Saturday 17 February 2018

Spring....nearly....nearly....

0730 - 1130 frosty/misty start, cold and clear, warming up in sun

Getting in the car this morning I still wasn't really sure where I was going birding.  Last time out was over on Sheppey mostly for Owls of the Short-eared variety....but that got rained off....and having missed them last winter as well.....I need t get back up there....but then I hadn't been to Whetsted for a week or so....and the pull of looking round 'my' patch.....even when you know theres probably not going to be anything new...its strange....so the patch won...

Hanging over Whetsted this morning was a mist....supported nicely by a frost....clear overhead though which suggested the sun would be up soon and driving the mist away and possibly warming fingers too....

...Spring is in the air...or on the twig...

Sometimes you just happen to make the right decision....sure....if I had meandered north maybe Harriers and Owls were waiting....but.....here at Whetsted it was a fabulous mornings birding...

Fieldfares, Redwings and Starlings were around the paddocks....on the west side of the quarry I found a flock of 8 Yellowhammers...Bullfinches were passing by as well and would be around the site continually.....

...steady as she goes....nature takes back...everything...

For a change of scenery, and as spring is just round the corner....just 20 days till the first migrating Chiffchaff arrives....I decided to wander along North Field....

....the sun had risen enough to give a winter glow.....

There are a couple of areas that, this year, could be really great for the Skylarks...North Field being one of them, several were singing there today and at the moment the farmer has left it alone...hopefully this will continue and if so the Skylarks should be pretty successful there with this ankle to knee high grass....

....looking great for Skylark breeding....

...and what a bonus....Barn Owl hunting over North Field.  Having had to listen to the workers at the quarry tell me they see it every time they come here...and no I don't believe them...it was great to see one still around.  I think their nest was disturbed last year as it was pretty open and obvious...though of course that is nature as well....we are always on the good guys side though....mind you, I don't think a mouse could see the good side of a Barn Owl!...

Barn Owl

....more distant Barn Owl....

...slightly nearer but not as near...Barn Owl....

After a few minutes of watching the Owl it drifted off, no doubt bored of putting on a display for me and more intent of a quick meal before bed time.....so I moved on to East pit....

East Pit

...which was as calm as a....gravel pit....and not too much on it either.....a few Gadwall being of most interest.....

Alder catkins

Along the Long Straight the Alder catkins have burst in to life looking rather resplendent with their deep red colour.....

At Island Pit the Shovelers were lined up on the far side...around 40 or so today....I could hear a few Teal here but they seemed to be hiding in the reeds and Willows somewhere as the water levels remain quite high at the moment...

Overlooking the South Fields is lump 2....

....looking South....

....and here more Skylark were singing.  And again this is looking like a really good area this year if they nest in this bit and the farmer leaves the alone....

Middle pit offered plenty of Tufted Ducks and a couple of Pochard, though there were another 9 over on West Pit.  2 female Goldeneye were busy diving.  Now, many male birds look the best, usually leaving the females to sty a rather drab colour....but I reckon, even though male Goldeneyes look great, the females outdo them immensely....a rather splendid looking bird, especially in the sun....one of my favourites....

2 Little Egrets were a bit flighty around Middle Pit, occasionally taking to trees before moving back to the water....a third bird was over on West Pit.  

About to leave Middle Pit I heard the familiar call of a Chiffchaff....and....amongst a flock of Long-tailed Tits....there it was.....

Chiffchaff

Chiffchaff...again...

.....more....more....Chiffchaff....

A fabulous find....I knew 2 had over wintered on site last winter but had found none so far this winter.  Who knows if this one has been around the site, maybe it just happened upon the flock of Tits and followed them along the way and ended up on site.  Either way....its great to see one....it certainly cheers you up a huge amount....and brings on that 'warblers are coming' alarm even louder...

2 Little Egrets, 1 Grey Heron....and a Magpie...


2 of the Egrets headed for a tree where a Grey Heron had the company of a Magpie already....this Mag(p)ie wasn't for moving either and must have had a bit of a complex being stared down by the Heron gang....

A Water Rail squealed a couple of times...or was it 2 Water Rails...I did manage to catch up with one of them on the footpath that passes along the western edge of Middle Pit.  This is just about the only place to see them on site and you have to be lucky and very quick as they run quickly for cover.

Reed Bunting

At West Pit a couple of Reed Buntings were persisting in the Willows.  There is a very good number of these Buntings around the site at the moment and they seem to be everywhere.

The other star bird....the Black-necked Grebe....was still on West Pit and was still quite distant from the east side where the footpath runs.  Though looking from the other sides it was harder to find.

Black-necked Grebe with 'powder puff' i.d....

Black-necked Grebe

I decided today would be a good day to walk all the way round West Pit.....as I had already come across several Yellowhammers....the west side of this pit is a good place to find more....and indeed....several were singing here and others were flitting about.  A couple of Buzzards were around this area and they are known to nest in the wooded area just west of the pits.

This tree has fallen in to the ditch...though I'm sure it wont be allowed to remain there too long and become interesting ditch habitat....


From the north side....

West Pit....from the north side...

The return journey continued to provide birds....the Black-headed Gull numbers on Middle Pit had increased and with it 3 Common Gulls had joined them.  2 Teal whizzed past and landed on the hidden pit just west of Middle Pit.  So maybe more have moved to that area which I will have to check out next time.

2 Kestrels were calling to each other and have been for several weeks now.

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