Barn Owls

 26th Feb.

Birding has been very quiet over the last few days so I have been spending most time trying to photograph the local barn owls. They always come out as the light fades so any photos are at ISO 4-6400 which is hopeless to get detail but you take what you can get.  A few marsh harriers are usually seen at the same time and tonight I saw two grey partridges which I have not seen for a couple of years here.

Brambling and Buzzards

 20th Feb.

I had a good walk today from Graveney to Faversham via Nagden accompanied by Mark C. A big change from the cold snowy weekend last week to fifteen degs this weekend and  lots of warm sunshine. A large flock of 60-70 chaffinches with four brambling amongst them were feeding in the fields then flew up onto some trees.

 

Brambling

Reaching the Creek two greenshank were in the channel with c.20 redshank and four teal and at the sewage works three or four chiffchaffs were singing plus several reed buntings and I counted thirty nine pied wagtails around the sewage works.

Greenshank

On the way back we saw at least five buzzards one I photographed being chased by a carrion crow.

Buzzard and Crow

       I saw my first bee sp this year clinging to some low vegetation but I don't know what its ID is.

After the two walk my step counter recorded 9500 steps and we covered a distance of three and a half miles.

Great White Egrets at Seasalter

 14th Feb

A message from Geoff alerting me to three great white egrets on the main dyke by the pumping station at Seasalter.  They were visible on the frozen dyke as I drove along the road to the pumping station. I got a few shots from the road for the record and after half an hour they flew a couple of hundred yards into the plots out of sight after which I went home....too cold.

Holiday Is Over

 13th Feb 2021

Today was my first time out birding since my last post on the 3rd of Jan, six weeks ago, somewhat of a record.  What with covid going rampant and a new kitchen to be fitted, decorating, the government lock down and horrible weather I didn't mind.  However, as all the work was done and it was a sunny day, I decided to get back out with the binos and camera.

After the seven inches of snow we have had over the last week the roads were surprisingly clear but most pavements were still icy especially after the minus four degs C last night.  Arriving at South Swale LNR I walked across the snow towards the huts seeing a pair of teal on a frozen pond.  At the sea front the high tide was just leaving the beach and attracting several waders. 

                                    Female teal on the frozen ponds behind the beach huts

At the water's edge a dozen grey plovers were feeding along with c.40 dunlin and knot but were continually being disturbed by people walking along the beach.  I was taking photos from a distance when a photographer, who I later saw was taking seashore photos using a tripod, just walked in front of me, flushing all the birds....ignorant twat.

                                           

                                                         A dozen grey plovers on the water's edge

Further on four skylarks and a couple of meadow pipits were probing the grassy bank apron that was free of snow, all birds looking weak and tired. 

                                                                   Three or four skylarks

A couple of lapwings and curlew were flying about enabling me to get a couple of shots and three song thrushes were scratching around grassy tussocks looking for food.

                                                                           Curlew

                                                                        Lapwing

I saw circa.fourteen bar-tailed godwits fly fly onto the water's edge which is unusual to see them so close and a small number of knot joined them.

            I was always under the impression that bar-tailed godwits were larger then grey plovers

                                     but this photo shows this is not always the case.

                                                        Knot looking rather tatty

I  met Mike R and accompanied him along to the white post, unfortunately flushing several snipe which were also feeding on the snow free wall apron. Finally, I saw a pair of stonechats that were very  approachable in their weak state so I made every effort not to disturb them feeding.

                                                               Lots of snipe seen flying about

                                                                          Stonechat

On the way back I came across a couple more song thrushes looking rather tired and worn, all ground feeding birds must be having a real hard time, I normally see a few pairs of stonechats rather than the one today.

                                                            Song thrushes suffering