Jan. 13th.

I was a little late this morning, not arriving at the castle until 7.20, the birds were also a little late as there was virtually no sign of activity bar 1 Robin singing in the car park. I went to one of my favourite spots, by the corner of the moat, this has a few trees and hedgerows nearby as well as a view towards Frittenden. Nothing really moved for the first few minutes but a Song Thrush started singing in a nearby hedge, the first one I've heard singing so far this year, a really nice way to start the day and it had the airwaves all to it's self for a short time. A small raptor flew low across one of the more distant fields and I couldn't quite make out whether it was a Sparrowhawk or a Merlin due to the poor light and the distance, it kept low, flapping and gliding, as it disappeared from view. The Buzzard flew through at 7.40 being mobbed by a couple of crows, good numbers of thrushes emerged from every which way but apart from the Bullfinch calling nearby, there were no overhead finches. As I left a Kestrel was seen hovering over a patch of boggy ground near the main road, and so to work.