Wednesday 19 June 2013

Frogs, Lizards and Bees

Waking up to a nice day instead of the wet cloudy day I expected I decided to go over to Eastbourne to look for Frog orchids, one I haven't seen for several years. The moth trap had a nice surprise with a Privet Hawkmoth as well as the usual moths but at least the numbers are rising.


PB and PS decided to come too so after raiding the fridge we set off with PB driving. The route took us through some lovely kent and Sussex countryside with flower filled verges and following the sat nav we arrived at Pashley rd. the wall up took us through some ash woodland and then a levelish path along the side of chalk downland, with common spotted orchids just showing in the grassy gaps.


Following our detailed instructions we turned up the holland found at least 30 plants growing along the bankside. A lovely spot with other downland flowers dotted about.


We returned to the car and ate our lunch overlooking a 'wild meadow' which held


Marguerite. Yellow rattle, an allium and some common spotted orchids among others. There were also quite a few Burnet companions.




We returned via the Bee and Lizard orchids at Rye finishing off with a quick look from Scott's Float. A really lovely day.



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Monday 17 June 2013

Monday 17th. Breeding Bird Survey

The second visit was hanging over me as the weather had not been the best for getting up early and walking round my BBS square, but as I was going away for a week I decided now or never. We got up at 6 o'clock and after a quick cup of tea we headed for my square. It was dry when we left but was spitting by the time we got 2 minutes down the road. It had more or less stopped by the time we got there and et off across the fields. It was lovely to walk through this 'organic meadow' with buttercups, marguerites, lesser stitchwort and field geranium.



Bird numbers seemed to be down and some areas were very quiet. We did find a nightingale singing in the woody area across the road. As we returned along the footpath we found about 10 Spotted Orchids along the field edge.

  

Sat 15th. Twitching a Swift.


This morning was a slow one, taking time over my tea and finding several moths in the trap for a change, including Brown Line Brown Eye, Snout and Buff Ermine. The drive across the marsh was improved by 3 male Marsh Harriers but little else. Plenty of swifts were hawking over ARC and the shingle flora was lovely.
After sorting out final details for our trip to Turkey we checked the Pager to see a Pacific Swift had been found at Trimley Marshes in Suffolk. We collected a drink, arranged to collect TG and PB and PS, diverted into Hamstreet village to buy sandwiches and crisps for lunch and set off, checking the pager regularly to see if the swift was still there.
The drive was pretty good and we arrived by 2.30. Unfortunately, the police had closed the lane because of the traffic so we had to park in the village which added an extra half mile to the 2.5 mile walk! As we trudged along the track we met lots of people coming away, all with pleased smiles until after about half an hour it started to rain and got heavier as we got closer. The message now was that the bird had disappeared with the rain but there was always the chance it would return so we trudged on, getting soaked. We reached the first hide but it was jam packed so I tried to find some shelter but decided to go on to the next hide where there was space to escape the downpour.
A quarter of an hour wait and then the shout went up, "Its Here", "on the left" and following a frantic few minutes, there it was. It hawked around the bushes at the back of the pond and then a heavy storm with hail, thunder and lightening saw the swift disappear. Taking the point of view that it had gone and come back before we hung on and as the weather slowly cleared, the swifts came back and the Pacific swift with it.



It spent a lot of time flying back and forth at the back of the ponds, occasionally coming closer.
As my camera battery had run out I couldn't even try and get a photo but there were plenty of others clicking away.









After another short absence the swift continued to hawk back and forth but we decided to leave around 6.00 as it was a good 45 minute walk back and then the 2.30 hour drive back.
We stopped off at the Tesco roundabout for a Burger King meal, I dropped P&P and DW and TG off and headed home, my 409th british bird.

Friday 14 June 2013

Lydden Temple Ewell

The species list in the moth trap over this week has improved, with Heart & dart, Treble lines and Flame shoulder numbers improving. Also had Garden carpet, Mullein, Pale *** and Lunar Thorn. As the weather turned slightly warmer on Friday we decided to go and have a look at Lydden to see if we could find the Burnt tip orchid that has been reported. It was a pleasant drive and after parking in the car park we walked up the track, hearing Garden warblers and seeing marguerite daisies in the field half way up.
As we walked out onto Temple Ewel we saw the first of quite a few Adonis Blues as well as Common Blue and. Brown Argus with one Dingy skipper. Along the top track we found a Painted Lady and a Wall Brown and several whites flew about.
There were lots of fragrant orchids just beginning to bloom and the rock roses were abundant.
We tramped about the downs but didn't have any luck so we returned.






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Sunday 9 June 2013

Pottering around the Point


With continuing cold, cloudy and windy weather the point was as quiet as ever. A call from PT had us heading to the south end of ARC for a little stint. There was also a little gull sleeping on the bank and quite a lot of swifts hawking over the pits.
We went on down to the visitor's centre for a little shopping and a catch up with the gossip. Returning to the Hanson car park we walked along the track to the screen hide looking for Southern Marsh orchids in the willow scrub building up on the right hand side. We found around 50, which was a good number. Popping into the screen hide to see if there were any southern marsh on the pit side DW became aware that a pair of swallows were passing outside the hide and behaving oddly. We moved to the other end of the hide and sat quietly when both swallows flew in through the gap and settled in the corner where there was the beginning of a nest. We informed Chris on the reserve and the hide has been closed to give support for this nesting attempt.


After lunch we went for a drive round looking at flowers, stopping first at the Lifeboat station to look at a plant identified as Dame's Violet but looking a bit odd. Then on to the top end of the long pits for a few dragonflies, 4-spotted Chaser, Blue-tail and Red-eyed as well as a bud on the paeony. we then went round to Galloways, stopping at the fisherman's parking area where the ground was covered in a small, red stonecrop - Mossy Stonecrop, which is known only from East Anglia and last recorded in Kent at Sandwich in 1900.






Driving on down the across the firing ranges we saw very few birds but did find a sizeable length of Burnet Rose. Stopping for a few photographs I found Yellow Vetch in 2 or 3 large clumps in a new tetrad for the Kent Flora Atlas as well as English stonecrop, Thrift and Sea Kale, now at its best.

















Orchid Hunt


The weather was still quite cool and cloudy, the drive across the marsh had very little in the way of bird life and the point was even quieter so we decided to go looking for orchids.
Our target was Lady Orchid so we went to Bonsai Bank, stopping for Man Orchids which were only just opening their bottom flowers. The walk out was quiet although we did see quite a few gloworms crossing the path.
At the reserve we split up and walked through to the end.






There were lots of Lady orchids in great drifts, a few White helleborines just coming out and several Great Butterfly orchids just coming up. In the usual spot at the end of the reserve were two fly orchids, how they survive their preferred spot in the middle of the path is amazing.






From here we went to Covert Wood for Bird's  nest orchid and a few more Fly orchids before returning home via a quick diversion to Farthing Common for Green Hellebore (well over) and no sign of any Toothwort.



Location:Chalk Avenue,Tenterden,United Kingdom