FREE RANGE EGGS

The National Trust organised a butterfly walk yesterday led by Matthew Oates a leading light in the world of butterfly conservation.The first objective was to see the long tailed blues at Kingsdown Lees which was accomplished before lunch.

He also pointed out some eggs

laid singly on the everlasting sweet pea ,with luck and good weather we may have our own adult butterflies in about 6 weeks.

It was a perfect day for the event and the afternoon was spent wandering around Lighthouse Down and South Foreland Valley,where we added brown argus and clouded yellow to the list.

 

 BROWN ARGUS

In the morning prior to the walk I had checked the elms near the light house to try one more time for a white letter hairstreak that had so far eluded me this year,it is very late for them now but my luck was in and one was found nectaring on tansy in a sunny clearing under the elm trees.

WHITE LETTER HAIRSTREAK

 On Tuesday at the Hoe,birds of note were a juvenile cuckoo  a few willow warblers,3 wheatears and several whitethroats,again it was butterflies to the forewith 5 clouded yellows the highlight.

 WILLOW WARBLER

 CLOUDED YELLOW

CLODED YELLOW