Two weeks ago , I thought the BH season was coming to an end . But in that two weeks I personally have had an additional 8 sightings ( 3 today ) at the Jackass Lane bridleway , Eric , one of the egg collectors , had 2 sightings on the bridleway along with another some 2 miles away towards Coney Hall .
I have also had an email from Cliff who lives close to Hayes Common , stating that he had a male in his back garden on the 24th. August . This is the first positive male sighting in Kent to my knowledge .
The Spring Park site is still puzzling to say the least . After exceeding Jackass Lane on the egg counts last winter , a total of 6 sightings , 3 by myself , the original two by Phil and one by Eric , can only be described as ' headscratching ' and I've done plenty of that .
If this warm spell continues , sightings could continue all month.
The last sighting in 2019 was on 13th. September and and 5th.October in 2018 .
Brown Hairstreak back in Kent
Re: Brown Hairstreak back in Kent
Well , I think it's safe to say that the Brown Hairstreak season in Kent is now over . A singleton on the 20th.September for me and 2 on the 22nd. for myself and Keith , brought the curtain down .
In all , there were 40 sightings that I am aware of , but there could well be more that I don't know about .
Jackass Lane bridleway was again the outstanding site , clocking up 32 sightings between 1st. August and the 22nd. September .
Spring Park , although returning a higher egg count last winter , only produced 6 sightings between 26th. July and 8th.September .
The male found by Cliff in his back garden on the 24th. August , remains the only male sighting in Kent , to my knowledge .
The single female found by Eric approximately half way between JL bridleway and Cliff's garden , shows that the species is still looking to expand in the area .
Once the leaves have fallen from the Blackthorn , egg searches will be made on known sites , as they were last year .
In all , there were 40 sightings that I am aware of , but there could well be more that I don't know about .
Jackass Lane bridleway was again the outstanding site , clocking up 32 sightings between 1st. August and the 22nd. September .
Spring Park , although returning a higher egg count last winter , only produced 6 sightings between 26th. July and 8th.September .
The male found by Cliff in his back garden on the 24th. August , remains the only male sighting in Kent , to my knowledge .
The single female found by Eric approximately half way between JL bridleway and Cliff's garden , shows that the species is still looking to expand in the area .
Once the leaves have fallen from the Blackthorn , egg searches will be made on known sites , as they were last year .
Re: Brown Hairstreak back in Kent
On Wednesday 11th.November , I spent another 3 hours on the Jackass Lane bridleway , removing probably hundreds more Ash seedling from the entire lenght and also checking to see if leaf fall on the blackthorn was complete , enabling an egg count to take place in the near future . On Friday 13th. we went to do the weekly shop and returned via Jackass Lane . Driving alongside the bridleway , things looked very open and different through the roadside hedge . Getting home , I returned on my bike to see what was different , and this is what I found .
The fieldside hedge had been flailed to waist height and back to main stems on either side . the roadside hedge ahd been flailed on the inside
and the bridleway itself had been flailed between the two hedges . Apart from the old main stems on both hedges , nearly all young blackthorn , that preferred by the female Brown Hairstreaks for egglaying had gone and with it any eggs layed this season .
I wasn't able to make contact with the landowner until the Saturday , but it was too late to do anything about the destruction . He tells me that he told the contractor to flail the outside of the field hedge , which would have been bad enough as there was good young growth there and females had used the area last season , but not to touch the inside of the bridleway .
This comes in the wake of similar destruction of blackthorn on the roadside verge section of Hutchinsons Bank reserve a couple of weeks ago ,
where a local group decided to 'tidy up ' a really productive large area of young plants without asking the managers .
What chance of seeing a Brown Hairstreak at either site next season ?
and the bridleway itself had been flailed between the two hedges . Apart from the old main stems on both hedges , nearly all young blackthorn , that preferred by the female Brown Hairstreaks for egglaying had gone and with it any eggs layed this season .
I wasn't able to make contact with the landowner until the Saturday , but it was too late to do anything about the destruction . He tells me that he told the contractor to flail the outside of the field hedge , which would have been bad enough as there was good young growth there and females had used the area last season , but not to touch the inside of the bridleway .
This comes in the wake of similar destruction of blackthorn on the roadside verge section of Hutchinsons Bank reserve a couple of weeks ago ,
where a local group decided to 'tidy up ' a really productive large area of young plants without asking the managers .
What chance of seeing a Brown Hairstreak at either site next season ?
Re: Brown Hairstreak back in Kent
Thats very sad to see Greenie ,and particularly after all your (and your teams !) endeavours for the last two winters, i
suppose theres a chance ,as you,ve mentioned ,that some may have dispersed ,and are lurking close by .The bushs to the right of your pic (If they contain some Blackthorn /Bullace ) ,still look reasonable and maybe some eggs were laid along that hedge line................. fingers crossed !!
Regards Allan.W.
suppose theres a chance ,as you,ve mentioned ,that some may have dispersed ,and are lurking close by .The bushs to the right of your pic (If they contain some Blackthorn /Bullace ) ,still look reasonable and maybe some eggs were laid along that hedge line................. fingers crossed !!
Regards Allan.W.
Re: Brown Hairstreak back in Kent
Yes we still have to save any eggs at Featherbed Lane Verge, luckily the cut blackthorn was not destroyed, it was dumped in the hedge, so eggs are intact but hard to recover. Brown Hairstreaks have continued to expand into Kent, and were found on the Holwood estate, 1km from Jackass Lane. It looks like the Spring Park site will be the best area in Kent at the moment, we still have had lots of eggs at Hutchinsons Bank, but will have to mark and count them in a few weeks time.
- BH Map Nov20.jpg (46.02 KiB) Viewed 980 times
Re: Brown Hairstreak back in Kent
The weekend after finding the destruction at the bridleway , Keith and myself met there to see if anything could be salvaged from the situation . Searching the detritis on the ground and the few blackthorn plants that survived the flail , we found 45 BH eggs . The few that were not in danger of damage were left in situ , and the remainder harvested and are now in my car port . At this moment in time , I can't decide what to do with them . If they are wired back in along the bridleway , who's to say that another ' mistake ' won't happen next year . An alternative would be to wire them into one of the satellite sites used a couple of years ago after a similar incident , but records from the 3 sites were very poor with just 6 adult sightings this year between them .
Over the last couple of weeks , I've been doing the egg count on the other ' naturally colonised ' site at Spring Park , West Wickham . Over the Summer there were 6 adult sightings that I know of , but the egg count on the main site was 69 and the road verge alongside the site produced another 35 , giving a total of 104 . On one of my visits I met the Ranger who told me that the annual flailing of 25% ( the 4 year old growth ) of the main blackthorn site was likely to be done in the near future , along with the whole of the roadside verge . The roadside verge eggs were harvested the next day and they too are in my carport , and will be wired into the 1 year old growth once the flail has done it's work .
The possibility is there to do the same with the bridleway eggs , but then all the eggs would be ' in one basket ' , and should anything untoward happen at Spring Park -
At least I have a couple of months to decide , any thoughts welcome .
Over the last couple of weeks , I've been doing the egg count on the other ' naturally colonised ' site at Spring Park , West Wickham . Over the Summer there were 6 adult sightings that I know of , but the egg count on the main site was 69 and the road verge alongside the site produced another 35 , giving a total of 104 . On one of my visits I met the Ranger who told me that the annual flailing of 25% ( the 4 year old growth ) of the main blackthorn site was likely to be done in the near future , along with the whole of the roadside verge . The roadside verge eggs were harvested the next day and they too are in my carport , and will be wired into the 1 year old growth once the flail has done it's work .
The possibility is there to do the same with the bridleway eggs , but then all the eggs would be ' in one basket ' , and should anything untoward happen at Spring Park -
At least I have a couple of months to decide , any thoughts welcome .
Re: Brown Hairstreak back in Kent
Well , a decision was made , and the 45 BH eggs from the destruction of the Jackass Lane bridleway were wired into a favourable stand of blackthorn at Jubilee Country Park , Petts Wood , in the London Borough of Bromley last Monday . I waited till the schools went back , hoping that fewer people would be about , and so it was . The site was chosen as BH eggs were found there by the transect walker Peter and also by fellow enthusiast Bob , during egg searches last Autumn . The site managers also know , so hopefully they will be safe and lie dormant for a couple of months before hatching .
The 35 BH eggs that were harvested late last year from the roadside verge at the Spring Park site and kept in my carport , were returned to the main blackthorn site during a mild spell in January . The females had laid their eggs on the area of 1 year old growth , so I wired the eggs into the same area . Late February , the flail was brought in to remove the oldest 25% of the main blackthorn site and to manage the roadside verge alongside the cycle track , one 3rd of the roadside hedge itself and the ground inside the whole of the hedge . A few eggs had to be removed as a precaution against flying debris and tractor wheels , but they have since been returned to the site . I went back the next day and the 2mtr. + high blackthorn trees had gone and apart from debris just a level area of ground . By the time the adult BHs emerge , the roots will have sent up young shoots , exactly what the females will choose to lay their eggs on . To my mind it's ideal management and the City of London Corporation should be congratulated on their part of encouraging the spead of Brown Hairstreaks back into Kent .
The 35 BH eggs that were harvested late last year from the roadside verge at the Spring Park site and kept in my carport , were returned to the main blackthorn site during a mild spell in January . The females had laid their eggs on the area of 1 year old growth , so I wired the eggs into the same area . Late February , the flail was brought in to remove the oldest 25% of the main blackthorn site and to manage the roadside verge alongside the cycle track , one 3rd of the roadside hedge itself and the ground inside the whole of the hedge . A few eggs had to be removed as a precaution against flying debris and tractor wheels , but they have since been returned to the site . I went back the next day and the 2mtr. + high blackthorn trees had gone and apart from debris just a level area of ground . By the time the adult BHs emerge , the roots will have sent up young shoots , exactly what the females will choose to lay their eggs on . To my mind it's ideal management and the City of London Corporation should be congratulated on their part of encouraging the spead of Brown Hairstreaks back into Kent .
Re: Brown Hairstreak back in Kent
Well , it was another up and down year for the Brown Hairstreak spread back into Kent .
Following the destruction of the vegetation on the Jackass Lane bridleway , and the unusual weather during the flight period , I only know of 4 sighting along it's length , but there were sightings along the Nash Circular Walk , part of which lies in the valley bottom below the bridleway , near Fortune Bank Farm , Nash Lane and on the bridleway through Rouse Farm . On the downside , the Blackthorn in these areas is very old and gnarled , not really ideal to encourage females to lay their eggs on . Further afield , there were adult sightings at Shortlands and Baston Road , Hayes Common . on the upside , three of the original sattelite sites , Fox Lane footpath , Down House and High Elms , all produced at least one adult sighting . As far as I am aware , there was a total 17 adult sightings amongst the sites mentioned above , but there could well have been others .
New sites for eggs were in the middle of Hayes Common and at Darrick Wood , Farnborough .
Spring Park in West Wickham proved dissapointing , producing just a single egg laying female .
The area of Blackthorn flialed last winter , has grown back so thick it is almost impossible to walk through it without damaging the young plants , so I decided not to do egg searches on the area , instead concentrating around the edges and on the outside and inside of the roadside layed hedge . These areas produced a total of 110 eggs . Hopefully the untouched area will hold a good number of eggs too . As both these areas will be flailed in the near future , I harvested the eggs found and they have been wired into the 75% of the main stand of Blackthorn that won't be flailed this year . The 4 year old growth area , the remaining 25% will be flailed this year in the ongoing 4 year cycle .
Finishing on another down , when I passed the Fox Lane footpath site around Christmas time , all vegetation had been cleared from the roadside frontage . Returning next day for a better look , I found a large excavator levelling the site entrance . I knew that a planning application had been made , but LB Bromley had refused it back in the summer . Apparently an appeal against the refusal was put in , which I believe is still being considered , but on my last visit , strong metal gates , padlocked shut , stood at the frontage .
What chance the BHs surviving ?
Following the destruction of the vegetation on the Jackass Lane bridleway , and the unusual weather during the flight period , I only know of 4 sighting along it's length , but there were sightings along the Nash Circular Walk , part of which lies in the valley bottom below the bridleway , near Fortune Bank Farm , Nash Lane and on the bridleway through Rouse Farm . On the downside , the Blackthorn in these areas is very old and gnarled , not really ideal to encourage females to lay their eggs on . Further afield , there were adult sightings at Shortlands and Baston Road , Hayes Common . on the upside , three of the original sattelite sites , Fox Lane footpath , Down House and High Elms , all produced at least one adult sighting . As far as I am aware , there was a total 17 adult sightings amongst the sites mentioned above , but there could well have been others .
New sites for eggs were in the middle of Hayes Common and at Darrick Wood , Farnborough .
Spring Park in West Wickham proved dissapointing , producing just a single egg laying female .
The area of Blackthorn flialed last winter , has grown back so thick it is almost impossible to walk through it without damaging the young plants , so I decided not to do egg searches on the area , instead concentrating around the edges and on the outside and inside of the roadside layed hedge . These areas produced a total of 110 eggs . Hopefully the untouched area will hold a good number of eggs too . As both these areas will be flailed in the near future , I harvested the eggs found and they have been wired into the 75% of the main stand of Blackthorn that won't be flailed this year . The 4 year old growth area , the remaining 25% will be flailed this year in the ongoing 4 year cycle .
Finishing on another down , when I passed the Fox Lane footpath site around Christmas time , all vegetation had been cleared from the roadside frontage . Returning next day for a better look , I found a large excavator levelling the site entrance . I knew that a planning application had been made , but LB Bromley had refused it back in the summer . Apparently an appeal against the refusal was put in , which I believe is still being considered , but on my last visit , strong metal gates , padlocked shut , stood at the frontage .
What chance the BHs surviving ?
Re: Brown Hairstreak back in Kent
The Bromley Kent Brown Hairstreak map March 2022 shows the spread of this species back into Kent.
-
Jack Harrison
- Posts: 4627
- Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2006 8:55 pm
- Location: Nairn, Highland
- Contact:
Re: Brown Hairstreak back in Kent
I have a parallel situation here on the Moray Firth. Access to what is possibly the best Small Blue site in Scotland has been barred off by a large gate "to allow free passage for quarry vehicles'". I have never seen a quarry vehicle there. Access is still possible via a very long walk, a distance that is beyond my capabilities as an 83 year old.on my last visit , strong metal gates , padlocked shut , stood at the frontage
Jack