Kestrels and more....

My wife and I aren't ones to let a bit of cold wintery weather stop us from getting out and today was no different. Temperatures teetered just above freezing, fair to say that we were well and truly layered up with clothing and I had a rucksack full of flasks of soup and hot water.

The plan for today was to get out to a local park and also a nature reserve. My wife Sarah was armed with her camera and me with my binoculars, hopefully we'll be able to see some wildlife!

First place to visit was Halls Place in Bexley, Kent. Pretty much on the outskirts of London, this park is a small haven for wildlife enthusiasts. You can usually see the elusive Kingfisher here throughout the year. I say usually, sadly it wasn't the case today! But, there was lots of Blue tits, Great tits, Coal tits, Dunnocks, Blackbird, Moor hens and Robins to see from the bird hide.

We then ventured out on a walk around the park and spotted a kestrel perched in a tree. Being a relatively busy park it seemed to be pretty unperturbed by the people walking by. We were able to get fairly close so that my wife could take some photos.

We must have gotten a little too close at one point though as it flew across the park to another tree. But, much like an obsessive one direction fan, we followed and took some more photo's!

We also got to see some woodpeckers (green and great spotted) on our walk around the park. Unfortunately we were not able to get any photos but it's always a treat to see them. I find the woodpeckers can often be heard but not seen!

We also saw a Heron, always amazes me how such a big bird can take flight

After walking round the park, we got back in the car and made our way to the North Kent Marshes and visited our local RSPB nature reserve - Northward Hill. We love visiting this place, it has such a diverse array of habitats. As well as looking out onto the vast expanse of marshland, there is also lots of woodland and open fields. For us it means there's lots to see and enjoy (the bird hide is also appreciated at this time of year too!).

Today was a fairly quite day at the reserve but never the less it was still so relaxing to sit in the relative warmth of the hide, grip a hot mug of tea and enjoy nature. We spotted another Kestrel hovering over the woodland on our walk down to the hide. Out in the distance we could see a Marsh Harrier gliding gracefully above the reeds, hunting for prey. Occasionally it will swoop down and grab something with its talons.

Meanwhile a Buzzard glided into our view and perched atop of a tree. It remained in that position for most of the time that we were there. On the wetlands in front of us, the Lapwings were flying around and Curlews were digging round for food on the waters edge. Bewick Swans were also paddling around in the water, most likely resting after their long flight south.

There had also been some recent sightings of Kingfishers at this reserve, alas today was not a day for us to see them, maybe next time!