...anyone else seen one?....and I am considering doing the BTO House Martin survey as well!
WeBS day....no rain?....no mist?....whats going on??....so it made up for it by being rather chilly instead....brrrrrrrrrrrr!!...wheres that sunshine and warmth gone....eeeek!
0545 - 0845 Overcast, dull but brightening, cold start but warming. NE f 2-5 variable.
Having built up hopes that today, the last day of the school holidays here in Kent (the others went back last week), I was left a little disappointed. Quite what I was hoping for...who knows...maybe a Milvus repetition!?
Also, the Nightingales over the more northerly side of the site seem to have gone quiet...or moved? There was some kind of Hard Man run organised across part of the site, you know the thing....people running in the mud, through ditches, over barriers. Good fun im sure. But funnily enough three ares containing Nightingales were quiet today. Coincidence? Who knows?? Im sure they will be in full voice next time out.
So....what did I see and count then....
Around the pits:
Chaffinch, Great Tit, Wren, Robin, Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Gren Woodpecker, Yellowhammer, Song Thrush, Blue Tit, Pied Wagtail, Linnet, Magpie, Bullfinch, Crow, Jay, 4 Swallow, Skylark, Reed Bunting. Dunnock, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Cuckoo, Long Tail Tit, Buzzard.
Warbler Count:
pyit pyut 35
Blackcap 16
Whitethroat 14
Willow Warbler 2
Nightingale 6
Reed Warbler 1
Sedge Warbler 1
100% increase in Willow Warblers is most welcome. Hopefully will have a few more around the site before it reverts to one breeding pair. Nice to see a Reed Warbler too. And an increase in Whitethroat with lots more to come. So...not a bad day really!
On the pits:
13 Mallard, 27 Coot, 10 Great Crested Grebe (strange occurance today. A group of five seemed to be together on one of the pits, seemingly new to the area?? Hmmmmm??), 52 Tufted Duck, 8 Canada Geese, 3 Greylag Geese, 3 Mandarin Duck, 4 Mute Swan, 3 Moorhen, 2 Cormorant, 1 Little Grebe, 1 Green Sandpiper, 2 Grey Heron, 2 Snipe.
That's a bloody good count for the day by most people's standards, so don't be too hard on yourself, or the area. As for House Martins, well here on Sheppey, where they used to nest in most streets, they have been missing now for a few years, probably down to a few pairs, I'll find out this summer. Habitat hasn't changed, the birds simply don't arrive anymore.
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