8th February

Today I had to take the opportunity to pop down to West Hythe in Kent. This bird was to close not to make the effort to see it. Most of the reports on the bird lately had been of sightings after 9.00am, I was banking on the fact this was due to birders not putting the news out. I picked Dave up from his house at 5.00am, the traffic and my sense of direction had us at the site by 6.35am. We were lucky that a shower had passed through just before we had arrived and the light was beginning to improve. We walked the half mile along the military canal to the dam. Where to stand was our next decision, a Kingfisher calling made our minds up. As we watched it flying along another channel perching on various perches quite close to us. I then looked behind us to the area of reeds fringing the far back of the canal, just as the Green Heron flew along it towards us. I called to Dave who turned around to see the bird perch on a branch before burying itself in the reeds. After a bit of searching it could be seen amongst the reeds looking for food. The views were not great, we had to wait a while for the bird to really show itself, but it was worth the wait. Work beckoned and we left with me being at work by 9.00 o'clock.







Not much in the park today, though there was a possible Firecrest seen disappearing into cover in area 14 late yesterday afternoon.

I also am pretty sure that a female Goldeneye flew high east at 11.45am. I can not be certain as I had no binoculars with me at the time, but its head shape and jizz pointed to that species. Some you win some you lose.