Sunday 26th.April 2009

A much warmer and sunnier day than what was forecast . I thought I would go back to Burnt Gorse , High Elms , and see if I could get a pair of Skippers or Green Hairstreak .

Although it was only 0930 when I arrived , in the sheltered areas , it was already quite warm . I first searched for Green Hairstreaks , and very soon , found several males , most involved in aerial combat for the best posing positions . Even though they have only been emerged for a short while , battle damage is already visible , either combat with another male or a bird strike . This shot does give the chance to see the colour of the topside of the wing , a mid brown , not usually seen , as they always land and close their wings immediately . Although I did not see a pair together , they obviously have been , because already , females are egg laying on the favoured food plant , Bird's Foot Trefoil . Once again , when the eating machine hatches , the supermarket door is wide open in front if it . The single Dingy Skipper that I found last visit is no longer alone , as I recorded 8 in total , including a couple of females .

The female being identified by being much darker than the male below .

At one stage , I thought I had seen a Common Blue , I know they have already been recorded in Kent , but , when I chased it down , it turned out to be a male Holly Blue . My attention was drawn to a whitish butterfly , flying around what I thought to be a dead tree , but on closer inspection , it turned out to be a female Brimstone , egg laying . Being higher there than on the Common , the Buckthorn trees are only just bursting bud . Strange , because I was talking to one of the Rangers on my last visit about the possibility of planting a few Buckthorn trees for the Brimstones , no need now . Still very little flower colour , but the Wild Strawberry is doing it's best to cheer things up . Also , just starting to flower is the Salad Burnett . Eventually , the whole

head will be covered with these superb little pink flowers . Whilst on site , I managed my first shot of female Large White of the year . She is the largest of the white butterflies that we see .

I had several sightings of a colourful micro moth , found usually on chalk grassland that goes by the name of Pyrausta purpualis . By the time I left , it was getting very warm and sightings were dropping off . I watched one male Brimstone , fly slowly along a fenceline , then disappear from sight . When I looked , he was suspended under a leaf , using it as a parasol .

In total , 11 species of butterfly were recorded , one more than last visit , that being Small White .

Birdwise , I recorded 26 species , nothing fantastic , the best being Bullfinch , Swallow ,Blackcap , Common Whitethroat and Chiffchaff . Plus one that I never saw , but heard . A call I hadn't heard before . It was in Scots Pines , and I wrote it's call in my notebook as -' chip it x3 , with the occassional x4' . I pondered on Crossbill at the time , but I never saw it . My book describes a Crossbill's call as jip-jip , just maybe it was , but we shall never know for sure .

Only other sighting were two Roe Deer , one stag and one ? , as I only saw the rear end .