Thursday 21st. August 2014

Catch up time again , starting with a Monday morning visit to Sevenoaks Reserve , but unfortunately there was very little interest found , even the Kingfishers refused to pose , giving just a couple of fly-byes to the hopeful photographers waiting . It was good though , to catch up with fellow enthusiast Graham , the first time we've bumped into each other this year , having managed to do it several times last year . Even the weather closed in , but before it did , I did manage to find some

Small Red-eyed Damselflies on the lily pads down at Long Lake . I spent Tuesday morning on the causeway at Bough Beech Reservoir , where the water level is at a nice level to attract passing waders , with mud showing all around the main reservoir and the North Lake , but someone forgot to tell the waders , with just a few Common and Green Sandpiper feeding on the North Lake , until a passing Common Buzzard spooked a Black-tailed Godwit , which then came to rest with the many

BHGulls on one of the ridges , where it had a wash and brush up , before returning to where it flew from originally . The only other interest found , was a long winged bird with a large bill , that landed

on the water about 2/3rds of the way to the right hand point on the main reservoir . It looked really

interesting at the first angle , but when to turned slightly , it had that immature gull look about it . I've sent thr pictures to a couple of people , and both came back with immature Lesser Black-backed Gull , but what a bill on the first shot .
A cool wind greeted me yesterday morning when I arrived at Old Lodge Reserve on Ashdown Forest , with Black Darter high on my list to find , but the first hour or so was spent walking the reserve , looking for anything of interest , as it was like a graveyard . Just Corvids and Tits along the top path , nothing at all on the four ponds heading down to the stream in the valley , so it was nice to

be welcomed by a confiding Wren . Half of the stream was in full sun , but nothing was moving , so I carried on up the other side of the valley and followed the power lines back to the car park , adding almost nothing to what had been seen . I started the second circuit taking the other path down to the bottom of the gully and coming back up the gulley to the top path . I must admit I thought of heading back to the car at this point , but decided to give the ponds and stream another go . The second pond

did produce an Emerald Damselfly and the fourth produced three Small Red Damselfly , but no sign

of Black Darter , but photographing anything in the wind was very awkward . I went back down to the stream in the valley , and although most was now in sunshine , not a single Odonata was seen . It wasn't all bad though , as while I was there two juvenile Common Redstart were feeding in the area ,

and one posed on a concrete post just over the stream , but as can be seen , it too was troubled by the wind . The same fence line produced a scowling Whitethroat , but always scowling from within

vegetation . Whilst at the stream , and elderly couple arrived , hoping to see Golden-ringed Dragonfly , so they were not happy with my lack of sightings either . I left them to it and started back

to the car , on the way spotting a female Common Redstart , sunbathing out of the wind in a Holly . The rest of the way to the car was no more exciting , and I reached it without having seen a single raptor , most unusual for the site . After a spot on lunch , I decided to have a look at two other ponds over the other side of the forest before heading home . Things improved on the Odonata front with both Brown and Migrant Hawker seen on the walk to the ponds and Emperor patrolling over the first one . The surprise though was when a male Broad-bodied Chaser , in pristine condition , flew up to

confront the Emperor , before settling down again on Gorse . The species can be found into this month , but usually they are well past their sell by date by now . A couple of minutes later , a female BBC appeared over the water and the male attempted to do his duty , but she rebuffed him , and I

watched her fly off and settle a short distance away on some bracken , and like the male in pristine condition . She was finally disturbed by a horse and rider , and this time when she flew in , the male did do his duty . A couple of minutes later , she was ovipositing in the shallows , with the male

patrolling above her . Of interest , the vegetation she is laying amongst is Myriophyllum aquaticum / Parrots Feathers an invasive introduced species , which has almost completely covered this pond , and I don't think there is a remedy to eradicate it . The other pond , which hasn't got the Parrot's

Feathers , yet , contained my favourite water plant leaf , that of Arrowhead / Sagittaria sagittifolia .
On the way home , I stopped off at the site just below Biggin Hill airport , where a fellow enthusiast found Chalkhill Blue a few weeks ago . The clouds were building , but a quick look produced nie species of butterfly , including 4/6 Clouded Yellow , one of which was only too happy for the warmth

of my finger during a prolonged cloudy spell . The Chalkhill Blues were still on the wing , but

pristine couldn't be used to describe the males , having lost most of the scales from their topwings .