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.
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.
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.
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