Elmley Butterflies and New Hythe

As I said in my post yesterday, Elmley was awash with butterflies on monday. In all I counted twelve species assuming the Skippers don't trip me up!

COMMON BLUE

The Common Blues lived up to their name and were seen (and followed) at regular intervals during my walk.

GATEKEEPER

GATEKEEPERS

For sheer numbers the Gatekeepers won hands down. I wouldn't say there were swarms of them but if you put them all together you would have had a fair sized cloud.

SMALL TORTOISESHELL

This seems to have been a good year for Small Tortoiseshells, last year I saw nowhere near the number that i've seen this year at various sites in Kent & Sussex.

SIX SPOT BURNET, SMALL SKIPPER & UFO

I know the Burnets are moths not butterflies but they look nice so i've included them. I seem to be seeing more 6 spots about now where as earlier in the summer the 5 spot seemed more prolific.

COUNT THE BUTTERFLIES

On the approach to the third hide there were four or five of the large plants pictured above which I think are Greater Burdock, and there were maybe 100 butterflies on and around them. I don't think i've ever seen so many butterflies in one small area. It was quite something walking past and seeing them all lift off and then quickly settle again.

SMALL SKIPPER

Skippers were another species that were well represented. I think they were mostly Smalls but I guess Essex and Large could also have been present, it's so difficult to tell, especially when they're on the wing.

Many thanks to Greenie (click on the link to visit his blog) for pointing out that the Skippers are probably the Essex variety, which i'm happy to take his word for. And also that the plant below is indeed Sea Lavender.

SMALL COPPERS

Two Small Coppers at the same time! How good is that? I don't know what the plant is in the picture above and the one below but whatever it is the butterflies absolutely loved it. There were only three of these lovely little plants just as you come to the tall hide on the right by the sea wall but I wish there had been more.

BROWN ARGUS

The same plant was also very attractive to the Brown Argus there were three here and that was the only place I saw this species. It's easy to see how they are mistaken for Common Blues when their wings are closed.

COMMON BLUE

Yes, I know i've already featured Common Blues but I liked this picture and it does highlight the difference with the Brown Argus.

BROWN ARGUS AND COMMON BLUE

Just for good measure here's a shot of the two of them together with their wings open.

And finally...........................I had a quick hour down at the Sunken Marsh this morning in a last ditch attempt to add the very elusive Turtle Dove to my New Hythe year list and yippee, there it was sitting on the wires waiting for me! All things come to those who wait and persevere. Shame about the photo though, in my haste to record the occasion before it flew off never to be seen again, I failed to check the camera settings, hence the odd exposure.

TURTLE DOVE

New Hythe Monday 26th July

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The first thing that caught my attention as I donned my boots and rucksack in Brooklands car park was the excited screaming of Swifts. I looked up to see about thirty of them wheeling high above me before inevitably disappearing to the south. Great to see and hear but also a sad reminder of their departure and also a hint of the passing summer.

My companions along the northern edge of Brooklands lake were mostly Goldfinches, more here than i've seen of late, their numbers boosted by numerous juveniles. Hopefully they will have had a good breeding season and judging by the Thistles (above) and the seeming abundance of Teasels across the site there will be enough food to sustain them through the winter.

The tide was at it's lowest point when I arrived at 09.00 so I made my way through the thick vegetation to the small wood by the river. I haven't been there for a while now and I was struck by the darkness from the overhead canopy of leaves and what was also a rather dull and grey morning.............it was a bit spooky!

I scanned the large island exposed by the water's rush back to the sea and immediately noticed the dorsal and tail fins of what must have been a really big shoal of Grey Mullet continually breaking the surface of the shallow water as they 'grazed' on the rocks and mud on the riverbed. They had also been spotted by two Cormorants and a couple of juvenile Grey Herons who were drooling over this feast of fish, swimming virtually between their legs and which were far too big for even the most optimistic beak. I watched in amusement as the Cormorants dived among them causing the surface to boil as the fish panicked but each time they came up empty handed, or beaked, and eventually they gave up and climbed back on the island and watched grumpily as lunch continued to lunch, so close yet so far.

While I watched all this unfold a small wader flickered across the river and landed on the far bank. It was a Sandpiper and I'm pretty sure it was of the common variety but either way it was good to see, albeit fleetingly.

GREENFINCH

And so to the sunken marsh where a rather punkish looking Greenfinch sang from the top of a bush and a mixed flock of Long-tailed Tits and Blue Tits noisily leapfrogged their way from bush to bush along the northern edge in a manner reminiscent of a winter feeding flock. A Chiffchaff also joined the fray and posed briefly to allow me to take a poor shot of him, I don't think he would like it much if he saw it but I would definitely blame it on the poor light and battleship grey skies! The only other bird of note along the river was a lone Lapwing, I checked it out to make sure it hadn't got a white tail, just in case.

CHIFFCHAFF

The previously mentioned grey conditions meant that Butterflies were at a premium, the ever present Gatekeepers, or Hedge Browns as I believe they were once referred to were the most abundant species but I did see a Peacock, a couple of Red Admirals, two Speckled Woods and a solitary Ringlet which I believe are just about at the end of their flying time now.

GATEKEEPER

RINGLET (A BIT WORN)

Over the railway line and the Railway lake provided the usual suspects in the shape of Gt Crested Grebes, Tufties, Coots and Greylags and a flyover Lesser Black -backed Gull. The East Scrub only managed to present me with Dunnocks, Blackbirds and Common Whitethroats but a Green Woodpecker brightened up the grey picture as did a singing Willow Warbler which although only a few yards from me had taken the art of invisibility to a new dimension. I wish I could do that!

I managed to find these two Slow Worms under a piece of refugia, I don't know why they are referred to as slow though because they certainly aren't. Some people still think of these super critters as snakes but of course they're not. For one thing they have eyelids which snakes don't have and unlike snakes they shed their skin in bits as opposed to one piece. They are also autotomic like some other lizards i.e. they are able to shed part of their body, in this case their tail, to escape predators. So although they are harmless and nice to handle you have to be very careful how you do it. Probably best not to really.

SLOW WORMS

The return along the river yielded a few more species to the list including the family of Shelducks, still looking good, a Reed Warbler and a singing Blackcap or two. I was pleased to see a Common Tern fishing gracefully and successfully at Brookland lake as I headed back to the car and also two Pied Wagtails which were bouncing along the roof of the mill seemingly oblivious to the noise and steam generated by this blot on the landscape.

And finally................................a reminder below that the foraging season is nearly upon us again, and you know what that means don't you...........................Autumn!!

Dungeness RSPB Friday 16th July

I've been away for a few days this week and didn't get back until wednesday evening. Before I went I heard the news that the famous White-tailed Plover had pitched up at Dungeness after it's grand tour of England and Wales. This bird has had a habit of turning up somewhere, staying a couple of days at most and then moving on, so I thought my chances of seeing it at Dungeness when I got back were slim. I was wrong.

There was still a strong wind blowing when I arrived at the ARC car park which was to wear me down by the end of the day. I quickly walked along to the viewing screen with everything crossed but my legs, hoping that it hadn't moved on since the latest report from yesterday afternoon. Of course it hadn't and I soon located it in the distance hunkering down from the wind behind the Purple Loosestrife growing on a slender gravel island. Too far to see much detail but I had at least seen it. My plan was to return after a circuit of the main reserve when I was sure it would be closer and would no doubt be up for a photograph. It's on it's holidays after all.

I'd like to say the birds were on the wing, but that's absurd because the wings are on the bird! (anon). Sorry, couldn't help a small (mis)quote. Anyway they weren't and who could blame them with that horrid wind. I tried to take a few bird shots but they didn't come out too well. The Great Crested Grebe below was helpful though and seemed to be enjoying the waves.

GREAT CRESTED GREBE

So again I've had to resort to other winged creatures and if you've had your fill of butterflies I suggest you look away now!

SMALL COPPER

RED ADMIRAL

GATEKEEPER

By the time I reached Christmas Dell birds noted included Oystercatchers, lots of small groups of Linnets flying past, given away by their twittering flight call, four Little Egrets, Pied Wagtails working harder than usual to catch their prey in the wind and a single Kestrel still hovering effortlessly. As I came out of the hide I saw a family group of three Sedge Warblers, an adult and two youngsters in the Gorse to the right, but the only Hirundines seen were Sand Martins which were pretty abundant all over the site today. A little further on I found this striking damselfly resting on the brambles. In my previous post I said that i'd learnt a lesson with green damselflies but I guess it's back to the drawing board.........any ideas?

Thanks to Greenie for confirming ID as Emerald Damselfly. Click on the link to visit his blog.

EMERALD DAMSELFLY

On the way to Denge marsh hide I looked up and was pleased to see a Hobby above me. It didn't stay long but it was good to see another one here as the last two visits drew a blank on this species. Once inside the hide I soon added Common Tern, adults and fledglings. A few Pochard and the usual Geese species also made the list as did a dozen or so Swifts. But star billings had to go to a Purple Heron and a Great White Egret, both seen over and into the reed beds on the far side of the lake.

The dragonflies pictured below are I believe Ruddy Darters, they were sheltering from the wind on the lee side of the brambles along with some other small darters which were a lighter colour and were probably immature specimens or females.

RUDDY DARTER

RUDDY DARTER

I've posted the picture of the Burnet below because this one does seem to be a six spotter, unlike the other ones i've snapped which all appeared to be five spotters. This was the only one of these I saw today.

SIX SPOT BURNET

Peacocks seem to be back on the wing again and this one below was as fresh as a daisy. The colours, which shone in the warm sunshine were absolutely spectacular.

PEACOCK

Still on the subject of butterflies, here's a picture of a couple of Meadow Browns enjoying a little Al Fresco session in the warm sun sheltered from the wind and prying eyes, well apart from mine of course.

MEADOW BROWNS

So, Dungeness produced the goods again for me. Only a somewhat measly 39 species of birds recorded today but that includes White-tailed Plover, Purple Heron and Great White Egret. Faaaantastic! By the way when I got back to the ARC viewpoint the WT Plover was still in exactly the same spot as it was first thing. It obviously doesn't like the wind and neither do I.

And finally.......... This young Moorhen below was mopping up the spillages under the feeders in the visitor centre car park. Bird brain he ain't.

MOORHEN

New Hythe Lakes 12th July

Because the weather was wet and i'm a wimp I didn't go out until 13.30 this afternoon. It was still warm and the air around the lakes was heavy with the smell of rain on dry grass and parched earth, lovely!
A flock of at least 100 Woodpigeons were in the air as I looked towards the North Downs in the distance. I thought they might have been put up by a bird of prey but a scan through the binoculars found the culprits to be a couple of black labradors bounding across the farm fields over the river.
Once again the tide was at it's highest and not much was to be seen on the river. I decided that this would be another butterfly day and despite the lack of sun there were plenty to be seen.

GATEKEEPER

Gatekeeper numbers seemed to be up since my last visit and I was soon able to get a picture as I walked through the damp undergrowth.

SMALL WHITE

I always find it more difficult to pin down a large or small White for some reason, they just keep on flying through. So I was pleased to finally get what I believe is the small version in my sights at last.

I made my way along the southern end of Brooklands lake past the small group of Common Spotted Orchids, now finished flowering, which I found a few weeks ago. They are the only Orchids I recall seeing on this part of the site although I expect there were others. A Kingfisher called loudly here but I was unable to see it unfortunately.

MEADOW BROWN

Now here's a thing. I know it's Gatekeepers which have the two small white dots in each eye, but this one was bigger and surely is a Meadow Brown. Isn't it?

RINGLET

Still good numbers of Ringlets but I've only found them along the path between Brooklands and Abbey Mead and the start of the railway path, which is where I found this one. Also along this path were a family of at least four Wrens which I would have loved to get a picture of but Mum would have none of it.

ERISTALIS ARBUSTORUM

The little hover fly above caught my eye, I think it's a male Eristalis arbustorum. I don't like it when it doesn't have a common name, or maybe it does.

RED ADMIRAL

I realise you wouldn't forgive me if I didn't include a Red Admiral in the line up today, so here it is. Not a very good picture, it just wouldn't open it's wings for a full monty shot but hey, sometimes less is more!

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

I stood on the Divers' footbridge desperately looking for an Emerald damselfly as seen and photographed by Terry Laws last week. I thought i'd found it, I was so excited to be probably only the second one to see it, but it turned out to be a female Banded Demoiselle. Lesson learnt!

FEMALE BANDED DEMOISELLE

New Hythe lakes and an Elephant in the room!

In the absence of much excitement from our feathered friends, just a Common Tern on Brooklands lake and five Shelduck chicks on the river, my visit to New Hythe turned into a bit of a butterfly fest. With at least nine species on the wing, including a couple of new ticks for the year there was plenty to keep me occupied for a couple of hours. My only regret was my decision to wear my shorts today. In hindsight I should have known that firstly, the paths, as i've said before are somewhat overgrown. And secondly, I should have known that the butterflies would be on the wing and that they don't stick to the footpaths. Consequently my legs are scratched to pieces from the brambles and even now are still stinging from the nettles. Bring on the Dock leaves!
I'm going to label the pictures below, even if i'm a bit unsure of a couple of them. So apologies if i'm on the wrong track and feel free to put me firmly back on the straight and narrow if you wish.

GREEN VEINED WHITE

GREEN VEINED WHITE

The next three pictures are my first ever of Purple Hairstreaks. I've seen them at New Hythe before way up in the Oak trees but never been able to get a picture which is why i'm indulging myself with these. Aren't they great little critters!

PURPLE HAIRSTREAK

I think the two Skippers below are of the small variety. I thought i'd mastered the subtle differences between these and their Large cousins but now i'm a bit indecisive, at least I think I am............

SMALL SKIPPER

SMALL SKIPPER

Next up is another first for me at New Hythe, it's a Ringlet and I probably saw a dozen of them today.

RINGLET

A bit of a conundrum next. On the other side it's a Meadow Brown complete with eye spot but on this side it doesn't have one. I'm not surprised I get confused!

MEADOW BROWN

No mistaking this one. One of my favourites, even with their wings shut they look great.

RED ADMIRAL

RED ADMIRAL

Below is another first of the year for me at New Hythe in the shape of a Gatekeeper. I only saw the one, thankfully the sun was behind the clouds and he didn't seem inclined to fly.

GATEKEEPER

GATEKEEPER

Other species seen but not photographed (or photographed badly) were Large White and Comma. Still not many dragonflies about today but the one that got away was a nice Four Spotted Chaser which I think just wanted to be chased.

And finally. We were enjoying a very pleasant evening with some friends on Saturday when we were gatecrashed by a large creature the size of a small bat. It flew in through the open patio doors and caused brief pandemonium while we chased it around to capture, identify and eject. It was of course a Hawk moth and a quick rummage in the moth book confirmed it as the Elephant variety. I know what you're thinking, it doesn't look at all like an Elephant and you're right. But it does as a caterpillar when it sports a trunk like snout formed by it's head and thorax. This is waved around menacingly when alarmed to scare off predators..............honestly.

ELEPHANT HAWKMOTH