Barfreston Church

As rare a place as England has in stone is this little temple set on a hill, made by Norman hands. Like a rich cameo it is, a precious jewel among the massive structures the Normans left behind.Its walls have been graciously spared by Time. It is weathered, but with gentle harmony, as if Nature herself must be kind to one so beautiful.
And inside, too, the glory of Barfreston continues. Through the high chancel arch is the great Wheel Window, above three Norman lancets....and the whole effect of the window is to make us feel that we are in the presence of the beginning of that Gothic glory, the Rose Window, which was soon to follow.

Here for all the world to see, for the sun and wind and rain to play upon, is a magnificent array of the finest sculpture of its time, a great frieze of heads and faces and quaint figures wrought with character and vigour standing out clear after nearly 700 years.
Over the south door, with two lines of sculpture containing 26 figures more or less grotesque, are a dog playing a harp to a man upside down, two dogs drinking from a pot....
The words of Arthur Mee in his guide book to Kent, first published in 1936, are as finely crafted and beautiful as the subjects that he describes.

We got a bit lost on the way to the church, and were looking anxiously for a signpost. The one we found was not helpful.

Devil's Kneading Trough

The Devil's Kneading Trough is the name both of a steep dry valley above Wye, and of a restaurant with views over the same. I'm pleased to report that we made the most of both of them, with a tasty meal of Nile Perch* with a cracking Puilly-Loché white.

A post-prandial stroll and then doze on the herb-rich grass of the downs provided brief sightings of Dingy Skippers
and then more prolonged views of more relaxed Green-Letter Hairstreaks.
We didn't stray far from the main paths, so only a few Early Purple Orchids were seen.
* Nile Perch tastes very good, but the tale of its introduction in Lake Victoria would ruin your appetite.

Kites and bugs

There has been a spate of raptor sightings nearby (Bockhill, Sutton etc) in the last couple of days, and for a change I was not completely passed by - while others have seen Osprey, Rough-Legged Buzzard and Black Kite, the bird that flew in off the sea over me today was a Red Kite - not my UK first (as the others would have been) but welcome nonetheless.Just to check that it wasn't a Black version, I boosted the exposure which revealed the lighter patterns on the under-wings.

The main aim of the walk was to see butterflies in the warm sunshine. The shingle by South Road was the most productive, with Small Copper, Common Blue and Small Blue, as well as a Broad-Bodied Chaser and a bright Cinnabar moth.

Small CopperCommon Blue

Small Blue (male)
Small Blue underside
Cinnabar moth
Broad-Bodied Chaser

Along the rifle range were four types of white and a Clouded Yellow was also around. Later, in the garden were Speckled Woods and Holly Blues.

Mouse-eared Hawkweed

A purple variant of Milkweed

And finally, whatever is this bloated fat bug - it looks a tasty morsel to me!

New Hythe lakes

It's a treat to be by fresh water at any time, living as I do miles from lakes, streams or rivers. To be by the lakeside when the weather's hot and the sun is strong is particularly pleasant, so it was a good walk around New Hythe lakes yesterday.
It's also nesting time, and the ducklings, goslings and cootlets were being paraded by the parents.

A Nightingale sang a welcome in the carpark, and various other songbirds were in good voice around the park, but I was surprised to see only one hirundine - presumably the rest are busy nesting at that time of the day.

I had a good chat with another chap with appropriate nature-watching garb - Trevor from the Isle of Grain. His patience (actually looking for water voles) tracked down this female Banded Demoiselle.

Back on the dry Downs,
Wall butterflies are basking on the sunny chalk outcrops,
and Yellowhamers sing from the ground

while young rabbits are everywhere.

More Early Orchids

After the pleasure of finding one single solitary Early Spider Orchid yesterday, Ian Hodgson at SBBO helpfully pointed out that there are hundreds at Samphire Hoe. But this one was mine!

At the Bay, "a record 181 Common Twayblades were found in the gullies, along with an impressive array of 458 Green-winged Orchids on the golf course" so I went along to have a look.

Green-Winged Orchid

Below are a couple of the Twayblades, which look like unassuming green stalks, until you look closely and see the little figures.

I think that this will be as close as I ever get to a Man Orchid:
Also on the estate was a patch of Rosy Garlic....
...and of the few birds noted were three pairs of Grey Partridges.

Early Spider Orchid

Towards the end of a frankly uninspiring BTO breeding bird survey, my enthusiasm was rekindled by the discovery of a single, solitary Early Spider Orchid. Standing about 6" tall, it's not a particularly attractive plant but its scarcity and unpredictable growth means that it's a treat when you find one.
Less rare than the Late Spider Orchid that appears (infrequently) in June, the Early is known to appear in a number of sites around the village, and I had put off mowing my own lawn just in case!

Important sites for orchids in the UK are shown on the map, with Dover to Kingsdown Cliffs in orange, presumably indicating that we get them, but not in large numbers or the very rare ones.On the bird survey, 27 species were seen in the quadrant area, with another 9 on the walk to it.
Notables included the first drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker of the year, eight singing Common Whitethroats, two Peregrine Falcons (one of which was very light on the back, presumably the youngster), 18 Fulmar nest-sites and the welcome return of House Martins.

Peregrine

Is this an early Wild Parsnip?

One of the many Hawkbit/Hawkweeds

Fredville (where?) trees

There is a country estate near Goodnestone (on the way to Canterbury) called Fredville, which we happened upon during a country walk to enjoy the good weather. The park surrounding the main house has many huge, old trees, like this Sweet Chestnut.

Maria's a bit of a tree-hugger.

We didn't see the most famous tree, however, as it is in the garden, not the park. The Fredville Majesty Oak was vast when this print was made in 1808 - a circumference of 28 feet was measured then, and apparently is has not changed much since - it is featured in Pakenham's Meetings with Remarkable Trees.What happened to the House? It was occupied by Canadians in WW2, and it burned down in 1940 leaving only the outbuildings and lodges. Canucks - huh!

On a very different scale, I was pleased to see these two small plants - Field Pansy and Wood Speedwell - on the walk, as well as three Swifts (but no House Martins) a Turtle Dove and a Treecreeper.
Part of the walk was on the Miners' Trail, which takes in the now-disused Kentish mining villages.