Wednesday 30 May 2012

May 30th (New Hythe)

Nightingale
Cool and overcast to start,sunny and warm later.(8:am-10:am).
The main interest this morning was a Cuckoo and a Turtle Dove in the area of the Sunken marsh,(2) Shelduck along the river,(2) Linnets in the East scrub and a Hobby which flew over the Brookland car park as I was leaving for home.

I watched a pair of Nightingales taken food to their young in the Brook House area.
Turtle Dove

Saturday 26 May 2012

May 26th (Holborough marsh)

Turtle Dove
Wall to wall,blue sky,very warm away from the cool breeze.
This morning I walked around Holborough marsh,adding Turtle Dove (2) to my (Holborough) annual list (77).Two Shelduck,(2) Oystercatchers,(3) Lesser Whitethroat,(1) Kestral and (1) Water Rail,were of note.
Nightingale

Thursday 24 May 2012

May 24th (Rye Harbour)

Black-headed Gulls
Another glorious day,sunny and warm.
Jeanette and I had a run down to Rye this morning.After we had stopped off in town so that Jeanette could pick up some picture frames,we drove round to the Rye Harbour Nature Reserve,where we made straight for a hide on the Ternery Pool,which was nice and close to one of the nesting islands.Unfortunately  this particular island only held nesting B H Gulls and one to two pairs of Common Terns,not the hoped for Med Gulls and Sandwich Terns,which were on several of the other islands out of reach of my camera.
Birds that I saw included - Med Gulls,Sandwich Terns,Little Terns,Ringed Plover,L R Plover and Avocet.

Before we made for home we let the dogs have a run on the beach at Camber.
Med Gull
Meadow Pipit
Our Dogs
Red Kite
Yesterday`s Red Kite disappearing into the haze.

Wednesday 23 May 2012

May 23rd (Snodland)

I had a new garden tick this afternoon,when a RED KITE flew over heading west at 5:20pm.

May 23rd (New Hythe)

Nightingale
Light overcast to start,sunny and warm later.
As is to be expected at this time of the year,both Brookland lake and Abbey Mead were very quite this morning.Just five cygnets and their parents on Brookland and four Coot and two Great Crested Grebes on Abbey Mead.Lots of young tits were flying around,Great Blue and Long-tailed.One Garden Warbler was singing on the edge of the Sunken marsh and a Cuckoo was calling from the overhead wire there.Along the river I saw,four Shelduck,six Mallard and at least seven juvenile Grey Herons trying out their fishing skills.
On the Nightingale front,I heard five in the Brookland/Abbey Mead area,with a further seven to the west of the railway line.I watched one pair taken food to their nest.
Common Whitethroat
Blackcap (male)
Blackcap (female)

Monday 21 May 2012

May 21st (Ashdown forest)


Ashdown forest this morning with Bod Bland and Derrick Jackson.Although we saw good numbers of Redstarts,five males and two females,we missed out on Woodlark,Stonechat,Dartford Warbler,Tree Pipit and Crossbill.

Common Redstart (male)
Common Redstart
Common Redstart
Common Redstart (female)

Wednesday 16 May 2012

May 16th (Denge Wood)


I went to Denge Wood (near Canterbury) this morning with Bob Bland.Top of our list was the Duke of Burgundy Butterfly,although it was sunny,a northerly wind kept the temperature down.After a lot of searching,with none seen on the wing,we eventually came across one low down in the vegetation,mission accomplished
Duke of Burgundy
Greater Butterfly Orchid (not open)
Lady Orchid
Early Purple Orchid
Twablade

Sunday 13 May 2012

May 13th. (Sandwich Bay and Grove)

Willow Warbler (acreddula,type)
I spent most of the morning ringing at Sandwich Bay.Although over the past few weeks some good birds have turned up there,(Hoopoe,Little Bunting etc) common migrants remain in low numbers.The catch this morning consisted of Willow Warbler (1) Starling (3) Great Tit (1) Whitethroat (1)Blackcap (1) and Blackbird (2).

The Willow Warbler was interesting,being  a bird of the acredula type,(northern).The Whitethroat was a re trap  (six years old) and one of the Starlings was also a re trap (seven years old).
Hobby
Hobby
Before returning home I called in at Stodmarsh and Grove.I had heard that good numbers of Hobby were in the area and I wasn`t disappointed.I estimated there to be between 30-40 birds and what a sight they made.Other birds of note that I saw were - Bearded Tit (4) Marsh Harrier (3) Wigeon (1) Bittern (1) and Turtle Dove (2).
Hobby
Hobby
Hobby
Bittern
One Bittern was booming this morning.
Bittern

Wednesday 9 May 2012

May 9th (Holborough marsh)

Oystercatchers
Overcast drizzle at times
On my walk around Holborough marsh this morning I noted - Shelduck (4) Greylag (6) Canada Goose (2) Common Sandpiper (2) Oystercatcher (4) Cuckoo (1) Cetti`s Warbler (1) and Lapwing (1).I added Sedge Warbler to the annual list (76).

Tuesday 8 May 2012

May 8th.

Water vole
I met Greenie at New Hythe this morning and he kindly showed me a young Water vole he was busy taken photo`s of.Water voles had a rough time a few years ago at New Hythe with pollution,so it was nice to see a young one.
Robin
A rare sight in our Garden,a Blackbird with a youngster.The first for a least ten years,we have a serious problem with cats.A Robin collecting food,is also just as rare.
Blackbird,with youngster

Monday 7 May 2012

May 7th (Holborough marsh)

Kestral
I completed my second Holborough Nightingale survey early this morning,it was nice to feel the warmth of the sun again,although it didn`t last for long.I found four singing birds and added Swift,Lesser Whitethroat,Red-legged Partridge (2) and Swallow to the Holborough annual list,which now stands at (75).I also noted,Cuckoo (1) Kestral (1) Lapwing (1) Greylag (2),Lesser Whitethroat (2) Shelduck (2) and Little Grebe (1).
Kestral

Wednesday 2 May 2012

May 2nd (New Hythe)

Common Wheatears

There was a touch of PAST TIMES in the east scrub this morning, (4) Wheatears,(2) male and (2) female.Although Wheatears were regular passage birds in the early years,it was still rare to see more than 1-2.on any one day.

Two Cuckoo also flew through and at the same time I could hear another bird calling over in the Abbey Meads area

While I was in the east scrub I re-trapped a Nightingale that I had ringed in the west scrub as a (5) (hatched during 2007) on the 23-04-2008.

Seeing as there was low cloud and a NE wind,before I went home I looked in on Brookland lake to see what was about.I saw flying low over the water at least (100) Swallows (50) House Martin and (30) Swifts,(1) Common Tern was also present

Yesterday I saw (1) Wheatear on the edge of the Ham Hill Golf Course (Snodland).