Wednesday 21st. October 2015

A wet day at least gives a chance to catch up on a few recent outings .
A trip to Knole Park in Sevenoaks , in better conditions , in the hope of finding some deer rutting proved unsuccessful . A good number of Fallow Deer were found around the site , mainly Fallow like

this stag browsing on the lower branches of a conifer , but the usual centre of activity , Echo Mount , was almost empty of any deer at all . Eventually one stag did make his way to the top , bellowing as

he did so , but shortly afterwards , collapsed into his ' pit ' , and there he stayed . Apart from the Fallow , there are a few Sika Deer on the site , and a short distance away , I found this confiding

female .Finding little else of interest , I started my way back to the car , when I noticed someone in the distance twirling something on a rope . As I got closer , I could see it was a falconer , obviously trying to entice a bird down from a large tree . I got onto the other side of the avenue of trees and could hear the bells attached to the jessies , every time the bird moved , but could not see it because of the canopy leaves . After a lot of effort and calling , the bird was taking no notice until it attempted to take a pigeon as it flew by , but failed , but it did land in the open and I got my first view of a

beautiful female Goshawk . The saga went on for another half hour before the falconer finally managed to entice the bird down . When he did so , I asked if I could get a few shots and was pleased

when he agreed . Initially , she was very agitated , but after some food she settled . It was great to see

the bird up close , but I would have preferred if she was flying free .
The bird survey at Down House produced 19 species , which included all Thrush species apart from Ring Ouzel . The Yew tree in the formal gardens held 9 Mistle Thrush , 13 Redwing , and 7 Fieldfare

( one pictured ), and around the site Song Thrush and Blackbird were recorded .
A visit to Bough Beech Reservoir found it full of Greylag and Canada Goose , with the single Black-tailed Godwit still on tthe North Lake . A single Little Egret and a fly-over Raven were the only other avian  interest found . On the way , a lovely show of Sowbread / Cyclamen hederifolium was found

on a roadside verge , and also in the local area , a super show of Devilsbit Scabious / Succisa

pratensis , providing nectar for the many bumblebees still on the wing , along with the odd specimen

of Betony / Betonica officinalis , a member of the Labiate family . On getting home , I had to remove

a Dor Beetle ( one of the Dung Beetles ) / Geotrupes stercorarius , from the carport floor , before backing in .
A visit to Sevenoaks Reserve didn't produce any excitement birdwise , but on the way round

Lawyer's Wig or Shaggy Ink Cap / Coprinus comatus and the less often found Ramaria stricta were

found on the fungi front and down in the small meadow alongside Long Lake , a very fidgety female

Common Blue Damselfly was unexpected , along with a more expected female Common Darter .

This species can go on into November if conditions are suitable . Also on the wing were large

numbers of Caddis Flies , all making the most of the sunshine . That sunshine had also enticed out

dozens of Harlequin Ladybirds in the area of Buddleia bushes behind Tyler Hide . Three of the forms

found are pictured , there were probably more .
Yesterday I made another visit to Knole Park and although there was more activity amongst the Fallow Deer , the nearest they got to rutting was lowering of heads , but nothing else . Echo Mount

had four well antlered bucks , two were only metres apart most of the time , all roaring to attract

females and gathering small harems . The only action occurred when a younger buck , like these two , got too near to the females , when the older buck would chase it off . So I don't know if any rutting took place this year , or did the stags just divide up Echo Mount , but one thing is for sure , and that is

that the future generation is ensured . This buck must have had the right bellow , as he mated with several females . The other bucks bellowed and got nowhere . As I left the site , I managed a shot of

a male Sika Deer .

Monday 5th. October 2015

A catch up on a few outings , before the Summer ended .

With butterfly transects ended , a general look around High Elms produced a low fly-over Common Buzzard and the most Hornets I have ever seen , numbering 35+ . Every sunny glade had them

dropping in for a meal , and over on the golf course , found a nest about 5 mtrs up a dead Ash tree .

A visit to Sevenoaks Reserve and Willow Hide in particular , held the usual water fowl , before 19 Egyptian Goose , the majority being this year's youngsters , dropped in from the field behind for their morning ablutions . That meant no Kingfisher on the stick between them in the photo . One did turn

up , but once again the closest it came was the Willows on the island out front of the hide . A male

and female Gadwall came reasonably close , but two Shoveler kept well away . Over towards the

island , a female Wigeon , my first of the Autumn , made a change . In between times , several Jays

were flying back and forth , stocking up their larders with acorns . With ablutions continuing , I made my way down to the meadow alongside Long Lake , so see what Odonata were about .Two more Kingfisher sightings , before a male Mute Swan decided that he wanted the same bit of bank that I

was on , having waddled up from the water . There we stood , me trying to photograph a Migrant Hawker in flight , he , preening himself in between grunting / snorting noises , no doubt to encourage

me to move on . The only damselflies found were Common Blues , and just males at that , but there

were female Migrant Hawkers about , as this male found . Male Brown and Southern Hawker were

also found , along with several Common Darters , including this mating pair . Also found in emergent vegetation on the water's edge were these iridescent , metallic coloured beetles , Donacia marginata ,

they too looking to make the most of the sunshine . On the way back home , I called in at a quiet

Bough Beech where one BTGodwit was still in residence and seemingly up to his neck in it ,

as was the juvenile Shellduck . A look up on the Common the other day was very quiet too , with just

a juvenile Common Lizard being found .
Last Friday , with the promise of plenty of sunshine but unsure where to go to enjoy it , found me pitching up at Elmley Reserve again , on the Isle of Sheppey . I was cordially welcomed as I entered

by this male Stonechat , looking very dapper indeed . This time there was some interest along the

track , with a couple of Curlew and in an area recently worked , the local Corvids , including this

Rook were looking for an easy meal . With less wind that on my last visit , the walk down to the hides was very pleasant , if rather short on interest , but to be fair , the tide was well out . Absolutely nothing from Wellmarsh Hide , but along the ditch towards South Fleet Hide there were still several

Marsh Frogs about . Kestrel , Com.Buzzard and Marsh Harrier were all seen at a distance , but one did venture closer when in the hide , putting up the mixed Goose flock that was grazing out front .

The large flock of Teal were also sent sky-ward , and it was some time before everything returned to the ground again . On my way back , a passing birder had seen a Merlin chasing and failing to catch a Meadow Pipit , but the best I could do were two Bearded Tits , which dived into a reedbed as soon as I spotted them , and didn't reappear . Just before leaving the reserve , a movement in the long grass

turned out to be a Stoat , but as usual , no sooner seen than it disappeared , seemingly under the post and rail fence and into the field beyond . I backed up to the end of the fence , where I could watch both sides , and was amazed to see a rabbit feeding out in the open , within metres of where the Stoat disappeared . I got set up and waited . Half an hour later , with the rabbit , and a second having joined it , were both still feeding . I can only think that the Stoat had already had lunch . The Little Owl in

the farmyard was shyer than the last time .

Friday 25th. September 2015

The recent weather combined with some 'need to do' jobs , have somewhat curtailed my getting out of late , the most difficult being finding suitable conditions to do the High Elms and Down House butterfly surveys , the DH surveyor being on holiday . I just managed to do both last week , but it was the day after the 'Wednesday deluge' , so the results were on the poor side to put it mildly . HE produced 14 from 6 species , with most looking past their sell by date , like this female Meadow

Brown . DH , with all the paddocks having been cut , produced just12 from 3 species , along with 15

Large White larvae that were doing their best to demolish the brassicas in the walled garden . With the season coming to an end , these will feed up and over-winter as chrysalis , appearing as adults

next Spring .Only other interest found was a Shaggy Parasol / Lepiota rhacodes , in the Sandwalk

woodland at DH , and some fine specimens of Turkey Tail / Polyporus giganteus , on the base of a

Beech tree outside the car park at HE .
With the promise of a dry day on Wednesday , I headed for Reculver , mainly to try and catch up with the late emerging Willow Emerald Damselfly , but on arrival found myself drawn to the areas of

Everlasting Pea / Lathyrus latifolius , the foodplant of the migrant Long-tailed Blue butterfly . I had read that the odd one or two had been seen in Sussex recently , and hoped that I might find one here . Three hours later , having scoured every pea flower in the area , I gave up , not having even had a glimpse of my hoped for rarity , the wind , blowing in off the sea didn't help . The only butterflies

seen were a dozen or so Small White , a single Peacock and Comma and two Large White . A lone

male Migrant Hawker was found warming up in the sun , whilst the Common Toadflax was still

trying to shake off it's morning dew . Disappointed , I moved on to the other side of the Thanet way to search for thr Willow Emerald Damselfly . If anything , the wind was even stronger here , but it

was also a bit warmer . The North Stream only turned up a female Migrant Hawker , so I started searching the overhanging Willows and the roadside hedges , where the Ivy flowers were busy with lots of Common Wasps , various Hoverflies , but dominated by the recently colonizers  from Europe ,

the Ivy Bee / Colletes hedera , with it's ginger thorax and strikingly striped abdomen . They were first

found along the south coast some 20 years ago , but have now spread well above the Thames valley from what I have read . Eventually it was back to the overhanging Willows on the North Stream and

after a bit more searching , found my first of 3/4 WEDs . With the wind , they were tending to stay

close to the ground , making them not very easy to photograph . One individual did try to help though

, when it landed on my hand . Before leaving the area , I returned to the towers and walked out to Coldharbour and back in pleasant conditions . The tide was just on the turn back out again , but birds were definitely at a premium . Half way down , I met a birder on his way back to the car park , and he said nothing to raise my hopes of a find . A small flock of Meadow Pipit danced on the shingle and

the sea wall in front of me , one posing momentarily , a couple of Stonechat , always keepng just out of camera range , a flock of Goldfinch , plundering the seedheads and two Wheatear , one caught in 

the split second between landing and immediately taking off again  . Most plants along the way had gone to seed , but a couple of Yellow-horned Poppy / Glaucium flavum , had single flowers and their

long seed pods from which the 'horned' part of their name comes from . Apart from that , it was the expected species , and no sighting of the hoped for Black Redstart .

This morning I did what will be the last full transects at HE and DH . The latter produced just 4 Meadow Brown and 2 Speckled Wood , and a brief sighting of a female Roe Deer . HE went one 

better with 4 Meadow Brown , 3 Speckled Wood and a single Holly Blue , a female , faded , but still 

good to see . The only surprise was 10/15 Hornets , mostly near the golf car park and a couple in the

bottom glade . This one posed head on and threatening , but was more interested in warming up than bothering with me .

This afternoon , making the most of the weather , I headed up onto the Greensand Ridge looking for

any sign of breeding . The only Adders found were this male , and a year old female , probably born

about this time last year . No neonates were found on the visit , all in all , I don't think this was a good breeding season up on the Ridge .