STROOD STONECHAT

A stonechat was seen perched on a bush beside the Strood seawall on a sunny Friday 2nd.
A kingfisher flew along the borrowdyke calling while being pursued by a reed bunting, which seemed a strange thing to be chased by. Ten reed buntings were noted feeding on some of the plants beside the dyke and a flock of 20 carrion crows were feeding on the mudflat.

There seem to be more juvenile brent geese around than last winter with this one pictured being part of one of two families that had three young each. At least 100 brent were seen at various points along the Strood to the Hard.
A merlin flew fast off the Island over the channel to the Ray, flushing many of the birds off the mud. Two common buzzards circled above the Peldon fields.

Resting on the mud was this small group of wigeon, some of the 100 seen along the Strood, also 25 shelduck and 26 little grebes near the boat moorings. A greenshank was the only wader of note among the usual variety.

At the country park a muntjac deer was by the pond at dusk on Thursday 1st while on Wednesday 31st a marsh harrier flew east long the clifftop in the morning, also two redpoll sps flew west over the car park calling.