NEW HYTHE AND A GARDEN ORGY

A couple of hours at New Hythe today failed to turn up any surprises, unsurprisingly. There were a few highlights though, one of which were the Dunnocks who sang their ever so slightly flat little song from the tops of various bushes across the site. There were nine Shelducks along the river, fingers crossed for a breeding pair this year, as we had two years ago. Competing with the Dunnocks were at least six Cetti's Warblers, mostly in the sunken marsh area, one Snipe which crossed the river and landed in the reedbeds and a single Redshank. In the creek by the small wood two Kingfishers called to each other and then flew downstream together and at the southern end of Brooklands lake a Chiffchaff flitted silently through the branches.

I found this very small newt over in the east scrub, I was hoping for an early Slow Worm but the cool breeze probably put paid to that. Other species seen included Green, Gold and Bullfinches, Jays, a multitude of Wrens, a pair of Pied Wagtails, various pairs of Long-tailed Tits and a single male Reed Bunting who sang feebly from the top of a Hawthorn, that's probably why he's still single. On the way back to the car park a couple of gulls alerted me to a Buzzard overhead who, harangued by said gulls, drifted south along the river and then turned, headed back north and was harangued all the way back. My planned rest on the bucket by the river was thwarted by cold mist being blown over the downs and dropping into the valley. I noted a Kestrel hunting in the distance and a Pheasant calling across the river before heading for home.

In the sheltered warmth of the back garden I found my first Comma butterfly of the year.

As you can see below it wasn't the most pristine of individuals, not surprising considering its long hibernation through the winter, but at least it survived.

While I had the camera out I snapped another couple of garden visitors. The House Sparrow is one of the thirty or so who spend most of their time in the large Pyrocantha bush next to the feeders, the Sparrowhawk can't get them in there, much to its disgust.

The Blue Tit above may be the one that has been roosting in my camera nest box every single night since last October. Hopefully we'll have a nest soon.

The Frog orgy is continuing in my small pond, it's now been two weeks or so and shows no sign of abating.

This afternoon I counted a minimum of twenty Frogs all embracing each other in the fullest sense of the word. This is the most Frogs in the pond for quite a few years and may be due to me deciding against restocking with fish after the Heron snaffled the last lot two years ago. The Newt population has also rocketed, good move I think.