Dave Brown

[dave brown]

Little on offer.
I would like to say the last week has been full of wildlife goodies, but in reality it has been dull and quite boring. December can be a very quiet time for wildlife. All the Butterflies and Dragonflies have finished, the summer birds have gone and the winter ones have yet to arrive. Many birders in Kent have tried to relieve the boredom by twitching a Hawk Owl that has been present in Holland for a couple of weeks. We have seen two insects, both moths. Thanks to a local birder we saw a beautiful Scarce Umber, and the other was the Winter moth.
Bird watching visits have been to Pett Level, Oare Marshes (twice), Camber, Dungeness (3 times), Grove Ferry and a wood near Canterbury. The highlights, (if that's what they were), include a fine Ringtail Hen Harrier at Oare Marshes(05/12), Long Tailed Duck on Scotney (10/12), 20 Common Crossbills near Canterbury (14/12), a 1st winter Caspian Gull and a adult Yellow Legged Gull at Dungeness (15/12).
Almost any visit to Dungeness at the moment will produce Great White Egret and Little Egret on the RSPB. The Glossy Ibis remains but has become more elusive. 37 Bewick Swans remain on Walland, usually near Caldecott farm. On the 10th we walked along the beach at Camber Sands hoping to see Snow Bunting. Varying numbers of this species have been seen this winter, but on our visit the dog walkers had put paid to our hopes. There was about twenty people on the sands and all seemed to have at least one dog with them chasing anything and everything. Needless to say the birds had disappeared.
With just over a week before Christmas we should be able to get a few more days wildlife watching in before the inevitable Christmas shopping.
Dave

[dave brown]

Why do we do it?

5 days to Christmas and time for a little birding in fairly decent weather. A trip to Dungeness found the 1st winter Caspian Gull back around the fishing boats. Many Auks and Kittiwakes were off shore. 2 Redhead Smew were on the ARC pit, as was 2 Great White Egrets and a Little Egret. The local Marsh Harriers were out in force looking for an easy meal, but again we could not find the Glossy Ibis, nor any Goosander. Two visits to Scotney PIt during the day failed to find yesterdays Caspian and Yellow Legged Gull. There was a few Common Buzzards and Redwings across Walland Marsh but that was it. A quiet day with little changing from previous visits.
3 days to Christmas found us checking out Elmley mature reserve in fairly decent weather. This place is looking really good at present with most of the fields flooded or holding water. The birds were responding well with large numbers of Lapwings, Golden Plovers, Teal and common waders. We saw 10 Ruff amongst all the waders, a very pale (and striking) Common Buzzard, 2 Peregrines and at least 9 Marsh Harriers. A really nice day.
2 days to Christmas. It was time to think of some shopping. Sainsburys had opened at 07.00 hours so we arrived about 08.30 hours, thinking a nice casual stroll around before the crowds appeared. Wrong, the place was packed. We had to drive around until a parking space became available. Speaking to the Sainsbury's Checkout Captain she said that people were queuing from 06.00 hours. What a waste of an hours sleeping time. Why do people queue for an hour in the dark and rain? There was plenty of Turkeys and Vegetables on offer so no shortages to cause the panic. Not the end of our misery. Apart from being unable to move about easily we had to queue for almost 45 minutes at the tills to be served. Some people even had two trollies stacked to the roof. The Cashier told us that the previous day (Sunday) had been even worse, with a queue of cars about 1/2 mile long waiting to get a space.
The silly thing is that Sainsbury's, and I am sure all the other Supermarkets, is only closed for one day.
A final comment. When we paid for our shopping a error message came up saying that we had not spent enough. Our bill was only £70, whilst everyone else seemed to be spending £150 to £250.
Merry Christmas everybody. Have a good and enjoyable time.

[dave brown]

What a fantastic late Christmas present.
Whilst on Christmas Day family duties we did manage a little wildlife watching. We spent a couple of hours checking some woods around Canterbury for Crossbills, but no luck. With all the nationwide reports of Two Barred and Parrot Crossbills, you never know. We saw most of the common woodland birds including 2 Marsh Tits and several Siskin's, but nothing out of the ordinary. Still, a nice break from Christmas food and cooking.

On Boxing day news broke of an absolute mega bird in Weymouth Harbour. A Brunnichs Guillemot, alive and showing well from the Marina area from near the Castle. This is the first mainland record to be twitchable and available to the masses. Most records are from the Scottish Islands, or washed up dead. Just about every birder in Britain needed this. The problem was that when news broke there was only about 5 and a half hours of decent light left, and being Boxing day the roads would be fairly busy. I know a few who left Kent almost immediatley but the drive took 5 hours instead of the usual 3.5 hours. Yes, even on Boxing Day the M25 looks more like a car park, especially between Junctions 5 and 12. We decided not to join in the rush but instead carried on with a few Christmas things. Friday came and went with the bird still showing well. We thought that the roads would be chaos on the Saturday, what with traffic for the sales and people returning from Christmas holidays, so again no movement on our part. That evening we had reports from several Kent birders that Saturday had been a good day at Weymouth. The bird even attracted a few Kent birders who never leave the county, such was its rarity status, and the fact that it showed well on occasions.
That was it, we cracked. Sunday late morning saw us arriving in the large car park adjacent to the castle off Mulberry Way. Within two minutes we were at the Marina, and within twenty minutes we were watching the almost legendary Brunnichs Guillemot. It was never more than about 100 metres off shore, often much closer, but it was always diving and popping up some 50 metres away. You could never work out where it was going to surface as presumably it just followed where the fish it was chasing went. The crowd never exceeded 100, but presumably most had already seen the bird on earlier days.
The bird had been in the local paper and was the subject of much attention from the locals. Luckily you could see it quite easily with the naked eye, and many folks were trying to photograph it with their smartphone cameras.
The area was alive with birds with a fine winter plumage Black Guillemot, 3 Guillemots, 2 Razorbills, 19 Red Breasted Merganisers, Great Northern Diver, Black Throated Diver, Black Necked Grebe and several Shags. Some had seen Slavonian Grebe and Red Necked Grebe but those eluded us.
The journey to and from Kent had given us 11 Common Buzzards and Little Egret. The roads were very busy from the M27 to Weymouth and back, but the M3 was surprising quiet. The M25 coming home was a different matter, and reminded us why we rarely go out of Kent these days.
A brilliant day out in fine sunny weather and in a lovely part of Britain, with a mega bird at journeys end.
I attach a few record photos of the bird. Although reasonably close to the shore it proved difficult to obtain a really good photo due to its continual habit of diving, rarely on the surface for more than a few seconds, and nearly always looking into the sun.
Dave

[dave brown]

Is it. Isn't it.
Over the Christmas holiday a Yellow Browed Warbler had been found in Ramsgate Cemetery. Birders visited on New Years day to start their year list with this little beauty and most came away happy with the identification. To be fair the weather on that day was appalling. So bad in fact that we decided to stay in. It rained and it rained and the resulting light was very bad. However on Tuesday 07 January a very good visiting birder raised concerns that this bird was perhaps a Humes Leaf warbler, an even rarer species. As we had planned to visit Thanet the next day for the wintering flock of Snow Buntings we decided to call in and see this bird for ourselves. It was immediately obvious that it showed many, if not all, of the features of Humes Leaf Warbler. The clincher would be the call, and although we had to wait an hour we eventually heard it call 3 times. It was my view that this bird called like a Hume Leaf Warbler. There was only two other birders present but they both agreed that the call was identical to Humes. More importantly, earlier that day someone had recorded the call and produced sonograms showing without doubt that this was indeed a Humes.
You can't beat science to take away any subjective argument. There are a very few who still think that this is a Yellow Browed Warbler but science is against them and I am sure that it will be accepted as a Humes Leaf warbler without question. Did we see the Snow Buntings? No, is the answer. The beach was overrun with dog warblers and most of the birds had sought safer refuge.
How had we been so sure of the Humes Leaf Warbler call. Well on the 3rd January we had seen and heard the one present in Dungeness trapping area. Two wintering in Kent is very unusual for this rare warbler from Central Asia. This particular one had been found and identified by the very reliable Dungeness Observatory Warden. It was a classic example and called on a regular basis. The only snag was that the whole area was under two foot of water and it took a bit of effort and a pair of wellingtons to connect with this well appreciated bird.
Incidentally, in nearly 30 years of visiting Dungeness this is the worst flooding of the trapping area that I can remember. Reflecting what many people have suffered in other parts of the country. It is so sad to see so many people and their homes suffer at the hands of the floods, including some areas that have not previously suffered.
So what have we seen during the period 31st December to the 14th January 2014 in addition to the above. Well Dungeness still presents much the same, although on the 5th a Great Northern Diver was on Scotney pits for the day. 8 Whitefronted, 2 Bean Geese and 2 Black Throated Divers have been seen around the area. The Glossy Ibis is often seen coming into roost from about 15.30 hours from the RSPB Visitor Centre. The most Great White Egrets we have seen is seven (9th), the 1st winter Caspian Gull remains around the fishing boats. A visit to Stodmarsh on the 12th produced 2 Glossy Ibis flying over and 2 Bitterns whilst a visit to Camber Sands on the 14th found 5 Snow Buntings.
The lack of visiting scarce ducks such as Smew is noticeable, probably reflecting the mild weather on the near Continent. In the meantime we will keep checking and hoping that thing will improve, including the weather.

[dave brown]

JAMMED IN ON THE TWO GLOSSY'S
The period 15th January to 23rd January 2014 has generally been very quiet. Our biggest treat was arriving at Oare Marsh on Sunday 19th January as two Glossy Ibis's flew over and away to the east. They had been seen there early in the morning but flew off, so when we arrived early afternoon we were not expecting to see then at all. However, as we drove down the approach road a number of birders present suddenly looked up. Pulling up into the lay by quickly we were pleasantly surprised to see the two flying around the East Flood before departing high to towards Seasalter.
Earlier in the period we had gone back for seconds of the Hume's Leaf Warbler at Ramsgate (16th Jan). A little bit more elusive this time but still good views in the end. More importantly it called quite a few times confirming its identification. It was still very mobile and I have yet to obtain any decent photographs. A tour around the area south of Faversham on the 19th found 6 Common Buzzards, whilst nearby at Graveney we found a Pale Bellied Brent goose in with about 250 Dark Bellied Brents. Visits to Dungeness on the 21st and 23rd found very little new. The 2 Bean Geese were still on Scotney Pit, nearby the 2 Black Throated Divers still grace the New Diggings, with at least 4 Great White Egrets and several Goldeneyes in the general area. The group of 20 Tree Sparrows still visit Bouderwall Farm but otherwise small passerines are noticeable by their absence. The Humes Leaf Warbler is still being seen in Dungeness trapping area but can be very elusive.
Probably the biggest surprise of the week was the Humming Bird Hawkmoth caught by a well known local mother. I have no idea what it was doing out on a cold January day, (it was only 9 degrees), but I am sure a very welcome addition to any January day.

[maverick]

david i was really interested to read about your bird watching especially the ibis.
I do a lot of fishing and last year i was on a small cheshire mere when i spotted a pair of large wading birds that i had never seen before, ibis in shape and with large chocolate bills and neck, the rest of the body being manly white, it wasnt until the next day that i found out that it was a pair of sacred ibis , the rspb chap told me that they had probably escaped from a collector or a small zoo. i did see them about a month later on another lake, and to this day regret not getting any pictures of them.

[dave brown]

UP AND RUNNING
Today, in a temperature of 11 degrees, we saw our first butterfly of the year. A Small Tortoiseshell flying around the timber buildings in Stodmarsh Car Park. A most pleasant and unexpected surprise. It was warm enough to bring out a few insects in the more sheltered spots. The down side to the day was finding most of Stodmarsh under water. What footpaths were above water were either very muddy or likely to be flooded after the next rainfall.
Bird wise the week, (25th January to 02 February 2014), has had a few treats but numbers of birds remain very low, and those that are present seem to be the same ones from December. The main feature has been the very high numbers of Auks, mainly Guillemots but a few Razorbills, feeding off the the point at Dungeness. On some of our visits there has been literally thousands.
On the 26th we spent the late afternoon at Littlestone Golf Course, not playing golf but waiting for the Short Eared Owls to appear. There has been up to three but not on this occasion. The next day we was to dip on the wintering Pallas's Warbler near Shornecliffe Barracks, Folkestone. It had been seen minutes before we arrived, but it was not seen for the rest of the day. Continuing our theme of missing good birds we missed the 1st winter Glaucous Gull that has arrived at Dungeness, where it spends most of its time between the New Lighthouse and the Lifeboat Station, usually around the fishing boats, although not on the 30th when we visited. On the 31st Jan we found 3 Brambling wintering on the edge of a local wood and a Great White Egret on Conningbrook (Ashford) Gravel Pits.
With the Glaucous being reported yet again at Dungeness we paid a visit on the 1st February and this time we arrived just as it flew over us and away to the Lifeboat Station. At least we have seen it but have yet to photograph it. A Little Gull was a nice bird in amongst the thousands of gulls around the point. Today, Sunday the 2nd Feb, we saw the Small Tortoiseshell mentioned above, plus 7 Marsh Harriers, 2 Cetti's Warblers, a number of Redpoll's and Siskin's and the usual woodland birds. We ended the day finding a nice flock of 17 Common Crossbills in a wood south of Canterbury.
In summary, not the best of weeks but a few goodies to keep the senses alert for the coming week.

Maverick. Thanks for your update. We have yet to see Sacred Ibis in Britain. The ones you saw were probably escapes but I have heard that there is a small feral population breeding somewhere in France. Numbers were getting out of control (over 1,000) and a major cull commenced in 2007. They are a big predator of eggs from tern and egret colonies. With regards to your sightings, I am aware that 3 birds escaped from a collection in the North of England in the summer of 2011 and were seen around the Manchester area.

[maverick]

That's probably them although it was only two that I spotted on both occasions ,don't even know the difference between the sexes

[dave brown]

THE HYTHE HERON
For those of you that follow birds you may be aware of a Heron species in Kent that is slowly causing a bit of excitement. It was first reported in January by a few residents, supported by a couple of distant photographs. Initially it was assumed to be a Squacco Heron, but now one or two experts are querying the identification suggesting that it may be a Chinese Pond Heron. A potential migrant bird that would be a first for Britain if accepted. A previous record in Norfolk in 2004 was ringed, still in summer plumage late in the year, and thus deemed an unacceptable record. The Hythe bird is not ringed, is very wary and in the correct plumage for the time of year. Apparently Chinese Pond Heron is unknown in captivity in Europe. It was re-found by a local birder on Tuesday of this week in a public area and about 10 of us managed to connect on that day. Since then interest has gathered pace but the bird is currently being very elusive. As of today probably only about 100 people have seen it, but that could all change over the weekend if it is found in a public area. In the meantime the local residents seem to being seeing it more on garden ponds and local streams (some big country style houses in the area).

3rd February to 14th February 2014.
What can we say about this period other than dire, and to some people, very frightening. We ourselves have not been directly affected by the flooding but the strong winds have certainly buffeted the area. About a mile away there is extensive flooding but luckily not affecting any housing. They are just about to build housing on land that is starting to flood, and we have known be badly flooded in the past. We almost certainly know what will happen sometime in the future.
We have seen no further butterflies despite some days the temperature reaching 10 degrees. Bird wise it has generally been been very quiet although we found a Great White Egret and 3 Goosanders on Eastwell lake near Ashford on the 7th. The bird situation at Dungeness is pretty static with the usual Great White Egrets and Little Egrets scattered around the reserve, 2 Black Throated Divers on New Diggings. Yesterday we saw 2 Ravens and a Bittern along the Dengemarsh Road, with a Black Necked Grebe and Long Tailed Duck on Scotney pits. On the 11th was the potential Chinese Pond Heron at Hythe and a group of 10 Little Egrets at Aldington.
With Stodmarsh and Grove Ferry closed due to flooding, Oare Marshes a mud bath and parts of Walland impassable due to flooding it has been a difficult period. However, we are grateful we have been spared the issues obvious in other parts of the country.

[dave brown]

Almost a Butterfly
Actually a moth, well in fact 5 moths. We were invited to see the seasons first decent catch on the 18th Feb, if you can call 5 moths a decent catch, at our good friends near Ruckinge. To us it was as our garden has produced very little. So what did we see? The answer 3 Small Brindled Beauty, a Pale Brindled Beauty and a March moth. We notice flowers are starting to appear with Snowdrops and Primroses, the garden frogs are mating and a few buds are out on the rose bushes. Spring is on its way and hopefully winter is behind us.
Bird wise its been interesting in parts. The saga of the Chinese Heron at Hythe continues. It's identity is now generally accepted, now the arguments over its origins start. A few still support the escape from a collection theory, but no one can demonstrate any collection in Europe that keeps them so the potential for it being accepted as a genuine wild migrant bird (Category A) increases. Just a pity that the bird remains very difficult to see. It is very wary and flies off at the slightest disturbance and has this annoying habit of visiting locations that are private. Thus only about 200 people have managed to connect with this potential first for Britain.
On Saturday 15th February we were birding at Dungeness when 2 Penduline Tits were seen in front of Hanson Hide on the ARC pit. They disappeared East for about 20 minutes and we spread the search. Our son decided to go back to the hide and found them back in front. A few phone calls later and about 20 people were watching them perform to the crowd. A week later they are still around but have moved to the area around the ramp on Hookers pit. That was a good day for we also saw the 1st winter Glaucous Gull on the beach, a Black Throated Diver on New Diggings, a Bittern and 2 Ravens along Dengemarsh Road and the usual collection of Great White and Little Egrets.
The next day we again saw the 2 Ravens, the usual collection of Egrets, 2 Egyptian Geese and 2 Adult Little Gulls around the Dungeness area. We also visited Dungeness on the 17th & 18th but added little new. Thursday 20 Feb news broke of a beached whale at Seasalter. About an hour later we were watching a Sperm Whale on the waters edge along the Sheppey coastline. Was it dead? Not really sure but it certainly was a few hours later. We saw the Fin moving about but in all honesty it could have been the wind blowing it rather than the whale moving it. It was about half a mile away so we will never know. Friday the 21st we checked for the Chinese Pond Heron without success before heading to Dungeness.
Despite the warm temperatures we have not seen a butterfly during this period although the bees are now out, so it can't be long.

[dave brown]

Despite the improving weather little changes on the wildlife front.
The Chinese Pond Heron remains elusive as ever. 2 visits this week have proved disappointing with no sign on either one. Others are having the same issue with many birders visiting the site quite a few times. 7 attempts before connecting is the most I have heard of so far. We have seen no butterflies or moths despite good periods of sunshine.
SAT 22 FEB 2014. A return visit to Ramsgate Cemetery produced decent views of the wintering Humes Leaf Warbler. It even called a few times to aid the identification. 10 Ringed Necked Parakeets were busy making a racket and chasing each other around the area. Margate Cemetery was next where 2 wintering Firecrest's were ample reward for the long drive. In my view these are a smart bird and one of our British favourite's. On the way home we called in at Seasalter to see the Hooded Crow. A scarce visitor to Kent and really should be much further north in Britain, especially the Highlands, where they are quite common.
SUN 23 FEB 2014. A local day seeing 5 Common Buzzards displaying at Hamstreet and 21 adult Med Gulls at Aldington on flooded fields.
TUES 25 FEB 2014. A visit to Dungeness produced the usual things with 4 Great White Egrets being the best. Dipped on the Chinese Pond Heron at Hythe.
WED 26 FEB 2014. A visit to the Reculver area was very disappointing with nothing of note except a flooded Grove Ferry.
THUR 27 FEB 2014. A trip into East Kent produced 2 Shore Larks at Sandwich Bay (on the beach just south of the Chequers Pub). Nearby we saw 4 Fulmars and 20 Auks at Kingsdown. Again we failed to see the Chinese Pond Heron at Hythe.
Whilst traveling around we have noticed an increase in the wild flowers available with Lesser Celandine and Primroses making an appearance in good numbers. Here in Kent we have missed out on the magnificent night skies of late. However, a birding friend visiting Scotland for the week managed to catch up with the Aurora on his first night. A sight he will surely remember for ever.

[dave brown]

The Week of the Butterfly
This is the week that our butterfly season kicked off and what a week it has been for so early in the year. We have seen excellent numbers of Brimstone and Small Tortoiseshell, supported by Comma and Peacock.
SAT 01 MAR 2014.
A Dungeness visit produced Glossy Ibis, 1st winter Glaucous Gull, 4 adult Little Gulls, Great White Egret, 2 Little Egrets, Water Rail, 4 Marsh Harriers, Goldeneye, 4 Cettis Warblers, 6 Tree Sparrows with 8 Redwings and 12 Fieldfares on Walland Marsh.
SUN 02 MAR 2014.
Two visits to Hythe failed to connect with the Chinese Pond Heron. These were either side of a visit to Lade Gravel Pits where we saw the Slavonian Grebe and 8 Goldeneyes.
TUES 04 MARCH 2014.
With Stodmarsh still being flooded we ventured to Reculver but saw very little. On the way home we called in at East Blean woods where a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was calling but little else of note.
WED 05 MARCH 2014.
A visit to Doddington saw 7 Common Buzzards, followed by a visit to Funton Creek where 50 Avocets were still viewable. Next was Elmley Reserve which changed hands last year. It is now managed by the local landowner and a group of like minded people. The result is a marked improvement in wading bird numbers with thousands of Lapwings present. On our visit we also saw 4 Common Buzzards, 4 Marsh Harriers, 2 Peregrines, Sparrowhawk, 11 Little Egrets, 6 Ruff and 4 Small Tortoiseshells.
THUR 06 MAR 2014
A visit to Lade Gravel pits was remarkable for the number of butterflies present. We saw a minimum of 35 Small Tortoiseshells, but believe the actual figure was over 40, also 1 Peacock. In addition the Slavonian Grebe and 2 Goldeneyes were still present. Around Dungeness we saw a further 8 Small Tortoiseshells, Great White Egret, Glossy Ibis, 3 Little Egrets, 4 Marsh Harriers and a Long Tailed Duck.
FRI 07 MAR 2014.
A lazy day really. We did visit Hythe where we managed 3 brief views, totalling about 5 minutes, of the Chinese Pond Heron.
SAT 08 MAR 2014.
A Pett Level (very quiet) and Dungeness day. Dungeness produced the goods with 3 Firecrests, one of our favourite British birds, Stonechat, Black Necked Grebe, 3 female Scaup, 6 Marsh Harriers, Great White Egret, Raven and 4 Small Tortoiseshells with 1 Peacock. Not sure why but we called in at Hythe on the way home and had only been there 10 minutes when the Chinese Pond Heron flew over the group of us, much to the delight of several birders, one who was on his seventh visit.
To end this period we visited Ashdown Forest on Sunday. We know its a little early in the year but with such high temperatures forecast, and so many early moths on the wing, we thought that it was worth checking for an early Emperor Moth. This is a species high on our to see list, but today we were out of luck We did see 17 Brimstone, Comma, Peacock and 2 Small Tortoiseshells. Bird wise it was quiet with only 1 Woodlark, 2 Ravens and the usual woodland birds.Incidently, the whole of the South East seemed to have the same idea on such a warm day. Every car park was full. There was a long queue for the ice creams and hundreds of cyclists were exercising their muscles.

For the moment I have not uploaded any of our Small Tortoiseshell photos as everyone else is posting theirs. But the temptation may prove too great before long.

[dave brown]

Large Tortoiseshell at Beckley, East Sussex
Just a quick update following yesterdays sighting and photograph of a Large Tortoiseshell at Beckley.
(As reported yesterday. Seen today in Beckley Woods - several Peacocks and Commas flitting back and forth and then, while searching for Adders I discovered a Large Tortoiseshell basking on the bracken. (Stuart Cooper))

Today we visited Beckley woods, a site we visit several times a year for butterflies, primary Grizzled Skipper and Silver Washed Fritillary. We had no details or directions but thought that it was worth checking out. We found good numbers of Brimstone, Comma, Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell but no sign of the Large Tortoiseshell. Not surprising really as it is a very big area to check and without some idea of directions we had very little expectation. Surprisingly we saw no Red Admirals, nor indeed anyone else checking for the butterfly. There has been much good management over the last couple of years so hopefully this year will bring other results in addition to Large Tortoiseshell.

Dave

[dave brown]

Is it March or is it July?
The calender tells me one thing the weather tells me the other. Today was at least 18 degrees around 14.00 hours, the public were out in their droves, luckily the butterflies were also responding, including our first Small White of the year.
MONDAY 10 MARCH 2014.
Today was a moth day with our good friends at Ruckinge providing 2 Oak Beauty, 3 Small Quaker, Common Quaker and Clouded Drab. We had put out our own moth trap but only caught a Chestnut.
TUESDAY 11 MARCH 2014
Dungeness saw 5 Black Redstarts, Great White Egret, 2 Marsh Harriers, Chiffchaff, Little Egret, 4 Goldeneyes and 20 Gannets but no butterflies.
WEDNESDAY 12 MARCH 2014.
A much better day at Dungeness with at least 9 Small Tortoiseshells and a Peacock. The Observatory held Twin-spotted Quaker and Pale Pinion moths. Around the area we saw a smart male Scaup, Black Necked and Slavonian Grebe, 7 Goldeneye, Little Egret, 5 Pintail, Black Redstart, Firecrest, 3 Skylarks, 2 Stonechats, Marsh Harrier, the 1st winter Glaucous Gull, 3 Chiffchaffs and 2 Black Throated Divers.
THURSDAY 13 MARCH 2014.
Today saw us checking out Beckley Woods for yesterdays Large Tortoiseshell, but without any joy. 9 Brimstones, 4 Comma, 3 Peacock and 10 plus Small Tortoiseshells were the butterfly delights. The best bird was the Woodcock we flushed from beneath our feet. Not sure who was the most surprised but it did not fly far. Other than that it was 7 Common Buzzards and all the usual woodland birds including 2 Marsh Tits. On the way home we called in at Dungeness to see Slavonian Grebe, Firecrest, Black Redstart, 1st winter Glaucous Gull, Great White Egret, 2 Little Egrets, 5 Pintail but not much else as the fog closed in making birding very difficult.
FRIDAY 14 MARCH 2014.
We checked the Doddington area seeing 7 Common Buzzards and 1 Sparrowhawk with 3 Comma, 3 Brimstone, Peacock and 5 Small Tortoiseshells. Next was Oare Marshes where 8 Avocets, 3 Ruff and 4 Small Tortoiseshells were the best on offer.
SATURDAY 15 MARCH 2014.
The forecast was for a dull and cloudy day here in East Kent but in the end it turned out not too bad, with some afternoon sunshine. Dungeness produced all the usual goodies in addition to a lone Pink Footed Goose. A few Small Tortoiseshells kept the butterfly interest going but it was not long before we headed to Hythe to check out the Chinese Pond Heron site. It was not there and has not been reported for a week now so presumably its continued on its way. There was something of a raptor movement going on so we gained high ground to see 10 Common Buzzards all up in the thermals.
SUNDAY 16 MARCH 2014.
Today was hot and I mean hot for March. By early afternoon it was a tee shirt job. Wildlife responded accordingly with a massive raptor movement going on for Kent. I am not sure of the final totals but it must have exceeded 30 Red KItes, with sightings from Dungeness to Thanet. We decided to visit St Margarets to catch up with this movement. On arrival we were told that at least 12 had passed through. Some were hanging around and we managed to see 3 of them. Equally exciting was the presence of 2 Short Eared Owls. We watched one fly out to sea, but after 5 minutes it turned around and came back in. Also seen was a Sparrowhawk, Peregrine, Marsh Harrier and 8 Common Buzzards. Butterflies were in equally good numbers with 8 Brimstones, 2 Peacocks and 15 Small Tortoiseshells. Near Sandwich we saw a further 2 Red Kites and 1 Common Buzzard. This was some day and for all the right reasons.

I have again resisted posting photos of Small Tortoiseshells and Peacocks as the site is awash with them. As regards the Brimstones, seen many but have yet to manage one photograph of one. They all seem to be rushing from one spot to another.

[dave brown]

A strange sort of week
It started off very warm but gradually got cooler as the week went on. Eventually yesterday there was hailstones, thunder and lighting. Almost back to winter.
Consequently the number of butterflies being seen fell dramatically as the week passed.
We started the week (Tuesday) being shown 2 Lead Coloured Drab moths at Ruckinge and seeing a Crossbill in Hamstreet Woods. Wednesday produced a Pink Footed Goose and a Wheatear at Dungeness in addition to the usual wintering things. For a change we visited Stodmarsh on Thursday following a period when the reserve was closed for a couple of months due to flooding. A really pleasant walk producing 12 Chiffchaffs, 7 Cetti's Warblers, 5 Water Rails, 4 Marsh Harriers, 2 Common Buzzards, 2 Red Admirals, 4 Peacocks, Small Tortoiseshell, Small White but little else. Noted during the day was a good showing of Cuckoo Flower and many Primroses.
Friday had to be Dungeness as Wheatears were now arriving. We saw 8 during the day, with 4 Chiffchaffs, 2 Goldeneye, Common Buzzard, Peregrine and 2 Small Tortoiseshells.
With little changing at Dungeness we started the day at Pett Level. A good move for at 11.35 hours we saw a distant White Stork which appeared to land somewhere near Fairlight. At this time of the year there is a good chance that it was one of the escaped or free flying roaming ones from some collection. Had it been April or May it would have a better chance of being a true migrant bird from the Continent. Otherwise Pett was disappointing with few birds around and certainly no butterflies. We did end the day at Dungeness seeing the regular 1st winter Glaucous Gull and our first Sand Martins of the year. 4 were catching insects over Burrowes Pit. Apart from that a Wheatear was the only other migrant we saw in increasing bitter winds.
Sunday (23 March) was going to be a day of leisure until a welcome text sent us to Dungeness where a 1st winter Iceland Gull was on show at the patch, supported by the regular Glaucous Gull. Other goodies included a Wheatear, Black Redstart, Peregrine, Great White Egret, Little Egret, Chiffchaff and Bar Tailed Godwit. Returning home via Walland Marsh we saw 7 Tree Sparrows, 2 Marsh Harriers and a Cettis Warbler.
A mixed bag really. Plenty of wild flowers, but a tailoring off in insects and butterflies as the week passed, but bird life picked up a little.
Looking forward to a return of the warm and dry weather.

[dave brown]

Wow. What a day.
And I don't just mean the temperature, which was a staggering 18 degrees in the sun. With little wind it meant a tee shirt and trousers was all that was needed for a pleasant walk. The Wow refers to the insects on offer. Butterflies were everywhere at Dungeness today with good numbers of Peacocks and Brimstones with exceptional numbers of Small Tortoiseshells for the 1st April. I would estimate 40 plus seen throughout the day. Also 1 Small White and 3 Large Whites.
Even better was the species of moths seen. Not so much the numbers but the quality. At Dungeness we saw a Bloxworth Snout, a mega moth for Kent, although last year saw a few costal records for what is normally regarded as a moth from Devon and Cornwall. Also Barred Tooth-stripped, Brindled Beauty, Early Thorn, Blossom Underwing, Silver Y, Northern Drab, Chamomile Shark and Engrailed. That is some catch for early April in Kent. If we add our first sightings of the year for Willow Warbler and Sandwich Tern than its fair to say that today Dungeness delivered the goods.
What else have we seen over the last week. Not a lot of new things until Saturday when a stunning male Garganey was present on Restharrow Scrape at Sandwich Bay. On Sunday we ventured out of the county to see the Baikal Teal at Fen Drayton, just north of Cambridge. For years we have ignored, and so has the BBRC, any records of this species in this country. However, about 5 years ago they changed their minds based on scientific data, and it is now admitted to Category A of the British Bird list. With four previously accepted records we felt it was about time to see the species, so the sighting of one about 100 miles away was too good to ignore. It was strange walking to the hide with buses passing right along side us along the new guided bus route. Even stranger was when we called into the nearby Cambridge Services just off the A14. There appeared to be very few other roads around the area and very few houses yet the services was packed to overflowing. The queue for MacDonalds was unbelievable. The large car park was full and people were just hanging around. Whether Mothers Day had anything to do with the situation I am not sure but it was strange.
With yet more warm weather forecast for the South East hopefully more goodies yet to arrive. A Large Tortoiseshell available for all to see would be nice.

[dave brown]

The return of the Swallow.
Despite the colder weather yesterday (Sun) we saw our first 3 Swallows of the year around the RSPB Dungeness. Always a good sign as many regard their return as the start of summer. Pity the weather did not match the joyful sight of their return.
Our good moth week continued where Tuesday left off. On Thursday we were shown a Scorched Carpet at Ruckinge and on Friday a Sloe Carpet. The latter is very scarce in Kent and was trapped near Biddenden. Other good moths seen during the week have been Angle Shades, Brindled Oak, Brindled Pug, Early Tooth-stripped, Powdered Quaker, Clouded Drab, Red Chestnut and Dotted Chestnut.
We have volunteered to share duties on a Butterfly transect this year and on Wednesday we joined a guided walk of the private area. Although cloudy in parts it remained warm enough to enjoy 18 Peacocks, 1 Comma, 3 Brimstone and a Large White. Birds were represented by Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Nuthatch amongst the more common and expected woodland birds. Our first visit of the year to Wye NNR earlier in the day produced our first Orange Tip of the year, Small White and 5 Peacocks, with just 1 Small Tortoiseshell. We could find no early Green Hairstreaks, but a number of Cowslips were in good flower.
A walk in Hamstreet woods on Thursday produced 2 Crossbills and just 2 Peacocks.
With the weather cooling down we visited Dungeness on Friday where 7 Common Terns and 2 Sandwich Terns were seen on the sea but the various pits were pretty much the same as the last few visits. No butterflies were noted.
On Saturday we toured East Kent hoping to connect with a Red Kite, a few of which had been reported that day. Early afternoon we connected with one passing over Collards Lake, Stodmarsh, which headed towards Sturry and Canterbury. Again, no butterflies were noted.
Sunday was even better as whilst talking to our friends at Ruckinge, and looking at Dotted Chestnut, a shout went up, Red Kite. There above us was the magnificent raptor just gliding along very slowly. With my camera back in the car, and the very poor light anyway, I have no photos to show for this wonderful moment. Still it made for a very good day followed by a visit to Dungeness where 2 Egyptian Geese, Little Ringed Plover and 4 Avocets were on Scotney and 3 Swallows, Sedge Warbler, Peregrine and Raven were seen around the RSPB.
The very warm spell has now ended but has resulted in a very good show of early flowers. We have seen Cuckoo Flower, Cowslip, Wood Anemones, Lesser Celandine, Greater Stitchwort, Violets, Bluebells and many Primroses.
Enjoy the week.

[jasonbirder]

You've certainly had some crackers in the Moth dept...
Was wondering if the fall of Saharan sand had brought any migrants through with it...it obviously has!
Best I can hope for is a Silver Y filtering its way northwards to me!

[dave brown]

New Butterflies and Birds for the year.
This is the time of the year when expectations grow to see your first of the year, both in terms of Butterflies and Birds. This week, despite a few poor days, has delivered. I have marked our first sightings of the year with the abbreviation (nfy- new for year).
Tuesday 08 April 2014.
A tour of Doddington and Oare Marshes produced Peacocks, Small Tortoiseshells and 3 Green Veined Whites (nfy). In total we saw 7 Common Buzzards and 1 Sparrowhawk. Oare was a wash with Black Tailed Godwits, most looking smart in their new summer plumage.
Thursday 10 April 2014.
Today was to be our serious effort for the Emperor Moth, which would be a new moth for us.Our chosen spot for a search was Sandwich Bay and Pegwell Bay. We failed badly on this occasion but still had a enjoyable day. Sandwich yielded Nightingale (nfy), 4 Blackcaps, 3 Chiffchaffs, 4 Swallows, House Martin (nfy), Red Throated Diver, 7 Peacocks, 4 Small Tortoiseshells, Small White and 2 Slow Worms (nfy). Pegwell only produced 2 Whimbrel (nfy) Whitethroat, Yellow Wagtail (nfy), 6 Peacocks, Small White and dozens of screaming kids, all enjoying the release from school. The parents on the other hand looked exhausted and many were sipping tea at the local kiosk.
Friday 11 April 2014.
A trip to Dungeness was uneventful, although Lesser Whitethroat and Reed Warbler were new for the year. Butterflies seen were 3 Peacocks, 2 Small Tortoiseshells and a Small White.
Saturday 12 April 2014.
With reports being received of Grizzled Skippers at some Southern locations today we visited Beckley Woods in the hope of connecting with this species. We failed, but did see 3 Orange Tips, 16 Peacocks and Small Tortoiseshell. We had our fingers crossed for last months sighting of a Large Tortoiseshell but it was not to be.
Sunday 13 April 2014.
Our second serious effort for the Emperor Moth again failed to locate this magnificent creature. We did see 11 Brimstones and 4 Peacocks on the butterfly front. Birds included 3 Woodlarks, 4 Redstarts, Raven, 2 Nuthatch, 5 Willow Warblers, Redpoll, 3 Stonechats and 4 Common Buzzards. A most enjoyable day at
a lovelly location.
Monday 14 April 2014.
A visit to Wye NNR for the Green Hairstreak (nfy) proved successful with 9 individuals found. 3 Orange Tips, 2 Holly Blue (nfy), Small White, Brimstone and 4 Peacocks. At a small wood near Chilham we encountered 2 Speckled Woods (nfy).
Tuesday 15 April 2014.
Another visit to Dungeness was a bit disappointing due to a cold biting wind but still gave us 2 Small Coppers (nfy) and Speckled Wood. 2 Egyptian Geese flew over our head whilst walking around the ARC pit, together with 3 Green Sandpipers (nfy). A Bittern boomed in the background and birds singing included Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler and Cettis Warbler. 2 Yellow Wagtails were along the Dengemarsh Road and the long staying Long Tailed Duck was on Scotney.
So all in all not a bad week, but as the teacher said, could do better.

[dave brown]

A COLOURFUL WEEK: PURPLE, BLACK, BLUE BUT NO RED.

I have not updated for a while because, to be honest, not much was changing. The weather was restricting the number of butterflies and people must get bored of reading about yet more Peacocks, Orange Tips and Small Tortoiseshells, despite our love for them. Additional butterflies were slowly appearing, such as Green Veined and Small White. Then the sun appeared and things gradually improved with more Green Hairsteaks (Wye NNR), Speckled Woods (Chilham), then on Wednesday we saw 8 Wall Browns and 6 Dingy Skippers at Samphire Hoe with a Holly Blue. Yesterday we saw several Small Coppers at Dungeness, where I am informed that numbers are good this spring.
Moths started to improve with Silver Ground Carpet and Burnet Companion at Wye NNR. Best of all, thanks to our two moth friends, 2 Buttoned Snouts. Also Lunar Thorn, Poplar Kitten, Coxcomb Prominent and Lesser Swallow Prominent. The Buttoned Snout is a scarce moth in South East England so we were chuffed to be shown two individuals on the same day.
We have seen our first dragonflies of the year. All Hairy Dragonflies, but decent numbers. Orchids are out with Early Purple at Dungeness and nearly 2000 Early Spiders at Samphire Hoe.
Finally to birds and the basis of the title of this update. The Purple refers to the Purple Heron seen at Dungeness on the 22nd April. The Black refers to the Black Winged Stilt seen at Dungeness on the 24th April. We only saw the one but photos taken by a husband and wife visitors proved that 10 birds originally landed on the Hayfields before a Marsh Harrier flushed them all, with only the one bird remaining. The Blue refers to the female Blue Winged Teal we saw today at Sandwich Bay. Finally the Red refers to the fact that we have again failed to find any Red Admirals.
Other good birds have included Bittern (booming), Hobby, Cuckoo (all Dungeness), with Gargeney, Little Ringed Plover and 2 Ring Ouzels at Sandwich Bay.
A really good period of wildlife watching. Our only disappoint is the fact that despite four more efforts and many hours in the field we have failed to see any Emperor Moths. This is proving a difficult moth for us to see here in Kent and East Sussex so we may have to extend the search area.
A few photos will follow.