I got fed up with sitting in front of a screen, trying to sort out a project I'm working on. I found an excuse that convinced me I needed to go out for a while and had a wander. What I really wanted to find was a hunting Barn or Short-eared Owl. It seems that this bit of Kent has been left out of the Owls wanderings.
I peered over the fence at the farm reservoir at New Does Farm Sandwich and was surprised at how many Tufted Ducks were on there, at least 35, plus two Pochard. I wonder if they are just resting or whether this over large plastic paddling pool actually has enough food in it to make it a worth while feeding site for the ducks.
Have you ever looked through your binoculars and seen what appeared to be a distant flock of birds, only to find, once focused that it is in fact a swarm of insects?
We're in the middle of January and one wouldn't normally associate "flocks" of Mosquitoes with visual hazards at this time of year. Even with the hard frost of last night there still seem to be a large number of insects in the air. I know that many insects are capable of surviving the winter but it is unusual the fins so many mossies around as there are at the moment.
1 comment:
Looks like they might have patterned wings, so Sylvicola (Wood Gnats)? You are not the only British birdwatcher reporting swarms, and not much around to eat them.
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