Saturday 23 February 2013

Warming Up!

Lade - 0800hrs - cold, grey, snow flurries, ne 3 - Not quite as cold as yesterday due to a slight reduction in the wind strength, but still nippy. Slogged around south pit to no avail, but most of the ducks amongst the shelter of the willows where also a Great White Egret and a Snipe flushed from the ponds. On north pit, 4 Goldeneyes, Kestrel and Marsh Harrier plus a small calidrid over which was probably a Dunlin, but tiny recalling a stint... Singles of Reed Bunting and Chiffchaff were the only little `uns of note.
RSPB - 1400hrs - A quick look at ARC from the causeway road revealed 6 Smew and 2 Great White Egrets amongst all the usual wildfowl. From the visitors centre 6 Pintails and 2 more Smews.
Walland Marsh - A text from NB concerning a large flock of grey geese on a recently harrowed field opposite the Woolpack pub was well worth a visit. The majority were Greylags, but in their midst were 74 White-fronts and 6 Tundra Bean Geese. Also attracted to the field were a number of Wigeon, Mallard, Pintail, Gadwall, Teal, Stock Doves, Woodpigeons and corvids, plus three Marsh Harriers and a Buzzard noted nearby. At Midley around 200 distant Bewick`s Swans and all the usual sparrows, tits and finches on the feeders. However, the biggest surprise was the number of Blackbirds on the lane, with at least 50 between Lydd and Brookland.
Hardly any birders out and about today, can`t think why...

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