Saturday 2nd. April 2016

Once again this year , the Long-tailed Tits on the Common started building their nest .

Slowly but surely , their work of art grew .

Until , after just over two weeks , the nest was completed .

Two days later , it was ripped open and abandoned . The culprits , probably the flock of 5/6 Jays that are constantly seen in the area .

Also seen on site , Comma ( pictured ) , along with Brimstone and Peacock  and the first Bee-fly /

Bombylius major , seen this year . A visit to the area around Bough Beech Reservoir wasn't very productive

but \I did come across this skull of a small mammal , which would appear to be that of a small rabbit ,

and under the feeders , the Bank Voles were busy collecting and fallen morsels .

A look around High Elms LNR found the first few Butterbur / Petasites hybridus , a member of the Daisy family and closely related to Winter Helliotrope , just pushing through . On a roadside verge , the Green

Hellbore / Helleborus viridus , a member of the Buttercup family , were found already in flower . Next week will mark the start of the weekly butterfly transect here .

On a visit to Elmley Reserve , I was closely watched as I entered by this Little Owl .

All the species seemed geared up for breeding , including this male Pheasant in his finery .

Fewer Lapwing were seen along the track , probably due to nesting , which meant that the partner's job was to deter the Marsh Harriers who were looking for an easy meal .

I spent a long time watching and trying to photograph the Brown Hares again , this time out in the open but

distant from the track , and couldn't believe my luck when I witnessed another bout of boxing . Who says lightning doesn't strike twice ? With sightings going quiet , I headed for Capel Fleet . On the slow run down

to the raptor viewpoint , a male Kestrel posed just long enough on the wires , and below amongst the

 brambles , a small flock of Corn Bunting were keeping in touch with each other , 'jingling their keys' .  With

them was a single male Reed Bunting . From the view point , I had a distant view of a raptor and initially thought it was a ring-tailed Hen Harrier , but as it got closer it's true ID beacame evident , a Common

Buzzard with an unusually pale rump . As it flew towards the Fleet , it joined a second bird and for a moment

I thought I was in for some talon grappling , but it didn't quite happen this time . On the return , a male Linnet

was singing , perched on the roadside fence , a pair of Red-legged Partridge were sheltering in the brick

ruins , a probable male Wheatear that flew off a fencepost before I could get the binoculars on it , and both

sides of the road , lots of newly born lambs , including several almost black individuals . A look at Shellness proved very quiet , but the tide was still well out so not surprising . Large numbers of Oystercatchers could

be seen out on the waters edge and a 50+ flock of Brent Goose flew by to land on the Swale . Most striking thing along the track was the amount of Alexanders / Smyrnium olusatrum , a member of the Carrot family

that was on view , it was literally everywhere .
A look around Hutchinson's Bank , and meeting up with Martin , produced a couple of butterfly species on

the wing , being 4 Brimstone , including one female and two Small Tortoiseshell .
Up on the Greensand Ridge , after the initial emergence , things seem to have ground to a halt , with just 7 male Adders being seen . As usual at this time of year , the males gather together and bask in the sun , like

these four individuals . Three heads in the middle of the shot and the fourth middle right . Mind you , when

this one caught my scent , all four quickly disappeared . Also found on the visit were a few Common Lizard ,

including this individual which had lost the end of it's tail , and my first live Slow Worm of the year , having

found a dead one with puncture wounds last week .
Today , I did the Down House bird survey and recorded an above average 24 species . The only possible summer migrant was a singing Chiffchaff .