Monday 16 February 2015

Dense fog this morning only started to clear around 09:00hrs, so not much was seen before then, just a BUZZARD of note, that flew from the bean crop off High House Lane where most of the FIELDFARES and REDWING had departed - as far as I could tell!

I arrived at the lakes as the fog was lifting, all of yesterdays visitors had left, apart from a GREY HERON, but there was one species there that was most welcome - a male TUFTED DUCK (63), although this is the second one this year, it is a really scarce bird here, much scarcer than the Goosanders! As I watched the Tufted Duck, and what a cracking looking bird it was, I heard the TAWNY OWL hoot from the Scrubby Woods again.

I found most of the scarcer woodland birds on my walk through the Scrubby Woods and Wet Woods, with NUTHATCH, TREECREEPER, COAL TIT, LONG TAILED TIT, GOLDCREST, BULLFINCH, STOCK DOVE, GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER and GREEN WOODPECKER all being active, some even singing, as was a MISTLETHRUSH at the Ashes Lane Field, where just two MEADOW PIPIT were found.

The KESTREL pair were knocking about the Greenhouse Grounds and the LITTLE OWL was seen at it's roost tree in the Greenhouse Copse, no Gulls were on the sheep pasture and paddocks of Migrant Alley, just ROOKS and WOODPIGEONS, but a few BLACK HEADED and HERRING GULLS did fly over, as did a YELLOWHAMMER and a singing SKYLARK.

No photo's again in the poor light, tomorrow looks a better day for the camera, lets hope something poses nicely for it!

5 comments:

Marc Heath said...

Not a bad day Warren, I must admit in East Kent, we had some lovely warm sunshine for a good part of the afternoon today. Looks nice for the next few days.

Lancashire and Lakeland Outback Adventure Wildlife Safaris said...

Well done with the tufty. Patch mega for me today...Magpie - Boom as they say! Not annual here on my work patch

Cheers

DaveyMan

Simian said...

hi warren
i wonder why the goosanders dont venture over here to whetsted pits?...maybe its too busy for them...shame. nice pics by the way.
out of interest im trying to find out how or where to access lodge hill for nightingales, or where the best place to access is around there...have you ever been?...any idea? i used to go to hailsham where there were up to 15 singing males, but as im just as close to chattenden now i live here it sounds great....well...possibly for this may anyway.
graham

Stephen Mills said...

Still waiting for a Tufty here Warren.

Warren Baker said...

Graham,
Sorry mate cant really help you. I haven't been to Lodge Hill. I used to get my Nightingale fix at Larkfield Lakes :-)