GOOD FRIDAY AT NEW HYTHE

I had a text from Jerry yesterday morning to say that he'd just found a drake Garganey on the river opposite the bucket seat. I went straight down and was lucky enough to find it still there, snoozing and dozing with a couple of Teal. The tide was flooding fast and the birds were gradually getting pushed off the mud, at one point the Garganey took flight with the Teal but returned a couple of minutes later. A Kingfisher, a Snipe and a Green Sandpiper were also seen in the hour or so that I and the Garganey stayed. A splendid bird indeed to take my New Hythe year list to 77 species. Many thanks Jerry.

Today I came back with John in the hope that the Garganey had returned, but it hadn't. Or at least we couldn't find it. We stayed on site for a couple of hours with few highlights, on what was a pleasant, sunny, but fairly unproductive visit bird wise. Although I did manage to up my list to 79 when a Lesser Black-backed Gull flew over the east scrub and a Willow Warbler, my first of the year, announced its arrival in the west scrub with bursts of its softly descending song.

A Buzzard was also seen circling fairly low above the railway line, where a dead Badger lay, the first real evidence i've seen of their presence actually on the site. Such a pity to only ever see them dead, usually on the roadside.

From the divers' footbridge I at last found a Water Vole, I haven't seen one in this part of the water filled ditch since it was polluted some time ago.

This particular individual wasn't the least bit perturbed by our presence and happily munched away on its lunch while the world and all his dogs and several cyclists crossed the bridge where we stood.

Having had his fill, he took to the water and swam under the bridge emerging on the north side before disappearing into the bankside vegetation. Quite a relief really, as I thought at one point he was going to become dog food.

While toiling in the garden this afternoon a burst of excited twittering overhead announced the arrival of a handful of Sand Martins (80), and a single Swallow (81). Trouble is, one Swallow doesn't make a summer and as I understand it, this weekend will be nothing like summer. Happy Easter!