Seasalter and Oare

I haven't been far this week just down to Seasalter and over to Oare where waders numbers are on the up. At SS a walk on the plots only produced a few whitethroats etc and a few butterflies. On the incoming tide the shingle bank was full of herring,  grt b bk. gulls plus three lessers, one of the herring gulls covered in some yellow marking of unknown origin.

 Yellow marked Herring gull

 Essex Skipper

Gatekeeper

An Evening Visit to Seasalter

I visited Oare this afternoon as the weather was good plus the tide was high  which put the light in the right position.  A thousand blackwits maybe, c.50 dunlin, 2 ruff, 4 curlew sandpipers, 1 wood sandpiper at least, c.200 redshank plus a handful of golden plovers etc. etc.. One clouded yellow flew past the layby Also a bevy of birdographers in the form of Mark Chidwick, Mike Hook, Tim Gutsell and later Steve Ashton plus a couple of unknown's.

Wood Sandpiper

 Little Grebe Family

 Curlew Sandpiper

 Juv. Med Gull spotted by MC

On the way home I called into West Beach at Whitstable and got a couple of shots of the clouded yellows that seem to be all along the coast, even a report of one in Thornden Wood.

Too Hot This Week

I don't like this hot humid weather so I only managed a few short outings around the local area. Its still quiet on the patch but on the 20th there were 12 common terns along the shore half a dozen egrets, lots of blkwits, a marsh harrier around the pumping station area. I caught up with another family of  stonechats, that's three pairs with fledged young, the best season so far, mind you they are well of the 'reserves'. A couple of short walks up to the seawall at S.Swale was as usual, a couple of reed buntings and reed warblers, still can't find a bearded tit!

 No swallowtail but several tortoiseshells

On the 24th a text from Andy Malone informing that he had seen a swallowtail along west beach whilst walking his dog that evening but a quick search with others revealed it was long gone!

 Egrets at Seasalter

Another trip out on the 25th revealed a healthy vista of wild flowers on Wraik Hill but no birds to speak of, the only highlight was a hare on the brow of the hill, the first I've ever seen!

 Heron at ISO 640

An evening visit to Oare produced the usual avocets, blackwits, herons etc but just a beautiful time to be out. A ruff flew in and landed nearly close to the road giving a few opportunities for the little camera.

On Saturday 26th I went to Swalecliffe after an uneventful hour at SS and spent time socialising with GJWB and Ted Lee. However, two clouded yellow butterflies were flying about over the beach and I finished off helping GB with his flat tyre and the messy kit of fluid and pump given these days to get you out of trouble. It did work to an extent even with a split in the side wall. I then followed him some of the way home where after he disappeared into the distance still inflated!!

Is Autumn On Its Way

I've not been out since my last post due to 'work' but managed a couple of hours on the plots Saturday. I first had a stop along Seasalter Lane where, in the gloomy weather I saw a female marsh harrier perched on a post out on the marsh, then later two juvenile harriers flew up close by. It would appear the pair had success in raising a brood somewhere. I noticed another nest on one of the pylons, maybe a crow perhaps... 

Fairly quiet otherwise, a couple of reed warblers, goldfinch etc.. but birding along a road with no path isn't wise for too long.  Moving down to the seafront I was surprised to see eight egrets in one of the tidal pools as the tide was rapidly coming in.  On the  plots, near the concrete bridge, my earliest autumn kingfisher unless a breeder somewhere. Several young linnets, 2 great tits, 1 blue tit, 4 swallows and whitethroats etc. were flitting about and over the sheep field c.200 curlews plus one blackwit and 18 lapwing took flight. Along the dyke 2 common terns were flying up and down fishing.  I had a walk along the seawall, not finding much but took a photo of a small white but nothing much else appeared.

Small White

On the beach I noticed loads of seaweed, Enteromorpha recently washed up in thick masses on the water's edge.

Enteromorpha

Today, (Sun) I went over to Oare where I bumped into Mark Chidwick. On the flood there were at least 3 wood sandpipers, plus a distant spotted redshank.  Plenty of blackwits as usual, a little grebe with young was swimming up and down the ditch next to the road. A marsh harrier flew over and later caught a frog but nothing much else to get excited about. 

The Last Few Days

I had a change of scenery and went for a couple of walks in the Clowes Wood complex, nothing to see very special except the white admiral butterflies. My first was at the winding pond along with large red and common blue damselflies plus the odd emperor. Plenty of goldfish in the old large pond and a couple of chiffs and chaffinches in the area. On another day, Thornden wood proved much the same with a few more white admirals close to the road plus a few insect shots for the camera.

 Unfortunately, a tatty specimen!

Long-horned Beetle - Strangalia maculata

 Large Red Damselflies

Azure Damselfly

Today, (the 8th) I made a visit to Seasalter having a walk around the plots and along the nearby beach. The beach only revealing 1 turnstone, the tide was just beginning to leave the beach. The 'island' is not so much of an island now, it will be interesting to see how this effects the roosting birds. More shingle build up from the tidal drift in the years to come may develop into something quite attractive to birds but also to humans!

The 'island' that once was and still is at high tides, just about! Photo taken with phone.

The walk around the plots was quiet but 3 whitethroats, 2 reed warblers, 3 linnets, 1 marsh harrier, 1 pr of swans with six full size cygnets, two other adults plus blackbirds and starlings etc.. Lots of Essex skippers and meadow browns plus 4 peacocks. Odonata was thin on the ground with only one blue-tailed damsel, 1-2 emperors, 2 black-tailed skimmers, and a couple of c. darters, very poor.

Essex Skipper- I think

 Common Darter

Blue-tailed Damselfly - rufescens . Only one shot before it flew

A Couple of Days in Norfolk

I visited some friends in NE Norfolk for a mid-week break but not expecting any ornithological wonders. However, a visit to some sandy wooded  areas revealed some Dartford warblers plus big numbers of silver-studded blue butterflies that seemed to love the young heather and gorse on the wide pathways. The butterflies were early this year so their condition was a bit grubby, I couldn't find a fresh one to photograph!

 A brown female

Female

They are supposed to show tiny blue 'studs' in the black marginal spots on the hind wing but due to their age they were hardly visible. What I did notice was the very pale blue along the front of the forewing. A few tiger beetles were scampering about on the sandy areas allowing one quick photograph.

 Tiger Beetle - one of the fastest runners in the insect world

A few Small Skippers

Another day we visited Hickling Broad hoping to see the swallowtails which came up trumps due to the weather. It seems the sun is so important as when it was out they were on the wing over the reeds but when it went in they all dived into the reeds out of sight every time! Photography was almost out of the question due to their distance but my keen spotting accomplice found one on a thistle fairly close but was away after two shots! 

A few Norfolk hawkers were seen but better seen in Kent now I think! The usual black-tailed skimmers, common blue damselsflies etc. were about plus some nasty biting insects. Something bit my neck which I pulled off not knowing what it was but really stung coming out in a large rash requiring a visit to a pharmacy for antihistamine and cortisone cream (still not fully gone). Nothing normally bites me!

 One of the paths at Hickling

A few birds seen were, avocets, blackwits, egrets, chiffs, willow warblers etc. a nice reserve but charges a £4.50 entrance fee unless you are a member of the NNT..

The Last Few Days

Sunday 22nd.  I drove out towards some local woods stopping to see two distant  buzzards circling overhead. I jumped out of the car not expecting to see them over fields and fired off a couple of shots. When I looked at the back of the camera I realised they were honey buzzards, what luck. Apart from that and several common buzzards not much else to report.

Honey Buzzard

Common Buzzard for comparison

Honey Buzzard

Saturday 21st. A couple of hours to spare so I nipped down to the beach at Seasalter, the tide was just leaving the beach. On the high tide roost a few herring gulls plus 8 curlew and on the sea 9 common terns and 1 Sandwich tern. Inland, a group of 11 lapwings were flying west but not much else.  I tempted myself to walk along the S.Swale LNR which as expected was dire, although the other week I did see a cuckoo there. The reedbed sported a few reed warblers and two reed buntings but no sign of beardies. Thank goodness the 36 cattle have been removed, no doubt they have trodden any nesting skylark and meadow pipit into the ground or deserted. Why do the KTNC persist in putting cattle on the thin strip of land at the beginning of the breeding season and leaving them for a couple of months to devastate the area. I walked through the sea of grass looking for a flower but it wasn't until I had walked half a mile to the white post when I found a buttercup that the cattle had somehow missed. I saw one small heath, two tortoiseshells, and a white (on the entrance track by the Sportsman PH), two emperor dragonflies and one blue-tailed damselfly in one of the ditches. Apart from that nothing! The reed bed is almost dried out after the farmer ripped out the dam to keep the water levels raised a couple of feet a couple of years ago. Its dying.

Just a sea of grass- no flowers, no insects, no birds.

The only patch of flowers managing to survive were salsify but even these were finally nipped of. 

Friday 20th.  A visit to East Blean woods didn't prove very rewarding although there were a few heath fritillaries about but not as many as in previous years. The 'rides' seemed very overgrown, not many open areas as in other years plus cow wheat  appeared in short supply. I managed to see a few ringlets and large skippers plus a chiffchaff and green woodpecker betrayed their presence. Other than that fairly quiet!

Heath Fritillary

I tried a few shots at some of the hoverflies, this big one you see often hovering above your head with a pale saddle finally settled allowing a photo and also through boredom, a common housefly!

Leocozona lucorum

Housefly

Common Blue Damselfly

Large Skipper

Thursday 19th. I visited a local wet area near Reculver looking at dragonflies and insects. It was encouraging to see well over ten tortoiseshell butterflies and plenty of common blue damselflies, black-tailed skimmers plus a possible lesser emperor. Whilst getting down close to things I noticed a strange waspy looking insect that turned out to be a moth, a six banded clearwing.

 Six Banded Clearwing

 Common Darter

Upon leaving I walked down the track noticing a couple of ears sticking out of the grass, a hare. I lifted up the camera and waited. Seemingly, it didn't appear to realise what I was and started to come towards me but stopping occasionally to check me out again. Finally it came so close that I thought it best to come clean giving it time to dash off in the opposite direction.

 Hare

On Monday 16th, I took a trip out of the county to see the short-toed eagle at Ashdown Forest. Luck was with me and I saw it straight away at the Gills Lap car park circling about half a mile away and too far for photos.