Sunday 4th. May 2014

Yesterday morning , arrived early at New Hythe to enjoy more Nightingale song . It took a while to get going , but eventually 10/12 males were busy , trying to out-sing their neighbour . With recent leaf burst , seeing the birds was much harder , if at all , and I didn't manage a single shot on my visit , but the enjoyment of their song , more than made up for that . On the other hand , the Common

Whitethroats , though not as melodious , were quite happy to sit atop their favoured perch and sing their hearts out in full view , especially from the Hawthorns in the scrub areas . Down by the Water Vole ditch , which failed to produce a single sighting this visit , although it is the breeding season for the species so perhaps that is understandable , I found a presumably female Common Whitethroat

busily collecting nesting materials , then dropping down into the Brambles below . The same Hawthorne was being continually visited by a pair of Long-tailed Tits , and I was surprised to see two

or three juveniles being fed on the other side of the path , this one waiting patiently for the next delivery . During the visit , I heard a Cuckoo calling several times , but it had always moved on

before I could track it down . I did eventually manage a long distance shot of the bird in the middle of

the scrub area . Later on I got a shot of it closer , but the sun was almost behind the bird , not exactly what one would hope for . With the Nightingale song diminishing , and yet another Coot family on the Finger Lake , I decided to move on , but not before meeting up with firstly Alan , who put me on to the Hoopoe , which apparently decamped it's field early last week , and the man himself , Phil / Sharp by Nature , who I had arranged to meet to deliver some paperwork .
Before leaving , Phil and I had looked for Odonata on the Finger Lake , but failed to find any , so I decided that if Sevenoaks Reserve had any parking space , I would have a quick look at the meadow alongside Long Lake , and if lucky , see the Garden Warbler that has been seen in the area . Best laid plans , just two teneral damselflies were seen making their maiden flights into the trees , and no sight nor sound of the Garden Warbler . Heading back along the main track , I diverted along the small track which skirts the small pond between Willow Hide and the East Lake , and from thick vegetation alongside the River Darent came the incessant call of the Garden Warbler , albeit unseen . Brief

glimpses as it changed perch was all it allowed , until it settled in an Alder near the metal bridge over

the river , where it preformed brilliantly for a couple of minutes , before it was off again . I headed home for lunch , happy , after which I headed for Burnt Gorse at High Elms , to see if I could find Keith's early Common Blue . Alas that wasn't to be either , but 3 Peacock , 1 Sm. Copper , 6 Dingy Skipper , 6 Gn. Hairstreak , 4 Brimstone , 1 Red Admiral and 4 Green-veined White were recorded before the cloud rolled in .
This morning I did the bird survey at Down House , which wasn't exactly exciting , with 19 species recorded , but that did include Common Buzzard for the second time on site . Just one butterfly , a Peacock was also seen . Checking emails when I got home , I found that Martin had found two Glanville Fritillary earlier in the morning at Hutchinson's Bank , but had to leave to go on a Surrey BC trip to Denbigh's Hillside . So after lunch , I headed to HB to see if I could find them . With perfect conditions , things looked very quiet , apart from the odd Peacock , Brimstone and Dingy

Skipper . But , after a while , I did find one of the two butterflies . As expected it was in pristine

condition , hopefully this will be just the first of many to be seen on the wing in the near future .