Dave Brown

[dave brown]

FIVE A DAY KEEPS YOU SMILING AND HAPPY.
I am not refering to 5 portions of fruit and veg but rather the increasing numbers of GREAT WHITE EGRETS.
THURSDAY 15TH DECEMBER 2011.
We started the day at Hamstreet where the 2 long staying GREAT WHITE EGRETS were on show along the Military Canal adjacent to the road bridge by Wyevale garden centre. One was either side of the bridge together with 2 Little Egrets.
Next we visited the Hanson Hide on the ARC pit at Dungeness in the hope of seeing the wintering, but elusive Penduline Tit. We arrived at the hide to be told the bird had been showing and calling but was now gone, also a Bittern right in front of the hide 10 minutes before we arrived. Never mind we can't see them all. We did see however, along with the Obs warden, 2 GREAT WHITE EGRETS. They flew out of the reedbeds to the right of the hide and appeared to land back down somewhere there out of sight. Also present was 1 male and 3 female Goldeneye, the female Long Tailed Duck and a Kingfisher.
We have always suspect that there could be 3 Great White Egrets at Dungeness based on the sighting times and locations so we drove around to Dengemarsh and there was the regular GREAT WHITE EGRET. We believe that this confirms the presence of 3 birds in the area. Especially as another visitor confirmed that he had been watching the Dengemarsh Great White when we had seen the 2 over the ARC. So 3 at Dungeness and 2 at Hamstreet gives us our 5 a day.
What an incredible sight, and this must surely be on the list as the next bird to colonise from the continent.
We ended the day looking for Short Eared Owls along the coast at Littlestone but to no avail in an ever increasing wind strength.
We bumped into several good birding friends during the day who seemed like us to be enjoying what was on offer on a bright but cold day. Most enjoyable.
Dave.

[dave brown]

THE YEAR ENDS ON A INSECT HIGH AS SANTA BRINGS A NICE PRESENT.
A most unexpected, but very welcome, highlight was Britains 3rd record of BLACK SPOTTED CHESTNUT. It had been trapped yesterday at Sandwich and today saw us looking at this little marvel with only the finder and one other present. We guessed today there would be fewer people visiting following the other two records this autumn, when at least 20 people were present to see the first one being photographed and released when by one of those moments in folklore a 2nd was trapped, but no crowd on a Saturday seems very strange. Perhaps everyone had left their Christmas shopping to the last minute hoping for even bigger bargains.
So what was this rarity doing to be trapped on the 23rd December, an almost unheard of date for any moth, let alone a national goodie. Speculation was that a series of mild days, the 22nd was 14 degrees here in Kent, triggered this moth out of hibernation. Whatever the reason it is a good end to a very enjoyable year.
We found little else in the Sandwich and Dover area. Folkestone Copt Point gave us 24 Med Gulls, 16 Gullimots and several Gannets, but again little else.
We wish everyone a Happy Christmas and a good festive holiday.
Dave

[dave brown]

DECEMBER 25TH DECEMBER 2011
Sad I know, but today we managed a little birding on the way to visit relations for Christmas celebrations. We checked out the Chartham area following a report during the week of a another Great White Egret. We failed here, as we did when checking out last years Hawfinch site near Canterbury. In fact it was very quiet in the wood and probably reflected the mood of day. Most parents were probably exhausted and sitting back after the kids had been up since who knows when, the roads were certainly very quite.
TUESDAY 27th DECEMBER 2011.
With every one seemingly at the sales we thought it would be nice to visit Grove Ferry for a change. There was a few people there birding or walking, and it was a very pleasant walk in dull but dry weather. The Birds must have been hiding, but we did manage to connect with one of the two Glossy Ibis's that have been present a while. The one we saw was ringed on both legs but it was too distant to read the number. The conditions were very dull for another than a record photograph. A Cetti's warbler called nearby and 2 Water Pipits landed near the Glossy on the Water Meadow. Surprisingly we did not see any Marsh Harriers although a flock of 200 plus Lapwings were very mobile and clearly something was spooking them. A Whitefronted Goose fly over but there was little else to note.
A slow drive back home along the country roads to avoid the masses at Canterbury (reports of car parks being full).
Dave

[dave brown]

With the year end fast approaching we decided to visit a few more Kent sites to see if anything has changed birdwise, besides its better than going to the sales and joining the crowd.
WED 28TH DECEMBER 2011.
Good old Dungeness, but its much the same. The 2nd winter Glaucous Gull was still hanging around the fishing boats. 40 Auks were passing of which at least two were Razorbills. Other seabirds included 15 Gannets and 30 Kittiwakes. A male Peregrine scatterd all the gulls as it flew through. At least one Great White Egret remains on the ARC pit, along with a few Goldeneye. Walland Marsh produced 30 Bewick Swans but little else.
THURSDAY 29TH DECEMBER 2011.
A visit to Oare Marsh found all the usual waders but no sign of the Short Eared Owls. A Common Buzzard fed on a dead rabbit near the A2 and another was nearby.
SATURDAY 31ST DECEMBER 2011.
At last something new. A Green Winged Teal (the American version of our Teal) was showing at Grove Ferry from the viewing ramp. It had clearly arrived today as this is a well watched location with its band of regular and helpul watchers. Nearby 2 Glossy Ibis were showing well on the Water Meadows, including the white ringed bird. A Bittern flew over the reedbeds, 4 Cettis Warblers were calling and 2 Marsh Harriers flew over loking for something to eat.

In summary, this has been a very good year for us with many highlights. Butterfly wise the best was connecting with some very showey Chequered Skippers near Fort William. We hope that that coming year will be just as exciting as this.
Best wishes to everyone for a good and fulfilling New Year.
Dave

[dave brown]

JAN 1ST 2012
Happy New Year to everyone. I hope that we all have a good butterfly season.
It is a tradition amongst many birders that they spend the first day of the year birding, with many trying to see self imposed targets of 100 plus species. In the past we have done this ourselves, but this year we decided just to do casual birding and concentrate on the Isle of Sheppey. We started the day at Funton Creek with only one other birder present. The usual waders here with a large flock of Avocets and 2 Little Egrets. The first raptor spotted was a Common Buzzard rather than the expected Marsh Harrier, of which 2 soon appeared. Emley was next with another Common Buzzard, 3 Marsh Harriers but no sign of the White fronted Geese. Next was Capel Fleet where 2 Ring Tailed Hen Harriers enlivened the scene with several Marsh Harriers hunting. A flock of 15 Corn Buntings were sheltering from the wind. The sea at Leysdown was quiet but nearby at Muswell Manor a big flock of Brent Geese were entertaining but failed to produce any of the rarer species. We then checked the area for Lapland Buntings and Twite when the heavens opened and the sky turned dark. It looked set in for the rest of the day so it was home to relax. The drive home in an absolute deluge was interesting with many roads temporary awash with water.

JAN 2ND 2012.
Today we cracked. Until now we had resisted the urge to go and see the Western Sandpiper (small American wader) that has been at Cley Nature Reserve for nearly a month. This is a major rarity and would be a new British bird for us, but we don’t go out of Kent so much these days. To be fair it was not immediately identified as a definite Western Sandpiper because of a range of features that could not rule out Semi-palmated Sandpiper. Over time a series of good photos, good views, dedicated observation and expert opinion have now identified this as definite Western Sandpiper. So today we took the plunge and travelled north on a 400 mile round trip in cold, but brilliant sunshine. The journey up produced 11 Common Buzzards in the air over suitable woodland. We arrived at Cley near mid-day to find the place awash with people, mainly families out walking enjoying the fresh air. We had a job to park at Cley but luckily someone left fairly quickly and so we spent the next couple of hours around the reserve. The visitor centre has been completely rebuilt since our last visit some years back and is quite impressive. It was certainly full of people and took a while to buy our permits. After a wait of some 45 minutes in the crowded hide the Western Sandpiper flew in and offered reasonable but flighty views. It was too far for my camera and to see the finer detail such as Rufus tinge to the scapulars, which have helped confirm its true identity, but its small size, black legs more towards the rear of the body, long thin tipped bill, all helped confirm that this was the bird identified as a Western Sandpiper. Some people present were seeing this bird for about the fourth time but had still not got really good quality photos. It was getting closer to the hide so the cameras were getting ready when suddenly everything took off and we did not see it again during the next 45 minutes. We checked the rest of the reserve to see good numbers of Golden Plover, Dark Bellied Brent, Teal, a few Ruff and Black Tailed Godwits. A Great Skua flying along the beach was a good unexpected bonus in the mid afternoon sun.
It was now getting really crowded on the Reserve and on the beach so we decided to head inland, where we saw several flocks of Pink Footed Geese numbering in excess of 500. It was really too crowded, and with heavy traffic, to head for our last planned port of call at Titchwell RSPB so it was home to reflect on another good and enjoyable day in the field.

Dave

[dave brown]

I will start this update by saying that we have seen our first butterfly of the year. A Red Admiral flying in a wood near Faversham on Saturday 14th January. What it was doing I don’t know for I was frozen, so I am sure it must have been too.

SATURDAY 7TH JANUARY 2012.
An afternoon visit to OARE MARSH saw the usual Rough Legged Buzzard over Mocketts Hill, with a Peregrine over the East Flood and a Greenshank present.

SUNDAY 8TH JANUARY 2012.
DUNGENESS. A nice drake Smew has arrived on the ARC pit. In my view a cracking bird in its snow white plumage. Nearby a female was trying to pretend she had not noticed him. 3 Goldeneyes, 5 Little Egrets, 2 Marsh Harriers, 8 Tree Sparrows, Merlin, Sparrowhawk and a Chiffchaff were of interest.
We called in at Hamstreet woods to see 20 Crossbills, 50 plus Redpolls, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Coal Tit and Sparrowhawk livened up the late morning visit.

4 Ruddy Duck present at a site in East Kent. This species is not quite eliminated, but numbers are very low and will soon become a description bird at this rate.

THURSDAY 12TH JANAURY 2012.
A female Marsh Harrier over our house late morning was unexpected. This is only the third record of this species we have seen from the house in 25 years of watching. We can only imagine that this was some form of cold weather movement. The local corvids ensured it did not hang around long.

SATURDAY 14TH JANUARY 2012.
ELMLEY MARSH. Not much has changed since our last visit. 30 White fronted Geese. 6 Marsh Harriers, Peregrine, 2 Little Egrets, 100 plus Linnets. Good numbers of Lapwings and Golden Plovers have moved in. The female Rough Legged Buzzard seems to have moved to the Harty area.

SUNDAY 15TH JANUARY 2012.
DUNGENESS. The 2nd winter Glaucous Gull remains around the fishing boats. It sometimes roosts on the beach with the other gulls, but generally can be found within a few hundred metres of the boats. The sea held reasonable numbers of Gannets and Kittiwakes but the big movement of auks and Red Throated Divers seems to have ended. The RSPB area held the male & female Smew, 8 Goldeneye, 3 Marsh Harriers, 3 Ruddy Duck, Long Tailed Duck and 9 White fronted Geese amongst the more common birds. Nearby Scotney held a Black Necked Grebe and Walland saw 48 Bewick Swans and 2 Tree Sparrows.
Despite searching we could not find the Caspian Gull on the beach although others said it was still present.

An enjoyable but cold weekend.

[dave brown]

Sorry about lack of updates recently but it really has been quite here in Kent with very little changing.

SUNDAY 22 JANUARY 2012.
HAMSTREET WOOD. 2 Redpolls, Coal Tit and Common Buzzard. There was no sign of any Crossbills or the big flocks of Redpolls.
WAREHORNE. No sign of any Great White Egrets, just 2 Little Egrets feeding in the canal.
DUNGENESS. The regular Great White Egret still present, 2 Little Egrets, 3 Marsh Harriers, Goldeneye and Stonechat.
WALLAND MARSH was very quiet with just the wintering flock of Bewick Swans present (50).

SATURDAY 28TH JANUARY 2012.
FOLKESTONE COPT POINT. 70 Med Gulls present, mainly adults, with large numbers of auks off shore. At least 40 were Razorbills and appeared to easily outnumber Guillemots.
DUNGNESS. A Peregrine flew over the Airport approach road scattering all the Golden Plover far and wide. The Great White Egret was showing well along the RSPB entrance track. A Ruddy Duck present proved that DEFRA shooting party earlier in the week had missed one. A Kingfisher showed well from the RSPB viewing screen pleasing the small crowd as it fly to and fro across the pit picking off the odd small fish. Almost all dives were successful. A female Smew and Goldeneye showed from the road otherwise pretty much the same as the last few weeks.
We missed the wintering Dotterel seen near the Airport and despite searching over the next 4 hours we failed to relocate it.

I attach another photo of the Dungeness Great White Egret. Sorry, but not much else to photograph. I have also attached an old photo of a Nightjar seen on Walland Marsh. There is a reason for this so I will explain. I forget the exact date, but it was in September, around 1990. The bird was clearly on migration and had been brought down by heavy overnight rain. We had first found it sitting on a post near to a small country lane around 9 am. We mentioned the sighting to several locals, but no one seemed interested until the early afternoon. It was then that 2 locals, Ray Turley and Chris asked for further details. We took them to the site and surprising the bird was still on the same post and showing fairly well. We had to look through some scrub to avoid flushing the bird, and although it looked settled it would occasionally turn its head to look at us. Ray then spent the next hour or so grilling the bird to rule out anything rarer and then just to enjoy the sighting of this very rare bird for the Dungeness area. This was typical of Ray, who would enjoy every bird he saw, common or rare. Seabirds were his special favourites, and he would often sea watch from dawn to dusk. Everyone who knew him, or met him, could not fail to be impressed by his enthusiasm and knowledge of his subject. He would make sure that birders, or anyone who asked, was shown the bird and given any information they requested. He knew his butterflies but birds were his love. He was known nationally for his birding and as a wildlife artist. Sadly, last year Ray died suddenly whilst birding in India.
The reason for the Nightjar photo. It’s coming up to a year since his untimely passing. He was an excellent birder and a really nice person. It’s our way of saying that Ray is still sadly missed by us all.

Dave

[ChrisC]

nice sentiments Dave.

Chris

[Mark Colvin]

Hi Dave,

That's a really nice touch.

It’s our way of saying that Ray is still sadly missed by us all.

I'm sure Ray would appreciate it.

Kind regards. Mark

[dave brown]

Thank you to Chris and Mark. Your comments are much appreciated.
FRIDAY 10 FEBRUARY 2012.
With the cold weather continuing it has been hard work birding. A visit to Dungeness saw a Bittern showing from Hansons hide, with 4 Goosanders, 5 Smew, a Goldeneye, 2 Cettis Warblers, Green Sandpiper, Woodcock and 4 Marsh Harriers around the reserve (and it was bitterly cold in the open).
SATURDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2012.
Minnis Bay proved quiet with only 75 Brent Geese of note. A walk around Margate Cementry produced 4 Woodcock and 2 Redwings, otherwise quiet.
SUNDAY 12 FEBRUARY 2012.
A visit to Pett Level produced 140 Dark Bellied Brents and 4 other birds that looked very good for Pale Bellied Brent. They were distant and elusive in the many dips and tussocks but were very Pale and obvious even at distance. Over 200 Great Crested Grebes were on the sea but little else was with them. A female Merlin seen near Walland. Dungeness produced the long staying Great White Egret, 15 Goosander, 4 Ruddy Ducks, Smew, Goldeneye, Little Egret and MarshHarrier. We also saw 2 Woodcocks in the trapping area. On the way home we called in at St Botophs bridge near Hythe and saw yet another Great White Egret, together with one Smew.
THURSDAY 16 FEBRUARY 2012.
Whilst undertaking some part time work I received a very welcome phone call advising of a 2nd Winter WHITE TAILED SEA EAGLE near Walland Marsh. Hastily arranged permisison to leave work for a couple of hours saw us looking at a splendid Sea Eagle one hour later. Only the second one we have seen in Kent and worth the headless chicken arrangements to get there in time. You have to say they are impressive. Big is an understatement, they are enormous. They bird showed distantly in a tree and then took off to fly over us. We later saw it again in flight at some distance. It was then back to work as I did not wish to abuse the goodwill gesture of my manager. Others remained on site and saw it several times before it flew off high to the north. It was not winged tagged so may be of Scandanivan orgin.
I attach a photo which is all my poor camera could produce. At least it gives you the impression of its size, in particular the powerful bill. Thats hope its refound for others to enjoy.
Dave.

[dave brown]

Guess what we saw?

FRIDAY 17th FEBRUARY 2012.
PETT LEVEL. A mid day visit saw the number of geese present increasing from our previous trip. There was now at least 140 Brent Geese including 2 Pale Bellied, 11 Whitefronted and 2 Pinkfooted geese plus a number that kept moving up and down the many distant ridges. We did not bother counting the many Greylag and Canada Geese but one of the field contained 250 Wigeon, 28 Curlew and a male Marsh Harrier.
We decided to go home via Appledore and on reaching a farm some ½ mile south were rewarded with a stunning male Hen Harrier flying around a nearby field. Whilst watching this we become aware of yes, you’ve guessed it, another Great White Egret feeding on the Military Canal (see Sunday’s notes).
SATURDAY 18 FEBRUARY 2012.
It was about time that we caught up with the long staying 2nd Winter Kumliens Gull at Dover. This bird we missed on our last visit, but we managed to see it this time. We did have to wait nearly an hour but it finally showed and flew around near the lorry park. In the meantime a Peregrine put in an appearance and a Common Seal floated up and down the harbour.
Next was the sea front at St Margaret’s where 2 Peregrines were on show with Gannets and Fulmars flying up and down.
A visit to Oare Marshes produced the long staying Rough Legged Buzzard over Mocketts Hill together with 2 Marsh Harriers and a Common Buzzard.
We ended the day at Eastwell Church, where on getting out of the car a Firecrest was singing. We managed to see it before it flew off towards the lake and then lost to view.

SUNDAY 19TH FEBRUARY 2012.
An adult Iceland Gull had been seen on our local gravel pit (Conningbrook) the previous afternoon so today found us looking for the bird fairly early. It had been seen up until moments before we arrived, but despite us checking at various times throughout the day it failed to return. Whilst scanning the local fields another Great White Egret was seen standing alongside a ditch. Just as we were making a few phone calls about this sighting another Great White Egret flew in from the West and landed on the pits. Two on our local gravel pits in one day. Just how many are there in Kent? A scan of the water revealed a female Goosander and 4 Little Egrets on the waters edge. What a fantastic morning and we had gone less than 5 miles.
Later in the day there was several reports of the White Tailed Sea Eagle near Folkestone and Hythe. Despite two visits we failed to connect with this majestic bird.We ended the day at Eastwell Lake where a female Red Crested Pochard was the only bird of note.

Finally, I have to comment on what I think is a brilliant photo on Guy Padfields personal forum of the neighbour’s chalet. What a stunning photo showing such a wonderful location. Thanks to Guy for sharing this picture postcard.

Dave

[Padfield]

Thanks! I thoroughly enjoy browsing your diary, too. I don't often comment, so as not to break the flow.

Guy

[dave brown]

Thank you Guy. I try and make the reports as interesting as I can. I realise that the main interest on here is Butterflies, but I think that most of us have an appreciation in all wildlife, even if our levels of interest vary.

FRIDAY 24TH FEBRUARY 2012.
What a glorious sunny day. Just the day to spend on the North Kent coast and just see what was happening (sea fog predicated at Dungeness on the South Coast). We started at Graveney Marshes following up yet another sighting of Great White Egret. To be fair this could be the one seen earlier in the year on Sheppey, so may not be a new one for Kent. This one was hiding and we did not see it in a visit of one and half hours. However, a fine male Marsh Harrier was a delight to watch.
Next we called in at nearby Oare Marsh and watched the regular Rough Legged Buzzard hanging in the wind over Mocketts Hill with 3 Common Buzzards and 2 Marsh Harriers. It would hang there for 5 minutes at a time showing a gleaming white upper tail area and light coloured head in the bright sunshine.
The floods were quiet with only 2 Ruff and 11 Pintail of note.

SATURDAY 25TH FEBRUARY 2012.
The weather was predicated to be another fine day. With very little reported at Dungeness we decided to try the North Kent coast again. This turned out to be a good decision for on arrival at Graveney at the GREAT WHITE EGRET was showing, although somewhat distant. Still, a very nice bird to see and worth the admiring glances from the few birders present. With such a nice day we decided this time to visit Elmley RSPB reserve to see what raptors were on the wing. To our delight the long staying but elusive, (well to us), adult and Juvenile ROUGH LEGGED BUZZARDS were on the wing, although distant. Also present 4 Marsh Harriers and a Sparrowhawk, with good numbers of Lapwing.
It is very sad to know that the RSPB warden and well respected member of the local birding community, Gordon Allison passed away suddenly recently at the early age of 50. He had been doing excellent work making this reserve more accommodating to Lapwings and other breeding waders. We all hope that his replacement and the current team manage to continue his fine and committed leadership.

SUNDAY 26 FEBRUARY 2012.
A local visit to Conningbrook produced 4 Little Egrets but little else. Next was a wood near Chilham where we saw our first Primroses of the year in flower. In addition a few Lesser Celandine were out on a nearby bank. This is really early, but indicative of the warm spell we are currently experiencing in the South.
We guessed that Dungeness would be packed on such a nice day so we did a tour of the Graveney, Challock and Chilham areas looking for Raptors. Altogether we saw 29 Common Buzzards and 1 Sparrowhawk soaring, but none of the hoped for Red Kites. Red Kite is a regular spring migrant in Kent and a warm sunny day is ideal for looking for them.
We ended the day watching the Great White Egret at Graveney and this time a female Marsh Harrier was hunting across the marsh.

What a great weekend for watching wildlife.

Dave

[dave brown]

A rather disappointing few days, mainly due to poor weather, but also a lack of change in the birds on offer to view. Still, come rain or shine we are out there looking because every day brings new opportunities to see different wildlife.
Friday 2nd March 2012.
Today saw a visit to Dungeness, but not only was the weather poor but visibility limited in the misty conditions. Little has changed from previous visits but a close fly by Bittern in front of Hanson Hide pleased the few of us sitting patiently waiting for something good. There was no sign of the regular Great White Egret, or any Marsh Harriers, but reasonable numbers of Kittiwakes and Gannets were passing at sea. There is currently a very large flock of Great Crested Grebes on the sea off the fishing boats and around the bay area. It numbers in excess of 200, although they can be mobile and scattered over a large area. A search of the area around the fishing boats failed to find the Snow Buntings, seen by others the previous day.
Saturday 3rd March 2012.
We checked Oare Marsh, but in fairly heavy rain perhaps this was one day when we should have stayed at home. 2 Little Egrets, 2 Avocets and 12 Pintail tried to cheer us up, as did a flock of 500 plus passing Brent Geese, but it was not a day for walking. We checked Graveney Marshes but did not find last weeks Great White Egret so headed inland. The weather was trying to clear up and a Common Buzzard and Marsh Tit near Sheldwich was encouraging, but on finding little else we decided to head home.
Sunday 4th March 2012.
We decided to visit Dungeness again. It was raining hard so sitting in the car was really the only sensible option. This time the Great White Egret was again visible from the road, as was the long staying Long Tailed Duck. The sea was quieter than last time but Kittiwakes and Gannets were still moving. A visit to Scotney gravel pits produced an interesting flock of 31 Snow Geese. It is anyone’s guess whether these are feral or wild. Everyone assumes they are feral, possibly from Holland where a number are known to breed. However, a flock visited North Kent in the eighties and to everyone’s surprise one ringed bird was proved to come from North America. We tend to write off sightings of Snow Geese as escapes, but perhaps we should be more open minded. Incidently, this same flock has also been seen at various locations around Britain including Hampshire and the Home Counties, although at one time it numbered 32.

Let’s hope that next weekend brings better weather.

Dave

[dave brown]

What brilliant weekend weather wise and certainly a time to be out in the field. It felt like there should be lots of butterflies on the wing, but despite searching we failed to find one.
FRIDAY 09TH MARCH 2012.
DUNGENESS. A disappointing day really with very little changed from the last few weeks. A few ducks were displaying but hopes of some migration proved to be wishful thinking. We even failed to find any Sandwich Terns, which had been recorded over the last few days. The local Cettis warblers on the RSPB have found their singing voices and must be getting ready for breeding.
SATURDAY 10TH MARCH 2012.
With not much happening we did some house work in the morning and did not set out until after mid-day. This turned out to be a good move because a message soon had us heading down to the excellent Country Park at Samphire Hoe near Dover. Not only is it probably Britain’s best site for Early Spider Orchid but on this occasion a SHORT TOED TREECREEPER was present near the railway line. This is a mega bird for Britain, although several well watched sightings in the nineties meant that this was never going to attract the crowds. So it proved with only about 20 people present when we arrived. We could hear it calling on a regular basis on the footpath side of the railway line but it took about 20 minutes before we saw it, and another 20 minutes to obtain reasonable views. The call is more like a Coal Tit rather than the typical Treecreeper high pitched call and it was this that first drew attention to the bird. We managed to see well the flanks, which are a yellowish to brown colour rather than the pure white of the British species. Whilst we did not manage any photos several others did and I am sure that these will be submitted to support the identification of the bird. A very good find by the Country Park wardens and a well behaved small crowd of birders. Offshore 3 Harbour Porpoise delighted the few watchers but we missed the Raven that flew over. In brilliant sunshine this was a very good and enjoyable afternoon.
SUNDAY 11TH MARCH 2012.
The bright start lulled us into a false sense. We checked a local wood but failed to find any butterflies at a site that normally gives us early Brimstone. The number of Primroses on show has increased but the ground is very dry so it will be interesting to see how they fair. Bird wise things were also quiet so we moved to the coast near Faversham hoping for some raptor movement. We did see 3 Common Buzzards and a Sparrowhawk but these were most likely local. A mist descended over the scene so it was time for home and the garden. Oh, the sun came back out as soon as we arrived home.
MONDAY 12th MARCH 2012.
A male and female Peregrine circled over the garden for 10 minutes early afternoon. They seemed more interested in each other rather than the scattering flocks of pigeons and gulls. This is the second time we have seen them in recent weeks so this may be a good sign of things to come, (unless you are a pigeon).

Dave

[dave brown]

Hot news on a very warm day.

I have just been informed that a Large Tortiseshell was seen at Dungeness at 13.15 hours today. Not yet refound but hopefully will be seen again.

Dave

[dave brown]

What a cracking day weather wise Thursday turned out to be. Pity I had to spend it in the office but that’s the way it goes. A White butterfly seen in the garden was too quick to be positively identified, although I suspect it may have been a Small White.

I am pleased to say that some photos were obtained of the Short Toed Treecreeper (see previous post) and hopefully will be submitted to support the identification of this major rarity.

FRIDAY 16TH MARCH 2012.
It had to be Dungeness today in an effort to see if yesterdays Large Tortoiseshell was re-found. Unfortunately the weather was much cooler and no butterflies could be located by anyone. Amazingly the observatory warden had seen a Hummingbird Hawk moth earlier in the week. This is very early, but a most welcome sighting. What Dungeness lacked in butterflies it made up for in migrant birds. We walked around the area and saw 9 Wheatears, 4 Black Redstarts and 7 Chiffchaffs, with various flocks of returning Brent Geese flying over totalling in excess of 200. Again we failed to see any Sandwich Terns but did find a splendid looking White Wagtail in with 20 plus Pied Wagtails on the ARC pit and a Rock Pipit was heard calling. A pair of Marsh Harriers were displaying, Cettis warblers were singing but we failed to locate the 2 Gargeney seen the previous day.
This was a really enjoyable March day.

SATURDAY 17TH MARCH 2012.
Dull and overcast with drizzle in the air. We found ourselves at Oare Marshes to look for any early migrants but none were forth coming. In fact little was seen other than the local Avocets pairing up and 2 smart Red Breasted Mergansers on the Swale river. There are still quite a few of the winter duck remaining including a dozen or so Pintails. The local Marsh Harriers were flying around Mocketts hill.

SUNDAY 18TH MARCH 2012.
A day in the garden but enlivened by the sudden appearance of 2 Common Buzzards and the female Peregrine over during mid afternoon. The Peregrine showed a big interest in the passing Buzzards, but did not feel compelled to chase them off.

Another enjoyable and interesting weekend.

Dave

[dave brown]

Are we too optimistic?
WEDNESDAY 21st MARCH 2012.
With forecast temperatures of 16 degrees and full sunshine it just had to be a day for butterflies, forgetting that it is still only mid March. Anyway, we decided to call in at Grove Ferry after the visiting the dentist. It seemed a good move, especially when one of the first birds we saw was a flock of 8 Pink Footed Geese on Westbere Marshes. They were not totally unexpected as a small flock had been present a few days. A Sparrowhawk and Common Buzzard circled overhead. Next was the ramp viewing point at Grove Ferry itself and eventually we found 2 distant male Gargeney in amongst good numbers of Teal, Shoveler and Lapwings. A female Marsh Harrier caused initial panic, but things soon settled down to reveal even more Teal that had been hiding in the reeds.
We then walked to the water meadows where 5 Little Egrets, 3 Water Pipits, a Water Rail and lots more Teal were present. There were now 4 Marsh Harriers and 2 Common Buzzards circling the area but all seemed more interested in establishing territories than hunting.
A feature of the walk so far was the number of birds singing, including 14 Chiffchaffs and 6 Cettis Warblers, but no butterflies. Things now changed with firstly a Comma and then a Peacock near the footpath but neither came close enough for a photo. On the way out we saw our first Cuckoo (Ladies Smock) flower of the year.
In general a very good day, but butterflies are still proving hard to find.

Because of the lack of butterflies I thought I would add a photo of a Chequered Skipper seen on our Scottish Visit last year. Its just a reminder of the goodies yet to come in a location with stunning scenery. If only we can afford the petrol to get there and see them again this year.

[dave brown]

SATURDAY 24 MARCH 2012.
With fog predicated on the east coast of Kent we thought we would start off in a local wood. It should have been good for a few butterflies, especially Brimstone, but in the event all we saw insect wise was 8 Beeflys. Bird wise it was also quiet with only singing Chiffchaffs and a fly over Common Buzzard being of interest. The number of flowering Primroses has greatly increased since our last visit. A good showing of Dog Violets and a few Lesser Celandine is a good sign that spring is on its way.
We headed to the North coast but the mist/ fog was still present so not surprisingly we only saw one Common Buzzard and a Sparrowhawk.
We should have stayed at home for the garden produced a Peacock enjoying the increasing sunshine and stayed for most of the afternoon. 2 Common Buzzards circled overhead.

SUNDAY 25 MARCH 2012.
More costal fog predicated so we headed for Hamstreet Woods in really pleasant weather. During a stroll lasting a few hours we saw 5 Common Buzzards, Sparorwhawk, 6 Nuthatches, 3 Treecreepers and 2 Woodcocks amongst the common woodland birds. Plants included many Wood Anemone, Lesser Celandine and Dog Violet. Once again we drew a blank on butterflies despite the temperature being around 16 degrees.
We then tried an old favourite near Wye Downs. This time we struck lucky with Peacock and Comma.
This really warm spell is most enjoyable and should help wildlife to recover from the winter. I am a little concerned, probably wrongly, that for some wildlife it is a little early and could do more harm than good. I suppose nature has a way of balancing things out. I am now off to find the sun tan.

Dave

[dave brown]

FRIDAY 30TH MARCH 2012.
This was predicated to be the last day of the current warm spell so we felt that a big effort for early butterflies was in order in our local woods. We did a tour of the Hamstreet complex of woods, but disappointingly the only butterflies turned out to be one Peacock and one Red Admiral, with a few Orange Underwing moths and reasonable numbers of Beefly. Plant wise things were much better with good numbers of Wood Anemone, Bluebells and Primroses carpeting the woodland floor. What a joy to see and hopefully a lot more to come. Bird wise we did not do to bad, with a group of 14 Common Crossbills being the best. They are quite a hard to find species in Kent with numbers generally low, although we do get occasional parties on migration. This particular flock contained at least 8 males in their bright red plumage. I tend to think that these were on migration as the local ones should be breeding by now, being one of Britain’s early breeding species. Whether local or migrating it was still very nice to watch them feeding on the pine cones in their bright colours.
Other birds noted included 8 Redpolls, a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker drumming away, 9 Nuthatches, Common Buzzard and Sparrowhawk in addition to the common woodland birds.

SATURDAY 31ST MARCH 2012.
A much colder day and no chance of any butterflies. Indeed many of the birds seemed to have stopped singing, although 2 Blackcaps singing at Eastwell was a pleasant surprise.
Oare Marshes proved fairly quiet with no sign of any spring migrants on our visit. 8 Little Egrets were nice to see, as was the dozen or so Avocets, but the lack of any Sand Martins or Swallows was disappointing. The journey to and from home however produced good numbers of Primroses, Cuckoo Flowers, Bluebells and even a few Greater Stitchwort made sure the trip was worth while.
We ended the day by driving straight onto the local petrol station forecourt and filling up. No queues, no panic, only me and a couple of other cars. It’s so nice to be back to normal after the chaos of the last few days.