Stone Curlew

Lade - 0600hrs - cloudy, still, misty - Light airs and high humidity overnight had little effect on  moth numbers resulting in another poor catch with the only bright spot being five species of pugs, including White-spotted and Cypress Pugs. We slogged over the shingle again to Mockmill for little reward; there was fewer warblers in the bushes than yesterday, and no sign of any chats. However, our first Kingfisher of the autumn put on a show around the willow swamp and a flock of 100 Sand Martins and Swallows briefly dropped in over south lake.

                                Fox cub keeping an eye on Barney

                                Toadflax Pug

Conningbrooks Lakes - 1100hrs - Had to go to a steamy Ashford to check out this new country park site for a forthcoming article and take a few pics. Needless to say it was pretty quiet in the midday heat with only a few Willow Warblers in the trees, Green Woodpecker, a Hobby and a Kingfisher along the River Stour of note. Whilst there a phone call from PB delivering news of a rarity back on the Marsh forced my hand to return to paradise...

                                Conningbrooks Lake

Dengemarsh - 1430hrs - The only bird on a bone dry and furrowed Hayfield 3 was a fabulous Stone Curlew, a proper rarity in these parts and only my fourth record in 11 years. This was, of course, a passage bird as the last breeding record at Dungeness was way back in the early 1970s.

                                Stone Curlew in the heat haze