March is racing by and the only summer migrants on the patch so far are Chiffchaffs. Sunday 19th produced 11 with 2 in the back garden,1 in Kirkins,2 in Swigs and 6 at the lake.
On the 12th a pair of Greylags were prospecting on the lake.
The Reed Bunting continues to sing and Mandarins are present most visits and the Great crested Grebe pair have returned.
I've been getting about a bit and was excited to find a male Hooded Merganser on Dungeness RSPB but it was short lived when it was later found to be wearing a ring.Never mind,it was still a cracking little bird.

My original idea was a trip to get e photo of the Long eared Owls but as I arrived at the reserve it clouded over. I took some shots of one which was showing really well

The best I could do!

At the entrance the Tree Sparrows were at the feeders.

One of the Tree Sparrows

Thursday 16th my wife and I went to the Ashdown Forest to my young brother who was down from Norfolk with his partner. We had a delightful work at the old airstrip finding a few Dartford Warblers before coming across a Great Grey Shrike.

Always distant

Last weekend I went to the RSPB at Broadwater Warren to look for Woodlarks and was lucky to locate a few.

Walking around the reserve I was reminded what great work they do in habitat creation to attract birds such as these turning a conifer plantation into splendid heath land.

It has been great to get about a bit more but I still relish the challenge of my own patch.