RCP 05/05/21

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The high winds of the previous two days had abated this morning, and with sunny periods it was certainly warmer.

At DE a Nightingale was in full song, though typically was not easy to see.

Ten Adders were found in total today, half of these at DE. A female initially seen alone at this site was soon joined by a male, who then guarded his mate for the best part of an hour that I observed them. The contrast in colouration between the pair was very marked. At one point another male approached the pair from the rear, and I expected an interesting confrontation. However, after a brief skirmish between the two males the visitor moved off, though continued to lay no more than a metre away from the pair, who seemed to tolerate his presence.

Other Adders at DE were an apparently unpaired female, and another male, with nearby his cast skin.

At CL there were at least four Adders, including the melanistic individual that I have encountered before. I was lucky enough to witness the famous 'dance' between two males, in exactly the same spot as seen last year. It lasted for about a minute, and was mainly performed on a large pile of sticks that had been collected up by the rangers.

Mediterranean Gulls flew over often attracting attention by their characteristic calls. It will be interesting to see how many individuals we find on the boat trip around the Medway islands later this month.

Butterflies were still thin on the ground with several Peacocks seen and a single Orange-tip.

Pair of Adders at DE

Male guarding the female

Adder pair plus additional male

Female Adder at DE

Male Adder at CL

Orange-tip


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