Dave Brown

[dave brown]

What a great week for our urban garden moth trap. Not big numbers of moths but two new species for the garden, and both a very welcome but surprising addition. The first was Festoon trapped on Monday night, but I needed to have checked first before mentioning this National Scarce B moth. Happy to say the record was confirmed. The second was Small Ranunculus trapped on Thursday night. A few years ago this was a major rarity, but there does appear to be a small influx the last couple of years. Considering the low number of species we have caught so far this season we are very pleased to see them.
The other garden highlight has been a Hummingbird Hawk Moth on the 29th and again (or another) on the 1st July.

THURSDAY 30 JUNE 2011.
A visit to Stodmarsh proved very disappointing for Butterflies and Dragonflies with only 2 Red Admirals, 10 Meadow Browns and 1 Large Skipper seen despite reasonable weather. We did however have good views of the Juvenile Night Heron as it feed below a tree on the other side of the lake. The day was saddened by the sight of hundreds of dead fish around the lake, presumably a result of the recent hot spell and an increase in the algae levels.

FRIDAY 1ST JULY 2011.
Another warm day meant a visit to Cliffe was in order to view the Butterflies and Dragonflies on offer. The dragonflies turned out to be the highlight with 4 SOUTHERN EMERALD damselflies found, the second year running for this new species at this location. Supported by 21 Scarce Emerald Damselflies, 35 Blue Tailed Damselflies, 9 Ruddy Darters and 2 Emperor Dragonflies. Butterflies seen were 7 Small Heaths, 22 Red Admirals and 38 Meadow Browns. None of the hoped for Painted Ladies or Wall Browns.

SATURDAY 2nd JULY 2011.
Today looked good for a local White Letter Hairstreak search around Warehorne and the Royal Military Canal. Despite several hours on site we failed to find any. We did find 3 Purple Hairstreaks in nearby Hamstreet Woods together with 1 White Admiral.
A drive around Romney Marsh to try and locate singing Tree Sparrows as part of a Survey found a group of 7 and 5. This same survey also turned up 74 Large Whites, 20 Meadow Browns, 7 Red Admirals and 2 Small Tortoiseshells.
Dungeness held 2 Sussex Emeralds, a much localised species. Anyone wishing to see this species in Britain really needs to call in at Dungeness Bird Observatory at the right time of the year (now) and ask if any have been trapped. They usually catch a number each year and keep one or two on view for visitors. Outside of a small area this species is never seen. A Wood Sandpiper was nearby on the ARC pit.

SUNDAY 3rd JULY 2011.
A return visit to Warehorne for White Letter Hairstreak was more successful with 2 on show, also 3 Ringlets, 10 Meadow Browns and a Comma. With 8 Emerald damselflies and 5 Red Eyed Damselflies in the adjacent canal and ditches.

[dave brown]

MONDAY 4TH & TUESDAY 5TH JULY 2011.
The garden moth trap was fairly quiet with a Dark Arches being the best of the limited bunch.

THURSDAY 7TH JULY 2011.
A visit to Stodmarsh proved uneventful with little to show except decent views of the long staying juvenile Night Heron and a Hobby hawking insects. Strangely butterflies were thin on the ground despite the reasonable weather. 15 Large Whites and a Red Admiral were all we could locate.
An evening phone call inviting us to a private moth trapping night in the Hamstreet area was too good an opportunity to miss so at 10.30 hours, and for the next two hours, we found ourselves looking at the following moths (not in any particular order),

Minor Shoulder Knot, Peach Blossom, Rosy Footman, Lobster Moth, Drinker, Buff Tip, July High-flyer, Common & Satin Lutestring, Poplar Grey, Figure of Eighty, Marbled White Spot, Red Twinspot Carpet, Leopard Moth, Nut Tree Tussoch, Large Emerald, Peppered Moth, Mottled Beauty, Black Arches, Lackey, Lunar Spotted Pinion, Elephant Hawkmoth, Clouded Bordered Brindle, Common Footman and a few other common species.

Nothing spectacular, but very nice to catch up with the very impressive Elephant Hawkmoth.

FRIDAY 8TH JULY 2011.

Last nights moth trapping had alerted us to a rare moth trapped that day near Lydd. Today found us looking at the fast declining Dotted Rustic supported by a Copper Underwing before release. Apparently the Dotted Rustic is now so scarce in Kent that it attracted quite a few admirers.

SATURDAY 9TH JULY 2011.
At last today looked like a butterfly day so we visited the Chilham area, but numbers seem well down. We did see 5 Ringlets, 2 Large Skippers, 9 Meadow Browns and 20 Large Whites. Probably best of all though was a purring Turtle Dove. What has happened to this species this year? We have only seen 5 all year when we used to see at least 5 a day. This species needs an urgent action plan of recovery.
Next was Oare Marshes where strangely enough we saw our second purring Turtle Dove of the day. The only butterflies were Large Whites and dragonflies were represented by 2 Black Tailed Skimmers and 4 Ruddy Darters.

SUNDAY 10TH JULY 2011.
Today the sun encouraged us to visit Wye Downs where we managed to see 25 Marbled Whites, 15 Ringlets, 28 Meadow Browns, 3 Gatekeepers, 10 Large Whites and a Red Admiral. Next was Stodmarsh where we had a brief view of a Hummingbird Hawkmoth in the car park.
We then called in at Chislet Marshes where we saw 2 Gatekeepers, 4 Small Skippers, 2 Red Admirals, Comma and 40 Large Whites. A search of the ditches provided a Small Red Eyed Damselfly, 65 Red Eyed Damselflies, 5 Emperor Dragonflies and 2 Black Tailed Skimmers.
We ended the day at East Blean Woods were there was still two very faded Heath Fritillaries on the wing, together with 2 White Admirals and 15 Ringlets.

Another most enjoyable week of wildlife.

Dave

[Gibster]

Hi Dave,

I spent some 6 hours at Cliffe Pools last week, most of them checking dykes and ditches for Southern Emeralds. Glad to see you skored where I crashed! Smart individual in your pic, definitely didn't see any like that.

Cheers,

Gibster.

[dave brown]

Sorry we are a little behind with our wildlife notes but we have been very busy of late. It does seem that the weather conspires against us whenever we can get out into the field. We seemed to have missed so much this year, especially as many species seem so early. Hopefully there is still a good selection of goodies to look forward to.

THURSDAY 14TH JULY 2011.
Today was sunny, but windy, and unlikely to produce good numbers of butterflies. We decided to try our luck at Elmley RSPB reserve. If it turned out good we could also visit the Dainty Damselfly site on the way home. However it remained with a cool wind all day so we restricted our day to Elmley.
Seen,
Small Skipper, Meadow Brown, Large White, Peacock, Hummingbird Hawkmoth, 35 Blue Tailed Damselflies, Southern Hawker, Hobby, 4 Little Egrets, 3 Marsh Harriers, Avocet and 2 Hares.

FRIDAY 15TH JULY 2011.
After many disappointing days of poor butterfly weather today was looking good, it seemed a good idea to visit Beckley Wood in East Sussex where with luck the Silver washed Fritillary would be on the wing. So it proved with 16 noted along various rides. However, only 1 White Admiral was seen, when normally they are more numerous than the Silver Washed.
Also noted,
Purple Hairstreak, Large Skipper, Peacock, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Large White, Southern Hawker, Brown Hawker, Ruddy Darter and Common Buzzard.

SUNDAY 17TH JULY 2011.
Today we visited the reliable location of Dungeness. There is always something to see or do and today was no exception.
We explored both the RSPB and the Bird Observatory area. Despite a mix of poor weather and sunny spells we still managed a few interesting records.
A Painted Lady and Great White Egret along the Dengemarsh Road was a good start. Other goodies seen during the day were,
Large Skipper, Brown Argus, Small Skipper, Meadow Brown, Peacock, Red Admiral, Wood Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, 3 Little Gulls, 3 Little Egrets, 200 plus Sand Martins, 300 plus Swifts.
A good selection of moths was on view including Privet Hawkmoth, Shore Wainscott, Dusky Sallow, Bordered Straw and Bordered Sallow.

Another most enjoyable week.

Dave

[dave brown]

THURSDAY 21ST JULY 2011.
A visit to Beckley Woods (East Sussex) to look for Silver Washed Fritillaries proved fruitless in poor weather conditions. All we had to show for a one hour visit was 2 Red Admirals and several Meadow Browns. We called in at Dungeness on the way home to see a fantastic Elephant Hawk moth, Rosy Footman and Pale Grass Eggar in the moth trap.

FRIDAY 22 JULY 2011.
A visit to a local wood near Chilham in reasonable conditions produced a White Admiral, 3 Large Skippers, 4 Speckled Woods, 3 Commas, 2 Bed Admirals and large numbers of Meadow Browns and Large Whites.

SATURDAY 23 JULY 2011.
Not really a day for butterflies so a few hours birding at Dungeness produced a Juvenile PECTORAL SANDPIPER on the ARC pit supported by 5 Common Sandpipers, 4 Little Egrets, 4 Little Ringed Plovers, 3 Little Gulls, 5 Marsh Harriers, 3 Common Buzzards and a Hobby.

SUNDAY 24 JULY 2011.
The weather gave hope for some butterflies today so we did a tour of several sites. First we visited Elmley RSPB where a Barn Owl, Greenshank, Common Sandpiper, 3 Marsh Harriers, 4 Little Egrets, 2 Emerald Damselflies, 2 Common Blue Butterflies, 2 Small Skippers, 20 Meadow Browns, 12 Large Whites, 15 Gatekeepers, Red Admiral and a Peacock were on show.
Next we called in at the Dainty Damselfly site but we failed to locate any. However, it was quite good for butterflies with 2 Small Coppers, 5 Small Skippers, 15 Common Blues, 1 Brown Argus, 40 Large Whites, 100 plus Gatekeepers and 50 plus Meadow Browns. Here in Kent the Gatekeeper seems to be having a very successful season with large numbers everywhere, on the other hand Small/ Essex Skippers are appearing in very low numbers.
Finally we called in at Wye NNR to look for Chalkhill Blues. We only saw 8 instead of the usual hundreds. What is going on with this species? We will check in another week or so juts in case it is just a late emergence but it is worrying. We did see a Brimstone, 2 Small Heaths, Common Blue, Brown Argus and the usual big numbers of Gatekeepers, Meadow Browns and Large Whites.

THURSDAY 28 JULY 2011.
We had just arrived at Dungeness when we received a message that a BEDSTRAW HAWK MOTH had been trapped overnight on the RSPB. Moths trapped there are not always on public display, not because they do not wish to show them, but because of the time constraints of their staff at a busy time of the year. With this in mind we carried on to look for dragonflies and butterflies around the area. We managed to catch up with one of the LESSER EMPEROR dragonflies on the Long Pits (3 have been seen some days), supported by 38 Small Red Eyed Damselflies, 3 Common Blue butterflies and the usual Gatekeepers. Arriving back at the Observatory we were pleasantly surprised to find that the Bedstraw Hawk moth was on show for about one hour whilst a really friendly member of the RSPB team had a break. He was also making arrangements to show it the following day. A small crowd of us enjoyed the opportunity and are grateful for his efforts for giving up his free time. Other good moths on show were Scarce Chocolate Tip and Toadflax Brocade.

Another most enjoyable week, if only the weather would improve and become a real summer.

Dave

[Lee Hurrell]

Hi Dave,

Not sure if you caught it, but there was a small (repeated, from the Wild Places series with Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury I think) feature on Dungeness on Country Tracks from Sunday morning.

Here's the iplayer link, the bit on Dungeness starts at around 5mins 50 secs.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0 ... acks_Kent/

Cheers

Lee

[dave brown]

Thank you to Lee for the link to the programme featuring Dungeness. I enjoyed the brief article, (but would have preferred Julia to have been there). Owen (the medicinal leech man) is a really nice guy who helps anyone asking wildlife questions (but again I am sure he would have preferred Julia to Mark).

SATURDAY 30TH JULY 2011.
Back to Dungeness to try and photograph any of the three Lesser Emperor Dragonflies being seen. We were totally out of luck despite the weather appearing suitable. In fact dragonfly and butterfly numbers seemed well down. Species seen were Emperor Dragonfly, Brown Hawker, Migrant Hawker, Ruddy Darter, a single Small Copper, 2 Common Blues, 4 Red Admirals, many Gatekeepers and Large Whites.
Stopping at a site near Old Romney to check for damselflies we found 11 Small Tortoiseshells and 4 Essex Skippers feeding on or around thistles.

SUNDAY 31ST JULY 2011.
A visit of one hour to a known Honey Buzzard site somewhere in Kent failed to locate any so we moved on to a site of Broad Leaved Helleborine near Faversham. Here we found 200 plus, or at least what remained of them. Them pesky Fallow Deer had decided to bit off the heads of most plants so only a few are likely to flower this year. This is the second year running that this has occurred and will probably get worse as numbers of deer increase unless something is done to control them. How long this colony of scarce Kent orchids can survive is open to debate, but the deer are starting to clear the ground flora of several woods in the area.

WEDNESDAY 03 AUGUST 2011.
With predicated temperatures of 28 degrees here in Kent we thought that a visit to Cliffe Marshes was in order to look for any Southern Migrant Hawkers (a pair had been seen briefly ovipositing last year). Cliffe can also be good for butterflies so it looked like a good move. However, it proved rather disappointing with very few dragonflies and lower than expected numbers of butterflies. No sign of any Southern Migrant or Migrant Hawkers. Also no Emperor Dragonflies or Skimmers of any species were noted. 7 Scarce Emerald Damselflies were still on show along with 10 Blue Tailed Damselflies. 35 Common/ Ruddy Darters were present (mainly Ruddy), Butterflies included 21 Small Heaths, 40 plus Gatekeepers, 10 Meadow Browns, 6 Red Admirals and just 1 Common Blue.
Birds included Wood Sandpiper, 3 Ruff, 2 Greenshanks, 6 Green Sandpipers, 1 Common Sandpiper, 200 plus Avocets, Hobby and 2 Marsh Harriers.
The weather was fantastic and made the visit even more enjoyable. A few more days like this and there is a danger of a sun tan.

Dave

[dave brown]

We are sure that we are not alone in thinking that summer has been almost non existent at times. A few warm days are immediately followed by cold wet or cool windy days, not very agreeable for insect activity. Before we know it the peak insect period will be over and we only have our photographs to remind us of what could have been. High petrol prices have been another factor in the equation and have certainly meant we have restricted some of our more ambitious journeys. Scotch Argus for instance will have to wait for another year.

Now to the good stuff,
FRIDAY 5TH AUGUST 2011.
Despite the weather and reduced moth numbers two very good moths were on view at Dungeness. The first was DARK CRIMSON UNDERWING and the other was Langman’s Yellow Underwing. The cool winds meant that we struggled to find any butterflies or dragonflies and the only decent birds were the long staying Great White Egret and a Hobby. We did spend nearly two hours looking for a reported Cattle Egret seen flying over the ARC Car Park but without luck.

SATURDAY 6TH AUGUST 2011.
A visit to Pett Level to look for early returning migrants met with limited success with 6 Sandwich Terns and 2 Bar Tailed Godwits on the pools. We did stumble on a Scalloped Hook Tip moth on a brick wall, but an early return home was in order.

FRIDAY 12TH AUGUST 2011.
The wind was really strong today so a sea watch at Dungeness looked inviting. There was a steady movement of Common Terns (110 plus), 12 Gannets, a few Kittiwakes but best of all was a Balearic Shearwater and 2 Artic Skua’s harassing the migrating terns. A few Green Sandpipers on the ARC pit were a sure sign that autumn migrating is well underway.

SATURDAY 13TH AUGUST 2011.
Today looked more promising with periods of quite warm sunshine. We decided to walk around Stodmarsh nature reserve. It was immediately obvious that many Chiffchaffs were present with at least 40 counted. Butterflies included 4 Speckled Woods, many Large Whites together with a few Gatekeepers, Meadow Browns and Red Admirals. A look at last years WILLOW EMERALD Damselfly site near Little Grays Farm (Marshside) found at least 6 on the hedgerow next to the roadside ditch. Surprising very few other dragonflies were on the wing with only Ruddy Darter and Migrant Hawker seen. Probably best of all was a sighting of the Red Arrows doing a display over/ near Manston Airport. How do they get so close without actual contact. A really impressive end to a quite enjoyable day.

Dave

[ChrisC]

i think i'm becoming a lazy birder, just enjoying reading your reports now Dave . and yes it does have a rather autumnal feel.

Chris

[dave brown]

SUNDAY 14TH AUGUST 2011.
One look out of the window today told us it was a day for butterflies and not a day to visit Dungeness. Could we be wrong?
The nearest decent butterfly spot to us is Wye Downs, so 30 minutes late we walked the lower part of the Downs noting Chalkhill Blues on the wing. This was much better than on our last visit and a final total of 56 was pleasing, especially as they were supported by 8 Common Blues, a late Marbled White, 18 Gatekeepers, 15 Meadows and a number of Red Admirals and Peacocks. We also noted 6 Migrant Hawkers which have been in low numbers so far this year.
Next stop was a wood near Chilham where 2 Speckled Woods, 12 Gatekeepers and 20 plus Meadow Browns were on the wing. 9 Migrant Hawkers were hawking insects over one particular small clearing.
Next stop was an undisclosed site in East Kent for Honey Buzzard. For our third visit running we failed to see any, despite a wait of nearly two hours.
Despite our earlier optimism as the day wore on the butterflies were becoming more difficult to locate, so it was home for a cup of team. That always seems to do the trick, no sooner had we unpacked than it was time to pack again. A message had informed us of a just found White Rumped Sandpiper at Dungeness. 45 Minutes later we were sitting in a fairly packed Hanson Hide on the ARC pit looking at an Adult White Rumped Sandpiper. Unfortunately the bird would not come close enough for me to photograph but it was still very enjoyable. A number of people visiting the nearby RSPB Birdfair were able to catch up with this bird, and for some it was the rarest bird they had seen. It’s always pleasing to see people new to birding experience the sighting of their first rare bird. For some that will be the sighting that hooks for them life. The more people we have interested in wildlife the more protection species will get.

FRIDAY 19TH AUGUST 2011.
A visit to Elmley RSPB was a mixed bag with few species of butterflies. Lots of Large Whites but not much else. Very few Dragonflies as well was very unusual for this time of the year. We are not really sure what to make of this year and its affect on butterflies and dragonflies. Maybe we have just been spoilt by recent very good years, but numbers at some locations are very low. Still, we will keep looking and hopefully there is more to come as autumn approaches.
Birds seen included Hobby, 3 Common Buzzards, 5 Marsh Harriers, 8 Green Sandpipers, 9 Little Egrets and good numbers of returning Yellow Wagtails.


Dave

[dave brown]

SUNDAY 21ST AUGUST 2011.
Today we visited Chislet Marsh to see if last years Willow Emerald Damselflies had consolidated their appearance in Kent. They had, although numbers were not great. We found 4 alongside the road at Little Gray’s Farm, including a mating pair. Also present were 3 Small Red Eyed Damselflies, 3 Ruddy Darters, a Brown Hawker and 3 Common Buzzards. Butterflies were few with just Large and Small Whites with a few Gatekeepers.
We decided to extend our search for Willow Emeralds and it was pleasing to find 2 more alongside a road ditch along Chitty Lane, over a mile to the South East of Little Gray’s Farm. This new site is only some 2 miles from the big Nature Reserve of Grove Ferry so hopefully it is only a matter of time before they are found there.
With the sun warming up it was time for a visit to Lydden Nature Reserve to see Silver Spotted Skippers. We were not disappointed. We found a total of 24 spread over the first three fields. Also present were 30 plus Adonis Blues, 12 Chalkhill Blues, 75 plus Meadow Browns, 10 Common Blues, a few Gatekeepers, a Red Admiral and a late Marbled White. Flowers included 15 Autumn Ladies Tresses and 2 Autumn Gentian.
The ground is still very dry despite the recent rain and this may be the reason for reduced numbers of the Tresses.
On leaving we had only driven about a mile when a Honey Buzzard flew over (14.30 hours) heading south. Presumably on its return migration.
A most enjoyable day.
SATURDAY 27TH AUGUST 2011.
A visit to Dungeness did not look too promising in quiet windy conditions but in the end it was good. We started with a Common Buzzard over the ARC pit and 2 Black Terns on the pit. 3 Hobby’s were in the general area, the 2nd year Glaucous Gull remains at the fishing boats. 2 Ravens were along Dengemarsh Road. A tip off from the Observatory Warden saw us looking at a fine JERSEY TIGER MOTH in a bush on the RSPB reserve. This is a very rare moth in Kent with its mainland stronghold in the Dorset costal area, and of course very common on the Channel Islands. Presumably this was wind assisted migrant from the later location.
Elsewhere on the reserve we found a Small Heath, 2 Red Admirals and good numbers of Small and Large Whites. Birds included 3 Marsh Harriers and 3 Little Egrets.
In the evening we were surprised to find another Hummingbird Hawkmoth in our garden.
SUNDAY 28TH AUGUST 2011.
Another visit to Wye Downs produced 37 Chalkhill Blues, 2 Adonis Blues, 8 Small Heaths, 9 Meadow Browns, a Gatekeeper and large numbers of Small and Large Whites, 2 Treble Bar Moths and 4 Common Buzzards.
An afternoon visit near to Dungeness produced a Light Phase Pomarine Skua and 5 Artic Skuas, together with 200 plus terns probably all Common, and 85 Gannets. 27 Yellow Wagtails is a sure sign of returning migration.

Another very good period of wildlife watching. Just a pity that insects are becoming harder to find as the weather cools.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Dave I am very jealous about the Glaucous Gull, I have tried to catch up with this species for many years but I always just miss it, or family binds mean that I can't get to where it's at Blooming bogey birds

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[dave brown]

During this last period here in Kent we have had the best couple of day’s weather for some weeks. Unfortunately we were unable to take advantage of this and therefore a good period of butterfly watching was lost. Still it did give one interesting garden record so all was not wasted.

MONDAY 29TH AUGUST 2011.
Trying to avoid the chaos, otherwise known as Bank Holiday Monday, we drove around the Chislet Marsh area. We could see all the traffic heading for Reculver, Herne Bay and Thanet, and the fact that the car park at Grove Ferry was full and overflowing, seemed to justify our choice. There were many Large & Small Whites together with a few Meadow Browns and Red Admirals, but only one Gatekeeper.
It was pleasing to find 5 Willow Emerald Damselflies, Southern Hawker, Migrant Hawker, Blue Tailed Damselfly and Ruddy Darter. There was a movement of Swallows going on with at least 75 seen. Raptors seen were 6 Common Buzzards, Sparrowhawk and Hobby.

THURSDAY 01ST SEPTEMBER 2011.
After a day of very hot sunshine and little wind we were pleasantly surprised to be visited by 2 Hummingbird Hawkmoths together around 18.30 hrs for 10 minutes. Try as I might we could not get an acceptable photo to place on the blog. This is our first visit of two together and goes to show the potential of gardens even in an urban area.

SATURDAY 03RD SEPTEMBER 2011.
Guess where we went. Well to be honest the weather was not as good as the previous 2 days and a report of the Cattle Egret on the RSPB reserve meant it had to be Dungeness. A bonus would hopefully be a sighting of a Beautiful Marbled moth trapped earlier in the week. We saw the Cattle Egret within 20 minutes of our arrival as it was disturbed by a hunting Marsh Harrier. A Hobby and Common Buzzard flew around the same area. Next was the Observatory where our luck was in and the Beautiful Marbled was still on show. What a beauty, hence its name, and a British rarity. First recorded in Britain only 10 years ago there have has been a few records since, but I believe this was the first for Kent. Equally attractive was a Feathered Gothic trapped the previous night. A Painted Lady on the ARC pit was one of a few Butterflies seen. Birds seen included 185 Knot on ARC pit and an early Pintail.

SUNDAY 04TH SEPTEMBER 2011.
The weather started off reasonable but deteriorated quickly. We spent some time looking for the reported Corncrake along Dengemarsh Road (Dungeness). As expected it proved impossible to see in its chosen Barley field so a number of Dungeness regulars remained disappointed at this Kent mega. The Glaucous Gull was on show at the Fishing Boat roost and attracted a large group of visiting birders (sorry Wurzel). Apart from many passing Gannets and Common Terns it was otherwise quiet. There was no chance of any butterflies with heavy falling rain.

We look forward to better weather.
Dave

[dave brown]

SATURDAY 10 SEPTEMBER 2011.

Today started off with an Old Lady (moth) trapped overnight in our garden trap. An impressive moth by any standard.
Feeling that this could be a good day we headed to Dungeness where the CATTLE EGRET was showing distantly along the RSPB track. 2 late Swifts, with many Swallows and Sand Martins were flying around the pits. A Gargeney, 3 Curlew Sandpipers and a Black Tern added to the autumn migration feel. The sun, or rather lack of, restricted butterfly sightings to 4 Red Admirals and a Small Tortoiseshell. Dragonflies fared little better with only 4 Migrant Hawkers and a Brown Hawker seen.

SUNDAY 11 SEPTEMBER 2011.

Following up a sighting of an Osprey seen the previous day today we visited Emley RSPB. Unfortunately no sign today and little else. 8 Large Whites flew around the car park area, together with 14 Migrant Hawkers. A Common Buzzard, Marsh Harrier, Hobby, 6 Yellow Wagtails and a few hundred Swallows and Sand Martins were the bird interest.
We decided to call in at Oare Marsh on the way home to see if the Osprey had drifted further east. Alas no, but a Little Stint and Curlew Sandpiper added interest. At least 20 Large Whites were on the wing but little else.

TUESDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2011.
One of the Hummingbird Hawkmoth’s visited the garden again in the late afternoon.

A message from a birding friend at Hamstreet saw us looking at a Marsh Mallow moth he had trapped overnight in his garden. This is a Red Data species and only known from two locations in Britain, both in Kent. The first is Romney Marsh and the second the River Medway near Maidstone. Romney Marsh is a large area so I suspect that it may be more numerous than currently known. Based on current knowledge this was a goodie and we are grateful for the chance to see this rare moth.

WEDNESDAY 14 SEPTEMBER 2011.

The lure of a twitchable LONG TAILED SKUA was too much and early evening saw us on the beach at Dungeness looking at the bird, which we believe was a second summer, based on plumage details. The attached photo was the best we could manage in the windy conditions. The bird was keeping low trying to stay out of the wind so its underside was not visible, but in flight some white with barring on the body bird was seen. A quick call in at the ARC pit as we headed home found a Juvenile Little Gull, 3 Black Terns and a Artic Tern. 75 Sand Martins were hawking the insects low over the water.

A really good period of wildlife watching, although it does appear that the Butterfly season is all but over.

Dave

[dave brown]

Like everywhere else at the moment the weather in Kent has been a mixed bag. On suitable days the Hummingbird Hawkmoth has become a regular visitor to our garden. Some days have seen 3 visits, but I just have not been able to obtain a decent photo. It never stays still long enough for me to get a reasonable focus. Never mind, just to see this moth is a joy as it hovers over the flowers.

SATURDAY 17TH SEPTEMBER 2011.
Today was definitely not a day for insect activity. Indeed the rain was so hard at times it was not a day for any activity, including human. And then there are the wind surfers, out in force on the sea at Minnis Bay. You have to admire their dedication as the rain fell like a monsoon. Bird wise the sea was very quiet, but between showers a large movement of Swallows was taking place. Strangely they were all heading west, which is inland towards London. I suspect that they were from the North Continent area, crossing through Britain via inland to leave us at Devon and Cornwall for Spain or Portugal. I am not an expert on migration, but 2000 Swallows, 500 House Martins and a few Sand Martins in less than 2 hours suggest that this was more than just a local movement. This figure was only those that we counted close to us as they were moving on a broad front, including many at sea. We probably only counted a quarter of those passing. Impressive to watch, whatever the movement reason.
Little else of note was seen during the day, but did include a Hobby near Reculver and a Spotted Redshank at Oare Marsh and a Grey Seal on the sea at Minnis Bay.

SUNDAY 18TH SEPTEMBER 2011.
Despite the poor weather forecast it was actually fairly decent when we arrived at Dungeness. We saw 3 Common Buzzards just outside Lydd before a message sent us heading towards the RSPB Reserve. Ten minutes later we were sitting in Firth Hide watching a PECTORAL SANDPIPER, our second of the autumn at Dungeness. This bird was well marked and gave reasonable views to its many admirers. Other birds seen included a Little Ringed Plover, Greenshank, 4 Marsh Harriers, 2 Sparrow hawks and 30 Sand Martins. The Long Tailed Skua and Cattle Egret of recent days seem to have disappeared. The sun failed to encourage insects to fly and only 1 Small Heath, 1 Peacock and 5 Large Whites were noted. At least 4 Cetti’s Warblers were singing a sort of autumn sub song and the bushes contained a minimum of 20 Chiffchaffs. Not a bad day in the end.

Dave

[dave brown]

A fairly quiet week for us due to work and decorating duties. The nights have been fairly cool so we decided not to put the moth trap out on any night.
Friday 23rd September 2011.
The pattern of the day was interupted by news of a Juvenile ROSE COLOURED STARLING at Dungeness, so tea time found us watching a mobile bird that could be surprising difficult to locate on the ground as it walked around in the long grass, despite its very light colour. It seemed to prefer the safety of a large group of common starlings and moved around between the Little Railway Station and the new Lighthouse. Juveniles are not the most attractive birds to see, but it had made the effort to reach Dungeness, so we made the effort to see it. There was little else of interest, just a few Swallows moving South. Moths on show included a very attractive Lunar Uunderwing, Autumnal Rustic, Sallow and a Feathered Brindle. The later is classified as National Scarce B but it is reasonably regular around the South/ East Kent Coast.
Saturday 24 September 2011.
With temperatures predicated to be in the low twenties we thought a check of the Reculver area for any migrating Clouded Yellows was in order. However, little was happening. 5 Red Admirals, 2 Speckled Woods, Peacock, a few Large Whites and a worn Green Veined White was all we could muster. Nearby, Chislet Marsh still had at least one Willow Emerald Damselfly and 3 Ruddy Darters. It was more a day to enjoy the warmth of the sunshine rather than see what was flying.

Dave

[dave brown]

A DOUBLE DIP DAY AND NO GOOD BUTTERFLIES.
That’s not quite true as we did see a Small Copper, along with 8 Red Admirals, Peacock and a dozen Large Whites. So what was our double dip?
Saturday evening at 18.00 hours we had a call from a friend birding at Cliffe, he and another gentleman just had a Juvenile Pallid Harrier fly past them and it was still on view. I don’t think even Stirling Moss could have got there from our home before dark fell so it had to be a trip the next day. We knew it had been seen leaving its roost area so we arrived at Cliffe Sunday mid morning hoping that it would still be in the area. Unfortunately not, although it had been seen further east so we did a tour of the area but to no avail. During the course of the morning a well known birder had continued to search Cliffe Marsh RSPB and found a Juvenile Semi-Palmated Sandpiper. Although a fairly regular visitor to Britain from American it is a real rarity for Kent and most of Kent’s current birders who County list need this so it attracted a lot of attention. Being that we was only a few miles away we joined the growing crowd to look at the area it had flown into along with a large group of other waders. Due to the vegetation it was not immediately obvious and worst was to follow. Two people out walking were off the approved Nature Reserve footpaths and walked right past the spot where all the waders were roosting, so it was no surprise when all took flight with most heading off over the sea wall. Despite many eyes watching no one could pick out the bird for certain, so we all saw it but we didn’t if you know what I mean. No one present at the time could count it apart from the original finders who saw it in the open. That’s life, and it was still a good day in nice weather.
Sightings included 6 Greenshank, 2 Little Stints, 300 Avocets, Spotted Redshank, 75 Grey Plover, 8 Little Egrets, Marsh Harrier, 6 Migrant Hawkers and 3 Common Darters.
Dave
PS The Pallid Harrier returned to Cliffe late yesterday after not being seen for 24 hours, so all is not lost. Another visit may need to be planned.

[dave brown]

WEDNESDAY 28TH SEPTEMBER 2011.
The Hummingbird Hawkmoth visited the garden several times during the day, but as ever it was very mobile.

THURSDAY 29TH SEPTEMBER 2011.
We paid a visit to Wye Downs even though it was late in the season. Its so dry that very few plants are in flower, and even less butterflies on the wing. We had hoped for a few late blues but we only managed one Common Blue, 2 Speckled Woods and 8 Red Admirals. The weather was hot so anything that had survived should have been on the wing, so we assume that is almost it for this year. 4 Migrant Hawkers added a bit of interest, as did a Common Buzzard.

SATURDAY 01st OCTOBER 2011.
We set out with the intention of visiting the Isle of Sheppy to look for any sign of the Cliffe Pallid Harrier, last seen on Tuesday, drifting East. Sheepy is a good place for raptors so younever know. A phone call made sure that we started at Elmley RSPB reserve, where a Juvenile BUFF BREASTED SANDPIPER was showing from KIngshill Farm. It was too distant for photos but showed to its admirers, often associating with a flock of Starlings.
Raptors had decided it was too hot to fly as temperatures rose to 29 degrees. We can't remember a October day like this but we are not complaining for the hot sun appears to have been in short supply this year. 8 Migrant Hawkers, 24 Large Whites and 3 Red Admiarls were noted.
Nearby at Funton Creek 4 Greenshanks and a Common Buzzard were visible along with a good range of common waders.
Dave

[dave brown]

A GOOD MOTH DAY FOLLOWED BY A MEGA BIRD DAY
Sunday 2nd October 2011 found us checking out the Dungeness area. There had been a small fall of migrants at Dengemarsh Gully. This included our first Firecrest of the autumn, a Whinchat, Redstart and 25 Chiffchaffs. We called in at the Obs where a splendid Mervelle du Jour moth was on view. A scarce and rather stunning moth for Kent. Also a Dusky Lemon Sallow and Blairs Shoulder Knot were the best of the rest. A Western Conifer Seed Bug had also been trapped. Butterflies were 5 Red Admirals, 1 Small Tortiseshell, 20 Large Whites. A Merlin flew near the Lighthouse.
Just as we were leaving news broke of the Sandhill Crane being reallocated at Boyton in Suffolk. It was too much for some and a stream of birders set off for this lifetime opportunity to catch up with this mega bird from America.
Monday the 3rd October broke with the sun shining and the temperature rising. Better still, the Sandhill Crane was still present in the Boyton area. Now we no longer twitch birds like we used to, but this was too good an opportunity to miss, so at one o'clock we found ouselves looking at the Adult SANDHILL CRANE in its chosen field near the sea wall. It was too far for a photo but what a great bird in a lovelly location. Right next to where we were standing with our telescopes at least 3 Willow Emerald Damselflies were chasing each other. Apparently they had been seen egg laying earlier. Also seen 20 Avocets were flying near the sea wall, 3 Migrant Hawkers, 4 Common Darters and 2 Speckled Woods. A small local BBC film crew were present to film the crane and interview the local Vicar (the collection is in aid of the Church). What a good day in a lovelly setting and with a group of well behaved people who all appreciated the day out.
Dave

[Lee Hurrell]

The Merveille du Jour is a stunning moth isn't it! Quite literally, the Wonder of the Day.

I remember seeing my first, late one autumn evening at a light outside the recently built new library in Sevenoaks, Kent. This must have been in the late 80's and remains the only one I have seen to this day.

Cheers

Lee