Nightingale

Lade - Lockdown Day 23 - warm, dry and sunny, e2 - Another fine, but cold start to the day that soon warmed up as the morning progressed bringing forth a number of Small Whites, Peacocks and Small Tortoiseshells onto the wing. There was a lot more Whitethroat activity across the site, including one singing over the road from the cottage in scrub by the fort, while a few more Sedge and Reed Warblers had moved in around the lakes, plus Blackcap, Cetti`s Warbler and Chiffchaff. A single Swallow went through and a Marsh Harrier quartered the main reedbed.

                               Whitethroats singing from scrub and power lines

                                Colour-ringed Sanderling

  However, bird of the day, and new for the list was a Nightingale (95) that delivered two bursts of song from deep within cover in the willow swamp. Its something of a scarce passage migrant down here on the coast and reminded me that this could potentially be a spring without a visit to the Low Weald to search for this supreme songster in the bluebell woods.
  On the beach a small flock of Sanderlings scurrying along the tideline included a bird with yellow leg rings from a Dutch ringing project. The east wind delivered another new bird for the Lockdown List in the form of several distant Gannets (96) crossing the bay along with 20 Sandwich Terns. Yet another Red Kite was noted flying along the coast at around 1130hrs from the cottage.

Blackcaps

Lade - Lockdown Day 22 - cold and cloudy, ne 2 - As we move into our fourth week of lockdown the long trousers and fleece were back out for our daily tour of the local patch in wintry temperatures, although it warmed up a little this afternoon as the sun broke through the cloud cover. It remains very dry here with no useful rain for some weeks now and the wind has already `browned off` some of the plants; a drop of rain might not only help the flora but it might ground a few migrants too.
  Talking of which there were very few present this morning and only Blackcaps putting on a show with at least five across the site along with several Chiffchaffs around the ponds. Judging from the amount of vocalising it would seem that a pair of Green Woodpeckers are breeding in the willow swamp.

                                First patch of Broom in flower

Hirundines

Lade - Lockdown Day 21 - cool and cloudy, ne 5 - In contrast to yesterdays heat wave, today a cooling wind off the sea made for an uncomfortable circuit of the local patch. However, the first mass arrival of hirundines over the lakes and moving through bucked things up somewhat with up to 100 Swallows, 20 House Martins (93) and two Sand Martins (94), the latter two species new for the list, and House Martin new for the year, as I had an early Sand Martin in March before lockdown. Also of note a Yellow Wagtail over calling and the now established Reed Warblers and Whitethroats around the ponds.
  When I put the moth trap on yesterday evening there was hardly a breath of wind, but the wind soon picked up and as a result only one species of macro was caught - a Chinese Character, making a good impression of a bird dropping!

                                Chinese Character

                           It`s going to be a bumper year for Brown-tailed Moths!

Lockdown routine

Lade - Lockdown Day 20 - warm, dry and sunny, light airs - Like millions of other work redundant folk across these islands, here at Plovers we`ve slipped into something of a `lockdown routine`, although we do try to vary it a bit to avoid the tedium. Generally I`m up just after sunrise and out in the garden checking for any overnight migrants in the bushes and sorting through the moth trap; not much to report on both fronts of late I`m afraid. I then spend an hour or so on the laptop writing up stuff for Birdwatching and the local paper etc, after which we head out on our `permitted exercise walk` around Lade with Barney in tow, sometimes cutting back along the beach depending upon the state of the tide.
  Afterwards, an extended breakfast brings up midday, followed by a spot of `sky-watching` from the patio and then the inevitable chores around the cottage and garden. I`m doing jobs that have been put off for years, and taking ages over each one, as let`s face it, time is something that most of us have in spades at the moment; I made a five minute job of fixing a bolt on a gate the other day last for an hour, and when I told a mate of mine (who shall remain nameless!) he said, "you could get a job at the power station"!! I`ve also taken to reading in the summer house during the afternoon (currently The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins; highly recommended) and periodically wandering around the garden looking for insects. By late afternoon we usual tune into the Government briefing on telly and then don't watch anymore news as its just too depressing. This afternoon though we listened to the full two hours of Sounds of the 70`s on Radio 2 and what a cracking show it was for music lovers of a certain age group (anyone over 60!) If you missed it, catch up on BBC Sounds, so many great memories; and the track by The Jam, English Rose, was one I`d not heard for ages, superb lyrics.
  After an evening meal I usually update the blog, check e-mails, listen to music and mooch about until the moth trap goes on at dusk. A bit of telly usually finishes off a typical day, but I`m not a great lover of the `idiots lantern`, although I`ve very much enjoyed the live streaming from the National Theatre of One man two guvnors and Jane Eyre, both still available on Youtube with more to come.
  Once a week I venture out for food, as I`m also shopping for several elderly folk hereabouts, and on Friday for their fish n chips. The tension in supermarkets is palpable as people attempt to social distance from one another and I`ve already seen a couple of altercations; full marks to all the staff working in food stores in these strange times. It would appear that while the majority of the population are keeping to the governmental advice it would seem that exemptions seem to apply to a tiny minority, such as builders and fishermen (ignoring social distancing), kite-surfers, bait-diggers and land yachters (driving to site).
   Its odd how suddenly overwhelming this lockdown can be, with me it tends to hit in waves, normally in the morning until I crack on with something that takes my mind off it. We`ve been talking to family and friends on the phone and social media more that usual, which helps, and when on our daily walks people seem to be more chatty (at a distance) which is great. We are lucky down here living by the seaside, and I`m certainly not complaining. The people I feel for are all those staff  working in care homes and front line NHS hospitals, heroes one and all.

                                Blackthorn blossom

                               Gorse in full flower

                               Territorial Cetti`s Warblers

                               Whitethroat by the ponds

                                UK Border Force drone

                                   Pallet festooned with tiny Goose Barnacles

  Anyhow, today was WeBS count and the following were logged across both lakes: Coot 56, Great Crested Grebe 24, Dabchick 12, Tufted Duck 48, Mallard 8, Teal 2, Mute Swan 3 and Gadwall 2.
Cetti`s Warblers were in fine voice this morning and two males on the causeway put on an amazing show as they `sang off` against one another only a few inches apart. This went one for a full five minutes atop a willow bush affording fantastic views.
  Also, 25 Mediterranean Gulls over calling, a Green Woodpecker in the willow swamp, five singing Whitethroats, three Reed Warblers and two coasting Common Buzzards over the garden this afternoon. Butterfly highlight was the first Holly Blue of spring, also in the garden.
  The drone was up again this morning flying in over the bay and eventually landing at Lydd airfield. I managed to get a few pics (see above) and noticed a registration number on the wing: G-TEKV, apparently being used by the UK Border Force to detect incoming human migrants. What with all the news centred on Covid 19, the same old crap is still going on elsewhere.

Eyes in the sky

Lade - Lockdown Day 19 - Warm, dry and sunny, light airs - Yet another fine day with a light zephyr coming off the bay. Scanning across the desert was a surreal experience as a large drone flew over the peninsula checking on goodness knows what before landing at Lydd airport.
  Our circuit of the local patch was largely uneventful, although a pair of Shelducks on south lake, for all of five minutes, was new for the Lockdown List at 93. No new passerines were noted, but there was still the same warbler activity around the ponds as yesterday.
  Red Kites maybe commonplace up country now as a result of the various re-introduction programmes, yet down here they`re still something of a big deal, so it was good to see one soaring up the coast sending the local Herring Gulls into a lather. Several Common Buzzards and Marsh Harriers thermalled over the airfield. 
  A Muslin Moth was one of only two moths in the garden trap this morning.

                               Muslin Moth

                               Lesser-spotted Dogfish

The Great Stink

Lade - Lockdown Day 18 -Warm, dry and sunny, e2 - At certain times of the year down here on the coast (usual when the weather warms up on a south-easterly airflow off the continent) we are subjected to a foul smell in the air. Apparently, this latest pong that's been swirling around for a couple of days now emanates from a release of gas at a chemical plant in Rouen, 130 miles away in northern France. Past such incidents have been put down to a number of different causes such as rotting sea weed in the Channel, Littlestone sewage works, muck spreading on farmland, North Sea oil operations, methane gas released from intensive pig and cattle units in the Netherlands, and gas escapes from other chemical plants across northern France and the Low Countries.

                                Mallard nest site
 
   This mornings wander around the local patch was largely uneventful, apart from an increase in Common Whitethroats and Linnets on the shingle scrub, while  Blackcap, Reed and Sedge Warblers continue to sing around the willow swamp. It seems as though the last of the Goldeneyes have departed from south lake along with most of the Pochards and Shovelers. Common Buzzard, Marsh Harrier and Sparrowhawk were noted soaring over the airfield. On the beach there was a mixed flock of 35 Ringed Plover, Knot, Dunlin, Sanderling and Turnstone.

Sub-Saharan warblers

Lade - Lockdown Day 13 - warm, dry and sunny, e2 - Another fine day of weather saw the overnight arrival of two classic sub-Saharan migrants to the local patch. Firstly a Common Whitethroat (91) singing from gorse scrub by Kerton pit (the same bush as my first one last year!) followed by a Sedge Warbler (92) by north lake and both new for the list; more birds were reported singing from Mockmill this morning (DS). From the aerial ramp a Swallow went through, while Reed and Cetti`s Warblers sang by the ponds, plus Chiffchaff and Blackcap from the willow swamp, combining to make six species of warblers.
  On the beach up to 20 Ringed Plovers, 120 Sanderlings and 12 Turnstones amongst the usual Curlews and Oystercatchers.

                                First Common Whitethroat of spring

                                Oystercatchers and Ringed Plover on the beach