Butterfly Conservation in partnership with the Forestry Commission (and supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and other funders) is focusing on the Rother Woods area as a focus for education, events, training and conservation of woodland management, flora and fauna. The project offers a wonderful opportunity for local people to have fun and get involved and there will be some very long lasting benefits for local people and wildlife. For more information click here.
This year Robins seem very common throught the RX area with several reports of very tame birds on this website.
Today we associate robins with Christmas, and the bird often appears on Christmas cards. A common explanation is that the Victorian postmen who delivered Christmas cards wore red uniforms, and were nicknamed “robin redbreasts”. On early cards the birds were often shown with cards in their beaks.
A Merry Christmas to all our readers…
Yesterady there was a flock of at least 80 Barnacle Geese and nine hybrid-type, presumably Snow X Barnacle Geese, at Scotney gravel pit.
So what, I hear you say - “they are obviously escapes/naturalised birds!!!”
The point is that at least one of the Barnacles was colour-ringed, red on the right leg. I could not read the ring code in the murky conditions. Having seen lots of similarly colour-ringed birds (wild) amongst the dutch wintering populations it is therefore possible that some (or at least one) of these birds may actually be of wild origin.
So two requests.
1) If you are at Scotney and see this flock can you please try and get the ring code. I will happily chase up the ringing details.
2) Has this flock been seen elsewhere in Kent or Sussex in recent days.
David Walker DBO
29th - A Snow Bunting which flew SW over the Long Pits during the afternoon was the only bird of note.
28th - A miserable, dull and wet day produced a first-winter Caspian Gull on the beach at the fishing boats, seven Red-breasted Mergansers flying west at sea and a single Brambling over the Observatory.
David Walker from DBO website
Our winter bird counts started yesterday the highlights being a woodcock in one of the arable fields and a blackcap along Barley Lane. Numbers were provided by 41 yellowhammer, 47 meadow pipit, 35 goldfinch, 18 siskin, 12 redwing but only 92 woodpigeon. The huge flock of woodpigeon that have been feeding in the arable fields over the last couple of weeks typically didn’t appear as it was a survey day. Also of interest were 3 skylark, a fieldfare and 9 stonechat. In the last couple of years stonechat are becoming more numerous on the farm fields than amongst the cliff-top scrub in winter.
… to this website in September totalled 12,773.
Please consider supporting the RSPB campaign to help secure a UK Marine Bill to protect our marine environment, by CLICKING HERE.
… to this website numbered 11,195 during Agust.
A regular visitor to this site has commented on how small the text was on this page … BUT you can change the size of the font to suit your screen and your eyes. I can do it by holding down Ctrl and using the mouse scroll wheel, or you can select “View” from the top tool bar and select “text size”.
The number of monthly unique visitors to this website continues to increase, and recently this increase has been staggering. February 6,000+, March 8,000+, April 11,000+. So thanks to all the contributors that keep this site so varied and interesting.