Birding and other distractions

M y first visit for a couple of years to this site on Sheppey. After two days of rough weather involving northerly winds with rain, I thought there could be a fair chance of some migrants in the area. The weather was cloudy but fairly calm in the morning, then in the afternoon the sun appeared and it was pleasantly warm. As soon as I arrived I could hear Chiffchaffs calling, and sure enough they were frequently seen during the day, with a total of at least 22. Four Blackcaps included one male, and I heard a few Siskins though only managed fleeting views.  Persistence was rewarded with a nice Pied Flycatcher which was seen twice. The sunshine brought out the butterflies with two each of Red Admiral and Peacock, four Speckled Wood and a similar number of Wall. I have seen Wall in many coastal localities of Kent this month, and they seem to be doing well in the county, the highest count being 30 on Hoo marshes during my WeBS visit. Those today were not surprisingly looking rather worn...

  A very warm day, sunny with little wind.  I started by walking west along the seawall towards Dan's Dock. Of note the fleet running inland held a Green Sandpiper and a couple of Snipe. Walking further along I found three Whinchats and a male Stonechat, though not close enough for good pictures.  A Hobby also flew over the marsh. As usual Dan's Dock held numerous Marsh Frogs, some of these quite large, though no Grass Snakes to be seen.  However, beyond the Dock I saw a fair number of Common Lizards along the seawall which promptly disappeared into long grass alongside the path. Mostly juveniles it seemed suggesting a good breeding season for the lizards. Back at the east flood by midday, coinciding with high tide, already 1000-1500 Black-tailed Godwits were present plus other waders in good numbers. To start with there were no Golden Plovers though over the next hour they started to arrive and eventually included their stroppy American cousin, though unfortunately ...

A day in east Kent, starting off at Bockhill where it was sunny with a brisk SW wind. We slowly main our way down to the farm, noting in the process a single flyover Tree Pipit (calling), plus Hobby, Kestrel, Ravens, Chiffchaffs and two peachy coloured first winter female Stonechats, the first of which was initially thought to be a Whinchat. Near the farm the track alongside the Freedown had a number of migrants in the hedgerow, especially Chiffchaffs which were very active. The picture below of the bird facing away illustrates well the short primary projection of Chiffchaff. Other birds in this area included Blackcap, two Yellowhammers and a brief view of a male Redstart. Whilst at Bockhill we were treated to flypasts from a couple of Spitfires demonstrating in the process some impressive aerial manouveres jokingly laid on especially for Brenda's forthcoming birthday! Chiffchaff Chiffchaff Stonechat Kestrel Butterflies at Bockhill included the odd Common Blue and a single Small Co...

I checked the Port Victoria end of the village as it clearly has good potential for migrant birds and find it slightly easier to work than the country park in Grain. Nothing particularly unusual today though there seemed to have been a fall of Lesser Whitethroats with 14 being seen during the visit. In addition eight Common Whitethroats, one each of Blackcap, Willow Warbler and Reed Warbler, two each of Kestrel and Sparrowhawk, and one Peregrine. Lesser Whitethroat and Common Whitethroat Long-tailed Tit The sun came out later in the morning with a notable increase in insect activity. Dragonflies included this male Migrant Hawker, though with half the right forewing missing unfortunately. The yellow triangle at the base of the abdomen is a distinguishing feature of this species.  On the ruins a number of Common Darters were also seen. Migrant Hawker Common Darter Butterflies included approx. five Wall around the ruins, two of which were mating. Six Holly Blue, three Common Blue, a s...

Not the name of a pub but rather the main subjects from today's walk at Cliffe. Whilst driving along the track to the Black Barn pools I came across this attractive fox in a gateway just off the road. It was in no hurry to get away enabling a number of pictures to be taken at close range. It looked like a full grown cub, and in very good condition. The Black Barn pools are very dry and hence relatively birdless. On the opposite side of the road is a small area where I found a Common Lizard on two previous visits this summer. Checking this time I was pleased to find a female with four young near the road, and 30m away two other adults.  One of the young lizards was significantly larger and paler than the others, so probably from an earlier batch of offspring. As usual it wasn't difficult to see Marsh Frogs in the ditches, juveniles (shown below) and adults .