New Hythe Wednesday 24th March

I was going to get a few jobs done around the house today but the weather was so good this morning that I decided to have a short trip around the lakes. There was a falling tide on the river but it hadn't dropped enough to expose the islands and there wasn't much to see except for this Kingfisher which darted across from the far bank and landed, half hidden in the reedbed. The picture below was the best I could do in the circumstances!

KINGFISHER

The recently quiet Sunken Marsh had woken up somewhat and was home to several calling Cetti's Warblers at least three singing Chiffchaffs and a couple of Dunnock warbling from the low bushes. It was so good I nearly joined in myself! Further upstream I noticed a single Reed Bunting calling while perched on the top of a reed stem, swaying gently in the warm breeze. This in contrast to the dozens seen the day before at Dungeness.

I turned right from the Sunken Marsh and made my way along to the bottom of the mound where another couple of Chiffchaffs chased each other at high speed through the tangle of bushes, one stopped to sing the familiar Chiffchaff serenade but the other resorted to the "huiyt"

call more associated with Autumn I thought. The scene here was completed by the antics of a pair of Blue Tits (below) who were also playing hard to get but stopping the chase occasionally to feed in the Spring sunshine.

BLUE TITS.............

I climbed to the top of the mound and scanned for a while in the hope of spotting a Hirundine but it didn't happen, much better chance with a low cloud base or a bit of drizzle to pull them down lower I think. While there I got a call from Martin Warburton who had just arrived in the car park, I met him along the Eastern side of Brookland lake and we did another circuit of the Marsh spotting a distant Buzzard drifting Eastward, as ever being escorted off the premises by a local Crow. Further along Martin spotted a Green Sandpiper arriving on the now exposed mud of the riverbank giving good views as it took off and flew upstream for a bit of peace and quiet.

I was back at the car one and a half hours after arriving but i'd seen some good birds in that short time...................time to get those jobs done at home now!

AND ANOTHER