Honey Buzzard

Lade  - warm, dry and sunny, NE 3 - The past couple of days have been much of a muchness on the local patch with fledgling birds tumbling out of nests to join the large flocks of foraging Starlings and House Sparrows. Cuckoos are still active around the reedbeds and the first Dabchick and Great Crested Grebe young were on the water. Moth trapping, however, has been largely disappointing due to a run of cool, clear nights with a brisk wind off the sea.
  One of the local dog walkers described what appeared to be a Bee-eater on the overhead wires on the Desert yesterday morning, which was no real surprise being as one was noted at Dungeness earlier. Infact there have been so many sightings of `Rainbow Birds` this past month that I`m beginning to suspect they may be breeding locally...

                                                  Tree Sparrows


St Mary`s-in-the-Marsh - I called in on Chris P this morning and whilst nattering in the back garden, and watching Tree Sparrows on the feeders, alarm calls from the tits and finches alerted us to a raptor drifting overhead which turned out to be a Honey Buzzard, my first of the year in England; if only I was keeping a year list...
Burrowes - The long-staying Little Gull was still in front of Firth hide this afternoon and a few common waders were on distant islands. Bitterns continue to show well over the road from the Screen hide, otherwise its been a quiet week on the bird front, but plenty to enjoy botanically.