Last Hurrah!

Lade - muggy, overcast, rain, light airs - Another steamy wet night and morning with 18mm recorded at Littlestone yesterday by OL. The moth trap was a bit soggy but did contain 16 species, including our first Privet Hawk-moth of the summer, always a cause for celebration. A morning tour of the local patch was memorable for Cuckoos, that appeared to be having something of a last hurrah before their inevitable departure. Two males were calling at either end of the site with a female around the willow swamp, followed by another female that was loitering with intent by a small reedbed at the southern end of south lake. She spent a fair bit of time sat on an old concrete post eying up the reedbed before flopping onto what I pressume was a Reed Warbler`s nest. After a few minutes she flew out of the reeds and away carrying what appeared to be an egg having, I suppose, `done the dirty deed` in the warblers nest. She then finished off atop a willow emitting a satisfying burst of `bubbling` which seemed to suggest - "job done"! The only other noteworthy event was a huge overnight increase in Pochard numbers to 235, all on south lake.

                                 Privet Hawk-moth

                                 Female Cuckoo, Lade

Returning waders

Lade - overcast, humid, rain, NE 3 - A muggy weekend of weather with sunshine yesterday and an ideal time to give Barney his summer trim-up, in contrast to today which was another wet one. It was good to see plenty more Mallards, Coots, Moorhens, Dabchicks and a Gadwall showing off their progeny across the local patch this weekend, although they had to be alert as at least three different Marsh Harriers were on the wing. One or two Common Terns fished the lake before heading back towards ARC and at least one Cuckoo vocalised from the willow swamp.

                                 "Just the job, much cooler now!"

                                  Mallard brood

Last month when the council verge vandals were in our neighbourhood I managed to convince the mower driver that the strip beside our cottage contained rare plants and it would be great if he could give it a miss to allow them to flower and seed. A Pyrrhic Victory for the verge then; although, all I`ve got to do now is intercept the next assassin!

                                  Yellow Wagtail, Scotney

                                  Kestrel sheltering from the rain

It`s that time of year when returning adult waders are on the radar, so this morning I paid a visit to Scotney where the highlights were two Green Sandpipers and a Greenshank outback, plus four Avocets and a Curlew. Corn Bunting, Yellow Wagtail, Skylark and Linnet were all noted feeding juveniles on the farm track and along fence posts, but I could find no sign of any Tree Sparrows around the farm buildings. Marsh Harrier, Kestrel, Buzzard, Cuckoo and hundreds of feral geese and swans were also present. Next stop Galloways, where more Skylarks, Meadow Pipits, Linnets, Whitethroats, Sedge Warblers and Stonechats were busily dashing about after youngsters. From Springfield Bridge the weedy field between the sewer and the road that is in a Countryside Stewardship Scheme continues to deliver breeding Skylark, Yellow Wagtail, Corn and Reed Buntings; more like this across the Marsh on marginal land would be most welcome. Finished off a soggy morning at Burrowes where a lone Common Sandpiper was the only wader present; Hobby and Great White Egret also noted from the track. 

                                 B17 Flying Fortress, Lydd Airfield

Black Swan

 Lade - cool and cloudy, showery, SW2 - We trudged around the local patch in a fine drizzle getting a right good soaking from the lush vegetation as all the pathways were choked with drooping grasses and bramble runners. Adult Cuckoos were still active around the willow swamp, but not for much longer I suspect as this African bird will soon depart south for warmer climes. A few Swifts dipped in and out over south lake where Pochard numbers had increased to 110 along with a handful each of Shoveler and Gadwall. On the ebb tide Curlews had also increased on the bay sands this afternoon to 132 birds. The garden moth trap continues to be poor with only 12 species this morning, but did include a Dark Spectacle (thanks to Steve G) which was new for the trap site. 

                                            Dark Spectacle

                                  Black Swan, Hookers reedbed

A tour of the bird reserve produced the expected Glossy Ibis on ARC along with hundreds more Pochard, Gadwall, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Shoveler and Teal in eclipse plumage, scores of Swifts and hirundines over the lake, 30 Lapwings, 20 Common Terns and a Cuckoo calling from Tower Pits. On Burrowes the Common Tern colony continue to valiantly defend their nests from the neighbouring  Herring Gulls, although I fear for the terns` first attempts with so many ravenous juvenile gulls to feed. The sum total of waders during the circular walk was: four Ringed Plovers (a pair on the shingle near the car park acted as though they had chicks nearby), a pair of Oystercatchers and a Green Sandpiper on the hayfields, 30 Lapwings and two Redshanks on the Dengemarsh fields. Also noted, a Black Swan, two Great White Egrets, two Marsh Harrier, Bearded Tits and a Kingfisher from the ramp;10 Teal and four Shoveler also on the hayfields. 

Reynard

Dungeness - cool and cloudy, NE 5 - Spent most of the day guiding for clients from London.The weather conditions were difficult with a buffeting wind keeping most passerines hunkered down in cover; still, at least the rain had ceased. We started at the point, where offshore several distant Gannets and a trickle of Black-headed Gulls and a Kittiwake flew by, plus 20 Common Terns at the Patch and further down the beach 20 Mediterranean Gulls loafing amongst a large gull flock. A Peregrine and a Kestrel showed particularly well on the power station and old lighthouse respectively, as did two Black Redstarts, several Meadow Pipits and a host of Linnets and Starlings bathing in puddles. Opposite Jarman`s Stock Dove and Skylark noted.

                                  Meadow Pipit 

                                 Spot the Peregrine?

                                 There it is!

On the bird reserve all the old favourites were eventually located for the guests including the `resident` Glossy Ibis on ARC, a Great White Egret on Boulderwall fields and a couple of close Marsh Harriers. The chilly air had forced down hundreds of Swifts and hirundines over ARC, where a pair of Teal and 10 Shovelers were within the massed ranks of Coot, Pochard and Tufted Duck. A dozen or so Common Terns are now settled on the ARC raft, complementing the 30 plus pairs on Burrowes where Redshank and Ringed Plover also noted. We ended up with a respectable 72 species, despite the strong wind.    

                                  Fox with Rabbit

The Red Fox is a common animal in these parts and is mostly encountered at dawn and dusk; I often see them scavenging along the tideline in the evening, but at this time of year with hungry mouths to feed they are regularly seen during the daylight hours. Today we saw four different animals across Dungeness, including a very showy one in the Boulderwall fields with prey.

Flower Power

 Lade - warm, dry and sunny, N 2 - A cracking morning spent on the local patch with a cooling northerly airflow tempering the strong mid-summer sun when it did break through the cloud cover. It was one of those days to gladden the heart with an abundance of flora and fauna everywhere you looked. Here on the Dungeness NNR we are spoiled for choice as testified by the prodigious flush of plants that have recently flowered across the shingle ridges due to a combination of the recent rain and hot sunshine. A riot of colours and scents from the likes of broom, honeysuckle, stonecrop, scabious, bugloss, poppy, campion, bedstraw, mullein and trefoil support a variety of insects, including Common Blue, Small Heath, Red Admiral and Painted Lady butterflies, plus day-flying Cinnabar and Silver Y moths, all seen this morning. Stonechat, Whitethroat, Linnet, Dunnock, Starling and Sparrow were commonplace along with a few Skylarks, Meadow Pipits, Cuckoo and Kestrel, plus 26 Curlews leaving their high tide roost on the Desert. Around the willow swamp more juvenile Moorhens and Coots were on the water, while Reed Warblers busily gathered invertebrates for their nestlings. Several huge carp lunged out of the water disturbing a multitude of laughing Marsh Frogs and the post-breeding assemblage of Pochards had risen to 42, all drakes. The ponds are simply alive with damsel flies where also Black-tailed Skimmer, Four-spotted Chaser and a splendid Emperor dragonfly all noted.

                                  White Mullein

                                  Biting Stonecrop

                                  Honeysuckle

                                 Red Poppy

                                 Dog rose!

                                  Mute Swan and cygnets

                                  Common Blue

Last weekend we saw our first Green Sandpiper of the return passage on the bird reserve and when MC reported a notable eight birds on the hayfields this morning it was no surprise that two more were also present here at Lade on the margins of the willow swamp facing south lake. Green Sandpipers have a disjointed distribution down here and although a few winter across the Marsh the majority spend the colder months south of the Sahara. On their spring migrations they move north on a broad front but seem to miss us as they angle further east to their breeding grounds across Scandinavia and northern Russia; I remember seeing one sat in an old Redwing nest in Finland many years ago and thinking it was a bit unusual, until I realised it was on a clutch of eggs - a wader nesting up a tree, most odd! Anyhow, although both parents tend the young the females are the first to depart, and that is when we encounter the first returning migrants, adult females, from mid-June onwards when they take a more leisurely and westerly route back to their winter quarters.    

Turtle Dove

 Lade - cloudy, muggy, wet, NE 3 - Another soggy day of clammy weather conditions, but that didn`t seem to deter the breeding warblers going about their business across the local patch. I spent a couple of hours concentrating on the willow swamp and north lake where it was good to see several broods each of Mallard and Coot on the water, plus one of Dabchick. Bit of a surprise was a Turtle Dove briefly perched atop the 20` dish `mirror`, my one and only record this year here, and probably a dispersing adult from elsewhere as I`m pretty sure they`re not breeding locally.

                                  Little Ringed Plover, Burrowes

                                 Viper`s Bugloss

A tour of the bird reserve in fine rain produced a smart adult male Little Ringed Plover in front of the Firth viewpoint on Burrowes and at least 31 Common Terns sitting on nests on a gull-free island opposite the VC. Across Dengemarsh the usual Marsh Harriers, three Ravens, two Great White Egrets, a Hobby, Bearded Tits, Corn Buntings and Yellow Wagtails and a count of 680 feral geese! A circuit of the range road and The Rype at Lydd checking out the Starlings drew a blank for a Rosy.

"Buzzards gotta eat, same as worms"

Lade - muggy, overcast, light airs - The recent heat wave certainly peaked in some style yesterday evening with an impressive thunder and lightening show over the bay as glowering banks of end-of-the-world type clouds rolled in from the near continent delivering a much needed dollop of rain in a short space of time (33mm recorded at Littlestone by OL). Moth trapping in the garden picked up accordingly this week, although species variety remains low with a Maiden`s Blush the best of the bunch. On the local patch Pochard numbers had increased to 26 this morning and the Cuckoos were still active. Apart from a brood of Mute Swan cygnets on the water other waterfowl fledglings have been few and far between; further sightings of Mink around the scaffold island suggest that they`re breeding on site and may be having an impact on ground nesting birds. However, there are plenty of common, resident passerines out and about or feeding fledglings along the coastal strip, which is a good job as predators are everywhere; in our garden alone I`ve witnessed a cat make off with one of `our` Blackbird fledglings, Jackdaws and Magpies robbing the nests of Collared Dove and Woodpigeon and a male Kestrel grabbing a young House Sparrow. A pair of Herring Gulls nesting on the roof of the chip shop next door had their four little darlings on show for all to see today, although not my favourite birds with their constant wailing from dawn to dusk and crapping everywhere. Still, all part of the circle of life, I suppose, and as Clint Eastwood memorably said in the best cowboy film ever, The Outlaw Josey Wales: " To hell with them fellas, buzzards gotta eat, same as worms!" 

                                  Spitfire over Lade

                                  Mullein Wave

                                  Maiden`s Blush

                                  Jackdaw, Lade Desert

                                 Urban terrorists on the chip shop roof!

This afternoon I spent an hour at the seawatch hide having a natter and a catch-up with Tony G. Surprisingly, considering the time of year, we had a trickle of Gannets feeding offshore, two Mediterranean Gulls at the Patch and 28 Common Scoters, eight Sandwich and a Common Tern up-Channel. On the beach opposite Jarman`s a female Wheatear busily fed two well-grown youngsters. This evening on Lade bay, as the fog rolled in to the sound of distant thunder, a mixed flock of 12 Ringed Plovers and Dunlins fed on the receding tideline before being flushed by joggers.

                                  Dunlin and Ringed Plovers on the bay this evening

Meadow Pipit, Dungeness power station