St Margaret's at Cliffe Photo Diary

I don't know how we managed it, but this week both Pam's and my cars were due for their MOTs.Yesterday while Pam's was being done was Buzzard time, today I walked down to Kearsney Abbey.

There were a lot of birds active in the trees along the river and I stopped to watch a group of crests and tits.

Blue, Great, Coal and Long-tailed Tits were noisily feeding and although there were several crests the only ones I identified were Goldcrests.

They are always fun to watch, but often not easy to get a picture when they are in the open.

Often equally frustrating to the photographer is the Treecreeper. I saw this one along by the lake at the Abbey and I gave me just one chance for an un-obscured picture. Although they are found in around 45% of the tetrads (2km x 2Km squares) in Kent it is a bird I seldom see around St Margaret's (not on the garden list), so it's good to see them here.

 Along at  Bushy Ruff the water levels were of course very high. Moorhens were feeding on the grassy edges, but as soon as I, or one of the dog walkers, appeared they dashed into the water.

 Some of the Black-headed Gulls were showing signs of their black heads appearing in readiness for the breeding season.

The Mute Swan family was still there in a contented group.Given how early Springs seems to be arriving I was somewhat surprised to see the adults happily escorting their offspring. I'm sure it won't be long before they are showing the youngsters the door and chasing them for their territory.

Bushy Ruff is the kind of place that you hope to find something exceptional has popped in. So far I've been unlucky, but it is always good to see a pair of Gadwall. I did see several Grey Wagtails, but never close and always on the move. Today Kingfishers totally eluded me, but I suspect they are  still around.                                                                                                                                 

Yesterday was MOT day, for the car that is, not me. I left it at Leads and walked down to Kearsney Abbey. The walk was fairly brief as the weather was poor and deteriorated quite quickly. Before I gave up I did manage to see a Kingfisher dash past and a Grey Wagtail flitting among the trees that were in the river.

The car wasn't too bad, but needed to be returned today for new brake pads. The weather was better and I decided to walk round the woodland at Kearsney. I have long thought that it looked suitable for Nuthatch but I've never found one there.

That is until today. As I walked round I was suddenly aware of a distant, but insistent call. Chwett chwett chwett, repeated several times.

I'm never sure how long it takes my brain to register what my ears are telling it, but suddenly I was aware that not too far away a Nuthatch was calling.

 It took a while to find it, the trees are large, and despite its voice, the bird is small. Eventually I was standing underneath it and go a few record shots. This is the first Nuthatch that I've found in the area. and if they are breeding birds it may be an addition to the BTO atlas. Nut jobber is a name for the Nuthatch that dates back to at least 1544, from the now obsolete verb job, to peck.

My presence seemed to attract the attention of other birds, and unfortunately several dogs on their morning walks. Why is that dog walkers, having let their dogs off the lead think it sufficient to shout at them as the jump up at you, with muddy paws and loud barks? I love dogs, but I firmly believe that if the owners haven't taught them proper control and behaviour they should stay on a lead.

One of the other species around was a pair of Goldcrests, quietly going about their business, hardly making a sound. as they did so.

Back home, with the MOT certificate and a bill to match, the garden was alive with birds. I was thinking of dispensing with the doughnut shaped peanut feeder. If it is full and the weather is wet, the nut get soggy and go mouldy before being eaten.

On the other hand, if it is dry and the weather fine the feeder is attractive to Blue Tits and particularly Long-tailed Tits.

I was talking to Chris Roome earlier today, about winners and losers in the bird world. Over the last forty years or so the number of Long-tailed Tits has increased and they have become a familiar garden bird. Their range in the UK hasn't changed a great deal. plus 3% or so, but their numbers have increased by 97%.