WEDDING DAY BLUES

Wedding what wedding,I forgot all about it and found myself on the cliffs watching whitethroats and lesser whitethroats,peregrines and ravens,swallows and a ring ouzel,by the time I remembered it was too late, oh dear,sorry William and Kate.Before heading for home to watch the highlights and attend the street party,there was just time to find my first adonis and small blue butterflies,on the lower tramway.The clifftop flora has also made great strides this week with nottingham catchfly,sain foin,and red valerian blooming.

WHITETHROAT IN SONG

LESSER WHITETHROAT RATTLING

PEREGRINE assumed to be the male standing guard was here at 9 30 and was still there at 11 on my return.

GRASS LARK

CHORTLING CHAFFINCH

SMALL BLUE

ADONIS BLUE

SMALL BLUE

SMALL BLUE

ST MARKS FLY so called because it appears around 21st April St Marks Day.There are millions of them this year ,they are quite large flies with long dangly legs,you may have seen them.

DINGY SKIPPER.

SAIN FOIN

NOTTINGHAM CATCHFLY

STOP FOR A CHAT

It was blowing a hoolie at Samphire Hoe on Tuesday,so small birds were keeping a low profile,however the male stonechat was standing guard over his territory early on and he allowed me to approach within range for once,he really is a fine individual.Unfortunately there is just the single pair so far this year.

STONECHAT

STONECHAT SENTRY

Another bird which breeds regularly here is the meadow pipit but after  two cold winters in succession numbers are well down,but hopefully are showing signs of recovery.

MEADOW PIPIT

All the other resident species were seen,the most encouraging sight though was the number of wall brown butterflies,the dry warm april must have been very good for them.
The early spider orchid count has started and this too got off to an encouraging start with over 2000 in one area alone.

WALL BROWN

HOT CROSS PUNS

I confined my easter wildlife watching to Langdon cliffs and the back garden.With the warm weather continuing throughout, migration has almost stopped although a few more whitethroats and lesser whitethroats were in and the odd swallow and sand martin arrived over the cliffs.
More butterflies are appearing daily and the moth trap has attracted a few more interesting species.

WHITETHROAT Langdon Cliffs

YELLOWHAMMER nest building at Fan Bay

GREEN VEINED WHITES( IN COP)

WALL BROWN

MUSLIN MOTH

NUT TREE TUSSOCK

MULLEIN MOTH

MULLEIN MOTH side view.

HOLLY BLUE in garden

DON`T LET THEM GET YOU DOWN DYLAN!

HOTTER THAN JULY

Wednesday at Elmley RSPB Reserve on the Isle of Sheppey, it was hot,damn hot, hotter than July in fact.The first thing that impresses about this place  is the number of brown hares, there are dozens of them!

This one seemed half asleep.
Lapwings and redshanks are also found in large numbers as are avocets,there were a few yellow wagtails on site and three spoonbills were seen from the south fleet hide.I didn`t make it to Spit end as the tide was fast approaching when I got to the Swale hide.On the return walk there were black tailed godwit in full breeding plumage,reed and sedge warblers aplenty, reed buntings by the score and a drake garganey back at the farm lake was icing on cake.

BLACK TAILED GODWIT

SEDGE WARBLER

REED BUNTING

SPOONBILL

SPOONBILL (doing angel impression)

REED WARBLER

YELLOW WAGTAIL

YELLOW WAGTAIL

ANOTHER HARE

CORN BUNTING

GOLDFINCH

As you can see Elmley has lots of variety,but it is a long walk going out and it seems an even longer walk going back,but well worth the effort.

EARLY SPIDERS

At Samphire Hoe last Tuesday the early spider orchids were  clearly in evidence,I will soon have the pleasure of helping with the count.
The first dingy skipper butterflies were also seen along with small copper and orange tip.

DINGY SKIPPER

SMALL COPPER

ORANGE TIP

ORANGE TIP (UNDERWING)

On the bird front there were few migrants with just 4 wheatears on the ground.The resident black redstarts are busy nest building,and the kestrels were seen mating on the cliff face a noisy and precarious business.
Peregrine, fulmar, stonechat, meadow pipit and skylark,can also be seen.

ANOTHER WHEATEAR(sorry)

FEMALE STONECHAT

BLACK REDSTART with nesting material

This fox was seen on the railway track in the early morning,I guess he knows to avoid the third rail,or he could end up the wrong kind of fox "DEAD".

SALTY TOWERS

Yesterday  did an early morning visit to Stodmarsh,the car park was alive with song when Igot there, a garden warbler to the fore.Down the reed bed track a nightingale was in full song,I managed to see it as well peering through a small gap in the blackthorn blossom,it was singing from a low perch.Moving on towards the marsh hide the mist came down quite quickly giving an eerie feel to the day, a single drake garganey was feeding in one of the cleared areas and plenty of reed and sedge warblers were proclaiming their territories.
Couldn`t see much at all by the time I reached the hide,but eventually as I went round the circuit the mist cleared and sunshine poured through.More nightingales sang along by the river,and a cuckoo called in the distance.On the main lake two common terns were esconced on one of the rafts,the other seems to have been taken by the ever burgeoning cormorant population,five pairs of great crested grebes were also present.Back at the reed bed hide the nightingale was still singing and a snipe was showing well out of the side window.

COMMON SNIPE AT STODMARSH

From Stodmarsh went across country to Reculver where I walked to Coldharbour and back,highlights included a flock of sanderling on the beach, a pair of  sandwich terns, several ringed plover,and another superb male wheatear.

IF I GET ON YOUR BACK I CAN ALMOST SEE SANDWICH.

KEEP STILL WOMAN I`LL FALL OFF

WHOA I`M GOING

THATS BETTER

RINGED PLOVER

SINGLE SANDERLING ON THE ROCKS

THE WHOLE FLOCK TAKES TO THE AIR, DISTURBED BY A DOGGER,CAN ANYONE COUNT?

SHELDUCK AT COLDHARBOUR.