Cold, dry and sunny, light airs - At long last some `proper` wintry weather with bright sunshine and the promise of an "Arctic Blast" to come - superb, I love the cold! I started off at Lade pits first thing where wildfowl numbers were particularly low and grebes down to single figures. Raptors were prominent though with a couple of Marsh Harriers, Buzzards and Kestrels present behind the `mirrors`. The Whooper Swan pair were on ARC along with a host of Wigeons, Shovelers, Cormorants, five Pintails, two Marsh Harriers and a Goldeneye, plus five Cattle Egrets and two Glossy Ibis on the paddocks along Lydd Road. Surprise of the day came at Cockles Bridge where a covey of eight Red-legged Partridges were my first of the year; when I first moved down here 17 years ago they were common place, infact we even had them in the garden at Plovers! Local landowners who used to put Red-legs down for shooting now say its not worth their while as predation from, mainly Foxes and Buzzards is unsustainable. Moving onto Dengemarsh where at least eight White-fronts within a large flock of Greylags were viewable form the entrance to Manor Farm. On the airport fields a flock of 280 Curlews was noteworthy, while at least ten each of Bewick`s Swan and Pink-footed Goose showed distantly in fields from Hook`s Wall on Walland Marsh.
Walk outs around New Romney of late have been noticeable for the paucity of small birds; infact there has been more avian interest in the garden with Goldcrest and Stock Dove the highlights and regular visits from a female Sparrowhawk which took a Collared Dove the other day. In the town park a Mistle Thrush can often be heard in full song, while a couple of football-size, over ripe puffballs were of note in a nearby paddock field.
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