RED HEADS AND YELLOW FEET

Well I did manage to get out this morning, it was still grey, still windy and finger numbing cold. But I did manage to see eight new species for the month, the first being a surprise Little Egret on the millstream, haven't seen one there for a long time. Don't you just love those yellow feet!

I had another look on Streamside lake and lo and behold there was the Red-head Smew (below) which I failed to find yesterday. Mind you i'm not surprised because five minutes after taking the photo I couldn't relocate it.

The Smew seems to be able to disappear at will, just like the Goosander (below) which again wasn't found yesterday but did make an appearance today, she was very vocal too, probably indignation at being found hiding in the margins. What a great bird though, I love the punky hairstyle, just like mine first thing in the morning! Soon after seeing the Goosander a Kingfisher flew along the side of Streamside which was another welcome addition to the March list.

It was still uncomfortable at the riverside wood, with the strong north easterly blowing straight across the river. But it was worth the quick visit to add Gadwall, Song Thrush and two noisy Redshanks who zigzagged downstream calling all the time and flying in perfect formation. The last bird addition to the list was a Kestrel who perched in a tree adjacent to the railway line and bought my list so far to 42.

My only other sightings in the two hour visit was a Stoat, who refused to be taken in by my vole in distress call, I must be losing my touch, and the small flowers below which were growing along side the lake which I think are Sweet Violets.

NEW HYTHE MONDAY 24TH JANUARY 2011

GREAT CRESTED GREBE - STREAMSIDE

There were some great birds at New Hythe at the end of last year and the beginning of this year, driven in part by the severe weather during this time. But it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking it will just keep on keeping on. But it doesn't, things get back to normal soon enough and today felt a bit like that. Not that i'm complaining, far from it, I saw some great birds, 44 different species in three hours, what's to complain about?


Wrens, sometimes you see one or two, sometimes you hear one or two, today I heard and saw loads, they seemed to be everywhere, celebrating the milder weather I think. It was the same with Bullfinches, I often hear them calling to each other as they travel through the tops of the trees and bushes and don't see them, but today I probably saw a dozen, possibly some were duplicated but all the same, nice to see. On the other hand I didn't find a single Bittern, after dozens of sightings recently. Maybe they don't need to be flying about or venturing out into the open so much to find food now, if that's the case, welcome back to normality!



I'm pleased to say I found the Goosander again on Streamside lake. I'm not so pleased to say I still couldn't get a decent picture of it as you can see from above . As usual it was pretty dark and as usual it saw me coming, even though I tried to sneak up on it. The same applied to the Red-head Smew, who like the Goosander seems to be able to disappear into thin air and managed to give me the slip before I could get anywher near it. Also on Streamside was a superb Kingfisher which streaked silently across the lake, shining bright even in the dull light, to the accompaniment of a Song Thrush which was doing exactly what it says on the tin, from a tall lakeside tree. In the Alder trees at the Bittern end of the lake I found a nice mixed flock of Goldfinches and Siskins, I tried hard to get a Siskin pic but ended up with the usual semi dark 'bum' shot that I always get from these.

I counted about eighteen noisy Herons in the Heronry plus a few more on the river taking advantage of the low tide to fish in the shallows. Apart from them the river was disappointingly empty save for a single Shelduck, the usual gangs of Gadwalls and Teal and eventually a distant Redshank, the first i've seen for a few weeks. A bonus though was a Lesser Black-backed Gull sitting on the exposed bank adjacent to the small wood, this is number 65 for the New Hythe January/year list.

Maybe it wasn't such a normal day after all!

NEW HYTHE SUNDAY 16TH JANUARY

I finally managed to get out this morning and after such a wet and gloomy week, what a welcome surprise the sun was when it finally came out too. I don't know why but it seems to be getting darker in the mornings and evenings to me as well lately instead of lighter.

Anyway, there were two Mistle Thrushes standing tall on the piece of grass behind the Brooklands cafe, my first of the year at New Hythe taking my list to 60. Nothing much to report on Brooklands lake, the only new additions being quite a few fishermen who are no doubt pleased to be able to wet a line after the weeks of ice.

The tide was high on the river so I didn't venture into the woods, instead electing to tackle the quagmire round the near deserted sunken marsh. Hardly any berries, hardly any birds, but plenty of mud! A single Redwing, a single Lapwing, a short burst from a Cetti's and some Magpies was all I could muster. Talking of Magpies though, while I was updating my NH list this afternoon I realised I hadn't listed one so far this year, so that makes 61!

Abbey Mead was a different kettle of fish with five Shelduck (62) catching my eye on the lake straight away, the first of the year for me here. Also seen were a total of three Goldeneyes, two of which took flight and are pictured below and a further one found a bit later in the south eastern corner. A single drake Wigeon was also dozing in the middle of the lake and this chap bought my total to an unexpected 63 so far.

I was joined then by John Davies, a fellow birder from Leybourne and while we chatted I spotted a super Goosander on the lake (top picture) and John located the long staying Red-head Smew along the Eastern edge. This was actually his third Red-head Smew of the morning, the first on Alder's lake and the second on Streamside. A fine Sparrowhawk also put in an appearance while we scanned the lake but unfortunately still no sign of a Kingfisher. It's been about four weeks or more since I last saw one at New Hythe and I'm beginning to wonder if the hard weather has taken it's toll.

I called in at Streamside lake on the way back, bumping into Dennis and Doreen on the way and together we located the Smew which John had mentioned earlier on. A good sized flock of Siskins and Goldfinches was seen on the Millstream path but a search for a Water Rail in the swampy area further down failed to turn one up, I always struggle a bit with this one.

Bizarrely, when we reached the car park the two Mistle Thrushes were gone and were replaced by a young girl exercising a pony on the tiny patch of grass beside the Cafe..........nothing surprises me any more!

POP GOES THE WEASEL 7TH JANUARY

Despite the weather I really wanted to get out today. It wasn't just raining when I got to Brookland lake it was so dark and foggy that you couldn't really see the other side, as the picture above shows.

The only birds I could really see were the ones in the margins such as the Great Crested Grebe below and also a Cetti's Warbler which was flitting in and out of the reeds in the northeast corner of the lake.

As I left the lake to go over the bank to the river I glanced back and saw a Weasel shoot across the path and into the undergrowth. I walked back and did my 'Vole in distress' call for a couple of minutes and sure enough out he popped to investigate. They'll usually come very close if you're still but I think this one could see me silhouetted against the skyline and popped back before I could get a better shot. I haven't seen one in a while so this one made my day, despite the weather.

LEFT CLICK FOR A CLOSER LOOK

Abbey Mead looked ice free at last but apart from several Herons around the edges, standing like ghostly sentinels in the mist, there wasn't much to see. It was raining harder now so I took shelter under an Oak tree on the southern edge, I don't know why because there were no leaves on it, so it didn't make any difference really, except to make me feel a bit daft.

I went along the fisherman's path between Streamside and Railway lake next in the hope of finding the Goosander. I didn't find it but I found a Bittern which unfortunately saw me first and took off into the gloom. I wish I'd seen it earlier, I could have backed off quietly without disturbing it, I don't think they need that right now. A second Bittern was seen further round Streamside in the edge of the roosting reedbed but luckily I was able to detour and just watch it melt back into the reed stems without any fuss.

As you can see by the picture above, I did eventually find the Goosander in the northern end of Streamside which is also ice free now. It was very distant so I decided to creep around the lake side and make myself scarce in the hope that it would come in closer, which it did eventually. Trouble is the sun decided to come out then, the first time for weeks, this scuppered my chance of any closer pics because it was low in the sky behind it, but never mind, I sat on my haunches and watched it catching fish for about half an hour which was great until I got pins and needles in my legs and had to stand up. This pushed the bird away and I hobbled off down the flooded Millstream which looks like the colour of cold tea after all the rain.

I stopped at the usual Water Rail spot on the way to the car but I didn't see one, just a tiny Goldcrest to finish off a couple of very wet but very nice hours and the bonus of two New Hythe year and month ticks for the Cetti's and the Goosander bringing the total so far to 58.

NEW HYTHE WED 8TH DECEMBER

The bad news is that the computer is sicker than we thought. It's not a terminal terminal but we still haven't got it back so i'm having to struggle along with the laptop, I don't know about you but I like a mouse, well it is a wildlife blog after all. Anyway, I did manage to get to the lakes this morning in what I thought was cold but nice conditions, so no hat needed today! I met Terry Laws down there who is fresh back from warm foreign climes, so he did need a hat. Terry had seen the Goosander by the time I got there but it had performed it's Houdini act when I looked, the early bird gets the early bird. I did however spot a Grey Wagtail, a couple of Snipe and a Chiffchaff along the Millstream before reaching the area where the Goosander had been. By far the most numerous bird was the Redwing with literally hundreds seen in all areas of the lakes, but surprisingly only one Fieldfare was noted. Just one Siskin too which was in the Alder tree next to the Streamside lake. Soon after, while scanning the lake from the diving area we were treated to a fly past by New Hythe's very own resident Whooper Swan which was later seen at the far end of the lake where the ducks get fed. We crossed the railway and stood at the corner of Abbey Meads in perfect time to see the Bittern fly lazily across the lake from west to east, looking superbly golden even in the dull light, I wonder if this could be due to it's post breeding moult which my book tells me is all finished in November or December. It crashed into the reeds and struck it's trademark , bolt upright skywatching pose before skulking away out of sight. Although I've often seen Bitterns at New Hythe this was easily the best sighting and it really made my day. Not much to be seen along the river because the tide was very high but a couple of Bullfinches called and showed a tantalising glimpse of their rumps as they disappeared into the bushes. And as we came along the sunken marsh path we disturbed a bird from the undergrowth and had a very fleeting glimpse of what could only have been a Woodcock. This had turned into a good mornings birding and to cap it off we finished with a flyover Green Sandpiper over the edge of Brooklands lake. The Slavonian Grebe however was a no show for the second day running, has it moved on, or is it playing hard to get? I didn't take any photo's today so i'm afraid you've got more Goosander, followed by a couple of Snipe from yesterday.

Goosander at New Hythe 7th December

I decided to walk down to Brooklands this afternoon mainly to check out the car park with a view to driving down tomorrow for a full walkabout. I'm very pleased that I did because I finally found a Goosander! It was on the unfrozen part of Streamside lake, about halfway down the millstream track.

What a fantastic bird, definitely one of my favourites they just ooze attitude with their laid back look and punky hairstyle. I also found at least six Snipe in my short visit and I will post some pictures of them and some more of the Goosander tomorrow when my main computer comes back from hospital. I'm having to do this on the laptop which is why it is a short post today.

By the way the Goosander takes my New Hythe year list to 101 species, surely I can find one more!