Mild, sunny, W3 - A couple of spring-like days has encouraged plenty of bird song hereabouts with both Mistle and Song Thrushes singing around dawn from the nearby park along with calling Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers, all of which have not quite made it into the garden yet. However, yesterday a Little Egret did fly over, which was no real surprise considering they seem to be omnipresent in the sewers surrounding New Romney. More interesting though was a highly vocal Tawny Owl also emanating from the park last night.
A visit to Lade yesterday produced the usual wildfowl including several Goldeneyes, plus trilling Dabchicks, a Marsh Harrier, singing Cetti`s Warblers and a mixed flock of 20 Chaffinches, Great and Blue Tits by the ponds. Just as I was about to leave I heard the distinctive cackling calls of a skein of White-fronted Geese coming in off the bay at great height and obviously on the move. Initially I estimated there to be c120 birds but when I counted my record shots realised it was somewhat less at around 80, although still a magnificent sight and sound. The bay yielded the usual waders where the wintering Black-tailed Godwits were tracked down to their favoured feeding ground on the thick, gloopy mud out from Littlestone Green.
I had to go to Hythe this morning so checked out the sea defense blocks in front of the fish restaurant at Stade Street where a lone Purple Sandpiper was velcroed onto the rocks along with a dozen Turnstones.
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