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).
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!
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!
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