House Martins

New Romney - warm, dry and sunny, NE 2-4 - The past week has seen the arrival of a few House Martins around the town with birds returning to breed on a nearby new housing estate and collecting mud for their nests almost immediately along Hope Lane, alongside Swallows. For the first time this spring several Swifts could be heard high over the town today, while last Friday at least 50 were over Lade willow swamp in cloudy weather conditions. The only other notable bird locally was a Common Sandpiper yesterday flying along one of the drainage channels near the New Cut, where another pair of Sedge Warblers have set up territory and also where I had brief views of a Mink last week.The garden moth trap was in `action` for the first time on Wednesday night and lured in just two moths, which was no surprise considering the strong, cool north-easterly airflow, and I cannot see much change until the wind drops and we get some overnight cloud cover. I`ve spent most of the weekend working in the garden converting a couple of wooden pallets into plant holders, while keeping an eye out for any butterflies present; a couple of Holly Blues was about it. On a more positive note our garden Blue Tits fledged young from a nest box yesterday and the front lawn is looking good due to `No Mow May`.

                                  May blossom. Paternosterford bridge

                                 Common Swift, first moth of the year

                                 Front lawn - No Mow May

                                  Garden plant pallet in position

                                 Swallows collecting mud and straw for nests

Elsewhere, visits to Dungeness have yielded little of note apart from two Little Terns at The Patch on Friday, plus eight singing Skylarks, two Whitethroats and a Meadow Pipit on Littlestone golf links this morning. 

                                 Ted enjoying the sunshine