Gary Howard's birds and wildlife

I finally got round to doing my first survey visit for the year on the newer of my BTO breeding bird survey 1 km squares this morning. It''s largely woodland on chalk downland near Lullingstone in NW Kent.

It was overcast and dull but dry.

The woodland is a real mixture. Lots of old coppice left untended and some impressive standard broadleaf trees. There are a few pockets of larch and clearings and the 1 km square takes in a patch of arable and a small area of grazed land.

Since last years visit a few clearings had been created - basically old copice removed and the standard trees largely left intact.

In the woodland like last year I had lots of Blackcap, a few Chiffchaff and pleasingly Turtle Dove. I also had a Marsh Tit. Out on the hedgerows near the arable and grazing I saw Yellowhammer and Whitethroat.

I was back home by 10.00 and after much debate the kids said that they wanted to go on a bike ride so the next few hours were spent getting to and from Petts Wood and cycling around the bridlepaths.

Late afternoon I sneaked off to see the Iberian Chiffchaff at Walderslade near Chatham. I did not get there until about 5pm but it was still singing and showing very well in a small oak. When  I first arrived I located it by it's strange contact call, a sharp disyllabic call. It sang for quite long spells and I got some reasonable photographs. The bird has been resident now for over a week on this patch of woodland in a mosaic of housing on chalk downland.  I had a Lesser Whitethroat but little else.

Iberian Chiffchaff

I spent an hour at Cliffe Pools to finish. A flock of 19 Greenshank flew over the second viewing mound as I arrived and 2 Spotted Redshank flew in. A few lapwing, Redshank and Oystercatchers were present.

A Short-eared Owl was quartering the ground between the viewing mounds for much of my stay.There were plenty of Whitethroats singing and a few Sedge Warblers. 

I ended the day just below the radar tower listening to Nightingales and a Cettis Warbler.