www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Saturday 24th July 2010.

Today we decided to visit Oare Marsh nature reserve on the North Kent Coast. In the past it has been a fairly reliable Kent spot for Clouded Yellow. In addition it is always worth checking the wading birds on the incoming tide. The weather was decent, as was the wildlife, but unfortunately no Clouded Yellows. Neither was there any sign of the Spoonbill which had been seen up until 09.00 hours.
Butterflies seen were 8 Small Skippers, 1 Common Blue, 40 plus Meadow Browns, 18 Gatekeepers, 2 Peacocks, 1 Red Admiral and 2 Silver Y moths. Dragonflies -50 Emerald Damselflies, 1 Broad Bodied Chaser, 2 Brown Hawkers, 2 Southern Hawkers, 5 Migrant Hawkers, 25 plus Ruddy Darters, 10 Common Darters. Birdlife included over 400 Black Tailed Godwits, 3 Avocets, 1 Greenshank, 1 Marsh Harrier and 5 Little Egrets. Nearby 6 Little Egrets were present on Ham Pits.

We ended the day at a small wood near Chilham viewing 3 White Admirals, 2 Commas, 1 Brimstone, 15 Gatekeepers and many Meadow Browns.

6 Silver Y’s were flying around the buddleia bush when we arrived home. Nothing special but a good day all round.

Dave

SUNDAY 25TH JULY 2010.
We all have one of those days. Make the wrong decision on where to go or what to see. Today turned out to be one. I had toyed with the idea of going to Cliffe with a view to putting in more effort to locate any further Southern Emerald Damselflies; it can also be good for butterflies and waders. However, at decision time there was a heavy shower so it did not seem suitable and in the end we played safe and went to Dungeness, where even if it rains you can usually see good things. We later leant that people searching for the Southern Emeralds turned up Kent’s first record of Southern Migrant Hawker, not one but two patrolling up and down the same dyke.

Never mind, Dungeness had its moments. 4 Marbled Whites, 3 Common Blues, 25 Meadow Browns and 15 Gatekeepers around the observatory area. The moth trap contained Pale Grass Eggar, Dusky Sallow, Dingy Footman, Toadflax Brocade, Reed Dagger, 2 Tiger Moths and Pebble Prominent amongst others. The ARC pits saw 2 Common Sandpipers, 1 Summer plumaged Knot, 4 Little Ringed Plovers, 1 Little Egret, 1 Brown Hawker, 5 Migrant Hawkers and very rare this year, 1 Painted Lady. In addition 2 Commas, 1 Red Admiral, 3 Silver Y’s and numerous Meadow Browns.

During this visit we were advised that 3 Silver Washed Fritillaries had been seen the previous day in Hamstreeet Woods so that was our next port of call. This is still a good butterfly in East Kent. Unfortunately we could not find any, but we did see a fresh emergence of Brimstones, 14 males and 4 females in total. Also 16 White Admirals, 2 Commas, 3 Red Admirals, 1 Purple Hairstreak, 4 Peacocks, 1 Large Skipper, 60 plus Meadow Browns, 25 plus Gatekeepers, many large Whites, with a few Small Whites, 9 Migrant Hawkers and 1 Brown Hawker.

Finally, we have been seeing 6 or 7 Silver Y’s around the garden Buddleia bush most days in the last week; however yesterday evening (Tuesday) we saw a minimum of 23. Why the sudden and large increase I have no idea, but a most welcome occurrence.

Dave

SATURDAY 31ST JULY 2010.

Today was one of those days when our time would have been better spent at home. The weather was cloudy, dull, and cold with a few showers. We decided to visit Oare Marshes with nothing special in mind. Butterflies were few with just small numbers of Gatekeepers and Large Whites. Birds included 10 Little Egrets, 8 Ruffs and 2 Greenshanks. To show how bad things were we actually went shopping in the afternoon, and shopping does not feature in my 100 must do list.

SUNDAY 01ST AUGUST 2010.

The weather was not much better, but with predicated periods of sunshine forecast a trip to Cliffe Marsh RSPB was in order.
Butterflies. 5 Small Heaths, 4 Common Blues, 20 Gatekeepers, 15 Meadow Browns, 12 Large Whites, 1 Red Admiral and 1 Peacock. Others reported several Wall Browns near the first viewing point.
Dragonflies. 2 SOUTHERN EMERALDS in the ditch that runs parallel with the wide track in the north east corner of the field with the metal gate. 100 metres east of the second viewing ramp. This was early afternoon after a 3 hour search. Well spotted by a young lady searching with her husband in less than ideal conditions. 60 plus Scarce Emerald Damselflies, Emperor Dragonfly, 25 Ruddy Darters, 12 Blue Tailed Damselflies.
Birds. 12 Little Egrets, 1 Greenshank, 1 Peregrine, 1 Hobby, 2 Marsh Harriers, Med Gull and 2 Little Ringed Plovers.

I attach a poor record shot of one of the Southern Emerald Damselflies and a Scarce Emerald.

Dave

SATURDAY 7TH AUGUST 2010
Today's forecast for East Kent was showers and cloud in the morning, with a few sunny spells in the afternoon. It was not going to be a butterfly day. Dungeness here we come again. A safe bet in the circumstances. The morning was all about birding with Great White Egret, Cattle Egret, Little Egret and Bittern all showing from Dengemarsh Road. With others seeing the Purple Heron a little before we arrived this has to be the best place in Britain at the moment for birding. This was supported by 5 Whimbel, Hobby and a small movement of Willow Warblers, Whitethroats and Sand Martins. We really struggled with butterflies and only saw 2 Small Tortoiseshells Red Admiral and 9 Large Whites.
The Bird Observatory produced 3 Black Redstarts, 3 Small Tortiseshells, 2 Red Admirals, Common Blue, Bordered Straw and Dark Sword Grass (both moths). The previous day 40 Small Tortiseshells had been in the area.
With the sun now breaking through the ARC pits produced 14 Common Blues, 4 Gatekeepers, 2 Meadow Browns, 5 Small Tortoisehells, 6 Migrant Hawkers and 3 Ruddy Darters.

SUNDAY 8TH AUGUST 2010
The weather pattern was much the sam as yesterday but a visit to the Wye Downs Nature Reserve in the afternoon produced 5 CLOUDED YELLOWS. This is the 3rd year running we have seen them at the same site, near the foot of the Devils Kneading bowl towards Brook alongside the steps. Also 100 plus Chalkhill Blues, 75 plus Common Blues, 4 Brimstones, 7 Gatekeepers, 24 Meadow Browns, 9 Small Heaths, 30 Large Whites. A great little spot on the day, but a steep walk down from the main car park.

Dave

SATURDAY 14TH AUGUST 2010
Yet another disappointing weekend weatherwise. It's a shame that as the otherwise very good butterfly season draws to an end the weather turns against us. This was not going to be a good weekend for insects in this part of Kent and my report bears that out. With strong winds and an overcast day we turned up at Dengemarsh Road, Dungeness to see the Great White Egret fly in. Also present was Hobby, 7 Little Egrets, 3 Marsh Harriers, 7 Common Terns and 50 Sand Martins. Despite much searching we only found 18 Large Whites and no other species.
Later in the day we went to Oare Marshes to watch the incoming tide. A Little Stint, 2 Greenshanks, 3 Ruffs and the ever present large numbers of Black Tailed Godwits was not a good return. Disappointingly no butterflies or dragonflies.
Of course the sun came out on our return home, which encourged 4 Holly Blues, 2 Red Admirals, Peacock and 9 Large Whites to the garden. Also 2 Migrant Hawkers appreciated hanging on one of our garden bushes.
SUNDAY 15TH AUGUST 2010
If anything the wind was even stronger so our chances of butterflies was almost non existant. A visit to Grove Ferry Nature Reserve did produce 3 Common Blues but not surprisingly no others. Birds included 2 Greenshanks, 2 Ruff, 3 Snipe, 5 Green Sandpipers, 2 Yellow Wagtails and one Cettis Warbler. Home for a warm cup of tea. At about 15.00 hours we had a call to say a White Winged Black Tern had been found at the Patch on Dungeness. We should have been tempted, but for once we carried on with our cup of tea. However, another call 3 hours later to say there now was a Juvenile Buff Breasted Sandpiper on the ARC Pit at Dungeness prompted us into action and 45 minutes we were enjoying reasonable views of this American wader. Dungeness continues its remarkable run of rare birds and insects (another Lesser Emperor dragonfly had been seen in the week on the RSPB reserve).
MONDAY 16TH AUGUAT 2010
The wind was just as strong but the early cloud was giving way to a few clear spells so another visit to Dungeness was on the cards. A 5 hour visit produced Great White Egret, Adult Purple Heron, Cattle Egret and another view of the Buff Breasted Sandpiper. We failed to find the Red Backed Shrike which had been trapped and ringed earlier in the day. Also present was a Pied Flycatcher, 9 Little Egrets, 2 Yellow Wagtails and March Harrier. We had a little more luck today with butterflies with 5 Small Tortoiseshells, 2 Common Blues, 8 Large Whites, 5 faded Meadow Browns and a number of Gatekeepers past their best.
Dave

WEDNESDAY 18 AUGUST 2010
Another trip to Dungeness, but this time with some chance of seeing butterflies. The wind was rather stronger than we would like but at least the sun was shining.
It was all about one one species, infact 51 of them. Small Tortoiseshells were everywhere and we probably under recorded them The warden had seen at least sixty whilst we were still on 39 so the true figure was probably in excess of over 100. This is a very welcome return to good numbers after a year or two of very low numbers. Also seen were 28 Large Whites, 4 Gatekeepers and 1 each of Red Admiral, Peacock, Common Blue and Meadow Brown. Birds included a splendid Juvenile Red Backed Shrike and Spotted Flycatcher in the Old Lighthouse garden. Sand Martins were in good numbers as they fed up before departing south.
The Cattle Egret showed in flight near the RSPB reserve entrance but otherwise things were much the same as the weekend.

Dave

FRIDAY 20 AUGUST 2010
We visited our butterfly site on the Wye Downs near Brook. The weather was not bad and the butterflies responded. Numbers were down on our previous visit but there was still 55 Common Blues, 43 Chalkhill Blues, 6 Small Heaths, 1 Brimstone, 5 Brown Argus, 18 Meadow Browns, 5 Gatekeepers, 24 Large Whites and 3 Migrant Hawkers on the wing. A most enjoyable afternoon.

SATURDAY 21 AUGUST 2010
The weather forecast meant it was going to be a struggle to see anything let alone buterflies, and so it proved. We visited Stodmarsh NR to check the area for possible Willow Emerald Damselfly. The first record for Kent had been seen at nearby Reculver on Friday so it was worth a check as the Stodmarsh site seems so suitable in parts. Alas no records and only Speckled Wood on the butterfly front. Birdlife was quiet as everything was keeping low in the strong wind.
On to Oare Marsh where again no butterflies or dragonflies were seen. Birds included 2 Peregrines, 1 Common Buzzard, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Little Stint, 2 Water Rails and 5 Ruff. We rarely count the Black Tailed Godwits these days as they number in the hundreds and today was no exception.

SUNDAY 22 AUGUST 2010
Dungeness. In between the showers and wind we did see a few birds, but no butterflies or dragonflies. Spotted Flycatcher, 100 plus Sand Martins, 2 Whinchats, 33 Yellow Wagtails, 2 Common Sandpipers, 2 Little Egrets, Whimbrel, 2 Black Terns, 4 Gannets, 2 Little Terns. Med Gull, with 4 Porpoise feeding just off shore from the lighthouse. The best was left to last, as we were just about to leave a text message sent us back to the sea front to see our second Red Backed Shrike of the week. This was clearly a different individual as it was not ringed, unlike the last one. A good end to a very disappointing weekend.

I hope to post a few photographs later in the week.
Dave

I attach record shots of the Juvenile Red Backed Shrike and Purple Heron. Both taken over recent days at Dungeness. The Purple Heron has reached the National news as the pair bred and produced at least one young.
Dave

SATURDAY 28TH AUGUST 2010
Having never seen Brown Hairstreak we almost joined the crowds being escorted by Sussex Kipper around Steyning. However we would have left late and not made the meeting point in time. Judging by the size of the crowd perhaps it was a wise decision, as I am sure that even more participants would have made the job of leading even more of a challenge. In the end we went to Dungeness again. Although Dungeness is noted for its bird life it is infact a good place for Butterflies, Moths and Dragonflies, with always a chance of some unusual migrant. Today was the turn of Birds for we saw 2 Icterine Warblers near the old Lighthouse. They were quite mobile and never gave me opportunity to photograph, although others were more fortunate. Also seen were 2 Pied Flycatchers and a Hobby. Butterflies included 2 Small Coppers, Large & Small White, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Meadow Brown and Gatekeepers. Not a bad day in the end.

MONDAY 30TH AUGUST 2010
When will August brighten up and show us the sun without the strong winds? In between sunny periods we visited Hamstreet Woods to see a very tatty Silver Washed Fritillary, a Purple Hairstreak on its last legs (but still very welcome), 9 Speckled Woods, Holly Blue, numerous Small Whites with a few Large Whites, dozens of Common and Ruddy Darters, with at least 12 Migrant Hawkers. A lunch time stop at Dungeness produced the Great White Egret on Dengemarsh and 2 Hobbys. I understand that the Silver Washed Fritillary is doing very well in Kent this year with large numbers being seen, or being recorded at new sites. This is a delightful butterfly so the more the merrier.

TUESDAY 31ST AUGUST 2010
Today we visited a site near Reculver known as Chambers Wall. This is Kent's first known site for the Willow Emerald Damselfly where after only a few minutes searching we managed to locate 2 males and one female. We were later joined by Nigel and Julian who also enjoyed good views as the damselflys basked on the sunny side of the bushes adjacent to the small river. To reach here is a long walk from the public car park or the main road, but well worth it for this new migrant. A very good find by the local boys considering the vast area they cover. Found a week ago this is an excellant reward for their daily visits. Also seen were 2 Common Buzzards, 12 Swallows, Holly Blue and 2 Migrant Hawkers.
We ended our day looking at Violet Helleborine near Crundale. Now well past it's best a visit next year at the right time will be needed to see this at it's best.

Dave

WEDNESDAY 01 SEPT 2010
The sun was shining so we took this opportunity to catch up with some chalk downland butterflies. We spent a very pleasant 2 hours at Lydden Nature reserve near Dover. After a slow start the sun became stronger and our sightings included 14 Silver Spotted Skippers, 175 plus Adonis Blues, 100 plus Chalkhill Blues, 75 Common Blues, 1 Wall, 50 plus Gatekeepers, 15 Meadow Browns. Plants included 117 Autumn Ladies Tresses and 2 Autumn Gentian. Birds included 2 Blackcaps.
Many butterflies were past their past but a number of Adonis Blues looked very fresh. The place was alive with butterflies and a welcome change from the low numbers in the recent wet weeks.
Later we called in at the Monument at St. Margarets to view 104 Autumn Ladies Tresses. These were on average smaller than the ones at Lydden, perhaps a result of constant mowing of the grass surrounding the monument.

Dave

SATURDAY 4TH SEPT 2010
Sadly the butterfly season is coming to an end and the number of species seen over the next few days reflects this. There was little chance of many butterflies today as we visited Dungeness, but we continue to see good numbers of Large Whites. BIrds seen included a WRYNECK, the long staying Great White Egret, 5 Little Egrets, 2 Hobbies and a Spotted Flycatcher. We also saw a Great Green Bush Cricket near the ARC pit. This is the first one we have seen and were amazed at how big they are. Plants included Jersey Cudweed alongside the road that runs by the ARC pit. This rare British plant is doing well at Dungeness behind the fence line, but clearly visible from the road.

SUNDAY 5TH SEPT 2010.
Another visit to Dungeness but this time the weather for the afternoon was forecast to be warm. After seeing a reasonable fall of migrants that included 9 Whitethroats, 2 Lesser Whitethroats, 15 Yellow Wagtails, 6 Whinchats and 24 Chiffchaffs we headed to Hamstreet Woods. Here we enjoyed 3 male Brimstones defending a small area that included Red Admiral, with good numbers of Large and Small Whites.

MONDAY 6TH SEPT 2010
A morning visit to Oare Marshes produced a Ruddy Shelduck and Wood Sandpiper in addition to the usual waders. An afternoon visit to Stodmarsh nature reserve found 9 Speckled Woods, a Red Admiral and a Treble Bar Moth in the more sheltered spots.

TUESDAY 7TH SEPT 2010
This was a much better day and our visit to Dungeness produced 1 Common Blue, 4 Small Coppers, 19 Small Heaths, 6 Red Admirals and in excess of 150 Large Whites. Birds seens included 5 Common Buzzards, Black Necked Grebe, 3 Hobbies, 2 Sparrowhawks, 12 Yellow Wagtails and 1 Whinchat.
Another very enjoyable day.

Dave

WEDNESDAY 08TH SEPT 2010
A brief visit to Oare Marshes produced 3 Curlew Sandpipers, 1 Little Stint and the usual common waders, but no butterflies and only a few Migrant Hawkers.

THURSDAY 09TH SEPT 2010
The day started of dry and fairly warm so we visited Kingsdown on the Kent East Coast. The warmth was sure to bring a few butterflies out and so it turned out. In the morning we saw 4 Common Blues, 7 Red Admirals and 50 Large Whites below the white cliffs. In addition we found one plant of Woody Fleabane past its best. Next stop was Sandwich Bay, but by now the clouds were arriving and we only saw 1 Holly Blue, 1 Common Blue, 1 Speckled Wood and 15 Large Whites. Bird wise things were better with a Wood Warbler, Pied Flycatcher, Spotted Flycatcher, Redstart and 8 Whinchats all feeding up before continuing their migration.

We arrived home just in time to miss several heavy showers, but our tea was interupted by news of a WILSONS PHALAROPE at Grove Ferry. This was only Kent's second record in over 20 years, so one hour later we were enjoying good, but distant views of this lovelly and rare bird. The rain had also brought down many House and Sand Martins to feed over the reed beds. A really good Kent day.

SATURDAY 11TH SEPT 2010
A really strong South West wind meant there was only one place in Kent to go today. So we headed south and dabbled in the black art of seawatching at Dungeness. Luckily on days like this there is usually someone there skilled in seabird identification and today was no exception. Between the fifteen or so people present, we identified, in the time that we were there, 2 Balearic Shearwaters, 2 Great Skuas, 4 Artic Skuas, 1 Artic Tern, 4 Black Terns and 2 Porpoise. Many birds were quite distant and must remain unidentified.
A visit to the ARC pit produced a PECTORAL SANDPIPER being enjoyed by a large group of French birders on a day trip from France.

SUNDAY 12TH SEPT 2010
This turned out to be a really good day for us considering all the hours we put into looking for and enjoying wildlife. The weather was warm and dry so we decided to search suitable areas near Kent's only reported site for the Willow Emerald Damselfly. So far 3 damselflies had been found, but hundreds have arrived in Suffolk over the last two years so there was a good chance of more in Kent. We found a new location some 2 miles South West of the first sighting. This location produced at least 12, and possibly 14, different individuals. Best of all they are right by a minor road and available to all enjoy. The same spot produced 3 Migrant Hawkers, 1 Comma, 1 Red Admiral, 5 Holly Blues, 15 Large Whites and 2 Common Buzzards. This was a good day in really enjoyable weather.

Dave

MONDAY 13TH SEPT 2010
It was really windy so we were rather surprised to find 2 Small Tortoiseshells and 20 plus Large Whites at Dungeness. The Observatory had caught a Western Conifer Seed Bug at the wekeend and this was on show to visitors. Bird wise we saw 2 Black Redstarts, 20 Yellow Wagtails, 1 Whinchat and 4 Wheatears. The ARC pit was interesting, if not difficult to view in the now increasing wind speed. It produced 3 Black Terns, 3 Juvenile Little Gulls, 2 Artic Terns and over 200 Sand Martins. A pair of Peregrines playing in the wind caused the occasional mass panic.
Just as were making our way home and passing the entrance to the RSPB reserve we noticed several of the RSPB staff looking skywards, always a good sign. Parking the car in rather a hurry we too enjoyed the view of 18 GLOSSY IBIS that had just flown in across the main road. 17 were now on the ground but 1 decided he was a show off and did several tours of the air space around Boulderwall Farm (RSPB entrance). This number is a Kent record and is presumably part of the flock of 20 seen in Devon a few days ago.

TUESDAY 14th SEPT 2010
Yesterday the wind was strong at Dungeness but today you had a job to stand upright. The reason that we were there again was the news that a HOOPEE had made landing near the fishing boats. This was not idea habitat, but the bird must have been glad that it had made landing at all and not gone down in the sea. If we humans were struggling to move in the wind the birds must have been having a nightmare. As for butterflies, it was no surprise that we saw none.
We did however enjoy reasonable views of 2 LAPLAND BUNTINGS feeding on seed also near the fishing boats. These had been here a few days and had arrived in better conditions. The bad weather meant it was time to make a retreat for home, although we did manage to see the 18 Glossy Ibis again before we went.

Dave

WEDNESDAY 15TH SEPT 2010
A visit to Oare Marshes found 8 Small Heaths and a few Large Whites in the sunny spots. Birds included a rather large, for Britain, flock of 8 SPOONBILLS, 18 Avocets and 14 Yellow Wagtails on the East Flood.
A return visit to Marshside in less than ideal conditions produced 5 Willow Emerald Damselflies at our new site, also 3 Migrant Hawkers, 1 Common Darter and a Speckled Wood, with 2 Common Buzzards passing by.

THURSDAY 16TH SEPT 2010
A return visit to Oare Marshes, this time to see the freshly found that morning WHITE RUMPED SANDPIPER. This proved to be an adult bird that was content to keep to one corner of the East Flood. 3 Spoonbills were still present along with one Common Buzzard and one Hobby, with a distant Artic Skua and 9 Common Seals hauled out on the sands. No butterflies or dragonflies were to be seen in the blustery conditions.

SATURDAY 18TH SEPT 2010
Today was much better weather wise with good sunny clear spells. A recheck of Marshside found 9 Willow Emerald Damselflies, including one mating pair. The new site has attracted some interest and six other people were present at the time of our visit.

SUNDAY 19TH SEPT 2010
The day started in good conditions so we put some effort into finding late butterflies on Walland Marsh. We were rewarded with 9 Red Admirals (many of them very fresh), 1 Painted Lady (very worn), 3 Commas, 2 Small Tortoiseshells, 4 Small Whites, 10 plus Large Whites, 8 Migrant Hawkers and 3 Common Darters. An enjoyable morning but butterflies are becoming increasingly scarce.

Dave

MONDAY 20TH SEPT 2010
A text message sent us to Oare Marshes where an Adult WHITE RUMPED SANDPIPER was showing to the appreciative growing crowd of Kent birders. Apart from a Little Stint there was nothing else out of the ordinary, and butterflies were non existant. However, the sun was breaking through so we thought that a last summer visit to Wye Downs was in order to see what remains on the wing. Surprisingly it was a good afternoon with a late Chalkhill Blue, 1 Brimstone, 3 Small Coppers, 14 Common Blues, 12 Small Heaths, 3 Gatekeepers and a late Meadown Brown. A good mix for so late in the season.
TUESDAY 21ST SEPT 2010
A tour around Walland Marsh produced 15 Red Admirals, 3 Commas, 4 Small Tortoiseshells, 2 Peacocks and 12 Large Whites. On the return journey we called in at Hamstreet Woods to enjoy 6 Commas, 1 Brimstone, 1 Red Admiral and a Hobby hawking.
WEDNESDAY 22ND SEPT 2010
A reasonably warm but windy day. A tour around Chislet Marshes produced 3 Red Admirals and a Comma. We also checked serval more locations for Willow Emerald Damselfly and found 2 males at a totally new site. 3 males at our previous site and a further male 300 metres south of this site. 2 Common Buzzards were circling the skies.
SATURDAY 25TH SEPT 2010
A visit to Reculver from 09.30 to 11.40 hours in very strong North Westerly winds produced the hoped for goodies in the form of a Juvenile Long Tailed Skua, 18 Great Skuas and 2 Artic Skuas. A distant shearwater in our view was a Sooty due to its size and all dark appearance. The other feature of this seawatch was the large movement of mainly Juvenile Gannets. Many other birds were to distant for us to identify.
MONDAY 27th SEPT 2010
A day trip to Dungeness found a PECTORAL SANDPIPER on view on the ARC pit, together with a Little Stint and 2 Juvenile Little Gulls. We also found 6 Small Coppers, 1 Small Heath and 3 Large Whites around the Observatory area. Moths seen included a Delicate and Pearly Underwing.

Dave

Summary of Tuesday 28th Sept 2010 to Monday 4th October 2010
Now that the sightings of butterflies are falling off I have changed the format of my diary to read as a summary until the spring. With so few species now on offer it becomes increasingly difficult to make the entries really interesting. Luckily for my family the autumn bird migration is in full swing and we have plenty on offer to interest us, although I am aware that some of the readers of this blog are only interested in butterflies and moths.
Visits to Sandwich Bay (twice), Grove Ferry and Dungeness (4 times) have produced Small Heath (1), Red Admiral (many), Small Copper (1), Peacock and Silver Y. Dragonflies are represented by good numbers of Migrant Hawkers and Common Darters. Other insects have included Long Winged Conehead (Dungeness).
Birds have included an elusive Grasshopper Warbler (Sandwich Bay), Black Throated Diver (Dungeness New Diggings), Juvenile Spoonbill (Dungeness), 4 Ring Ouzels (Dungeness), Barred Warbler (one at Sandwich and one at Dungeness), Great White Egret (Dungeness), Short Eared Owl, Artic Skua and 2 BUFF BREASTED SANDPIPERS (Dungeness Scotney Pit). Incoming migrants included a flock of 15 Brambling and small numbers of Siskins.
Despite spending four to five hours daily in the field the weather during this particular week has meant a dramatic fall in insect numbers.

Dave

TUESDAY 5th OCT 2010 to SUNDAY 10th OCT 2010
The butterfly highlight of the week was on our visit to Sandwich Bay on Sunday 10th. The warm weather had encouraged a large number of Red Admirals on the wing. We saw at least 24 in the small wood known as the Elms, mainly around the Ivy bushes. All were in very good condition and were joined by 2 Commas, 1 Peacock, 1 Speckled Wood and several Small Whites. The same warm weather also brought good numbers of Migrant Hawkers and a few Common Darters.
The previous day we had seen a late Common Blue, 4 Red Admirals and 3 Small Whites near Ramsgate. Moths during the week included a Mallow and 4 Black Rustics.
Bird wise we had an excellant day on Friday 8th October when a visit to Scotney Pits (near Dungeness) had produced not one but three Juvenile BUFF BREASTED SANDPIPERS. This is almost unheard of in Southern England so the constant stream of admirers were well pleased with this unusal event. Other birds seen in the week included a Juvenile Long Tailed Skua (Dungeness 05/10), 2 Great Skuas, 4 Artic Skuas, 2 Greenshanks, 2 Little Stints, 3 Black Terns, 3 Brambling, 1 Firecrest (sandwich Bay), 3 Med Gulls, many Goldcrests and our first Redwings of the Autumn.
A really good and enjoyable week. Hopefully the fine weather will continue and encourage a late showing of butterflies.

Dave

MONDAY 11TH OCTOBER 2010 TO MONDAY 18TH OCTOBER 2010
With regards to butterfly sightings, and using a line from an early Rolling Stones hit, 'It's all over now'. We have only seen one species this week and that is Red Admiral, despite five days out in the field. The butterfly year had to come to an end sometime, but its still a shock to realise summer is firmly behind us. We will still keep looking but it will probably be birds from now on. A few Migrant Hawkers and Common Darters are still on the wing but in low numbers.
Bird wise we have done well this week with 4 visits to Dungeness and 1 to Thanet/ Reculver. Birds seen (during a good seawatch at Reculver) 38 Pomarine Skuas, 15 Great Skuas and 8 Artic Skuas. Land birds include PALLAS'S WARBLER (Dungeness), 3 Firecrests, 3 Black Redstarts, GREAT WHITE EGRET (Dungeness), Little Stint, Merlin, 4 Little Egrets, 11 Redwings and our first Fieldfares of the Autumn. Other seabirds seen, 3rd Winter CASPIAN GULL (Dungeness), Little Auk (Dungeness) and the Black Throated Diver still on the New Diggings pit at Dungeness.
Here's hoping for a late Clouded Yellow or even something better, like a late Monach from America.

Dave

TUESDAY 19TH OCTOBER 2010 TO TUESDAY 26TH OCTOBER 2010
A quite week here in Kent. We only spent 4 days out in the field this week due to a mix of poor weather, a bit of DIY and a decline in the amount of migration taking place. Despite this we actually saw two species of butterfly this week, Red Admiral and Peacock. On the 21st we saw a minimum of 5 Red Admirals at Dungeness, all in reasonable condition. They may have even been migrating or at least passing through. Also present a Migrant Hawker and one Common Darter.
Birdwise was not too bad. On the 26th October (today) we were actually sitting in the Hanson Hide at Dungeness when a stunning male PENDULINE TIT popped up in front of us. The attached photo does not do the bird justice, but was all I could manage in the poor light and the 20 minutes it was on view. This species is now almost annual at Dungness but is still difficult to catch up with. Other birds seen include a very mobile, but vocal, YELLOW BROWED WARBLER in Margate Cementry (24th), a Little Auk on the sea at Minnis Bay (20th), 3 Black Redstarts, 2 Firecrests, Yellow Legged Herring Gull, many Goldcrests, Redwings, Fieldfares, Song Thrushes on migation, a late Wheatear and the usual Little Egrets.
Despite the mass arrival of Waxwings throughout the country over the last few days we have yet to catch up with this species this year. Perhaps the coming week will bring a number into our corner of Kent.

Dave

WEDNESDAY 27TH OCTOBER TO MONDAY 08TH NOVEMBER 2010
Like everyone else we have really struggled to find any butterflies during the above period. Our sole species is Red Admiral and the maximum number on any day has been 2. The cold and wet weather of the last few days will probably mean thats it for another year, but you never know. Dragonflies have been a little more numerous with both Migrant Hawkers and Common Darters in low numbers. 6 Common Darters on the 1st Nov at Dungeness was a decent total for this late.
It has also been hard work finding birds, however a very obliging, if rather flighty, 1st winter or female RED FLANKED BLUETAIL stole the show at Dungenees on the 6th Nov. This is the sort of bird that has the wow factor but where were all the birders. The crowd never exceeded 20 all the time we were there for what is still a national rarity, and it showed well for this species.
Other species seen in the period include a immature Spoonbill (Oare Marsh), Peregrine, good numbers of Cettis Warblers, Lapland Bunting (Dungeness), Hooded Crow (Reculver and a rare bird in Kent), Common Buzzards, Marsh Harriers, Goldeneye (Dungeness), still a few Swallows migrating, a few incoming Brambling, Siskins and many Starlings.
We look forward to another good period of looking for wildlife.

Dave