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 17th March

Two years ago today I had just spotted my first Sand Martin of the year at New Hythe so I had hopes of doing the same thing today but unfortunately it wasn't to be, all I got was a stiff neck."Get over it!" I hear you saying and you're quite right, it isn't a race, they'll turn up when they're good and ready and very soon we'll be seeing them and some of the other summer visitors everyday of the week.........but I don't care, i'd still like to have found one today anyway!!
So with Spring in the air and a spring in my step I set off from Brooklands car park and headed for the river which I knew would be at low tide, and it was. I arrived in the small wood with a dozen common species and a Common Gull on the list but apart from the inevitable Herons, Teal and Mallards all that caught my eye was six Shelducks, three males and three females, who were all swimming around each other doing the "Shelduck Shuffle" a strange dance, rocking back and forth on their bellies and extending their necks excitedly. I presume this is a kind of courtship ritual, I tried to copy it and that's probably how I got my stiff neck I think.
I didn't go across the East Scrub although I understand there were good numbers of Fieldfare and Redwing in residence today, instead I walked back to the river with Den and Doreen where we found a Kingfisher and a couple of Redshanks and had good views of a Common Buzzard which drifted over the river just high enough to be out of camera range.
The last half an hour was well spent on the mound between the Sunken Marsh and Brooklands lake where we had a singing Chiffchaff, showing quite well as it flew out of the tree catching insects on the wing. You know the song, chiff-chaff, chiff-chaff, chiff-chaff, chiff-chaff etc. etc. etc., it does exactly what it says on the tin, endlessly.
Distant Sparrowhawk and Kestrel bought the raptor tally to a creditable three and a species count of 42. Last but by no means least was the super little critter below which I Weasily identified but wasn't Stoatally sure about!

WEASEL