Around Ashford

3 of the 5 on Conningsbrook Lake

 On the partially frozen Conningsbrook Lake this morning 5 Goosanders, 2 Little Egrets, a few each of Gadwall, Pochard, Tufted Duck and Teal but no sign of yesterdays Iceland gull. Beside and in the Stour adjacent to the pit 2 Great White Egrets and 2 Common Snipe. 3 Woodcock flushed from surrounding bushes containing several each of Reed Buntings and Yellowhammers. At Wye a flock of 500+ Fieldfare. From a nearby raptor watchpoint with a distant veiw of The Swale a minimum of 10 Common Buzzards, 2 displaying Sparrowhawks and a Kestrel.

Record of 1 of the 2  Great White Egrets  at Connings brook

In the car park at Faggs Wood this afternoon a blinged up Goldcrest was feeding on bread as was a Treecreeper.The bread and cakes that are left there dailyby a dog walker attracted dozens of Blue and Great Tits, Chaffinches, several fighting Robins,  2 Coal tits, 2 Nuthatches, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers also Magpies and Jays. A 2hr plod around the wood found 100s of flighty Redwings, 2  Woodcock, 4 Lesser Redpolls, 6 Bullfinches and 4 Mistle Thrushes. Everything else was in the car park.