THEY`RE HERE AT LAST

Just a quick note to tell the world the first of the  black redstart clan has returned to Samphire Hoe and a wheatear was also seen today.

BLACK REDSTART

WHEATEAR

LINNET ON THE FENCE Another new arrival for the year at the Hoe.

ECHOES OF THE EQUINOX

Last weekend ,although the weather was much better,the cliffs were fairly quiet,apart from saturdays chaffinch movement,no sign of the wheatear yet,but a small tortoishell was a welcome sight.At home the goldfinch was again on the feeders and has been joined by a second bird.On Sunday afternoon whilst I was gardening the gulls that had been restless all day,were up again and this time there were no fewer than eight buzzards in the air,wheeling around quite high up over the hills above Temple Ewell.

SMALL TORTOISHELL

GOLDFINCH

SUPER MOON OVER DOVER
Monday March 21st the vernal equinox,day and night are of equal length,and spring is sprung,so it was off to the woods once more to find the elusive lesser spotted woodpecker before the leaves burst forth on the trees.About 100 yards from the car the echoes of a drumming male rang out loud and clear and eventually he showed behind me and I watched him drumming for some time before he departed the scene.

LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER
Also spotted in the area were great spotted and green woodpeckers,treecreeper 3,nuthatch 2,marsh tit 2,numerous blue and great tits several pairs of long tailed tits and two coal tits.At the far end of the wood another pair of lesser spots were found and several fieldfare and redwings were seen on the edge bordering the sheep field.A mistle thrush was singing his heart out in the tree top back at the car and a comma butterfly
was sunbathing by the verge amongst the celandines.

MARSH TIT GREAT TIT

COMMA

LESSER CELANDINE

WOOD ANENOME
As a matter of interest disel in Dunkirk village was £151.9 p per litre the highest price ever?needless to say I went on to the shell garage in Faversham a measley £136.9 there.
Made a flying visit to Oare,nothing unusual birdwise but the highland cattle made a fine sight and I could not resist a few shots.

HOW NOW BROWN COW

HERE`S LOOKING AT YOU KID

THE COW WITH THE CRUMPLED HORN

THE END

BEWARE THE HIDES OF MARCH

When I peeped out from the bathroom window on Wednesday morning,there to greet me was a siskin on the feeders,they are fairly regular in March,when migrating back to whence they came,but not usually singly,there was also a single goldfinch on the niger seed,the first for a while.

HUNGRY SISKIN On thursday needed to go to Dungeness to acquire a book,it was out of stock,but a pair of black necked grebes,the tailless glaucous gull,and smew and goldeneye was ample compensation.
Will the glaucous gull grow a new rudder? will it be able to return to its homeland without it?I wonder.
Got well and truly hypo thermiarised sitting in the Hanson hide waiting for the penduline tit to show up ,sounds like a new perversion to me,but it didn`t,however a largish flock of reed buntings had arrived and proceeded to tear the reed mace to shreds,but they had nothing on a pair of great tits in the reed mace stripping stakes.

DRAKE GOLDENEYE

FEMALE GOLDENEYE

PAIR OF BLACK NECKED GREBES,coming into breeding plumage but not coming any closer.

REED BUNTING ON REED MACE

GREAT TITS BUT NOT PENDULINE!

Beware of sitting in cold draughty hides in March,when the temperature does not go above 5c and a north easter is blowing in your face,always take a flask....
The weekend weather forecast sounds quite promising,so lets hope its correct.

SAMPHIRE SIGHTINGS

Still very short of passerines at the Hoe, no black redstarts  or wheatears yet and the solitary stonechat has disappeared for the moment,however the peregrines are active around their nest site and the ravens are frequent visitors ,flying this way and that along the cliff top.Today a curlew was found near the main pond,probably the same bird that has been around on and off all winter,a male pheasant hurtled noisily into Woody Gully as I approached and a grey heron was watched rock pooling at the west end,it successfully speared a butterfish.Three skylarks were cavorting in the central area and one was later heard singing, perhaps the victorious male?A very dark grey seal was hunting along the sea wall in the morning and a couple of kestrels along the cliffs were the first seen for a while.

COCK PHEASANT

ROCK POOLING

BLACK GREY SEAL

CURLEW

COLTSFOOT The first flowers of the spring,so named because of the shape of the leaf which appears after the flower has bloomed. The early spider orchid rosettes are progressing so hoprfully they will be blooming soon,Iwill keep you posted.

MUCH RAMBLING IN THE MARSH

Monday afternoon at Stodmarsh was sunny and warm,and  was my first visit  of the year.Making my way out to the marsh hide, a woodcock flew past me at a rate of knots and a fine male marsh harrier got up from the reed bed.From the hide a pair of green sandpipers could be seen probing the mud and at least a dozen snipe were scattered around.A few pairs of teal and mallard made up the duck population and about 50 lapwing were spread about the water meadow in front of the hide.Only two water pipits were seen.

SNIPE AND TEAL

GREEN SANDPIPER AND WATER PIPIT

GREEN SANDPIPER

WATER PIPIT WITH A TASTY MORSEL

WATER PIPIT
It was good to see the water meadow in good condition,obviously a lot of hard work has been carried out around the reserve over the winter months,well done to all concerned.
From here it was back to the Lampen Wall to watch the harrier roost,almost immediately a barn owl was seen hunting over the reeds east of the wall,this bird was almost completely white on the underside,and was soon joined by a second bird,much darker and less active than the first.
As the sun dipped to the west the harriers,only marsh tonight,I counted eight birds in the air,began the roosting ritual over the reed beds,circling round a few times before diving into the reeds.

GOLD CRESTED GREBE

MARSH HARRIER GOING TO ROOST

STODMARSH SUN SET

RED HEADS AND WHITE HEADS

Went to Dungeness on Friday,had a scout round the fishing boats first,but didn`t locate the glaucous gull,then to RSPB reserve,which was fairly quiet just a bittern a snipe and a fine male marsh harrier were noteworthy.The ARC pits held a few more interesting ducks with 2 male and about a dozen female smew stealing the limelight,with a supporting cast of several goldeneye.Unfortunately the male smew stayed well away from the Hanson hide but several females were more obliging.

FEMALE SMEW

ANOTHER RED HEAD

MALE SMEW WITH TWO OF HIS HAREM OF FOUR

MALE SMEW ON THE WING,SPOOKED BY A MARSH HARRIER.

From here had another visit to Dr Syns churchyard ,where the northern long tailed tits were eventually found by Dave Walker,they spent a long time preening in a bramble patch before emerging and going along the hedge by the railway.

NORTHERN LONG TAILED TITS

There were also several greenfinches and goldfinches in the treetops as well as a pair of our own long tailed tits which appeared to be nest building.A grey squirrel was also present raiding the peanut feeder in the adjoining garden .

GRAVE SQUIRREL