruff, but best of all was a close encounter with a ringtail
Hen Harrier as it quartered the marsh.
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| Adult Mediterranean Gull with Black-headed Gulls, Leysdown-on-Sea |
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| Turnstones and and Grey Plover, Shell Ness |
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| Common Seal, Shell Ness |
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| Hen Harrier, Oare Marshes |
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| Ruff and Little Stint with Teal and Shoveler, Oare Marshes |
