Tuesday 16 February 2016

This morning saw a hard frost, but with little wind and wall to wall sunshine, it felt very springlike once I got moving  :-)

I visited Migrant Alley first off this morning, where the flock of 50-60 BLACK HEADED GULLS were again present, plus, again, there were at least 3 COMMON GULLS and a lone MEDITERRANEAN GULL with them, the only HERRING GULLS seen were flyovers. The adjacent Greenhouse Grounds had a small flock of half a dozen SISKIN in the Alders and the female KESTREL was hunting up nearby.


Obliging female Siskin in the Alders.



 This ROBIN sat very photogenically on a nearby frosty fence post, watching me watch the Siskin!


At 09:00hrs I meet up with fellow Kent Birder and photographer, Mike Hook, who I showed around my patch, we spent much time chatting away, so didn't record all that we might have done, but he got to see his first LESSER REDPOLLS, SISKIN and BULLFINCH of the year, but our hopes of a Goosander on the lakes was thwarted by the fact they were frozen over!

The FIELDFARES / REDWINGS and STARLINGS continue to move back and forth from the sheep pasture at  Migrant Alley to the Ashes Lane Fields, where just one MEADOW PIPIT was seen today, we also had good views of a BUZZARD as it soared up in the blue winter sky.

Later in the morning, we had a bit of a photo session at my garden feeders, where Mike filled his boots with images of the likes of Lesser redpoll, Siskin, LONG TAILED TITS and NUTHATCH, I'll post my efforts, that I took after Mike had left on future posts  :-)

Thanks Mike for your company, it made a nice change for me!