Banded DemoiselleBanded Demoiselle were the stars of the day - 8 in total along the riverbank between Barming Bridge and Teston. Birds were comparatively low in numbers, although the resident Goldfinches bounced ahead of us like puppets on strings. Whitethroat babbled away in the deep shrubbery, and the Cuckoo announced it's prescence occasionally on the West Farleigh bank. The Spotted Flycatcher haunts were still vacant - maybe I'm getting too impatient. The abscence of Kingfishers was particularly noticeable, but I had set out wanting to see that electric blue dart across the river, so they were bound to be elusive! A couple of Common Blues flitted around and a Red Admiral posed beautifully in the sun. The riverbank always looks at it's best in mid-May, the sheer lushness and exuberance of foliage, along with the fresh, fresh, greeness of everything, remains, for me, the defintion of a typical early summer's day.
A dusk visit to Oaken Wood, Barming to catch up with crepuscular creatures turned out to be rather disappointing. A single, unidentified bat relentlessly chasing unseen prey up and down one of the rides was as good as it got! No Nightjars, owls or glow worms....I am getting too impatient!
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