Tuesday 31st.March 2009

Just one day working up on the Greensand Ridge this week . So , knowing that wildlife would be at a premium whilst working , I turned a few tins before starting , not that much was found . The three Slow Worms under felt , were still in situ , looking as if they hadn't moved since my last visit , and a Common Lizard was under another , looking as if it had finished it's slough now . The same Adder was found on the Juniper patch , but , whilst there , Bullfinches were calling incessently . I caught odd glimpses , but no chance of a photo . Eventually , three of them flew across the site in line astern , each showing a white rump . Also on site , was a single singing Chiffchaff .

The lighter late afternoon enabled another look around on the way home . On my way , along a narrow lane , I found my first Wood Sorrel of the year in flower , a good sized patch on a shady bank . My first find on site was a female Roe Deer on the edge of one of the Adder glades that we made recently . It is deep within Sweet Chestnut coppice , so although I tried for a shot , there was too much vegetation in between . The refugia here also produced very little except for one Slow Worm laying on Bluebells . Just one Adder was found , a male , and he was already on his way undergroung for the night . The most unexpected sighting , was when a rustle of leaves attracted my attention to a log on the ground , and the leaves were those directly alongside it . I thought I would wait a bit , camera in hand , to try and see what caused the rustling . After a couple of minutes , I could see movement between the ground and the log . I couldn't be sure what it was , so a 'Mexican Standoff' started . After another few minutes , more movement , and a bit better view . Now I could see a twinkling eye and whiskers . Then it got brave , and ventured further out of it's hole , and showed as a Wood Mouse . A second after this was taken , it was off along the log and disappeared into the vegetation .I left it to look for it's tea , whilst I set off for mine .

I notice some people have no longer got their Bramblings at their feeders , here , the male was in this morning , and I caught sight of the female this evening . Also visiting this morning was the female Great Spotted Woodpecker , who stopped for a drink . I close with one of the local Robins , giving me the evil eye , after spotting the camera lens .

Friday 27th.March 2009

Grey skies and the constant threat of rain , gave me the chance to catch up with some chores this morning . The threat never really came to anything until lunch time , when it tipped it down , then cleared to almost blue skies . The forecast was for heavier showers in the afternoon , but seeing as they got it wrong once , I thought I would take a chance , and headed off to the Greensand Ridge . Just my luck , as I arrived , so did the clouds , and a cool wind . I decided that as I was there , I would turn some tins , not expecting much in those conditions . Well , I wasn't disappointed , after turning 19 pairs of refugia , I had amassed one Slow Worm .

Fortunately , away from the refugia , I found a single and a pair of male Adders laying out , even though there was no sign of the sun . The singleton looked enormous , as Adders have the ability to flatten out their bodies , so that the maximun area can be warmed , when the sun comes out . The pair together were also using the same strategy , how much warmth they were getting was debatable .Whilst walking , I found the first Bluebell of the year in flower , well just two bells in flower . Also found was the first member of the Speedwell family in flower . A large family this one , and the species found was Common Field Speedwell , identified by the bottom petal of the flower being white , whereas the other three are blue with darker blue veins .

Few insects were around on this chilly afternoon , but the orange coloured Dung fly was around in reasonable numbers , and a few large Buff Tailed Bumblebees were seen . Not much for them to feed on , but one opportunity was the catkins of Goat Willow , providing nectar in hard times . The second site I visited did no better under refugia than the first . We have cleared Gorse , up to three metres high from the site earlier in the year , but have left Juniper , one of only four native evergreen trees , in the hope that they will regenerate , now they have room and light . One male Adder was found in amongst last year's bracken .

On the third site visited , at last animals were found under the refugia . A single Common Lizard was found under one , and surprisingly it had already started to slough , shed it's old skin , as can be seen on it's hind legs . A trio of adult Slow Worms were found under another refugia , must have been keeping each other warm .

Birdwise , things were very quiet , not helped by the wind . Passing a private lake , I did see 18 Greylag and 11 Canada Geese , 2 Tufted Duck and the odd Coot and Moorhen . Probably the best of the rest was hearing a Nuthatch and Green Woodpecker and a brief glimpse of a Sparrowhawk , working the woodland edge and a calling Chiffchaff . At least I kept dry , and within half an hour of getting back home , the heavens opened again .

Thursday 26th.March 2009

The final work day of the season up on the Common , was called off this morning because of weather conditions then and those forecasted for the remainder of the day . I earned some brownie points taking Carol shopping this morning and after lunch headed off for a walk around Hayes Farm .

The site is totally different to my last visit , with no sign of the large flocks of Gulls , just a few of the large number of Carrion Crows and Jackdaws showing . The most surprising thing was the number of Mistle Thrushes seen , somewhere around 10/12 , with one male in full song on the large Oak at the stile at the entrance . Six seemed to be playing tag around another Oak , all calling with the 'wood on comb' call and hardly taking any notice of me . I did manage one shot of one of them . As you can see , it was in fine voice , even if it's feathers were being ruffled by the strong wind . At least another four were seen in two different horse paddocks .

I didn't see the female Kestrel today , but did see a male for the first time on the site . He came over a hedgerow and flattened out low to the ground like a Sparrowhawk . He landed on an old water bowser , but was gone again before I got the camera out . Heard or seen were Green and Great Spotted Woodpecker , Blue and Great Tit , Greenfinch , Goldfinch and Bullfinch , Woodpigeon , Stock and Collared Dove .

At the Trout Fishery , not much had changed . Two of the white farmyard geese were on nests on an island in the middle , and the Egyptian goose was still with the 'Bitsers' . Coot and Moorhen numbers were down and Tufted Duck up to 8 with 3 males and 5 females . As well as the Greylag crosses , there were two real Greylags in the adjoining field with two Canada geese .

A pair of Mallard were tucked in out of the wind , the male catching fourty winks , whilst the female preened . I left the Fishery and headed to see if there was any sign of the Little Owl , which there wasn't , but on the way had at least two calling Chiffchaffs , one of which I disturbed have it's ablutions in the River Ravensbourne . Along the way , I first found what could be Spring Quill-Scilla verna , a member of the Lily family . Not the best of shots with the sun bleaching the colour . Always difficult to be sure that it is a true wild flower , or a cultivated version , especially close to a built up area . Not far away , I found the first Honesty in flower this year . On my return journey , my attention was drawn to a tree on the edge of the wood with bright green , what I first thought was foliage , but on getting closer , realised it was flowers . It was the Norway Maple , a cousin of the Sycamore , the difference being that this flowers before leafing and the Sycamore flowers after leafing . On the way back to the car , Wren , Blackbird , Pied Wagtail , Magpie , Jay and of course Rose Ringed Parakeet were found .

I called in on Keston Ponds on the way home , and basically the status quo stands , with the exception of just the male Mandarin , no sign of the female , nesting ? The Coots nest that I posted a while back has been destroyed , by whom or what I don't know , but they have already rebuilt further down the pond , and the female is sitting again .

No sign of the Redpolls since , but in case you were wondering , this was one of the male Bramblings late this afternoon , now they come for tea as well .

Sunday 22nd.March 2009

Now , with the computer , hopefully , behaving , today's second post is a compilation of yesterday's afternoon and this morning's visits up onto the Common .

But before that , I know I promised , but they'll be gone soon and I can't resist another couple of shots . Today , the female Brambling was in the Laburnum tree , one male also visited ,

and the Redpoll on the feeder . As you can see , it saw me as I took the shot , and was gone straight after .

Back to yesterday afternoon . At least two singing Chiffchaffs , and possibily three seen/heard , how such a small bird can sing constantly always amazes me . Just after taking this shot , it flew off into a Silver Birch , landing right next to another small bird . This bird was feeding on the Silver Birch seeds and constantly on the move , and although I never got a full clear view of it , the red crown indicated yet another Redpoll . Perhaps it had followed me up from the garden . As I posted the other day , the Long Tailed Tits have finished their nest , and with the afternoon sun , a distant view of it was possible . This domed creation has to be one of the wonders of nature , let's hope they are successful . A little further on , a Green Woodpecker flew low across the heathland and landed on the side of a Silver Birch . As usual , it only stayed for a few seconds , but I managed a quick snapshot . Whilst walking through another area of heathland , I heard a rustle in front of me . This was my view . I took another couple of steps and took another shot . It was a male Pheasant , trying to make out that it wasn't really there . One more step and I would get the full picture , but in a flash , he was up , running and disappearing into another patch of thick gorse , I left him to it .

This morning I returned to the Common and the Chiffchaffs were still singing . There were more butterflies around today with 4 Brimstone , a single Peacock , looking decidedly sleepy ,

and 5 Commas . The comma on the underside of the wing showing how it gets it's name , and the side shot showing that although , as an insect it has six legs , only uses the rear four legs to walk on . The front two , as with several other species of butterfly , are non-functional , covered with hairs and held forward , close to the head . Every tree I passed is bursting bud , some like the Aspen have produced catkins before coming into leaf . Let's hope the cooler weather forcasted will not do them damage . Over lunch in the garden , a very dapper male Chaffinch in breeding plumage , flew in , took no notice of us , and proceeded to have his lunch as well . For some reason , their numbers have been steadily building again , up to 20/25 at times .

Saturday 21st.March 2009

My Broadband connection was down most of yesterday , so this is being posted a day late .

The day started with another visit from the pair of Redpolls , not to feed with the other Finches , but just for a quick drink from the birdbath , and away . The only other visitor of note was the female Brambling , and I finally managed a shot , albeit of poor quality , as she decided to feed in one of Carol's flower containers in the shade on the patio .

I decided on a trip to Fackenden Down , to see if the good weather of the past week had brought more Adders and other reptiles out of hibernation . The short answew was , not many . Although the sun was warm , a stiff cool breeze was blowing over the site , and one field still had two horses grazing it , and from their droppings , often frequented the areas where reptiles are normally found . I hope they will be taken off site shortly . Just one Adder was found under a tin , which isn't unusual , as they tend to use the refugia later in the season . It was a good sized male , and duly posed in the sunshine . Three other males were found in the open , all close together . Two I think were the pair found last week , and this one which was mostly hidden by grass , at the bottom of a Dog Rose stem . The only other reptiles found were four Slow Worms , a count well down on last week , once again probably due to the cool breeze . Overhead , several Skylarks were in full song , and a mobile flock of about 15 Golfinches noisily charged around the site . Even the butterflies numbers were well down , with just 1 Comma , 2 Brimstone and a single Peacock being found . Along the bottom track , amongst many Blackthorn bushes , just one small spindly bush had burst into flower .

On the way home , I stopped off at High Elms Country Park , to see if the Green Hellebores were showing . The flower I posted from the Greensand Ridge was past it's best , and I was pleased to find them in good numbers and very fresh and vibrant , even though they are all green . Whilst there , I also went looking to see if another not rare , but unusual plant was showing yet . Looking like some sort of alien , I found it just bursting out of the ground . It is Butterbur- Petasites hybridus , a member of the Daisy family , and unusual as the flower head comes out of the ground , the flowers open , and then the plant is raised on a long stalk with strap-like bracts . When all this has happened , the leaves , which can reach up to 1mtr. across , appear . The flower head pictured is about 5 cm. across . This plant is very closly related to Winter Heliotrope , which I posted as one on the first flowers of the year , sometimes flowering before Christmas .

A stop at the farm lake was quiet . A Grey Heron lifted off on my arrival , and the call of Little Grebe confirmed that there is a pair again on the lake , and later I saw both . The Coots have already built their nest and the Moorhens are at about the same number . Three male and two female Mallard were on the water , with two of the drakes doing their 'dunk the female under the water' routine . The amount of Frogspawn around the margins was phenominal . In some areas , square metres of spawn could be measured , but quite a lot seems to have been caught by the early morning frosts of late , and probably will not hatch out . Birdwise , it was quiet , but just before leaving , a Common Buzzard appeared from over the woods , soared over the fields , and headed further up the valley . A distant silhouette was all that I could manage .

After lunch , I headed up on the Common , but I will post that tonight , if the Broadband connection holds up .

The answer to the white egg question was Barn Owl . Well done Warren , right family . It was laid on the ground in the aviary , by one of the Barn Owls that my friend rescued when a West Country Zoo was close down by the authorities . She just ignored the egg , same as Canaries and Budgerigars sometimes do in cages . Interestingly , had she sat on and hatched the egg , my friend tells me that the paperwork for breeding Barn Owls in captivity is unbelievable , much worse than all he had to fill out just to rescue them from being put down .

Friday 20th.March 2009

Just when you thought it was safe to read a blog without mention of breakfast :-

I was having breakfast this morning , Branflakes and banana , when a small bird flew in with about 20 Chaffinches , but , whereas they went straight down to feed on the seed on the path , this one perched on the bird bath in front of the rockery . I could see it was smaller in size , and could make out that it wasn't a Goldfinch . Breakfast left , I dashed up to the back bedroom window and grabbed the camera . It was still there , watching the Chaffinches feeding on the path . I managed one shot before it flew along with all the others when a neighbour opened their window . I blew up the shot on the LCD monitor , which confirmed my suspicions , a Redpoll .

I stayed by the window , and waited for the flock to return to the seed . After a while , the Chaffinches returned but no sign of the Redpoll . After a while , I happened to look in the neighbour's Laburnum tree , where I found the afore mentioned Redpoll . Once again , everything was put up when a dog started barking . Once again , I waited , and my waiting was rewarded with not one , but two Redpolls , who nervously landed on the lawn and started feeding . They didn't stay long , but , just before they flew off , the two male Bramblings flew in . One landed in the Laburnum , right next to a female Chaffinch . This was the more colourful one , whilst the less colourful one , headed straight for one of the feeders , and proceeded to tuck in . I promise that is the last time I will mention breakfast , unless of course , something else interesting turns up . The rest of the morning was taken up with shopping and a trip to the tip , but I did get out after lunch .

I have now seen quite a lot of frogspawn in the wild , so set off for High Elms to see if I could find any toadspawn . The first three ponds that I visited , all had frogspawn but no sign of any toadspawn . I must admit , I got a bit distracted and headed for Burnt Gorse , to see if any early butterflies were showing . Surprisingly , in this sheltered spot , I only found a single Comma . What were numberous were Beeflies . Along the woodland edge , there must have been 15/20 , busily going about their business . Very identifiable from that long probosis out in front , like an in flight refuelling pipe on a fighter aeroplane . The only other thing of interest found , was the dry heads of Carline Thistle , which will last well into the new plant growth this year .

Eventually , at the fourth pond , after looking 3/4 of the way round , I found what I was looking for . In an area where the submerged vegetation almost reached the surface , both frogs and toads had spawned , knowing that the vevetation would keep the spawn near the surface , where it would get the full warmth of the sun . The frog spawn in a mass , top left , and the toadspawn showing dark in translucent strings . Up close it can bee seen as a sort of double row of eggs in the string .

Finally , I post a shot of two eggs . The one on the left is a large chicken egg . What is the other ?

No nest robbing was done to get the white egg .

Thursday 19th.March 2009

This morning , before heading up to the Common for another day on the chainsaw , I stopped off at Keston ponds to see what was new . Very little was the answer . In mirky conditions , before the sun got to work , there was no sign of the Mandarins in their usual place . But , on the end of the fallen tree that they use as a roost , was a Coot nest with the female aleady sitting ( sorry to mention that there will be more Coots around this year Warren ) . When I looked around the middle pond , I noticed a single male Mandarin making for the diagonally opposite corner . Unless you have a loaf in your hands , they tend to stay well clear .

I made my way round and found him tucked up in the corner with his female . As soon as I took this the pair disappeared into the overhanging vegetation . I wonder if they will stay and breed , there are plenty of holes in mature trees that would suit , who knows . The only new residents were found on the top pond , in the form of a pair of Greylag Geese looking very pompous . On the same pond was a Black Headed Gull atop a post , almost in full summer plumage . The only interest during the day was a Chiffchaff which called constantly all day . The Long Tailed Tits must have finished their nest as all was quiet there .

The latest episode of the Brambling cereal , played out this morning . I don't want to milk the story , but for those who have invested in Weetabix , we had toast and honey for breakfast , and both male Bramblings were on the path , ( thanks for the puns Ken ) .

Tuesday 17th.March 2009

Spent the day chainsawing up on the Greensand Ridge , but at breaks , did manage to find some wildlife . Brimstone , Comma and a single Peacock put in an appearance , same as the last few days , and all species that overwinter as adults . After a bit on chasing down , not easy in chainsaw gear , I managed a couple of shots of the Peacock , the first shots of the year of this species .

Over the day , working at two sites , I managed to find three Adders , all males , including this one that was quite happy for me to get a close up , showing that red eye with the vertical pupil .

The only other reptile found today was a single Slow Worm .Same again tomorrow , so it's pot luck if anything interesting is found .

Had the bright coloured male Brambling on the feeders this morning and Carol had him again this afternoon .

Monday 16th.March 2009

I know you've heard it before , but we were sitting having breakfast this morning , when I looked down the garden at the feeders , and immediately left the Weetabix , and shot up to the back bedroom window . Carol had seen them a few times recently , but I had always been out . There , waiting his turn was a male Siskin . As usual , the Goldfinches were in charge , and held him at bay . Eventually , he got his chance , and in he jumped . Whilst trying for a reasonable shot , I looked into the Laburnam tree in my next door neighbour's garden , and there looking very nervous was the wife . I had hoped for a shot of them both on the same feeder , but the Goldfinches , often squabbling amongst themselves seemed to keep her at a distance . Great I thought , and considered getting back to the Weetabix , when , with another influx of Chaffinches onto the path comes this bird . Not a very good shot I know , but definatley a different Brambling , being not so colourful as yesterday's bird . Then , I get a very quick view of a female Brambling , no chance of a picture . Two minutes later , what I think was yesterday's bird lands on the path . So , in the matter of 5 minutes , a pair of Siskins and three Bramblings , and as quickly as they arrived , they were gone with the arrival of the 'heavy mob' - half a dozen Jackdaws . At least I was able to get back to my breakfast .

After lunch , I went for a stroll on the Common . Once again , there were good numbers of Comma and Brimstone , and one Peacock . I headed over to the one of the Gorse areas , and once again heard and saw the Long Tailed Tits . I stood and watched them for a while as they collected feathers and flew back into the Gorse . I followed them , and eventually located the nestsite . It was right in the middle and right at the top of the Gorse patch . There was just one spot on the outside where the entrance to the nest could be seen , so I set the camera up on the monopod and waited . Eventually , after a few failed attempts , I managed to get a few shots of a new species - the Moustacheoed Tit . They showed no interest in me and just carried on with the job in hand . On the way back to the car , I had another attempt at a Goldcrest , but once again came up well short with the result .

Clearing glades for reptiles up on the Greensand Ridge tomorrow using chainsaws . Doesn't sound promising , but we will have breaks .

Sunday 15th.March 2009

Well , it certainly looked like Spring whilst having breakfast this morning , even though Carol said it was still chilly outside , which probably accounted for the fact that when I looked down the garden at the feeders , and orange ball in the Tamarisk caught my eye .

I dashed up to the back bedroom window and got this shot . After a while , he was happy to come down onto the path and start feeding on the seed there .

A male Brambling , almost in breeding plumage , most unexpected now that things are warming up . He didn't stay long , and it wasn't long before the usual Jackdaws appeared to finish up what was left on the path .

Whilst I was hedgelaying yesterday , Carol found the first frogspawn in the pond , so I went down to have a look . Well , the small amount from yesterday has turned into a large amount today , and with four pairs of frogs , with the males on the backs of the females , ready to fertilize her eggs . I think it is referred to as the pair in ' amplexus ' , anyway , it is the first spawn I have seen this year , having been looking whilst out .

Anticipating the temperature increase would awaken more reptiles , I headed off to Fackenden Down , near Shoreham , Kent . I was greeted almost immediately by two Brimstone males , each trying to drive off the other . They were the first of an estimated 10/15 , all males , that I saw whilst on the site . Difficult to get a true figure as they are non stop chasing from one end of the site to another , except for this one , who must have been catching his breath , because , shortly after taking this shot , he too was on his way . I also had a single Comma and a single Peacock , neither of which stoppped for a photo . Suprisingly , the anticipated emergence of reptiles did not extend to the Adders . I only found two individuals , warming up in the morning sun together , as you often find them early in the season , especially close to their hibernacular , as these two were . The earthy one I'm sure was the one I found last visit , and the cleaner a newer emergent . One head is about in the middle and the other , top of the screen , just left of centre . A few years ago , I photographed a jumble of eight Adders around this time of year . Slow Worms did much better with nine being found , including this trio . Whilst on site , I met a couple walking their dog , who told me they had disturbed a good sized Grass Snake at the far end of the site . I went and had a look , but could not find it . There was not much colour on the site , but every now and then , there were patches of Violets , I think they are Sweet Violets , but I am not sure . After lunch , with the sunshine becoming milky , I had a walk over the Common , and once again found Brimstones (5) and Commas (6) , both of which species overwinter as adults , on the wing .

On the heather/gorse area , were 2/3 pairs of Long Tailed Tits , probably looking for nesting sites amongst the tall gorse which they seem to use each year . I also had a Sparrowhawk driftinf effortlessly on the thermals .

Friday 13th.March 2009

Was it going to be an unlucky day ? Not being supersticious , I set off in very pleasant weather , not what was forcasted , to the Greensand Ridge , with the main aim of looking for a seasonal fungi that I have found there in previous years . Mind you , whilst there , I couldn't pass by tins/felts without havin a look . First site was the area across from our volunteers yard . Five pairs of refugia produced absolutely nothing , so I set off down the Ridge to another five pairs , which were more productive with two Slow Worms , both under felt , as the tins hadn't warmed up to any extent . Heading further down , I found my first Wood Anemone flower of the year . It looks as if it is going to be a bumper year for Bluebells , as the leaves are already carpeting the woodland floor , and in some areas , Wild Garlic/Ransoms leaves are well established as well . In an area managed for Dormice , an area coppiced last year to let in more light , provided another seldom found plant , Green Hellebore , a member of the Buttercup family . Not the most astonishing flower , but nice to find .Then , the Greensand Ridge caught up with Kingsdown , Pittswood and East Malling , when I found the first of only three Lesser Celandine flowers open . A little further on , I started to find the fungi that I had been looking for , Scarlet Elf Cup-Sarcocypha coccinea , and you can cettainly see where the 'coccinea' comes from , live on rotten wood , and although not rare , I only find in certain places , and only at this time of year . Some were found in groups amongst the moss on the dead wood , whilst elsewhere , larger individual specimens were found . Along the bank of a spring fed stream , Opposite -Leaved Golden Saxifrage is another early flowering plant , and once again , although not rare , needs damp , specific conditions to do well , especially with moss as in the photo .

By now , I was at the bottom of the Ridge , and my attention was drawn skyward to the mewing of Common Buzzard . Originally , I only saw one , but shortly after numbers two , three and four drifted into view , but really high . At no time could I get all four in the same frame , so had to settle for just two of them . Talking birds , I had a very respectable species count of 37 for the day , and when I got home , Carol said she had a pair of Siskins on the Sunflower hearts after lunch , and I had a Grey Heron from the back bedroom window when I came up to post this . Nothing fantastic in the list , but at another site on the Ridge , a group of Corvids were , to use the venacular of another Blogger ' showing a Sparrowhawk the boundary of the Parish ' . At this site , I lifted the tins/felts and surprisingly had a Grass Snake under one of the tins , it's forked tongue immediately collecting information on this intruder to it's world .They usually are found some weeks later than this .

Before heading home , I revisited the site we were working on this week , and where I found an Adder . On returning to the same spot , this light coloured male , which was perfectly calmouflaged in the dead Bracken , was in almost the same spot , even though today the clouds were building and the end of the sun was very close .

On the way home , I called in at Biggin Hill to see the Early Purple Orchids . I can only say that they haven't progressed at all since my last visit , and could well not flower untill late April , we shall see . The upside being that they haven't come to any harm .

To answer my own question at the beginning , no it wasn't an unlucky day , in fact it was a very good day , but a bit more sunshine would have made it even better .

Before ending , I post a shot from the top of the Greensand Ridge , across the valley , to the church at Ide Hill , which , I have been told is the highest church in Kent - in altitude .

Sad day tomorrow , last day of the Hedgelaying Season . What am I going to do on a Saturday now ?

Sunday 8th.March 2009

First thing , Down House bird survey . Although the sun was out , a bitter strong wind was blowing over the site , and probably because of that , only 14 species were recorded . The ones looking most at home in the conditions were 11 Fieldfare , hanging on for dear life in the top of an Oak . Others of interest were 3 Green Woodpecker feeding on the ground and a Sparrowhawk working the hedges around the cricket field . There were no signs of the Jacob's sheep lambs , but one of the adults is most definately still around .

On the way back , I made a quick stop at the farm lake , just to see if any unexpected visitors were about . Answer no , just a Grey Heron , a pair of Tufted Duck , a single Little Grebe , looking very dapper coming into breeding plumage , and the usual Coots and Moorhens . Another reason for calling in was to see if the Coltsfoot had come into flower . Steve-Kingsdowner found it in flower weeks ago now , but here it is just starting to flower . This was the most advanced plant I could find , but there was plenty just bursting bud , and should look a picture in a couple of weeks , given some decent weather .

As I was leaving , I noticed a pair of Mistle Thrush on the post and rail fencing around the sand school . One flew off , but the other stayed put , to pose first one way then another and then another before flying off to join it's mate .

On the bottom lane , near the horse fields , the rookery which has only supported 2 nests for the last couple of years , has doubled up to 4 this year .
This afternoon's meeting up on the Greensand Ridge with KRAG started just as the sun went in and was followed by squally showers , culminating in a very heavy hail shower with gale force winds . I don't have to say that absoloutely no reptiles were found , not surprising as the temperature halved in a matter of minutes .

Saturday 7th.March 2009

Too knackered to post last night after a long day , travelling and hedgelaying near Newbury , Berks .

The first sighting of the day was on the M4 , about jnct.10 , when a Red Kite appeared from the nearside verge , passed across the motorway in front of us at no more than 20 ft . , and carried on searching on the verge on the other side . If it hadn't been on the motorway , it would have made a great shot , but it wasn't to be .

We reached the farm where the hedgelaying was taking place earlier than expected , thanks to a really good run , so spent time having a look at the hedge before starting . I saw a movement in the field behind , which turned out to be a Brown Hare , moving slowly along a ridge . I rushed back to the car , grabbed the camera , ran to the top of the ridge , and , on getting there , saw the back end of the hare exiting the far end of the field , about 200 mtrs. away at a good rate of knots . I got a very , very distant shot , with the animal at full tilt , middle of scren , going right to left . I shall have to get some information from John - Go Wild In Kent , about how to approach the species , as my way definately doesn't work . I missed a close up of the hare , but was treated to a pair of Lapwing displaying in flight . Later in the day there were a pair of Skylark , which incidentally were singing all day , doing exactly the same .

No sooner had I put the camera back in the car , then I spotted a male Yellowhammer in a hedge that had been layed last year . Grabbed the camera again and headed towards him . He got twitchy as I approached , but manage a couple of shots before he got fed up anf lew further along the hedgeline . Just before leaving the farm , had distant views and hear calling , a Common Buzzard .

Visiting the Greensand Ridge this afternoon with the Sec. of KRAG . Reptiles ?

Friday 6th.March 2009

An extra day working up on the Greensand Ridge today , but , it wasn't all working .

On the way , I needed fuel , which sent me on a different route to the usual . As I approached the traffic lights in Sundridge , just outside Sevenoaks , and crossing the main A.25 , something caught my attention on the grass area behind the War Memorial . I pulled across the junction , then went back , camera in hand . There , standing within 15 mtrs. of the busy junction , was a Little Egret . I had been asked a couple of weeks ago , what looks like a Heron , but is white . I said at the time that it was probably a Little Egret , thinking that it was just a ' one off '

appearance , but it seems that it has taken up residence at this junction , and probably feeds in the River Darenth , which flows parallel to the A.25 . I can only think that it came from the same brood as the one Adam posted on Tuesday , walking in the gutter through East Malling .

On reaching the yard , there was a lot of bird activity around the recently replenished feeders . Great and Blue Tits , Chaffinches , the odd Jay , Magpie , Woodpigeon , Dunnock , Greated Spotted Woodpecker and Blackbird were all frequent visitors , along with a pair of Nuthatches , who didn't hang about at the feeder , but grabbed and ran .

On the farm we passed through to get to the fencing job in hand , the first of this year's calves was seen .

I couldn't leave the Ridge without a quick look for reptiles , and was lucky enough to find my first Adder of the year on the site , a very dapper looking male .

The only other thing of interest was a Buff Tailed Bumblebee , searching in the leaf litter , perhaps trying to find a nest site .

Last but one hedgelaying day tomorrow , wildlife ?

Monday 2nd. March 2009

I thought they were going to give us a miss this year , then , whilst having breakfast this morning , Carol spotted a male Siskin on the feeders .

I shot upstairs for the camera and by the time I got to the back bedroom window , it had flown down to the path . I managed a couple of long shots , then the next door neighbour opened the back door and it was off .

I waited for it to return to the feeders , but it wasn't to be .

Reports of more Adders today , also an early Grass Snake and a Great Crested Newt , but , given the cold temperatures forcasted , they will probably return underground again , and wait for the proper Spring .