Saturday 5th May 2007

A longer than usual visit today between 5.45am and 9am - like last Saturday I was keen to do a more detailed count than usual. It was fairly breezy and cool.

Parking at Alders Lake on Lunsford Lane I walked towards the scrape, across the west scrub, down towards Brook House, back up to the east scrub, across the railway to Abbey Mead, around the south end here and along the Medway. Around the North end of Abbey Mead and the sunken marsh and then around the South end of Brooklands, along the railway path and then through Brooklands car park and along the Millstream and back past Tesco lake.

In total there were 17 singing Nightingale, 31 Whitethroat, 8 Cettis, 8 Reed Warbler, 2 Sedge Warbler, 2 Garden Warbler, 1 Cuckoo, 1 Turtle Dove, 2 Great Spots, 3 Green Woodpecker and a large mixed flock of Swift, House Martin, Sand Martin and Sand Martin on Brooklands and later Alders. 6 Shelduck along the Medway, 1+ Bullfinch near Brooklands and a f4 LBB Gull were also noted

In addition to the birds there were 4 Water Vole showing exceptionally well by the bridge near the divers car park.