Look Left, Look Right and then Straight ahead!

No rhyme or reason behind this post, I just liked the three consecutive positions of this Pied Wagtail, a bit like a curb drill advert.

Put this date in your Diaries

I know that this is a really early reminder, but time whizzes by and the event is really important to the community.

Every other year, for last last eight years at least, a Garden Safari has been organised in St Margaret's. The driving force behind this is Linda Winter, who with gentle persuasion and subtle tugging at the heartstrings gets as many people as possible to take part and open their gardens. I can't say that the preparation work is easy, and I must admit we might not get our into shape this year, but we may feel differently once the weather gets better and things start to grow. The event it'self is great fun. We always try and have the garden interesting, with Pam adding sculptures and bits of interest for children, and I try and have some wildlife on show, mainly moths, but sometimes the odd frog or toad and some pictures of other loacal interest. If you are a villager and don't open your garden, think about it, it may be fun. If not you could always help in something else, perhaps agrden sitting for some on while they have break.

Sky Acrobatics

Today was fine and bright, until about 2.30 pm when the clouds/mist rolled in at cliff top height and obscured everything for a while.

The walk along the "White Cliffs of Dover" on a day like today has to be one of the best ways to spend time outdoors in Kent.

Just watching the birds along the cliffs, all using the updraught is spectacular here, the Fulmars tend to repeat their manoeuvres appearing over the edge at the same place several times.

Flying onto the wind they can sometimes almost come to s standstill, hovering, although not as static as a Kestrel.

The adult Herring Gulls have now mostly lost the streaking on their heads and are looking very smart.

I have to admit that I fins the first and second winter plumages of Herring Gulls quite difficult to separate. I think that the bird above is a first winter, but I may be wrong.

Occasionally a Greater Black-backed Gull cruises by, from the underside its pinkish legs are visible.

The Greater Black-backed Gull, really is quite black, unlike it's "Lesser" relative that is various shades of grey, depending on the sub-species.

The Herring gulls became noisy, bringing my attention to the Ravens that were passing overhead.

The silhouette of the Raven is unmistakable with the long wedge shape tail and prominently fingered wing tips.

About this time a Peregrine zapped by, but I totally failed to get focused on it before it vanished into the sun. Although I know some of the perches it uses I failed to find it later.

The Ravens continued along the cliff and vanished for a while. When they returned on treated me to a display of flying.

I haven't turned this picture upside down, it really did roll over onto it's back as it tumbled down almost above me.

With the wings closed up, and the bill open it almoast looks like a missile hurtling through the sky. Much of the diplay was done into the sun, making photography very difficult.

Finally it decided enough was enough and it disappeared over the cliff edge, and just on cue I think. As I packed up to walk back the sun disappeared and the sea mist rolled ina cliff top height. I now time at all the Castle had vanished and "Two remaining Sister" were only visible for their first few feet.
Earlier this morning four Waxwings flew over the garden while I was replenishing the feeders, but sadly didn't hang around.

A little bit of Cheese.........................

There has been a bit of discussion going on, on the KOS forum, about the decline in numbers of Yellowhammers over the years.

It is certainly true that their population has massively declined over the years. This is often related to the huge reduction in hedgerows and the lack of suitable feeding areas. In and around St Margaret's we do have a lot of suitable habitat, largely due to the fact that it is a very horsey area, with lots of paddocks and lots of Straw and horse manure from mucking out. The large manure mound is quite a magnet for Yellowhammers, (as I've noted before) and at the moment around thirty can be seem in the area. I suspect that overall there may be even more as they are in fairly mobile groups.

Of course these conditions are good for all sorts of birds and just as in the garden Blackbirds are extremely numerous at the moment. The male above seems to have been painting the ceiling white, at least that's how it got me when I used to do such a thing as decorating.

All around the gentle "tuck tuck" of Blackbirds can be heard. I did notice a rapid exit to the bushes and hedges in my garden today when a Sparrowhawk zoomed through a lightening speed.

I may be wrong, but I think that Collared Dove have made a recovery in numbers. Around here the did seem to have declined a bit, but once again they seem to be on the increase.