Monday 27th July

I was eyeballed by this little fella as I did some photocopying at work today. The ruin of a nest he occupied has been left derelict for a couple of years now, it's last inhabitants, a pair of House Sparrows, moved on when the floor fell out! Perhaps this House Martin was sheltering from the persistent rain, or the pestering Collared Doves, but it was good to see one close-up again. For the last few weeks these aerial orcas have been dashing skilfully low over the car park and windbreaks of East Malling Research, flashing their neat plummage of navy and white.

A quick sortie of the badger set copse to check the Dormice boxes. No sign of these furballs, but one contained a nest of leaves (looks promising!) and another a Blue Tit nest, weaved together with badger bristles and infested with earwigs!

Swifts were scything high above South Street, Barming when I arrived home this evening. joined fleetingly by what I initially though was a Kestrel, but turned out to be a Hobby! This is my second garden tick for this species this year - I wonder where they're ranging from?