Stodmarsh & Grove Ferry 22nd October

Whenever I see Great Spotted Woodpeckers I always think how smart and impeccably groomed they look. But take a look at this one, he either needs a bath or he's just had one. Not sure which.

Carol and I parked at the Natural England car park at Stodmarsh and did the 5 km circular walk, stopping at the Grove Ferry Inn for lunch. Well it would be rude not to really.

The first part of the walk is alongside the large lake, don't know what it's called but today I think Lake Deserted might be appropriate. Just the usual Mallard, Tufties, Coot and one or two Pochard were the highlights on the water, with Cormorant and BH Gull above it.

The second part has the tidal stretch of the River Stour to the left and extensive reed beds and water meadow on the right. Birds of prey featured in the big sky views over the marshes and included Sparrowhawk, Marsh Harriers, Kestrel and a Common Buzzard which glided effortlessly, high over our heads.

Closer by in the Hawthorns and Blackthorns were noisy flocks of Fieldfare and Redwings feeding hungrily but warily on the abundance of berries. As well as Pheasants, which seem to be everywhere now, must be the shooting season, also the odd Bullfinch, Goldfinch and acorn toting Jay.

This stretch of the walk is also the sunny side and it did really feel like a Spring morning at times, even the westerly wind was mild and so it was that the hedgerows and streamsides were full of creatures keen to make the most of the warmth before the inevitable descent into Winter.

The Dark Bush Cricket and Common Darter pictured above sharing a prime sunbathing position, were just two of many seen along this path. Also very much in evidence were the shield bugs pictured below. Which judging by the spines on the pronotum might be Picromerus bidens, a predatory bug that feeds on caterpillars and stuff.

And talking of caterpillars, here's a nice little brown job. Unfortunately I can't find it's name yet. Any offers?

***Thanks to Dean for IDing the caterpillar as that of the Muslin Moth. Click on his name to visit his blog.***

We paid a quick visit to the viewing ramp before lunch, the view to the scrape is a little distant for binoculars but we could see plenty of Lapwings, a Little Egret, lots of Teal and a few Golden Plover. All was very peaceful until an unseen raptor I think, spooked the whole lot of them, resulting in a mass take off and temporary pandemonium as the sky filled with birds who soon formed flocks of their own species before settling back down on and around the water again.

And so to lunch, but not before we had stopped to listen to a Bearded Tit calling from a small reedbed. We didn't see it on this occasion but we did see a Green Woodpecker feeding close by in the adjacent meadow and I also stopped by the roadside to take a few pics of Common Lizards who were basking in the warmth of some old timber and were very tolerant of our presence.

I know I said in a previous post that I wouldn't put any more pictures of lizards up this year but that was mainly because I didn't think I would see any more! Anyway this will be the last this year....probably.

The David Feast hide is the first stop on the return leg of the circuit and just before we reached it we were pleased to spot a couple of Bearded Tits flying briefly over the reeds. I've had a good week for this species, I hope it lasts.

From the hide we watched more Lapwings and Teal, a Common Snipe, another Little Egret and the Cormorant below in classic drying out pose. It's hard to resist a shot when they do this.

The last couple of kilometres back to the car park were very quiet. Just a couple of Greenfinches and a female Stonechat made the list. The Marsh hide was an absolute no fly zone, the only interest being the herd of Konic ponies grazing and wallowing in the damp grass. And the last section through the coppiced wood was also pretty deserted.

We clocked up 39 species in all including the Greylag below from the Feast hide. Not bad really but not the most prolific visit i've had here and despite all the water and reedbeds we didn't see one Grey Heron. Lunch was nice though!

Garden & New Hythe 6th October

After surviving yesterday's encounter with Percy, I was pleased to see one of his mates down the garden this morning. She looked quite young to me and seemed in good condition apart from some damage to the end of her tail. Two Magpies escorted her around for the whole time she was there for some reason, and a couple of times she saw them off with a half hearted lunge in their direction which they treated with complete contempt. The pics were taken from some distance and through the rain streaked patio doors so aren't too sharp.

Later in the morning the sun came out and so did I. It was a quick dash to the lakes where the sunshine had persuaded some of Summer's stragglers to come out and bask in the rays of Autumn's still pleasantly warm sun.

Once more the tide was very high on the river which meant that there wasn't much to be seen there. So having checked out Brooklands and Abbey Mead lakes and established that nothing had changed since my visit yesterday, I turned my attention to other winged creatures like the one pictured below. The nearest I can get to it is the hover fly Ferdinandea cuprea but as usual i'm clutching at straws.




The only butterflies seen were a single White species and two or three Small Coppers which were obviously on a very important mission and had no time to stop their seemingly erratic flight.

Dragons were much more plentiful though and included Common Darters pictured below. I know we've all seen plenty of them and plenty of pictures of them, but they are one of the last small links to a short Summer that passed much too quickly.

And that's why I've featured yet another Migrant Hawker which were plentiful today, especially around the lake margins.

It was around the south west margins of Abbey Mead that I stood, Heron like, in a small reed bed trying to get in-flight shots of one of these fantastic flying machines. The results of which are shown below.

While in Heron mode my attention was drawn to the thick bushes behind me where I was sure I'd heard another Goldcrest singing. I searched the area for some time and my patience was rewarded with not one but two Goldcrests! There could even have been a third but I only saw two at any one time so I can't be sure. This is only thirty feet or so from yesterday's sighting so I can still only be sure of two. Let's hope they stay.

I made my way across the East Scrub where I was assaulted by two dogs, grrrrrrr, that's me not them. Foxes never assault me...........Anyway, again nothing much to write home about so I went over to see if I could find a late Slow worm, which I couldn't. But I did find the little critter below who didn't seem to mind a quick photo. I think he's a Yellow necked Mouse??

New Hythe Wednesday 15th September

I only had a couple of hours today so I got to Brooklands car park almost at the crack of dawn, which is 08.00 in British Summer Time...............


It was a great morning, a bit cool to start with but then the September sun began to work it's magic and it warmed up nicely and turned into a proper hop picking morning, I could almost smell the aroma of the hops wafting up from memory lane. Only trouble is hop picking mornings were notoriously damp underfoot and today was no exception, so it was on with the gaiters, it only seems like five minutes ago I was packing them away for the Summer.


A pair of Mistle Thrushes, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a flock of House Martins all made the notebook before I left the car park so that was a good start. I noticed that the river was fairly high although the tide was ebbing so I didn't go down to the small wood where i'd seen the two Kingfishers from on monday. As I walked along the Sunken Marsh path I looked back to the wood and saw three Grey Herons perched in the trees facing the river, basking in the early sun so i'm glad I didn't disturb them. I haven't seen them there before. A dunnock, a pair of Linnets, and a small flock of Greenfinches were in the marsh as was a Chiffchaff which was singing it's Chiff-chaff song and this, coupled with the sun and the now warmish breeze, made it feel positively Spring like.


There were maybe 150 Hirundines spread over Brookland and Abbey Mead lakes, mostly House Martins but with a good sprinkling of Sand Martins and the odd Swallow. As I watched them a Sparrowhawk flew over creating panic and a Kingfisher called from Brookland lake, I went to investigate and saw two bolts of blue flying characteristically low over the flat calm surface, at least it was calm before the Swan pictured below came in for a high speed crash landing.

I checked out the railway path because it was here that I found a Spotted Flycatcher at about this time last year. No luck today though, just a few dragons one of which allowed me a picture, I think it might be a Common Darter? And a Magpie which I snapped while waiting for a Jay to reappear after flying into an Oak tree. I didn't get the Jay picture, I never do!

The East Scrub was quiet, only brightened by the familiar Green Woodpeckers and a small charm of Goldfinches. The mixed flock that I saw there on Monday had moved on but luckily I managed to find a similar (or the same) flock, this time in the West Scrub. Blue Tits, Great Tits, Long tailed Tits, as pictured below, Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps and other LBJ's which were too quick to ID all busied themselves roaming from tree to tree continually calling and feeding in earnest.

With time running out I cut through the small copse alongside the Bittern viewing area on Streamside lake. As I emerged I once again nearly stepped on a Slow Worm. This one was right on the edge of the path in the shade of the trees in the copse. I took a couple of quick pictures and was about to move on, but it was in such a vulnerable position and it hadn't moved an inch while I was there, so I thought I would move it somewhere a bit safer. It offered no resistance to me picking it up and made no effort to escape so I guessed it was too cold. I moved it to a warm sunny spot about six feet away, where it seemed to revive very quickly and soon slid off into the undergrowth.

Also in this area I found this nice little flower which I think is Common Toadflax and below that is a Shaggy Inkcap, one of many that have sprung up across the site almost overnight.

Now, as if there weren't enough reasons to visit New Hythe there's now a new one. It's a nice little bench that's been provided by the Country Park Management I think. It's a welcome place to rest weary legs along the Millstream path before returning back to the car park. You might want to eat your lunch before you get there though, as it also offers great views and aromas of the sewage plant just 40 or 50 feet away across the stream. How thoughtful is that? I haven't seen anybody use it yet.....................I wonder why?

Mad Dogs & Englishmen............

Phew!
Unfortunately I couldn't get down to New Hythe until 11am today, by which time the sun was high and so was the temperature.
As you can imagine there wasn't a lot on the wing by then. The tide was full on the river which didn't help but the Shelduck family were on the water and all five youngsters looked fit and healthy.
A single Swift and a Pied Wagtail over flew Brooklands lake and a couple of Whitethroats flitted around in the lakeside bushes. Further on a family of Nightingales called softly to each other alongside the sunken marsh but not much else braved the searing heat. Except of course the butterflies. There were plenty to see and they included Commas, Large Whites, Meadow Browns, an abundance of Skippers, Gatekeepers and Red Admirals. I couldn't find any Purple Hairstreaks around the Oak trees, but further on Iwas more than a little bit pleased to find my first ever White Admiral at New Hythe which flew past me and into the trees on the Eastern edge of the Railway lake as I was watching a large Common Carp cruising around. What a good find!
Photo opportunities were hard to find but I did get a chance to get a quick snap of this Moorhen having a preen in the sun. I stopped for a while at The divers' bridge where I heard a Kingfisher calling and noted a couple of Banded Demoiselles, a Grass Snake enjoying a cooling swim through the reeds and best of all four juvenile Green Woodpeckers which flew out of the trees along side Streamside lake together and all headed off over the West Scrub. Absolutely brilliant!!

MOORHEN

I decided to walk up to the dipping pond in the Country Park to see how the Tuftd Duck family were doing and here they are (below) looking fit and well. While here I also saw Reed Buntings and Reed Warblers in the reedbed alongside the lake. Both appeared to be feeding young but I couldn't see them.

TUFTED DUCKS

There were a lot more Dragonflies about today, mostly Brown Hawkers it seemed but I couldn't find one resting to photograph, but I did manage this Common Darter which posed nicely.......or is it a Ruddy Darter?

COMMON DARTER

I took the shadier Brooklands Western side footpath back and found this Blackbird which I think was a juvenile sheltering from the sun and looking a bit stressed so I took a couple of quick shots and left it in peace.

BLACKBIRD

The Four Spotted Chaser below was having a busy time chasing off a Black Tailed Skimmer which flew into his territory about every thirty seconds triggering a chase and a boundary dispute. Who'd be a Dragonfly. While this was going on I watched a large Mirror Carp cruise by right in front of me. I'd put it's weight in the high teens probably. I took a couple of pics but they weren't clear enough to go to print.

FOUR SPOTTED CHASER

And finally..................

What are these cherries doing growing on an Oak tree? The things you see at New Hythe!

A Harty walk

There's a nice walk around Harty on the Isle of Sheppey that Carol and I like to do occasionally, it's about 8 miles long and there's a nice pub about halfway round. Given the weather forecast, today seemed like a good day to do it and we were right.
After parking at Leysdown-on-Sea we were soon heading inland along a farm track accompanied by the local Kestrel first of all and then by a pair of Marsh Harriers quartering the adjoining fields. We didn't object at all to the extra company.

BROWN HARE

At first the Brown Hare above seemed quite pleased to see us, even posing for the prerequisite photo. However, as the next picture shows, as soon as that was completed he decided enough was enough. I believe the technical term is 'showing a clean pair of heels'.

The terrain is pretty flat here, there's not much need for a Sheppey Mountain Rescue team if you get my drift, so the wind can be quite strong, as it was at times today. I mention this for a reason, as we walked on we noticed ever increasing numbers of small dragonflies along the path sheltering on the lee side of the hedgerow, there were literally hundreds of them, more than i've ever seen anywhere before. I took a couple of pictures but it was difficult as wherever they landed they were swaying in the wind making focussing difficult. I've looked in my books and can only assume, judging by their size that they are Common Darters. I await the verdict of my peers, who will also be needed at least once more, probably twice later on.....................!

COMMON DARTER

Some way further along we had our first encounter of the human kind. Nothing unusual in that I hear you say. And you're right, except that it turned out to be in the shape of Derek Faulkner of
Letters from Sheppey fame, click on his name to look at his blog. Apart from Derek we saw one other person on our travels, how good is that?

After the obligatory stop at the excellent Harty Ferry Inn we headed for the path on the top of the flood wall that winds it's way along the marshy, desolate, bird filled shoreline of the Swale. This is the Swale Nature Reserve that Derek is a warden for and very nice it is too, apart from the fact that it's a bit overgrown at the moment and the grass is very long. That's not really a problem except that we had both got our legs out today so they were at the mercy of every stinging nettle, thistle and biting insect, not to mention the terrifying prospect of one of the millions of Grasshoppers trespassing on 'private property'!

Sedge and Reed Warblers, Skylarks, Harriers, Shelduck, Greylags, Reed Buntings, Oystercatchers, Little Egrets and Grey Herons were just some of the species seen along the track. Bearded Tits were also heard, but only the shortest glimpse was had, mainly due to the strong breeze I suspect.

MALE MARSH HARRIER

The butterflies were really struggling here, again mainly due to the wind. Meadow Browns were I think the main species but I did find this Green Veined White sheltering in the grass.

GREEN VEINED WHITE

Also around in good numbers were what I think are Small Skippers (below) but again i'm happy to be corrected. A more open winged shot would have helped but it wasn't to be.

SMALL SKIPPER

Another one who wouldn't open his wings is the little chap below. I'm really confused with this one, it was very small and first I thought Gatekeeper but i'm not so sure now, in fact i'm veering towards Small Heath but who knows? Seriously, who knows?!

Since we're on the subject of butterflies, I thought I'd show you this picture of a Peacock........! It was wandering about in Harty churchyard and no Warren, I won't be adding it to my Kent list!

PEACOCK

And finally.....................I couldn't resist this Oystercatcher, just asking to be photographed, along the sea wall at Leysdown on our return.

OYSTERCATCHER