Thursday, 10 April 2008
Thursday 10th April
My first Swallow of the year was seen perched on the telegraph wires opposite the North Pole Pub, Teston as I drove into work this morning.
Monday, 7 April 2008
Monday 7th April 2008
The snow lingered, and the sign at the top of North Street, Barming seemed quite appropriate. 2x superb, summer-plummaged Med Gulls garced the field just north of the 'Burger Van layby' north of the A26 between Teston and Barming. They were more active than their Black-headed and Herring Gull counterparts.
Friday 4th April 2008
Another scour of Oaken Woods, Barming in the lunchtime sun drew a blank for the Camberwell Beauty, but more Peacock, Comma and my first Small White of the year were seen. The Mandarin Duck remained, shyly, at Bradbourne Lake.
Thursday 3rd April 2008
More Chiffchaffs on the way into walk by Gallagher's Gallop, and 6+ Bullfinches "seeping" away in the blackthorn.
It was the monthly East Malling Research Running Club race at lunchtime, and with a lead to defend I set of across the farmland towards Oaken Wood, Barming. I was pleased to see 2x Peacock and 3x Comma butterflies en route and took much pleasure in telling Mike Easterbrook, the county recorder, as I overtook somewhere around the 3.5 mile mark! However, my boss, who was on the longer 5.5 mile route along North Pole Road, found both Mike and I as soon as he'd finished to tell us a large 'black butterfly with white wing borders had flown across his path...he'd never seen this butterfly before...what was it? We double checked it wasn't April 1st, before asking him to take a look at the pinned down butterfly collection housed at the research station. He identified it as a Camberwell Beauty! Unfortunately I was due in a meeting at 2pm, but Mike + ANother went to the site, and despite extensive scouring and turning up numerous Peacocks and Commas the Beauty was nowhere to be found.
A call from Ross informed me that a drake Mandarin Duck had appeared at the lake at Bradbourne House, so leaving early I managed to relocate the duck (extremley timid hence no photo) but failed to find the butterfly!
It was the monthly East Malling Research Running Club race at lunchtime, and with a lead to defend I set of across the farmland towards Oaken Wood, Barming. I was pleased to see 2x Peacock and 3x Comma butterflies en route and took much pleasure in telling Mike Easterbrook, the county recorder, as I overtook somewhere around the 3.5 mile mark! However, my boss, who was on the longer 5.5 mile route along North Pole Road, found both Mike and I as soon as he'd finished to tell us a large 'black butterfly with white wing borders had flown across his path...he'd never seen this butterfly before...what was it? We double checked it wasn't April 1st, before asking him to take a look at the pinned down butterfly collection housed at the research station. He identified it as a Camberwell Beauty! Unfortunately I was due in a meeting at 2pm, but Mike + ANother went to the site, and despite extensive scouring and turning up numerous Peacocks and Commas the Beauty was nowhere to be found.
A call from Ross informed me that a drake Mandarin Duck had appeared at the lake at Bradbourne House, so leaving early I managed to relocate the duck (extremley timid hence no photo) but failed to find the butterfly!
Monday 31st March 2008
A couple of Chiffchaffs sang out over Ditton Quarry this afternoon, my first of the Summer on this site. A Common Lizard and Toad were also found to have come out of hibernation.
10th March 2008
Seven Jackdaws, quite a rarity at East Malling, made a welcome visit to the Research Station site, feeding on ploughed land with 40+ Carrion Crow.
SW Spain 3rd-7th March 2008
I was lucky enough to present a talk at a conference in SW Spain. The birding oppurtunities looked good, but the schedule looked bad - and as expected the conference programme was very intense, 08:30-20:30 most days. We arrived in the dark and saturday night and spent 2 hours driving through pitch blackness from Seville to Huelva - not chance of seeing anything!
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