'Tis a joy to find birds unexpectedly - in this case in a field next to the main road near Ash, where about 1,000 fieldfares and a sprinkling of redwings, pulling worms from the sodden ground. And in the background in another field.... lapwings and gulls aplenty. Must be good pickings.
The fieldfares were very smart with well-streaked chests, and it's not long till it's time to return to the north to breed.
Not to be eclipsed(!) the flanks of the few redwings shone,
....and their chests were proudly streaky too.
Talking of chests.....
The previous week we had a pleasant sunny stroll around Pluckley and Little Chart, to see where HE Bates wrote his books (and we're not necessarily talking about Pop Larkin here - check out his marvellous prose in Through the Woods).
It's a pleasant area and surrounded by orchards, where unpicked apples had fallen unwanted from the trees, to be scavenged by ....
.... yes, fieldfares and redwings. The noise was tremendous as they wheeled in flocks when disturbed.
Too much like hard work for some.
