Returning sandpipers

Warm, dry and sunny, SW 4 - This morning our Ted walk took us across the arable lands towards Belgar Farm following the line of Dengemarsh sewer. I wanted to check out a couple of pea fields along the way for calling Quail, their preferred field crop, of which there was no sound. Infact, as the wind picked up there was very little activity apart from several Skylarks overhead, a couple of Reed Warblers and Reed Buntings singing from the reed-fringed sewer and a distant Corn Bunting jangling away. Working in the garden this week has produced a trickle of high-calling Mediterranean Gulls over the town, a `kettle` of six Common Buzzards and regular Sparrowhawk sightings. Moth numbers and variety has picked these past muggy nights with a Beautiful Hook-tip the best of the bunch.

                                 Beautiful Hook-tip

In contrast yesterday evening, at Scotney sand pit, I joined Dave S where there was plenty on offer at this temporary and working industrial quarry complete with a myriad of freshwater lagoon and muddy islands, perfect then for hungry waders. Even in land-locked Bedfordshire these sites lured down a few transient waders, but nothing like the numbers dropping in at a coastal location such as this. The only thing is that these sites don`t stay wader-friendly for long; either they get infilled or flood and become a steep-sided lake, so best to enjoy them while you can. However, passage waders included at least 11 Green and one Common Sandpipers, two Common Snipes, a Black-tailed Godwit and a Greenshank (overhead), along with 27 Avocets, four Lapwings, six Oystercatchers (inc a pair with three juveniles), three Little Ringed and two Ringed Plovers. There was also a good supporting cast of 23 Shelducks, 20 Black-headed Gulls,50 Mallards, 10 Tufted Ducks, six Gadwalls, four Teal and two Shovelers. We also noted a Hobby, a Sparrowhawk with prey, two Yellow Wagtails, Sedge and Cetti`s Warblers and several Sand Martins. On the way home the regular Little Owl was on the barn at Hammonds Corner.

                                  Scotney sand pit

         

                                 Oystercatcher and juv, Kerton quarry

Elsewhere this week circuits of Dengemarsh have been fairly samey with all the expected wetland birds including the odd Avocet and Greenshank on the hayfields, along with a few Lapwings and eclipse ducks, Little Egrets, Black-headed Gulls and a Hobby. Kerton quarry has produced several pairs of Oystercatchers and Lapwings with fledged young, while gull and duck numbers are beginning to build as their breeding season comes to an end.

Garden Blackcap

Warm, dry and sunny, SW 3 - Most weekends I try to leave the car at home and engage in low-carbon outings walking out with Ted, who after all has a vast reservoir of energy to release, far more than me! However, that does mean replacing the species-rich coastal wetlands for a more mundane variety of habitats, such as arable farmland, paddocks, parks, copses, turf fields, and today, the foreshore and hinterland at Pirate Springs, Littlestone; we must`ve walked many miles this weekend. The weather having bucked up of late was fine, and apart from some light rain yesterday it was warm sunshine all the way, perfect for butterflies then, of which once again very few were noted; although this morning at the Springs we did see our first Marbled White of summer amongst a sprinkling of skippers and browns. Several Emperor dragonflies were seen patrolling the drainage sewers north of New Romney where at least two broods of recently fledged Reed Warblers were still being fed by the adults. The large acreages of turf fields hereabouts are heavily managed to ensure a uniform, weed-free sward and at first glance appear to support little wildlife. However, one such field has a marginal forage crop of phacelia complete with blue flowers that attracts bees and other flying insects, and most are bordered by hedgerows and standard trees attractive to the likes of Yellowhammer, Linnet, Whitethroat, Kestrel and the two woodpeckers. The open vista can sometimes lure down a few curious corvids and late summer gull flocks, and at this time of year Swallows skim low over the turf taking the few flying insects present with the adults occasionally settling to pick up dead grass to line their nests, while the juveniles seem to just enjoy being on terra firma, twittering away to one another. On the debit side this weekend, despite many hours in the field, there was no sign of any Cuckoo activity and Swifts were absent from the Littlestone seafront where formerly they have nested.

                                  Juvenile Swallows

                                 Phacelia

                                  Pyramidal Orchids, Littlestone

                                 Linnet, Littlestone

The natural history highlights for me this weekend have been found closer to home, in and around the garden infact, where this morning a Blackcap briefly sang from atop our birch tree; a first for the garden, but where it came from is a mystery, perhaps an early migrant on the move... Also, a pair of Goldfinches nesting in a neighbours plum tree have proved to be highly entertaining with the adults regularly coming down to drink at the bird bath and the cock bird singing loudly from various song posts around the house, including on a tv aerial. Since we moved here over two year ago we`ve cultivated a `green wall` and an `insect corner` in our back yard that has been planted out with nectar-rich plants such as lavender, foxglove, cosmos, salvias, verbena, sunflowers and honeysuckle to name but a few, and it seems to be working as this afternoon it was alive with invertebrate activity. The night shift continue to entertain with bats overhead, Hedgehogs in the borders and increasing numbers of moths coming to light including several Delicates and a Toadflax Brocade on Friday evening.

                                 Garden greenery

                                 Male Goldfinch

Blue is the Colour

Warm, dry and sunny, NE 3 - A superb summers day with the warmth tempered by a fresh airflow coming off the North Sea. The wet spring and early June combined with the recent sunshine has resulted in a kaleidoscope of botanical colours across the shingle ridges. As the yellows and reds of broom and foxglove respectively fade, the blues of scabious and bugloss dominate the colour palate; particularly Viper`s Bugloss, an important source of nectar for bees and a wide variety of other invertebrates including moth caterpillars. At Lade yesterday great swathes of the flower were alive with insects, and again today on a walk out to the Oppen Pits behind Burrowes, where also countless damselflies were on the wing in the sun trap between the two lakes along with numerous grassland butterflies such as Common Blue, Small Heath, Small Skipper and Meadow Brown. Birdwise this can be a quiet time of year as the solstice approaches and migration takes a pause, although the breeding passerines will be onto their second clutches by now. The deep water of New Diggings was devoid of birds in contrast to Burrowes which held hundreds of moulting diving ducks, gulls, Cormorants and grebes, while it was good to see several Sand Martins exploring the wall by the visitor centre. 

                                 Viper`s Bugloss

                                  Ted cooling off

 

                                  Common Blue Damselfly

                                 Common Blue

Nightjar

New Romney - warm, dry and sunny, SW3 - At long last a decent summers day for our farmland Ted walk out back to the north of town. This spring there has been a noticeable decrease in Reed Warblers breeding in the reed-fringed drainage ditches and sewers hereabouts with only three singers noted this morning compared to five times that number last year across the same circular walk. Reed Buntings and Common Whitethroats are also down in numbers, while butterfly sightings comprised just two Red Admirals and four Holly Blues during the two hour walk, a pathetic return. On the plus side there was at least 12 Swallows around the horse paddocks and two singing Yellowhammers along Hope Lane, plus several House Martins collecting mud from a pond and a Yellow Wagtail over calling. Last nights garden moth trap included both elephant hawk-moths and a Peppered Moth from only eight species of macros.

                                 Holly Blue, Hope Lane

                                 Ted on the turf in summer plumage

This evening I had a run out to Challock with Chris P searching for Nightjars where we heard only one individual `churring` close to the car park. However, a pair of Tree Pipits were noted elsewhere in the woodland, plus Jay, Common Buzzard, Goldcrest, Great Spotted Woodpecker and several bats. 

                                 Kings Wood, Challock

                                 Tree Pipit

                                 Wood Ant`s Nest

                                 Pyramidal Orchids

Over the weekend the weather was dominated by strong to near gale force winds, particularly on Saturday, rendering any hope of birding or mothing a waste of time. Yesterday, at Pirate Springs, the Pyramidal Orchids along the sheltered sea-wall bank were in full flower with hundreds, if not thousands, of blooms scattered over a 200 metre stretch, but I couldn`t find any Bee Orchids where last year there was half a dozen or more.

Manx Shearwaters

Cool, cloudy, SW5 - I under estimated the wind strength this morning for our walk out across the Army range causeway near the end of Galloways. However, breeding passerines seen included variable numbers of Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Stonechat, Linnet, Reed Bunting, Cetti`s Warbler, Common Whitethroat and a Corn Bunting, plus a Sparrowhawk and a light movement of Swifts along the coast. A scan from the block house produced a few Shelducks and Avocets, a pair of Ringed Plovers with young on the shingle and a distant Marsh Harrier, while on the walk back we flushed a Short-eared Owl from cover that promptly went to ground again. Moving onto Dungeness where the early morning seawatchers had reported a westward passage of over 100 Manx Shearwaters from the hide, and where an hour (1000-1100hrs) produced 12 more, mostly distant apart from five that clipped the buoy. The Patch was operating and had attracted about 200 Black-headed Gulls to feed over the boil.

                                  Galloways

Elsewhere this week a guided walk around the bird reserve circular trail for two guests produced the usual suspects including 10 Hobbies, four Avocets and singles of Great White and Cattle Egrets. Several Common Terns looked as though they might try to nest on Burrowes where at least 200 post breeding Pochards and Tufted Ducks were present, and a Norfolk Hawker dragonfly was noted along the track to Scott lookout. Around New Romney a few House Martins were actively nest-building on the Pearmain estate and a Cuckoo was seen on two occasions along Hope Lane. Despite the cool evenings we`ve had plenty of bat activity over the garden, Hedgehogs foraging in the borders and a Delicate and an Archers Dart in the moth trap on Tuesday night, the highlight of continuing low numbers; whilst on that theme, butterflies also appear to be in short supply just about everywhere.

                                  Hobby by the bee-hives

                                 Pochards and Tufted Ducks, Burrowes

                                 Common Tern, Burrowes

Rye Harbour NR

Rye Harbour NR - cool, sunny, NW 3 - The northerly airflow from the Arctic region continues to flood cool air across the country, which is fine by me as I`m not a lover of the hot stuff; making a heady 14 Centigrade perfect for a circuit of the Beach Reserve. We started at the Nook Road end where it was good to see a few House Martins nesting in the housing estate at Oyster Creek. Further along the track a Cuckoo was in good voice, along with Common and Lesser Whitethroats, a Blackcap, a Cetti`s Warbler, several Linnets and a Greenfinch. From the back-to-back hides there was much to see and plenty of seabird activity, mainly from the breeding Black-headed Gulls and Common Terns feeding their young and squabbling amongst one another. Further out on Flat Beach several Little Terns were coming and going, while a mixed flock of 15 Sandwich Terns and Mediterranean Gulls were the only ones we saw all morning. Avocets and Oystercatchers were seen with young, plus Redshank and Ringed Plover also suggesting they had chicks nearby. Also noted across the Beach Reserve: two little Egrets, two Kestrels, four Shelducks, 10 Tufted Ducks, 30 Cormorants, 10 Skylarks and a Meadow Pipit, but no sign of any Wheatears. Fair play to the staff here as all four hides remain intact with superb, up-to-date display boards within; it was also a pleasure to sit down in comfort and enjoy the action, and they`re dog-friendly. So, a cracking morning`s birding rounded off by a brew from the cafe and a sausage roll for Ted, which he wolfed down in one!

                                 Common Terns

                                 Juvenile Black-headed Gulls

                                 Avocet and Oystercatcher with chicks

                                  Redshank

                                  Mallard with ducklings

                                 Juvenile Skylark

    Ted, Rye Harbour NR

Green Sandpiper

Warm, dry and sunny, light airs - With light winds and warm sunshine it was a superb morning for a circuit of Scotney where all the usual farmland birds were noted, although Corn Buntings were particularly thin on the ground. The wetlands held plenty of Shelducks and Avocets, some with well-grown juveniles, while small numbers of Teals, Pochards, Gadwalls and Mallards were already going into eclipse. My first Green Sandpiper of the return passage on the sand pit `officially` heralded the start of autumn! The front lakes were very quiet with only a handful of feral geese and immature gulls noted. 

                                   Garganey, Hayfield 2

Yesterday we spent most of the morning on the bird reserve where the Dengemarsh hayfields attracted four Avocets, six Teals, 20 Little Egrets, two Redshanks, a Shoveler and a drake Garganey. At least three Bitterns `boomed`, including one on ARC and it was good to see and hear several Cuckoos across the site. Otherwise it was just the usual warblers, raptors and several Common Terns.

Lapwings

Warm, dry and sunny, W2 - A cracking morning for a circular walk around Dengemarsh where the highlight was a pair of Oystercatchers with three sturdy looking juveniles and three female Lapwings, one also with three chicks, in a stony field at the back of the bird reserve. Hayfield 2 held six Avocets, five Cattle Egrets, four Shelducks, a pair of Teal and a drake Garganey. At least 15 Little Egrets were noted around the wetlands, plus `booming` Bittern, several Marsh Harriers and Common Buzzards, two Hobbies, Common Tern, Bearded Tits and the usual suite of warblers. In the sheltered spots scores of Black-tailed Skimmers were on the wing.

                                   Black-tailed Skimmer, Dengemarsh

Kerton Road quarry also produced Lapwing and Oystercatcher with chicks along with two Redshanks, a Curlew, a host of feral geese with goslings, four Great Crested Grebes and 30 Tufted Ducks.

Orchids

Lade - warm, dry and sunny, SW2 - June is orchid month here at Lade where we have four species: Common Spotted and Southern Marsh Orchids on the damp ground around the willow swamp plus Pyramidal and Bee Orchid on the dry shingle ridges, where this morning I managed to locate 11 spikes of gorgeous Bee Orchids, which was slightly up on last year. Last months rain and now the summer sunshine has resulted in a riot of botanical colour and scent across the site, but yet again grassland butterflies were few in number along my transect; hopefully this will improve as the month progresses. 

                                  Pyramidal Orchids, Littlestone

                                 Bee Orchid, Lade

Yesterday our Ted walk took us back to Pirate Springs in front of the golf links at Littlestone where the orchids had shot up since our last visit. I started counting Pyramidal Orchids and got to 250 before I gave up - there must`ve been hundreds more spread along the bank by the sea wall. Also of note was a singing Corn Bunting on the fairways, while on the sea a trickle of Sandwich Terns headed towards Dungeness. The garden moth trap improved slightly on Monday night with 12 species of macros including several Green Pugs and an Eyed Hawk-moth, the first of the season.  

                                 Eyed Hawk-moth

                                 Ted at Lade

Black Kite

Warm, dry and sunny, light airs - We started early this morning for a survey of the breeding birds at Lade Pits and Kerton Road quarry. Six species of warblers included Sedge and Common Whitethroat feeding fledglings with the highest number of both in the tangle of wet scrub in Mockmill Sewer. It was good to see plenty of Cuckoo action around the willow swamp where also a pair of Green Woodpeckers had fledged young. Wildfowl were few with just Mallard, Egyptian Goose and Mute Swan confirmed, although several pairs of the late-nesting Tufted Duck were present. At Kerton quarry, Lapwing and Oystercatcher had well-grown young on the main island with Redshank and Great Crested Grebe on territory nearby. 

                                  Mockmill Sewer, Lade

We then moved onto the bird reserve where a circuit of Dengemarsh produced all the usual suspects, plus several Cattle Egrets within the cows behind Hookers and four Teal and six Black-tailed Godwits on hayfield 2, where there was also a young Lapwing chick. The pale Common Buzzard was also noted over Boulderwall fields. At Dungeness very few butterflies were on the wing, probably due to the cloud cover, but on the walk back a raptor flushed from the ground at the southern end of the Desert by dog-walkers proved to be a Black Kite. It promptly flew low towards the power station complex and out of sight and was almost certainly the bird seen earlier coming in over the fishing boats by DW and MC.

A week of Swifts

Cool, cloudy, NE 4 - This past week the weather has felt more like November than the end of May with a cool northerly airflow delivering a rash of heavy showers, two days of near constant rain, low scudding clouds and single figure night time temperatures. Goodness only knows what effect its had on nesting birds, while the garden moth trap has been largely a waste of time, apart from last Tuesday when the wind briefly relented and ten species were recorded, including our first hawk-moth. The bird of the week has been the Swift with many thousands streaming across the Dungeness peninsula and moving down the coast, dodging the rain and dipping down to feed on flying insects along with lesser numbers of hirundines and up to ten Hobbies when I visited the ARC on Wednesday afternoon. When the sun did poke through the clouds near the Axel viewpoint hundreds of Four-spotted Chaser dragonflies provided a spectacular sight as they emerged from the shallows to dry out on the tangle of reed and willow stems. Several Bee-eater sightings proved typically elusive throughout the week, until Friday mid-day when a pair settled down at the ARC for three hours (for stunning images go to:  www.ploddingbirder.blogspot.com).

                                 Four-spotted Chaser, Axel boardwalk

                                  Mute Swan and cygnets, ARC

                                 Elephant Hawk-moth, NR

It never ceases to amaze me how, given a chance, wildlife exploits a new habitat. Take for example the overflow pools and adjacent rough ground on the new industrial estate in New Romney, viewable from Church Lane. The whole area has been fenced off for about two years now and often attracts one or two birds of interest including flocks of loafing gulls in winter and is particularly good during a period of summer drought when it is visited by finches, buntings, wagtails, corvids and the like coming down to drink and bathe. Yesterday a few House Martins were collecting mud for their nests on the adjacent housing estate of Churchlands, while one of the ponds had attracted a Coot and, more unlikely, a Little Grebe!

                         Coot and Dabchick, New Romney industrial estate

Sunday - This morning our Ted walk took us to the canal zone between Warehorne and Kennardington in pleasant, warm sunshine; hopefully this is the start of the more widely forecast settled weather - we shall see! For those of you that have not visited this section of the canal recently, please note that it is best to park at Warehorne bridge as the fisherman`s car park at Kennardington is now closed and locked. Also, the public footpath on the south side is impassable by the railway bridge; the farmer has padlock the gate.  However, the northern footpath is clear, an idyllic walk which always promises much and where today`s highlights were a singing Nightingale near the bridge, a Turtle Dove `purring` at the Appledore end and a distant Red Kite over the Wealden woods amongst six soaring Common Buzzards. Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting, Linnet, Common and Lesser Whitethroats, Cetti`s, Sedge and Reed Warblers, Chiffchaff, Blackcap were also noted along the way, plus a Grey Wagtail feeding fledglings. The down side was that the canal was completely devoid of any waterfowl and only six butterflies were seen of two species: Speckled Wood and Small Heath. The ditch beside the cut though was full of Marsh Frogs, damselflies and several Four-spotted Chasers and Hairy Hawkers. Ted had a good run out and fell in the water twice, which proved him to be a very adept swimmer! 

                                 Royal Military Canal

                                 Ted

                                 Marsh Frog