Birding and other distractions

A mostly sunny and fairly windy day, though the lower slopes were more sheltered and hence felt warmer. I usually struggle to see Common Lizards in north Kent but today I found six. In all cases they were found in woodpiles, the first four being present in the same spot. It is thought that three of the lizards were adults, the other three juveniles. One of the adults had lost part of its tail and was very confiding. One of the juveniles had a tick behind a foreleg. Adult lizard  Same individual as above Juvenile lizard  Adult lizard  Juvenile lizard Juvenile lizard Adult lizard

Less windy today and mostly sunny so I made what was belatedly my first visit to Elmley this year. The male Red-footed Falcon, initially found a couple of days ago, had been reported earlier th is morning.  To start with there was no sign of it after I arrived, however I  walked down to the brickfields and was surprised to see the bird there. It was sitting i n a grassy field though soon flew off, back up the track towards the oaks.  Good views of the falcon were then obtained, both in flight and sitting in the trees. It seemed to be a second-winter bird on account of some barring on the underwing due to a mixture of old and new flight feathers. It seems quite possible this bird is the same as that exactly one year ago when in juvenile plumage.  There were also a couple of Hobbies in the same area today. This was my first outing using the new OM1 so a bit of a learning exercise in how best to use it. First view of the falcon. Red-footed Falcon  Hobby 

My first visit to Dungeness for many months. It was a very windy day with squally showers.  Starting with a seawatch we stood in the slight shelter of the hide on the beach. There was a steady movement of Sandwich and Common Terns mostly flying west, and which on occasions attracted the attention of two skuas. One of the skuas was a typical dark-phase Arctic, while the other was a more lightly built, paler individual, though too far out to identify with confidence. Next to the RSPB reserve, where about seven Cattle Egrets were with the local cows in Boulderwall Fields. Numerous Sand Martins could be seen from the Visitor Centre plus a single Black-necked Grebe. However, whilst there we learnt that the American Golden Plover had been refound at Jury's Gap in East Sussex, so headed there promptly. On arrival the wind felt even stronger though fortunately we found the AGP fairly soon, a moulting adult. It was in a stubble field together with about 35 Golden Plover. Then back to RSPB r...

An afternoon visit in mostly sunny weather. The main objective was to find the Stone Curlew which has been reported on/off since mid August on Flamingo Pool. The NW end of the pool seems to be the favoured location as it was with the bird three years ago. Is this years Stone Curlew the same individual? On reaching the far end of Flamingo I scoped the area and spied a beady eye looking at me from behind a clump of sedge/juncus, though it was the yellow on the bill that first caught my attention. The bird stayed partially hidden like this for about 10 minutes, then stood up and walked forward a short distance. It then flew several hundred yards, though was still visible albeit behind vegetation once again. Other waders seen on Cliffe Pools included two Whimbrel, about five Greenshank and a Common Sandpiper. Several Red Admiral posed well in the sunny conditions. Initial view of the Stone Curlew  Stone Curlew  As above  The area inhabited by the Stone Curlew on Flamingo Pool...

The day started at Sandwich looking for a Spotted Crake mentioned on Birdguides. We parked at Sandwich Quay and then walked along the river for about 35 minutes during which a number of House Martins were seen, also three Clouded Yellow. On reaching New Downs South Pool the crake was on view straight away, venturing out from the reeds. It was backlit for much of the time so tricky to photograph. A Snipe was also there plus a number of Coot. In the afternoon we headed towards St. Margaret's, parking up in a layby on the Dover Road. Three Dotterel were present in a stubble field which had been harrowed. Excellent views of the birds were obtained, a n adult with two juveniles. The adult Dotterel was the first I've seen for a long time. The final stop was a brief look for Chough near Dover Castle. Eight birds were near the aviary and so quite distant. Spotted Crake The walk along the Stour Juvenile Dotterel  Adult Dotterel   

Sunshine followed light rain earlier in the afternoon, so I visited QW, arriving at 2:30. Butterflies were very active in the warm conditions with Common, Adonis and Chalkhill Blues in good numbers. Brown Argus were also easy find. However, try as I might I couldn't find any Silver Spotted Skipper or Clouded Yellow. A single Peacock was the only nymphalid. A couple of Marsh Tits were very vocal near the car park at the start of the walk Adonis Blue  Adonis Blue  Common Blue  Small Copper