Tuesday 24/03/2020

Day 1 of the lock down and I'm already going stir crazy, at least I have a small garden and a balcony with a view over Dungeness RSPB reserve, I cannot imagine what it must be like to be stuck in a flat. For Sally its worse as she recently had a Kidney transplant so she is not allowed out for at least 12 weeks! As I am her carer I have to get the shopping for her which is a new experience for me, there's me thinking the fridge stocked itself. 

No surprises from the balcony today 4+ Marsh Harriers including a lovely male displaying high over the fields, only 2 Common Buzzards, 2 Sparrowhawks again 1 displaying high over Lydd Wood, the pair of Ravens heading towards the power station with their crops full, 2 distant Great White Egrets, Grey Herons back and forth to the Heronry, a single Little Egret, at least 2 Cetti's Warblers shouting from the ditches with seeping Reed Buntings, Skylarks and Meadow Pipits singing during their display flights, the usual Greenfinches, Goldfinches, Chaffinches, Starlings, Blue and Great Tits, House Sparrows, Dunnocks, Wren, Robin and Blackbird around the feeders, Jackdaws have mastered the feeders, even a single Rook manages to hang on to the feeder spilling most the seed, which the Wood Pigeons, Feral Pigeons, Collared Doves and Magpies rapidly hoovered up.

 White Wagtail at the dung heap

For my exercise walk I crossed the road and cut across the fields which were all being sprayed by the farmer, making my way to Hookers Pit, where several Bearded Tits made themselves heard but remained unseen, Cetti's Warblers seemed positively abundant today, but that may be the warmer weather or the fact that without aircraft noise and very little road noise they could be heard for some distance, Reed Buntings were also everywhere.

On Dengemarsh the usual wildfowl, the highlight being a Black-necked Grebe which kept itself at the far side of the lake. I could only find a single Water Pipit today on the hay fields, where a couple of pairs of Lapwings and some Redshanks were displaying, from Springfield bridge a Bittern boomed half heartedly. I walked back up the road to home passing the dung heap where there was still at least 4 White Wagtails present. A very pleasant couple of hours exercise walk, I only encountered 1 other person on foot and apart from the tractors just a few vehicles as I walked home.