Kingsdowner

Sprattus sprattus sprattus

2012-01-24T20:56:00.007Z

A little Birder told me that "the sea is alive with auks!" on Saturday, but as luck would have it I was on the train to London - ain't that always the way!
By Sunday, however, the sea was still alive with auks, and they formed a line of black and white about 400 yards offshore from Kingsdown along the cliffs towards St Margarets, although strangely none were to be seen from Deal pier.
About three quarters of the auks appeared to be Razorbills, constantly on the move to take advantage of the food on offer, while Red-throated Divers joined in the fun and about 170 Gannets exhibited their own specialised way of fishing.It seems that the winter sprat-shoals have arrived in force from their spawning-grounds and have attracted the various predators, including local fishermen who anchored in the middle of the rafts of auks - sprats are now on sale on the beach at £1 a bag, and very tasty too.

The mussel trawlers have departed having done their damage to the seabed, and it remains to be seen how their activities will affect local fish-stocks and catches. The local press has dubbed this "Mussel Wars" which is going over the top a bit, but the livelihood of the last remaining commercial fisherman in Deal is at stake.

Among the dull common Rock Pipits on the rifle range appeared a rarer bird - a Meadow Pipit, the first to be seen this year as they seem very scarce.
Some of the sprats were cut up and used to feed the Turnstones, of which there were 13 in total, including a variety of mangled legs. Greenie has called them "Sea Pigeons" which is apt, but they remind me more of starlings in the way they scuttle around and fly.
There seem to be plenty of Common Buzzards around, including a dark one that stands sentinel between the Lydden turnings beside the A2. A much lighter one was seen just to the west of there, looking very debonair.

Son of Stumpy

2012-01-18T19:18:00.002Z

Still the sun shines on our mild winter..... it's a pleasure to be out. The promenade of Walmer and Deal is now my chosen habitat with the gulls, pigeons and turnstones which live on the beach and the pier each winter.
Turnstones breed in the high arctic, of course, and migrate as far south as South Africa - but many seem to winter successfully on our coasts so you wonder why some travel on all that extra way.
The use of geolocators has shown that turnstones that migrate down the Pacific coast fly even farther.... one was recorded travelling from Siberia to Australia for 27,000 km (it went the pretty way) and from Australia to Taiwan non-stop for 7,600km.

One of the turnstones on Deal pier has a damaged foot, but no! it's not the famous Stumpy, who had a damaged right foot. This one has a bad leftie, so has been dubbed Son of Stumpy.
I've got nothing against his right leg, but unfortunately, nor has he.

It seems that having a damaged foot is an occupational hazard for turnstones, as many such-afflicted birds are seen around the coast. This is not such a problem for those scavenging on rocks and sand, as the species use their beaks to forage here. On shingle, however, they seem to use their feet to move the stones in the search for bugs and detritus, and this is not easy if you have only one. Consequently, birds in this habitat make the most of nearby food sources - namely food dropped on the pier.

In Whitstable, the turnstones are tame enough to beg for scraps around the tables of the harbour restaurant - have they no shame?

Last week a fleet of trawlers from Kings Lynn circled offshore, scraping the seabed for small mussels which are then shipped to Spain to be grown on. The local fishermen here are not pleased that our patch is being damaged by these incomers.

On a walk around the block at Kingsdown, taking in the wood, the cliffs and the golf course, few birds were seen, the only ones of note being a few skylarks singing invisibly high. No Corn Buntings, Yellowhammers or Meadow Pipits at all.

The much-discussed unseasonal flowering has subsided with the colder weather, but a swathe of Fumitory brightened up the day.

New Year Trundle

2012-01-03T22:00:00.001Z

The traditional New Year trundle around the south of Kent was blessed by fine sunny weather, and is fully reported by Steve, the Greater Kent Birder, here. The other member of the party, Pete, is twice Steve's size so will henceforth be known as the Greatest Kent Birder. This accolade is a blatant attempt at flattery so I can use some of his photos.

The day started well with the friendly neighbourhood Great Northern Diver in Dover Harbour, accompanied by plenty of Guillimots and Razorbills, and the strange sight of Gannets fishing within the harbour walls, and often flying close overhead.

The recent winds had presumably blown the birds from the North Sea and down the coast, and they were sheltering in the safe haven.

Down to Dungeness via Walland Marsh (Bewicks Swans, Tree Sparrows), and a scan across the sea showed large numbers of sea birds were sheltering here too, in the lee of the point. Closest to the shore were Great Crested Grebes, then a little further out large numbers of Guilliauks with a few Red-Throated Divers fishing among them, then 60-70 Gannets diving on shoals - it could have been the Farne Islands.Birds everywhere on the water; no new day-ticks but we enjoyed the sight as long as the cold kept out. The next tick was a Caspian Gull......
.... then the the RSPB centre to watch Tree Sparrows on the feeders.

Adding Great White Egret, Bittern (yay) and a distant Long-Tailed Duck at the ARC pit, we moved on to Pett where there was little to excite but Brents and White-fronts.

As the sun sank in the west, it was time to watch raptors coming in to roost at The Woolpack -up to eight Marsh Harriers at a time circled in the fading light, with a total of at least 20 birds, but disappointingly no Hen Harriers. A Peregrine and an alleged Merlin flew through, though.

A good days birding with fine company and memorable sightings.

Back home........

The first addition to my non-avian pan-list for the year was a house-tick of this critter, which seems to be a False Black Widow Steatoda nobilis which has brought its family to live by the back door, and lurks there at night.

So the New Year starts.... borrowed camera, broken bins, sunny weather followed by gales and torrential rain......

But life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain.

Let it be a Happy New Year, whatever it brings.

Egrets great and small

2011-12-18T20:30:00.009Z

Picking up on the last post, in which I wondered about the reasons why birds might be found dead on a lighthouse, two bloggers have passed on links to interesting stuff:
http://www.bsc-eoc.org/download/Francis-Jones-light-mortality.pdf reports on photopollution around lighthouses and states that :

Songbirds that migrate at night are attracted to these sources of light, especially under overcast or foggy weather conditions. Birds that are not killed outright by collisions with the light sources can succumb to exhaustion brought upon by prolonged fluttering around a light source or to predation upon individuals in weakened states.

A recent article in Birdguides reports on lights on off-shore vessels attracting an astonishing range of birds including water-rails and bitterns, and well as vast numbers of songbirds, often with fatal results.

And a recent book on British bird observatories reports on collisions at, for example, Bardsey. It is interesting to know that some lighthouses have nearby "safe attraction" lights to lure birds away from the danger, and to a safer landing ground.

On a day-trip to Dungeness to get as far away from shopping malls as possible, I was lucky to see a Grey Heron chasing a Great White Egret around the ARC pit, both landing by the viewing screen. I scuttled around to it and sure enough the Great White was fishing close by - lucky!
Its smaller cousin, the Little Egret, may have been impressed by the size of fish being taken by the Great White, and tried to copy it.
You've bitten off more than you can chew, mate.

In the bright sunshine it's clearly that time again.........
..... which must also be the view of the White Cliffs Ravens which have returned for the third year, and were checking out breeding sites.

Also on the cliffs, having started their season very early, were two Carline Thistle plants in new bud and flower.

Lumières

2011-12-12T20:46:00.006Z

I've long wanted to climb the steps (all 271 of them) up Calais lighthouse, le Phare de Calais, to look across to the White Cliffs, preferably on a clear day.
Saturday was such a day; clear (and cold) and the view was expansive, easily taking in the Kent coast from the North Foreland to Dungeness.
On the ledges at the top were some dead waders, a snipe, greenshank and a smaller unidentified one. I wondered if these had expired exhausted, or had flown into the lit window one stormy night?

The highlight of the ferry trip across was a close view of a Bonxie, along with many, many Gannets and Kittiwakes, and a good few auks on the sea. The sight of a Great Blackback eating one in the harbour was unedifying, however.

The best plant-spot of the day was Thornapple (Datura stramonium), which is generally eradicated on sight in Britain because of its poisonous nature, but which was flourishing on the French dunes.

Large numbers of gulls lined the strand as the sun fell over Cap Gris Nez.........
.... giving way to a devils-bit moon which showed a nibble of the eclipse, which may not have been seen across the channel.

This complemented a film on release at the moment, which I enjoyed at the tiny cinema in Broadstairs (not the hideous multiplex).....

....a film called Hugo, which artfully tells the story of magician-turned-cinematographer Georges Méliès (following the Lumière brothers) and of a young boy who lives in the Gare Montparnasse.

It's a beautifully-made film with some stunning scenes which I'm sure would appeal to fellow bloggers. It has steam trains, clocks, engineering, projectors and lots of other boys' toys.

Gone aforagin' on the seashore

2011-12-07T07:00:00.000Z

Ugh, it's awful dark in the mornings, and the pier's shut until 8am so work prevents a stroll along it.

However, along the coast at Kingsdown there's an opportunity for more scrumping..... seaweeds this time.

Nothing fancy, just a good clean, a snip and a stir-fry, with Sea Lettuce performing best while the red stuff (Dulse?) proved less tasty. Seved with a few focaccia courtesy of a North-west blogger, it was a good meal.

Bladder Rack and Tangle (or Kelp) are also edible but take a bit more cooking.

Sea Lettuce

On the landward side, Seaton gravel pits to be precise, it was good to see Hogweed in flower, with its unbalanced outer florets emphasising the delights within.

Down the stem was a Caddis fly.... not sure I've ever seen one before.

And continuing the food thread:- Jelly Ear.... very fresh, very jellyish, very bouncy, and ... quite tasty.
I do like to know where my next meal's coming from.

Gone aforagin'

2011-12-02T07:00:00.001Z

It's been a while since I've walked the range, but when you need some veg it's a good place to go. I added Sea Purslane to a salad for the first time, and there may have been an added flavour but my aged taste buds couldn't pick it out. I'll add more next time, and see if it improves.

Inspiration came from a couple of books by John Wright which cover seashore and fungi foraging in a highly entertaining style. I see from the local paper that a Deal author is launching a book on edible flowers, so that looks good as a stocking filler.

I don't need Sea Beet as the allotment is still producing copious amounts of spinach and chard, but I picked some small young leaves of Wild Cabbage, and was impressed.... they don't need much cooking, and tastle like, obviously, cabbage. A little Rock Samphire was gathered too, and new plants were seen in new places indicating that it's spreading.

The tougher Sea Kale, however, has shrunk back to its roots under the shingle but I may try blanching a plant or two, hopefully remembering where I've buried them.

There's little chance of damaging the plant populations, by the way, as

the plants are abundant here, as the rifle range returns to a natural state after MoD use;

I pick only a little from each plant, and

there's few others doing the same.

This was the chopping board after a bit of foraging, and it includes at least one species that shouldn't be eaten, as I discovered when I did some research. [It's the grey fungi which have almost covered the front lawn]

The addition of Mallow and Alexanders flowers in the salad was successful and decorative, and I'd recommend both of them.

The Parasol mushroom came from Sandwich Bay.....

..... and the Stump Puffballs from Kingsdown Wood.....

.... where Field Maple leaves delicately fell in the wind.

Other finds included Yellow Stainers [inedible]......

...and these two which I hope someone can identify, as they were very attractive.

This stuff found on the rifle range was weird - I'm not even sure it's a fungus.

And finally, a fungus exhibited last week seems to be Hericium coralloides, which is unusual in east Kent. In fact it may be the first record, with only a couple of sightings in west Kent over the years. It's called Coral Tooth fungus, and it's easy to see why.

Bletted chequers

2011-11-21T19:21:00.001Z

An earlier post referred to the lovely colour of Wild Service Tree leaves this autumn, but did not illustrate this. So it behoves me to show some photos. It's easy to identify this species because..........no, it's easy to identify this species because the leaves are a distinctive red, like these.....

.... will become when they fall. More representative leaves are a dark red, and carpeted the ground around this tree which is a good shape from not being crowded. The specimen at Bough Beech is tall and thin, having grown in competition with its neighbours

Wild Service Trees were cultivated for their fruits, known as checkers, which were picked and hung up to await the first frosts. Until then, they are unpalatable but the frost opens them up and softens the flesh and so become "bletted", giving an interesting if gritty texture.

The flavour has been compared to almonds or sultanas (see Richard Mabey's Flora Britannica for a full description) but I found them to be more akin to over-ripe pears.

As well as their use as fruits, they were also used to flavour alcohol (probably not beer) and this may explain the frequent use of The Chequers as a pub name. This may be so, as the trees are sometimes found in pub gardens, but it seems more likely that the name refers to the game, encouraging thoughts of the entertainment to be found within.

The weekend continued the run of fine Autumn days after the overnight mist burned off. The sky was blue and the sun shone, although in shaded places the dew remained.
Fungi have started to appear, very late and in smaller numbers than would be expected.

More butterflies were seen, and flies and ladybirds continue to bask in the unexpected warmth.

Some oak trees are still fully green, while late flowers remain, covered in dew, like Watercress and Celery-leaved Buttercup in a rich cattle mire.

But signs of change are clear elsewhere, with mistletoe green against the bare branches of limes.

A grassy Knole

2011-11-17T08:00:00.002Z

Knole Park is a good place to spend time in Autumn, with the leaves turning and blowing around, and with the herd of Fallow Deer posturing and belching in the rut.

Much of the posturing is done by the bucks in the prone position, guarding their little scrape of bare earth which seems mostly to be used to dirty up their nether regions (you come to this blog for informed scientific facts, don't you?)

Does are very aware of the bucks' agitation, and some flirt while others keep a cool distance.

Appropriately I saw Yellow Stag's Horn fungus, as well as Candle Snuff.

Closer to home (or rather closer to work) I was pleased to see what I thought was Cauliflower Fungus which is edible and good, but then discovered that it would be expected on pine trees, not an old ash, so care will be taken before harvesting.
The warm weather continues to bring out late insects, including a whole hedgerow of ladybirds, among which was an unusual fly, which if it is mesembrina meridiana (per the I-spy Insects book) is not generally found in East Kent.

Sand and shingle

2011-11-15T08:34:00.002Z

When in Thanet, it's impolite not to check the esplanade at Palm Bay for Mediterranean Gulls, and sho' nuff one was there, although without the now-customary green ring it looked a little under-dressed. A green-ringed Med has been on the lawn there for many winters, but now it has presumably been superceded by the next generation.

This one was surprisingly confiding although not as showy as the main attraction........

The stunningly handsome Eastern Black Redstart, which preened and cavorted for a constant stream of twitchers.

That's my kind of twitch...... roll up, stroll a hundred yards from the car, obviously different bird tarting around, showing itself off to its many admirers. Here I am, on the sand, catching insects...... then up on the cliff....... oi I'm up here....... perch on the railings........ back to the sand, to chase off a pipit. What a star. Hopefully it'll stay around.

While at Foreness, I took my usual stroll around, and although waders were mostly scarce there were Purple Sandpipers in heir usual place on the waterworks wall, and a normal Black Redstart reminded me what the species usually looks like in Britain. Also an Eider splashed down offshore.

In the balmy November breeze a Red Admiral fluttered around, and a Swallow flew past, still well fed by the late insects.

Alexanders is well advanced in places, and advantage was taken...... an early asparagus for the plate. The flower heads are a good addition to salads, too.

On the sand was a voodoo head, left over from hallowe'en perhaps.

Sunday was a sunny day, and a walk along the sea wall from Deal was rewarding. Various detritus on the strand-line caught the eye, after a few days of easterlies, although identification was often imprecise. Is this a sponge, leucosolenia perhaps? Is that bryozoa?
There were plenty of birds around, with a grebe fishing just off.
Skylarks fluted about, and a single Lapland Bunting was briefly seen before it flew off. Three Ringed Plovers were on the shingle, and flock of Sanderling flew south and then one flew back north. Or was it a Grey Phalarope (which looks almost identical in the books)? A better man than I said it was.

A sprinkle of snowflakes heralded the arrival of a dozen Snow Buntings, which proceeded to browse on Yellow-horned Poppies. Beautiful birds.

Kicking up the leaves

2011-11-04T08:00:00.001Z

It's the time for kicking up the leaves (or at least it was last weekend, before the wind and rain took their toll). Lovely colours due to the Indian summer, with Field Maple noticeably bright, and Wild Service Trees brightly red if you can find them.

The fun-named Jumping Down near Elham was a painter's pallette of red, gold and green. Very few fungi to be found, so I'm starving, but these two nestling in the grass could be found by careful searching.

Talking of trees as we were, the Woodland Trust has launched an appeal to plant trees for the Queen's jubillee, and has released an online version of the equivalent venture for George V in the 1930s.

There were some firs planted at Otty Bottom in Kingsdown (not a very appropriate choice of species, what?):

and I found a copper beech in Postling churchyard. Given that it's over 75 years old, it's not very big.

On the bird front, I had good views of a Pallas's Warbler in the garden last week, just before one was seen down the road.

And this morning it was good to feel a nip in the air and to see divers, auks and duck flying low over the sea. Seawatching for the winter now.

And finally folks, can anyone explain why this sign is lying to me. There is no danger, and it's not barbed wire.

Rhodes

2011-10-12T20:25:00.010+01:00

The lovely European Heliotrope above a beautiful bay

Douglas Adams, describing a trip to Madagascar, commented that "my role, for which I am very well qualified, was to be an extremely ignorant non-zoologist to whom everything that happened would be a complete surprise".
So it was for me on my first visit to the eastern Med.

My bible was the Complete idiot's guide to the Mediterranean Wildlife (Collins). And from this book come some of the following identifications, although the Complete bit is optimistic some will doubtless be off-target. And sometimes the plant just does not appear.

Sea Squill

The eastern slope and shore of Rhodes is parched dry at this time of the year, and most of the vegetation was brown and dead. Thistles abounded, nibbled by the incredibly tough goats, but just occasionally a flower would show, attracting an occasional butterfly.

Swallowtail on Syrian Thistle

Long-tailed Blue on, um, grass

Squirting Cucumber - about to squirt?

And the strange but lovely Sea Daffodil, which looks and even smells like a proper daffodil, incongruously dotted untidily around the sand.

Birdlife, like the vegetation, was sparse. The first morning gave me an encounter with juvenile and adult Red-backed Shrikes and more were seen during the week.

But apart from communities of House Sparrows, families of Sardinian Warblers and mobs of Hooded Crows there was little to see or hear.
There were Chiffchaffs passing through, and I believe this was a Wood Warbler. And the only wader was a confiding Curlew Sandpiper, ignoring the tourists along the strand.

Better adapted to the heat and dessication were the lower-lifes.....
A Green Toad greeted us on arrival, and although we gently moved it away from the sun-trap wall it clearly liked it there and returned to its position. It also serenaded us in the evenings, with a cracked voice.
Well-camouflaged grasshoppers abounded, and lizards too including this Agama of about a foot long.

Most amazing sight, however, was this What-the-hey?! hopper, that flew in and hid against its camouflaged habitat - the weird Nosed Grasshopper. Its confidence in its defence mechanism was strong enough for it to stay still even with a lens held close to it.

Snorkelling in the bays provided plenty of colourful fish including long pipefish.

And there were moths, too.

Plenty of surprises, then, but it would be great to revisit in the spring, before the desiccating heat of summer.

It wasn't until I returned and trawled through blog-postings that I realised that others had been nearby - Dylan and Phil have both been to the eastern Med and had seen more, got better photos and (in the case of the latter) even hit upon a good post-title. Drat them. I hope they had even worse flights than we had.

Under the Greenwood Tree

2011-09-27T20:56:00.003+01:00

I've just started to read Hardy's Under the Greenwood Tree and the phrase seems appropriate as a bit of shade is welcome as the temperatures climb again. The great trees of the woods are standing tall and broad in the early autumn sunshine, showing off their fruits and (in the case of the oaks) showering the ground and passers-by with them too.
It is, therefore, safer to sit under a hornbeam whose seeds are rather less bullet-like.
No doubt others are finding fungi, but the dry leaf-litter is giving up few secrets around here, with just this one to be found - and I'll continue my policy of not guessing their names, as I have few enough readers without killing some off by misidentification.

Cranesbills are flourishing on the woodland verges but in this case my lack of identification is due to ignorance, not discretion.

The statuesque Sweet Chestnut avenue at Acrise is showering the road with spiny seedcases, but the harvest is not good this year, and the nuts are thin and shrivelled.

After the farmers' harvest, preparations for the next crop are moving quickly. With care you might be able to make out two twitchers walking along the clifftop, about the spend a couple of hours failing to find a Common Rosefinch.
Whitebeam berries are giving a fine show, and on ivy flowers our new friend the Ivy Bee can be seen.
Under the Greenwood Tree opens on Christmas Eve - which with this lovely weather seems a long way away.

Plagues

2011-09-20T19:53:00.008+01:00

I was fortunate to be caught in a twittering, fluttering swarm of swallows and martins at Restharrow, in the low sunlight of evening. They resembled a plague of locusts when they flew up from the fences.
Although in flight they mixed and mingled, when they chose their perches they segregated into type - swallows in this case, with these two comforting each other before the long journey south.
There have been many reports of such flocks this week, and Ian at the observatory reporting one of 1,900. Such accuracy is beyond me so I'll settle for over 1,000.

The last blog about miner bees has stirred some interest, and thanks go to Claire and Duncan for identifying the scrum as Ivy Bees Colletes hederae. It's a bee with an interesting story only discovered in 1993 in southern Europe, but then it spread rapidly and turned up in Dorset in 2001. Since then it has marched along the coast and arrived in my friends' garden last year in small numbers. It is now present in its hundreds so the cold winter obviously caused them no problems. I predict that they will reach plague proportions, that will send sensitive lawn-keepers running for the insecticide.

They fly in September, which most bees don't so it's easily recognisable. I might have id'd it myself if I had anything better than an idiot's guide to insects.

A similar bee cropped up in a couple of photos I took of Sea Aster on the rifle range this weekend, but this one looks rather different (and isn't on ivy). Hopefully further edification will be forthcoming, thanks.
[Stop press: Fred was hinted that as the bee is on Sea Aster, it may be the Sea Aster bee Colletes Haliophilus. He's a clever bloke, that Fred. And so subtle - I missed his hint]

In place of skuas

2011-09-18T20:21:00.008+01:00

It's not often I correctly predict weather conditions favourable to good birding here on the south-east corner but Saturday was one of those rare days, as the Bockhillers reported on Birdguides.Unfortunately I couldn't be there to witness it - a list of sightings that far exceeds anything I've seen in my few years of seawatching at Kingsdown.

But having spent a few hours gnashing and grinding my teeth, I admit that there were a few compensations on the weekend:
Devil's-Bit Scabious is now almost at its best at Lydden, and the blue sky and buzzards overhead added to the beauty of the place. And nobody about - I can't believe it. This is surely one of the most stunning sights of the year. Does the public spend all weekend in front of the TV?

A quick visit to the ARC pit at Dungeness gave some interesting views, with a plethora of little waders to identify including Little Stints and Curlew Sandpipers, a Little Gull and a visit by three Black Terns, flying in their ethereal floating way over the lake in search of food.
There was also a female Goosander that paddled slowly past the hide, generally with head under water - now one of my books says that the Goosander is "usually a shy bird, easily scared off even at long range". Not this lady.

At the point the long-stay Long-tailed Skua had, of course, flown, but on the shingle some of the lovely tiny plants were still flowering,
and a Leopard Slug crossed my path.
If you want to know more about the fascinating procreational techniques of this species, please use the usual search engines - I don't want hits from unwanted visitors on this blog, thank you very much.

And finally, the garden of some friends has been occupied by large numbers of miner bees that have excavated burrows in the lawn, flower beds and paths. Judging from the photo supplied (many thanks) they are here for the Rugby World Cup. "The fly-half is hovering......"

Sea Carrot

2011-09-13T20:46:00.009+01:00

I was sent on a mission to find a colony of Sea Carrot plants, under the lowering cliffs, beyond the cliff-falls, over slippery sea-steps, across the long boulder-strewn shingle beach.... it's tough down south.
A little comparative study eventually revealed the plants to be different from the far more frequent Wild Carrot.
Fleshy but brittle deep green leaves, hairy stem and umbels that curl into themselves less, and they are generally smaller than the main species.

Hopefully I'll be able recognise the plant in more accessible places in future ......... like on the rifle range where two Wheatears shared a sign post.

Sea Carrot reminded me of an old Jasper Carrot joke and I foolishly posted it here, but in the interest of good taste I have now deleted it. I hope that any offended Brummies and Millwall supporters will not hold it against me. Dylan please take note.

Botanic men

2011-09-12T07:23:00.002+01:00

Once upon a time, David Bellamy was the smiling face of botany, enthusiatically leaping from tussock to tussock extolling the virtues of some obscure sedge. Then he was gone, leaving the science to fade from popular view only to be resurrected by the occasional worthy talking head.

Apparently good old David chose the wrong call on the climate change debate and was dropped
from the media, after decades of blameless and influential work.

I've been reading one of the his books from earlier happier days, when pollution, population, famine and energy shortages were the targets, and global warming hadn't hit the headlines.
The book traces botanical evolution from the year dot to the present time (well, 1978) and I learnt plenty. Just in time for a trip to Down House.
Since we all carry a picture of Charles Darwin in our pocket or purse (on good days at least) it's unforgivable that I hadn't visited his house, which has been restored to a close approximation of how it was when he lived there. The study is fascinating, and upstairs rooms have set up as a small museum.
One of the most memorable points of Darwin's great works emphasised by David Bellamy was that when conditions are right, it is predictable (not chance) that species will adapt to occupy them. When a wind-blown flock of finches arrived on the Galapagos islands, a variety of habitats and food sources were there, unexploited, and over time the birds adapted to take advantage of them. In the isolation of islands, that adaptation was bound to happen.

The gardens and greenhouse have been stocked with varieties that are known to have been grown under Darwin's direction, and the vegetable patch is most impressive even though it's not growing the latest F1 strains.

On the greenhouse staging are the carniverous plants that Darwin studied; round-leaved sundew Drosera rotundiflora, long-leaved varieties, Venus fly-traps and pitcher plants.
Emma Darwin commented "At present he is treating Drosera just like a living creature, and I suppose he hopes to end in proving it to be an animal".
When at Down you must take a walk, like the great man, around the Sandwalk, and it was a pleasure to do so. The path gives a sense of peace and on a warm day it was a joy.

The last paragraph of The Origin of Species describes a tangled bank - we all know such a place, and we should all have to recite this, savouring the words slowly to increase understanding:

It is interesting to contemplate a tangled bank, clothed with many plants of many kinds, with birds singing on the bushes, with various insects flitting about, and with worms crawling through the damp earth, and to reflect that these elaborately constructed forms, so different from each other, and dependent upon each other in so complex a manner, have all been produced by laws acting around us.

He was describing the interaction of habitat, ecology, evolution - the whole damn life thing, to a world that hadn't even started to consider it. In 1859 the book was published, and despite popular legend it was generally accepted in a relatively short time. 150 years later, unfortunately, a powerful force is trying to discredit and disprove it. Can we send David Bellamy to the States to teach them again?

In the garden was a grand specimen of White Mullein, only the second one I've seen after one in nearby High Elms wood. This is the lair of another great naturalist, the Greenie Man, but he wasn't spotted lurking behind the trees - it's a fine place full of interest, and the south-facing bank held the warmth, clothed with many plants of many kinds, with various insects flitting about. Perhaps this was Charles Darwin's tangled bank? I'm sure the Greenie Man will know.

The way things were

2011-09-08T20:09:00.004+01:00

Browsing in a second-hand bookshop I saw this little paperback, by the influential birder and author James Fisher, with illustrations by Fish-Hawk, and it was published in 1947. I dare say some of my readers cut their teeth on it.

It's "only" 60-odd years old, but there are some striking changes in breeding locations. Stone-Curlews are recorded as breeding quite widely across the south-east (although even then this was a substantial contraction from the previous century, shown on the right-hand map.
Now there would be just a blob on the Brecklands.

Similarly the map of Little Tern breeding shows a continuous line around the coast, indicating that breeding might occur on appropriate habitat almost anywhere. No longer, regrettably.
There are, however, some improvements. Little Ringed Plovers had just started to breed at Tring Reservoir, paving the way for their subsequent expansion along reservoirs and gravel pits across Britain now.
Fulmars are now such a frequent sight around the coast that we hardly spare a glance. This map, however, records the years in the first half of the Twentieth century when Fulmars started to breed at locations away from St Kilda, which until the 1890s was their only breeding-ground.
They had reached southern Ireland and Bempton cliffs by 1930, but were only "taking an interest" in Wales and Cornwall by 1939. When the book was written, the author could not have conceived of Fulmars or Kittiwakes on the White Cliffs.

An almost contemporary book (The Flower in Season - 1952) by Jocelyn Brooke understandably shows more that plants are in much the same place, but unwittingly and sadly illustrates losses to our natural world.

The chapter on September includes a paragraph on "an Autumn species, Galeopsis ladanum, the Red Hemp-nettle..... which covers large areas in stubble fields with its bright, rose-pink, white-spotted flowers, and is rather local, though common enough in many places."
That must have been before the post-war devastation wreaked by agricultural weed-killers.
"It is not to be confused with the true Hemp-nettle, a much larger, coarser plant found in the woods."

Bitterns at Stodmarsh - a link

2011-09-06T07:00:00.000+01:00

Just a link to a stunning post by the intrepid Steve Ray, showing a family of bitterns at Stodmarsh.

Many congratulations to the management and volunteers of the reserve, who must be very chuffed.

While writing, here's a link to a lovely song by Roy Bailey, lamenting the passing of the summer and the migration of swallows, and wishing he could fly south too.

Note that the image chosen is of red-rumped swallows....

Hardly natural

2011-09-04T20:22:00.006+01:00

Apart from an all too brief time at lovely Lydden, the weekend had hardly any nature-watching.
A visit to Folkestone's Triennial art festival provided much of interest, shock, thought and occasional beauty.

The Rug People, a tribute to the thousands of soldiers who left for the trenches from Folkestone Harbour.

Mermaid, with more than a nod to the one in Copenhagen. A fine addition to the beach, as is Tracy Emin's sandal.

The view from the excellent Quarterdeck restaurant.

Sea Monster, on the floor of the library. This is part of a series, and the accompanying text refers to a Carrollesque legend involving the Memory of Conchious-ness, the sea of Clarity and the streets of Onomatopoeiea.

One of the festival's seagull logos has been tagged.... that's the view of Folkestoners of seagulls.

The sign-writer would make a good bloger.

It's not in my nature to be an anorak, just a geek, but the sight of a steam train is always exciting, so we made a short detour in the rain to Ketchworth station to watch the Oliver Cromwell go by. My son, bless 'im, reckoned it would go past slowly, as his only experience of these things is the trundling Kent and East Sussex Railway.
When it appeared it thundered past, a roaring, steaming, snarling beast -
a brief encounter indeed.

Allotment report

2011-09-02T07:11:00.007+01:00

As the growing season draws to a close, it's time for an assessment of the returns for the year's blood, sweat and tears. Overall, it has been pleasing with at least some crops from most plantings, although the various pests like blackfly, pigeons and mice are probably happier.

Spinach, chard, potatoes and runner beans have done well, while brassicas (unless covered), peas, broad beans and carrots hardly seem worth the effort.
My radishes are bigger than my carrots, but you don't need to know that.

It's a sociable activity with much goodwill, and financially I came out ahead. Another dry spring will, however, probably kill me.

Unsurprisingly perhaps, I have derived much enjoyment in the weeds that have appeared on the allotment, particularly the dozen or so Round-leaved Fluellen plants. Does anyone have any suggestions of where to put the many seeds of this now-scarce plant?

Also there was this plant below. Unfortunately I only saw it after I had weeded it out of the soil, and thought at first that it was the Red-Data-Book-listed Burr Medick. But under closer scrutiny it turned out to be the, um, Red-Data-Book-listed Toothed Medick.

On the local circuit around the golf course there are many plants that seem to have appeared in the chalk grassland from man's direct or indirect intervention. Apple trees have grown where cores have been thrown, cotoneasters where birds have 'deposited' seeds eaten in gardens, and apparently three rose bushes that are dotted around the course.
I assumed that they had been planted, but looking at the Kent Atlas I see that rosa mollis was recorded in this area in the nineteenth century, and that a specimen was sent to the Natural History Museum. It would be fascinating to know if these are from the same plant.
The hips are quite distinctive, and other attributes look good for mollis, but we'll have to wait for the experts' judgement.

In other news, Adonis Blues (almost exclusively males) are emerging in good numbers at Lydden.

And finally, in response to an unfortunately-posed photo of me that appears to have gone viral this week, I submit a candid shot of the paparazzo considering whether to stamp on a flower because it might get in the way of his next shot.

Three men in a hut

2011-08-28T17:48:00.006+01:00

Minding my own business in the Restharrow Scrape hide at Sandwich, watching a good selection of waders pass in front of me, dodging the showers.
There was a Greenshank, another Spotted Redshank (after the one seen at Oare in the week),
... and a Little Stint with a party of 10 Dunlin - the Little Stint looked slightly larger than the Dunlin, so I was scratching my head a bit.
Also a Ringed Plover, a Little Ringed Plover and two Green Sandpipers, so all in all a good showing.

Anyway, these two blokes came in, and the usual pleasantries were exchanged. I noticed that one had a namebadge saying "Duncan" on it (don't know why he was wearing it - an aide-memoire, perhaps) and it so happened that I had been exchanging emails with a Duncan about the Grass-poly at Fowlmead [remember the Grass-poly?]

Indeed it was the same, so hands were shaken and notes exchanged. He's recording stuff at Fowlmead and has found the stunningly-rare Fiery Clearwing moth there, and this is one of his photos:
After a polite interval, the other chap asked me whether I might be Kingsdowner, and after denying it for a while I owned up - it turns out he's been reading the blog for years, amongst other local ones, while ex-patting in Singapore. You would have thought he would have learned his lesson, but maybe he's hoping it will eventually improve.

So a warm hello and thank you to Ian, the other reader.

Also notable on the weekend, two fresh Painted Ladies,

one Sweet Scabious plant on Ramsgate cliffs (thanks to Phil, the junior botanist for the tip-off, to what is I believe the only site in Kent),

the emergence of Wasp Spiders,

and a showy Whinchat at Hope Point.

Apple-scented roses

2011-08-25T21:21:00.000+01:00

Another visit to the lovely downs above Lydden, and more signs of autumn are evident.
One of my obsessive habits is crushing and sniffing rose leaves, to check if the plant is a Dog Rose or a Sweet Briar. The latter smell strongly of apple, rather surprising if you're expecting rose perfume.
The scent seems to come from the tiny nodules on the edges of leaves, and along the stalks.
This rose is also known as Eglantine, which sounds rather romantic.......

I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,
Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,
With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine.

..... until you find out that it derives from the French "aiglant" meaning thorny.

Pause for the usual cliches about roses between thorns.....

By the way, in case you're wondering, the poem isn't one of mine. It's out of copyright though.

A pome

2011-08-24T21:59:00.003+01:00

The returning sun was welcomed at Oare,
where Black-tailed Godwits were to the fore
(that rhymed, did you notice?).

For once, the visit was on a rising tide,
and the sun, in the west, was on the right side.

A Redshank was Spotted quite near to the road,
its eyestripe and plumage its identity showed.
(This is starting to get painful)

Avocets chased their neighbours around,
and Blackwits had bling that looked too loud.

A hop-garden nearby stored up two surprises:

Dwarf mallow, annual nettle.... and I think that suffices.

I promise never, ever, to do that again. I'm truly sorry.

Less is more

2011-08-21T20:42:00.004+01:00

Phil of the White Cliffs Countryside Project came up with another gem for me this week, and guided me to a small population of Lesser Centaury on the downs above Folkestone. All of a sudden my difficulties in trying to distinguish Lesser from Common vanished, as they are stunningly tiny little plants, unlike the larger commoner version.
To assist, the flowers were placed side-by-side, and the Lesser immediately seems smaller, narrower petalled, and a deeper colour.

Lessons are quickly forgotten, however, and when I don't have the two together I start making mistakes again. These on the rifle range were appropriately small, deep coloured, but just look at those petals.
A blokish hour or so was spent watching migrant warblers at Hope Point, with the usual banter. A Lesser Whitethroat was relatively showy and exercised the paparazzi, while I was happy with what I managed from a sitting position.

On one lawn on the clifftop are about 400 Autumn Lady's Tresses spikes, while at the two gardens in the village are 38 and an estimated 500 plants, compared with 44 and 150 last year. They have emerged about a week earlier than in the last two years.
At Lydden, a smattering of Tresses have popped up, with Autumn Gentians also looking more frequent than in previous years. Devil's Bit Scabii are slowly blooming. On the butterfly front, however, Chalkhill Blues are almost absent now, having had a numerically very poor year I think, but Adonis Blues......
.... and Silver-Spotted Skippers are around, perhaps in lower numbers than last year but it's early yet.

The cloud cover was capricious, but the breeze was lovely and warm and the weekend finished with a fine sunset.

Not rare, just different

2011-08-17T21:47:00.011+01:00

When conditions conspire against you.... it helps to have a back-up plan. And even then it helps to be able to appreciate your surroundings even if you can't find what you're looking for.

Even in lowering clouds over the South Downs on Lullington Heath where, surprise, no butterflies let alone Graylings were braving the misty gale, there were things to see.

The sward was spotted with Round-headed Rampion, and not far away was the clump of Sweet Scabious to admire. Moved on to another spot, tried hard to find a Brown Hairsteak. Not a sniff, even though the weather had improved by then, but still there were good things around. Just as I was idly thinking that Wild Parsnip is my favourite umbellifer (it passes the time).......

...I saw a wispy little plant that I've not noticed before. Sure enough, Spreading Hedge-Parsley is not a Kentish species. Very delicate.

Another day, another site..... Otmoor, Lewis Carroll's chess-board of fields which we helped to "save" in the '80s, when the planned M40 was eventually moved north of the wet meadows. I still own part of Alice's Meadow. Part is now owned or managed by the RSPB, and there is a huge new hide which is the height of luxury. Naturally, there was little to see as the early morning's waders had flown.

But don't give up, tucked away beside the path was Sneezewort, another new one on me.

Moving on to Noar Hill, a "reliable site for brown Hairstreaks" failed to live up to its billing. There were more butterfly hunters than butterflies.

Nil desperandum, there were lots of Autumn Gentians, including a handful of white ones.

Furthermore, as well as Nettle-leaved Bellflowers.......

.... there were Clustered Bellflowers, keeping their heads down unlike their cousins. Tick.
On one of the bellflowers was an interesting-looking bee, but I'm not going to hazard a guess.

Drove the night towards my home, by the seaside. The first Autumn Lady's-Tresses have popped up by the prom at Walmer, and they are reported in the usual blessed Kingsdown gardens.

And finally, just to remind myself of what butterflies look like, a textbook photo of Common Blues.

Grass-poly - back from the brink

2011-08-14T20:38:00.007+01:00

So what was I doing in the drain last week? I had been told that a rare plant had been sighted somewhere on the Fowlmead site so I dutifully went searching.
The plant is Grass-poly Lythrum hyssopifolia, which was last recorded in Kent in 1913 and was down to just one small area in Cambridgeshire until recently - coincidentally the area was by the similarly-named Fowlmere, the RSPB reserve. It was worth a look, then. But being a maximum of six inches tall with tiny flowers, the chances were pretty slim.
It previously grew in muddy circular hollows in fields that dried out in summer, charmingly called pingoes. These were another victim of modern agricultural improvements, and the plant died out with the habitat. Where to look, on the large coal tip? I saw a dry ditch and started to walk along it.

And there, in a small area of bare mud, were about 110 small plants that matched the description. Photos were duly taken, and sent to the county recorder who of course wanted more details to distinguish it from False Grass-poly (what? I had hardly heard of the real Grass-poly).
So off I went again, but it had rained overnight and the dry ditch was inundated. I have observed the experts studying tiny plants with magnifying glasses, their noses pressed to the earth, but this was not going to happen here - you'd drown in two inches of water.
But today the water had flowed away, and there are still a few plants in flower, so better pictures are taken and the details checked. When the plant was first mentioned I recalled reading about it in Peter Marren's Rare Flowers book, and he gives a good account of the attempts to recover the species from the brink of extinction. If I may paraphrase it, in 1977 it "seemed to be one of the rarest and most endangered British plants.... It may have survived, largely unnoticed" at the Cambridgeshire site for 300 years since John Ray recorded it.

But then it started turning up at other sites, in Oxfordshire, West Sussex and Jersey. And then it was found at Slimbridge, where it has spread successfully by the wildfowl areas, and there are now "a total of 700,000 plants, admittedly most of them by a single pond, placing it among the numerically less rare species in the Red Data Book".

A scientific report is in the Journal of Ecology.

Presumably the seeds arrived at Slimbridge on the feet of geese or swans, but I wonder if we'll ever know how Fowlmead got its plants. My congratulations to the knowledgeable and sharp-eyed lady who saw it here.

Compromising positions

2011-08-09T20:01:00.009+01:00

For the last few days I've been lurking around in a ditch near a children's playground, taking photos. [Alright officer, I'll come quietly]

I won't say why just yet, but it could be quite exciting if you like that kind of thing. [You've got me bang to rights]

While the jury considers its verdict, here's a few pictures taken in less compromising positions......

Centaury on the lovely Lydden Downs...... looking for Lesser Centaury without success so far. It won't be long before the downs are covered by the glorious Devil's-Bit Scabious.
One of the stars of Lydden, the Silver-spotted Skipper has arrived on the scene, with 13 noted.
No Adonis Blues were around, but that bright elusive butterfly, the Clouded Yellow was seen but - elusive as ever - eluded the camera.
Woolly Thistles have flowered, late as always, in smaller numbers than usual. Click on the photo to see the plant in all its glory - intelligent design with a Spirograph.

Two different manifestations of Narrow-leaved Bird's-Foot Trefoil..... in my ditch (above) all lush and spreading, and on the sandy shingle of the rifle range, clinging to the ground.
Also on the rifle range, a gravid lizard on a piece of felt that I put down some years ago.

And still on the range, Glasswort (known as Samfer in the catering trade) has spread since its first sighting there four years ago, and provided a tasty accompaniment to lunch.

Sand Spurrey

One of the young Tawny Owls in the garden. Noisy devil.

And finally, OK these beetles are in compromising position......

In Praise of Thanet

2011-08-04T16:39:00.009+01:00

I like the Isle of Thanet - its lovely sandy beaches, the quaint town of Broadstairs, its romantic cabbage fields (scraping the bottom of the barrel already) and its position that is perfect for attracting interesting migrating birds.

Broadstairs hosts an annual folk festival which transforms the town, and I'm eagerly awaiting next week's concert by the brilliant Chumbawamba.

It is also where my dormant interest in birdwatching was reawakened, as when I went to work there I was struck by the large number of noisy parrots flying around. I browsed the (relatively-new) internet and discovered what they are from a specialist web-site called Planet Thanet. The site also gave remarkably detailed and up-to-date information about what else was seen around the island, so I was able to enjoy my lunch-hours watching sanderlings, turnstones and many other species new to me, on the various beaches around the coast.

The contributors to the site, which was a pioneer before blogs and other recent innovations, were invariably amusing, but also talented and knowledgable naturalists and I learnt quickly.... although not so fast that I didn't avoid some identification howlers.

The site has had its ups and downs as the "editors" have matched unfair criticism with some robust defence, but I'm pleased to welcome it back this month, and wish it well for the future.

One of the many benefits of the site is its structure and time span, which tells me, for example, that I may indeed have seen a Whinchat in the cabbage fields yesterday along with half a dozen Wheatears (although it's a bit early), and that I stood a chance of seeing a second flush of the uncommon Ivy Broomrape in August.

When I got to the site it was clear that I shouldn't have worried - among about 600 spikes there were plenty of new ones, showing off their crushed velvet to the world. The species is present in a few sites in west Kent, but it seems to be on its own here.

Talking of Thanet, Dylan of Dumpton (the Dissenting Dingbat) has been searching for bees recently, and he may be interested in this one.... an annoying buzzing led me to a hyper-active bee, which looks similar to his Wanted posters.

This was on Folkestone Warren (so not a Thanet tick).

The poor quality video is included purely to for the buzz.

Butterflies' second emergence

2011-08-01T21:33:00.005+01:00

It's a warning! The first Autumn Gentians have been seen, admittedly in the strange microclimate of Langdon Tramway above Dover docks.
But it means that summer's on its wane, albeit a bit of a heatwane at the moment hehehe. The Glorious Twelfth will soon be upon us, the date when attention is drawn to birding again, with the almighty crash of long-lens shutters replacing the peaceful easy botanising and butterflying.

But in meantime, let's enjoy the second emergence of butterflies into the warmth of the summer. Many species have a twin flight-time, presumably to compensate for an adverse season - if the weather in June is not good, the population will have more chance of success if a second brood hatches and breeds in August.
Chalkhill Blues were certainly making the most of it, with males emerging a couple of days ago to be joined by the females on Sunday.
A few Dingy Skippers were seen, and just one gorgeous Adonis Blue.
My garden list improved again with a pristine Speckled Wood visiting, and a count was attempted of Small Blues in the village.
The main site, by Campbells garage, held just four, and another was seen along the rifle range. The surprise was to see 26 on a small piece of grassland inland by the golf course, where there are normally only a few seen. The site has improved in the last few years with kidney vetch spreading well, and the littl'uns are enjoying it.

Before the Glorious Twelfth, then, there's just time to sneak in a few more flower pics....
Bog Pimpernel now almost finished by the fourth tee of Royal St George's, and Broad-leaved Cudweed at the other end of the county.

In Clover

2011-07-30T19:44:00.006+01:00

At last the sun comes out with a vengeance, and I enjoyed the warmth with a long wander around Dungeness mostly looking at my feet but occasionally peering into the sky. OK and often lying procumbent trying to get an arty piccie. [Note is procumbent a word? Blogger doesn't like it. But yes, "Botany: Trailing along the ground but not rooting" So that was what I was doing]

Some of the subjects were old friends like Sheep's-bit and Red Hemp-Nettle,
while others were new finds, like Rough Clover found at Romney,
a charming little plant but sadly without its Subterranean and Suffocated cousins.
Hares'foot Clover was frequent but Strawberry Clover was a great find.
Other Dunge botanical rarities include Knotted Pearlwort, found easily by the ARC pit,
and Jersey Cudweed for which I was well prepared from this paper which reports that the population has grown to thousands. That's as maybe but they were all keeping their heads down today.
The standing water provided a cool relief from the hot sun, but my ID skills of this habitat are close to nil so I just had to enjoy it. Whirligigs were entertaining, while Whitethroats and Willow Warblers called from the surrounding scrub.

I did do some birding (having lugged the unseasonal 'scope around the reserve it would have been foolish not to), and the highlights were a pair of Common Terns bringing fish to a youngster on a raft,
a brief appearance by the Great White Egret, and close views of a male Ruff shedding its breeding plumage from the visitor centre. A Pectoral Sandpiper from the Hanson Hide was a no-show.

Other niceties from the week......

Five Deadly Nightshade plants on St Margaret's cliffs.

Pale flax

Sea Heath beneath Shakespeare Cliff

and a few Chalkhill Blues near the Pines Gardens. Lovely jubbly!

Pinks found

2011-07-25T20:02:00.000+01:00

Finally I've tracked them down - it only takes clear directions, large signposts and a couple of hundred white markers to lead me to the colony of Deptford Pinks on the dunes at Sandwich Bay.The problem is that in this habitat they are very short, rarely over 2" tall and are tricky to find in a wide open landscape like this. They are dwarfed by the surrounding hawkweeds, bedstraws and grasses. The stems of the pinks at Farningham Wood were mostly about a foot high which makes them much easier to see.

Kent Wildlife Trust are monitoring them (hence the markers) and have counted about 170 in the main area and another 25 or so in another colony nearby. I don't know the last two years' figures, but I understand they were similar to this year, and less than the peak of 500+ in 2008.
While botanising with my eyes on the ground, my attention was occasionally drawn upwards by calling birds - three young Peregrines were following a parent, begging for food, so the adult locked onto a flock of pigeons for a chase - unsuccessful as they were racing pigeons, and fast and maneuverable.
A whooshing sound made me look up again later, and saw four Spoonbills flying over low - camera in the backpack, of course! By the time I'd got it out, they were heading south.
Back at home, a shock.... a White-letter Hairstreak landed in the garden - my first in the UK and only the second ever. It was a mangy looking creature, but very welcome, adding to the Green Hairstreaks seen in the garden in May. The nearest elm, upon which WLHs feed, is nearly a mile away so far as I'm aware, so it was presumably on dispersal.

Peacock numbers have been low this year, and it was good to see three fresh ones in the warm Sunday sunshine.

Beavers at Ham Fen

2011-07-23T16:58:00.002+01:00

Yes, there really are beavers at Ham Fen - possibly about 10 after four were introduced and breeding has been successful for the last three years.
There are European Beavers which became extinct about 1,000 years ago, and which have been introduced with the help of Wildwood, near Canterbury. The intention was to use them to manage the only piece of fenland in Kent, which they do by keeping the waterways clear, coppicing trees and controlling vegetation. And they do it for free, too, like good volunteers.
The warden, Tony Swandale, gave an informative (and quiet) commentary and we were lucky enough to see one swim past us underwater, and then float around in a pool showing its large size - rather like a labrador.
One of the lodges is near the path, and could be seen rather better than the photo might suggest. It's about four feet above the level of the bank.
Understandably the reserve is not open to the public. A video of the initial introduction is here:

Please note that the software has been set to delete any inappropriate comments.

Welcome and unwelcome weeds

2011-07-17T20:14:00.005+01:00

The summer harvest from the allotment is paying back the hard work early in the year. Even the many trips to the distant tap through the long dry spell seem worthwhile as the tasty produce is eaten up.

But among the vegetables, there is a thriving underworld..... of bugs, worms, and of course weeds. I am aware that many of my recent posts have dwelt on the need to get rid of introduced species to benefit the native ones in the wild, but on the allotment and (to a lesser extent) in the garden the reverse applies.
I'm very pleased to report, however, that six healthy plants of Round-leaved Fluellen have appeared unbidden on the plot. I thought the species was declining like many other arable weeds, but "Like Kickxia elatine [Sharp-leaved...], this species has a similar range to that mapped in the 1962 Atlas. Although both species are often thought to be declining, they have never been abundant weeds and the distribution may be more stable than is often supposed..... some Kickxia seeds germinate in late summer and may therefore escape herbicides."

A brief look on the net failed to find the derivation of the name, although the Welsh Llysiau Llywelyn translates as Llywelyn's vegetable, so it may be linked with one of the Welsh princes..... Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, or maybe Gruffydd ap Llywelyn.

This ancient British weed is joined on my patch by a relatively new one, Shaggy Soldier, which - with its relative Galant Soldier - is romping through the market gardens of England after an accidental introduction from Peru.
A plant can distribute about 7500 seeds a year, these can germinate almost immediately and the natural spread of the plant is 10 miles per year! This plant needs hoeing out without delay, or I'll be swamped.
Also on the plot is an imposing specimen of Great Lettuce, approaching six feet tall. Domestic lettuces are apparently derived from Prickly Lettuce Lactuca serriola, and fortunately the spines have been bred out over the centuries.
Not on the allotment but on a nearby field edge is this Dwarf Spurge, the only one I've found so far in the parish:

A fillip of Dittany

2011-07-15T20:00:00.001+01:00

Coincidence..... this week two Philips pointed me to a plant that I've been searching for - Dittander. For the past few years I've looked for it in vain around the bleakness of Sandwich Bay, and then within a couple of days of each other Phil Milton and Phil Green (of the WCCP) brought different plants to my attention.

The former is by the garage pools north of Sandwich Bay, and the latter by the railway line at Folkestone Warren. What's more scary is that neither knew I was looking for it! I expect the Pigswill Botany Annual will carry a report this year.

So this begs the question - is the plant spreading? According to Dr Philp's atlas, that could be so.

One of the reasons I had been searching for it was that it figures in Gerard's Herbal, as a remedy against the stinging of serpents, under the nice name of Dittany which I assume is of French rather than Germanic derivation.

Reading Gerard, I noticed that Borage gives a fillip..... Those of our time do use the floures in salades, to exhilerate and make the mind glad... driving away all sadnesse, dulnesse, and melancholy. I'll have some of that!

Another reason for walking aimlessly around Sandwich Bay at the moment is to follow the Open golf. This we did yesterday, and very pleasant it was too. For an introduction to the area (from the air) and to see Kingsdown's rifle range, there's a helpful clip from the BBC:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/golf/14087151.stm at about the 1:30 minute mark.

And the Royal and Ancient (no, not Tom Watson) provide a guide to the precautions taken to protect wildlife in this fragile habitat.

We saw a hare (and hare's foot clover), and the skylarks, meadow pipits and corn buntings ignored the "Quiet" signs.

National Trust policies for Kingsdown

2011-07-10T18:47:00.006+01:00

Thanks to Rob Sonnen for an interesting talk on the operations of the National Trust in east Kent, and Kingsdown in particular. The Trust owns or manages the Leas along the cliff-edge, Bockhill Farm, Barrow Down and Kingsdown Wood, and as they want to promote the countryside aspects of their work (as well as their stately homes) this kind of area should benefit.
Kingsdown Wood was only added to their portfolio quite recently, and the careful rotational coppicing has opened up parts of the dark wood to the sunshine at last. I had not realised the wood's importance, being possibly the only one in Britain with a concentration of Field Maple. These trees can be found in hedgerows, but there must have been a cottage industry based on them nearby, using their knots, knarls and burrs in fine wooodworking - it provides both turning-wood and birds-eye maple.
It's a slow-growing tree, and they are likely to have been planted around 1600.
The main work of this region's warden is, however, taken up on the chalk downland on the cliff-tops.
It's very pleasing to hear that there are plans to try to recover the otherwise lovely Barrow Mount from the dreaded Tor-grass, which has smothered almost all the other plants, apart from in a couple of depressions (bomb-holes?) which are little botanical oases.

On the Leas there has been one cut, which has brought immediate benefits as far more Knapweed, Scabous, Wild Carrot and even a few Pyramidal Orchids have emerged this year, contrasting with the other uncut areas.

With a few more cuts in a marbled pattern we can hope that the finer tapestry of Thyme, Marjoram, Trefoil, Harebells, Fairy Flax and Quaking Grass will gradually return from their footholds on the very edge of the cliff. There are certainly plenty of bees at the moment.

My unpaid researcher has found a fascinating account of a botanical walk from Deal to Folkestone in 1861 recounted in The Phytologist on pages 253 to 261. Many of the plants are still here and perhaps surprisingly some of the current "modern pests" like Red Valerian were already well-established. A notable loss is, however, Burnt Tip Orchid, perhaps crowded out as Tor-grass moved in. Or maybe their habitat was built on.

Elsewhere, two pleasing finds at Dungeness were Red Hemp-nettle coming into flower (and what a lovely one it is) and Sheeps-bit.... both very rare and both very small.
If I had realised what the Sheeps-bit was when I found it, I would have worked harder on the pictures, but as it was I only realised on the way home - Eureka!

Open petals

2011-07-07T19:58:00.003+01:00

Not long now till the Open at Sandwich, but nobody's given me a complimentary VIP ticket yet. There must be a few going spare, now that Tiger's not going to play.
The tees, greens and fairways are being manicured and the TV gantries are up but there are still some rough areas holding interesting plants, including some fading Lizard Orchids.

Just off one of the buggy tracks is a dried-up pond which astonishes anyone looking over the rushes with a carpet of Bog Pimpernel - the strawberries-and-cream glow is entrancing.

Off the fairway, in their usual dell, are Marsh Helleborines.....
.... in one bloom of which sat a striking fly, one of the "picture-winged" ones which make those gooseberry-like galls on Creeping Thistles.

Dodging the dodgy geezers

2011-07-05T19:54:00.003+01:00

Time to have another look for the ailing population of Deptford Pinks at Sandwich Bay, so we embarked upon another long walk through the temporary buildings of the Open Golf course, and along the sandy beach. It being a sunny Sunday, we were not alone, as a stream of lone males (strangely all well-tanned) made their way in the same direction - with botany not uppermost in their minds.
Peace and freedom to all...... but it does make a long beach seem remarkably small.
No pinks were found (again) but I didn't miss the opportunity to pick a little Sea Rocket to spice up the summer salads. It's bitter alone, but gives an interesting zest when chopped into lettuce leaves.
Sea-holly is looking good at the moment, and a hopper chose some as a spiny perch.

In another age, this would be called Sea-holly Broomrape (Orobanche amethystea, a Mediterranean race) and have a photo in the best flora guides. It would be described as being very rare, and be cherished by those who find it. Now, however, its status has been revised to Common Broomrape..... for insomniacs, read more at http://www.watsonia.org.uk/Wats18p257.pdf

The sands give way to shingle as you walk south, and Sea-holly gives way to Yellow Horned Poppies. I had been instructed to check out five plants with red-orange flowers, to see if they are the Red species (Glaucium corniculatum) or just variants of the Yellow (G. flavum).
Using the most obvious characteristics as a guide (are the seed-pods hairy or warty?) I hereby pronounce......
..... that they are warty, and therefore the plants are likely to be just variants of the Yellow species.

Vergin'

2011-07-03T21:14:00.007+01:00

Napchester is on the Roman Road between Dover and Richborough, and was a resting place, hence the name (geddit?). A report of a calling quail there on Bird-guides yesterday had me driving over the downs earlyish this morning, and I was overjoyed to eventually hear it in a wheat-field. It's a first for me, and an emotive sound of the cornfields. No sighting of course, but most enjoyable, especially since it was heard from one of the best roadside verges in the area.

The wayside is frothing with bedstraws, scabious, knapweeds and other downland plants, attracting butterflies in profusion. There was even a painted lady flitting between the flowers.

The songs of common whitethroats, corn buntings, skylarks and meadow pipits added to the occasional call of the quail, and a buzzard soared overhead. Francesca Greenoak's "All the Birds of the Air" records some local names for quail from its three-syllable call: Wet-my-feet, Wet-my-lip and Quick-me-dick are quoted. Listen closely and the last (from Oxfordshire) seems closest.

Betony - lovely.

Basil-thyme, tucked away in the vegetation, with kidney vetch giving scale.

And last but not least, a group of four rough poppy plants, a rare species living between the verge and the crops.

While writing about Bird-guides, I saw that a golden eagle had been reported at Paddock Wood. Coincidentally we saw four Eagles (not golden but definitely silver-haired) at Paddock Wood on Friday evening, and Joe Walsh can still play that guitar!

Get your retaliation in first

2011-06-29T07:07:00.004+01:00

Last evening, I enjoyed a late Vimto in the garden as darkness decended. The cat was nearby, hoping for some cheese. A male tawny owl was calling some way off, but the youngsters nearby had not yet woken up.

The cat seemed ill at ease, looking towards an overhanging tree.
Suddenly, there was a loud "weep, weep, weep" from the tree, and the cat ran off across the garden. It was swooped upon by an adult owl, which swatted it with an audible thump, then circled low over the garden a couple of times before landing at the top of a nearby tree, silhouetted against the sky.
After some minutes of standing sentinel, the owl (presumably the mother of the twins) was reassured that the cat had been scared away from her youngsters, and flew off. Soon after, the twins started their familiar wheezing calls.

Elsewhere, another pair of twins (little owls this time) emerge blinking in the bright sunlight, with a parent scanning the fields for food.

Sweet Gale

2011-06-25T20:43:00.009+01:00

A herd of Highland cattle helped me to confirm the miracle reappearance of Sweet Gale (or bog-myrtle, Myrica gale) at Hothfield Heathlands, as they have grazed away the surrounding willow scrub, leaving the odorous shrub alone in the bog. Apparently this plant was lost from Kent in 1957, but has reappeared here recently.
It has a number of herbal uses, including flavouring food and beer (gale ale?) , as well as an insect repellent. Unfortunately I discovered this too late to avoid the usual summer bites. It smells pleasant, so on future visits to this fascinating reserve I'll rub it over me..... keep your distance.
The Heathlands were the subject of a walk led by the warden, Ian Rickards, who gave an interesting commentary on the history, fauna and flora of the area. As well as the usual stars of the show, like southern marsh and heath spotted orchids, sundew and bog asphodel, he pointed out some of the less showy inhabitants, often in mud that made Glastonbury seem like a picnic.
Thyme-leaved speedwell and the delightful bird's foot were some of the tiny plants that we would otherwise have walked upon.

Marsh cudweed

Heath milkwort

One of my favourite plants, Marsh St John's-wort
Bog pimpernel

A good variety of fauna was seen, including plenty of toadlets and froglets, upon which the many grass snakes no doubt feed.
A bark beetle, which I tentatively call sinodendron cylindricum was seen, as was a hairstreak butterfly which will be a first for the reserve, whichever one it turns out to be.
And the final picture is a quiz question..... answers in the comments section please (as I've had enough of my guesses being proven wrong). The small group of plants, about a foot high, was found in the oak wood next to the Hothfield car park.

Little Little Owl

2011-06-23T20:58:00.000+01:00

Newbies

2011-06-22T21:11:00.006+01:00

At Park Gate Down, the red clover seems larger and more brightly coloured than the usual strain. Is this a subspecies, or just a reflection of the glorious place?

Fragrant, common spotted and pyramidal orchids pepper the hillside, making up for the earlier dearth during the dry weather, and also, finally with a little help from my friends, I found a patch of musk orchids, tiny little things that are overshadowed by bedstraws, salad burnets and clovers. I counted 23 spikes, including many that were just emerging, flower buds first, from the greensward.
Also with considerable assistance, this time by Kingsdown beach, I found two moths which may be bright waves. My life is now complete.
Back home, the local tawny owls have succeeded in producing two youngsters who wheeze their way through the evenings, much to the noisy disgust of blackbirds and magpies. Last year it was just one, jumping and flying around the garden through the summer nights.

And on the stump, two little owls have emerged, blinking into the light. Photos of these fluffy little munchkins will, no doubt, follow.

Cattle protecting the land

2011-06-19T10:41:00.002+01:00

The regular reader of this blog will be aware of the writer's yellow streak, especially towards things that might hurt him - he dabbles in botany, for Christsake.

The prospect of crossing a field with a bull in it, or (worse) protective cows with calves, is a daunting one. I know they are known to be docile, but you never know when one might go feral.

I overcame my fear (with assistance from one braver than I) and sure enough came to no harm.

I took up the subject of summer grazing with the helpful people at White Cliffs Countryside project, who told me of the success of the management strategy employed after recovering the site from arable: "The first late spider to reappear here was first found in 1999, since then they have gradually increased to the current total of around 90 plants. The Man Orchid has been around for about the same length of time there – for many years it was just one plant, but has now increased to 12 flowering spikes this year."

Even if certain spikes are eaten the plants will flower more strongly the next year. The biggest threat is tor-grass, and a rotation of early and late summer grazing keeps this down.

The first marbled white of the year was found on the downs on 7th June, and then there was a pause due to the weather; today, ten days later, I saw the first ones on Kingsdown beach, and these will hopefully be followed by a couple of hundred more.

A few posts ago I showed an unopened orchid spike which has now fully unfurled:
and sure enough it is a bee orchid, much later than late spiders this year. I've never found a bee orchid in the Kingsdown parish, but I'll keep looking.

Musk orchids [perhaps you mean musk thistle? Ed.] are frequent on the downs, and in the name of science the blooms were sniffed. Yes, very musky but a word of warning..... don't sniff if it's covered in bees.

Young blackcap, requesting food.

To Sandwich Bay and beyond!

2011-06-15T22:07:00.005+01:00

The man from North Downs and Beyond is in town, so I went to meet him - and it's true, he does indeed look like Brad Pitt. His quest to see every plant and beast on the planet has taken him to a very respectable total, but a week's solitary confinement at Sandwich Bay observatory may be giving him time to reflect on the wisdom of his quest. He does, however, have an impressive breadth of knowledge, and I was unable to help him as he knows the locality better than I do.
In fact, he showed me a plant that I had never heard of - sea milkwort (glaux maritima, not a milkwort at all), with just a few tiny plants in a slough at the tip of Sandwich Bay point, which was where we looked in vain for the county's other population (allegedly) of Deptford pinks.
The amount of sea bindweed was greater than I remember, and when you're with experts you tend to see obscurities like long-bracted sedge, at possibly its only Kentish place.

Butterflies were at a premium, but a common blue appreciated a warm paw, and a small skipper looked good on southern marsh orchids.
A long walk in good company, and my few meetings with fellow-bloggers have all been very pleasant. You reap what you sow!

PS the photo at the end of the last post was of a deformed stem of purple toadflax. It was not a discarded bathing hat, though Rob gets the prize for his valiant attempt.

Pounding the shingle:- invasions

2011-06-12T19:39:00.009+01:00

Much of the weekend was spent pebble-bashing, assisting in or hindering surveys.

As part of the attempt to get local agreement to control the Red Valerian invasion I recorded its populations along the shingle between Kingsdown and Walmer. The recording was done very scientifically, with 100m sections being described as having Few, Occasional, Some, Plenty or Lots of plants. If this is not good enough, I'll translate these categories into a more formal one .... for example Some reflects about 20 to 50 plants per 100m².
The colourful show is very impressive, especially when the Red Valerian is mixed with other escapes like Silver Ragwort, Narrow-leaved Ragwort, Red Hot Poker etc, and some locals understandably anxious not to lose the pretty plants (although their way of expressing the anxiety is less understandable).
The threat that these invasive weeds pose to the indigenous plants and the insects that depend on them is, however, very real, as they march across the shingle crowding out the mosses, vetches, lichens and hawkweeds.

A further complication is that bees and butterflies enjoy the flowers - hopefully we can reach a compromise that satisfies all parties, by controlling the invasions near the more fragile and valuable areas.

Another invasion was seen on the shingle at Littlestone and the dunes of Greatstone. The members of the Kent Botanical Recording Group had to put up with a useless incompetent, while they identified the more difficult plants along the way - in this case differentiating Toothed from Bur Medick, both of which are on the Red List.
They speak a whole new language (Latin, natch) and fortunately I'd seen the Botany, a Blooming History programme on BBC4 earlier in the week, to brush up on my classification.
Among the many things I learned was the name of this plant, Knotted Hedge-Parsley. Many thanks to Geoffrey and Owen for leading the walk (or rather, crawl), and for the patience and information of the members.

Being so close to Dungeness, I took the opportunity to seek out Red Hemp-Nettle, and to confirm what English Stonecrop looks like, just in case I find some at Kingsdown.
It looks like that, and Red Hemp Nettle looks like this (and presumably it will bear flowers in a few weeks time).Still some Nottingham Catchflies were flowering, including some of a purplish hue.

On the dunes, Sea Buckthorn has been stripped by a plague of Brown-tailed Moth caterpillars, that have then moved on to local gardens, washing lines and into houses, causing considerable irritation, both mentally and physically, as the caterpillars' hairs break off as barbs . Some residents have moved out for the summer, to get away from them.
And finally, can you see what this is?
Answer next time.

Dartford Pinks

2011-06-08T20:26:00.005+01:00

The largest of the (small number of) Deptford Pink sites is nearer Dartford than Deptford, where it has probably never been seen, and certainly nearer West Kingsdown than its eastern cousin.

I'd been told where they might be found so, passing by, I made a short detour. Within 200 yards of the car, I saw a lovely cerise blob in the hedgerow, then another, so that was a good result. Eventually I counted 12 plants and thought "if that's the largest colony, this plant's in trouble".
A little further along the path, there were another two, then a bit further another group of 12. Pressing on, just around the next corner, some more..... then..... I lost count. I started estimating in tens and reached about 300, with more clearly pushing through.
Now that's what I call a population - sprinkled along a hedgerow by a path, where the disturbance they need is given on a regular basis. The crop in the field looks strong and healthy, but is kept about 10' away to avoid spray-blow.

Bizarrely, the roar of the nearby M25 is ever-present, yet they seem to thriving.
The bad news is that, now I know it's the Pink season, I'll have to flog my way around Sandwich Bay looking for an elusive population there. Probably hidden under the marquees being put up for the Open next month.

At last the rain, but why on Sunday?

2011-06-05T15:37:00.010+01:00

At last there's some proper rain in this corner, and I'm not complaining because the garden and the allotment badly need it, but why did it have to come on a Sunday?
So.... a few pics from the few hours of sunshine stolen from the working week......

Crosswort from up-county (not around here)

Lesser butterfly orchid found in a cute little nook near the beautifully-named Lynsore Bottom. We have some nice bottoms in Kent: Pratts Bottom, Otty Bottom and my favourite - Pett Bottom.
This road name is well-known to Kent naturalists, by the wood renowned for its fly orchids.

Common spotted orchids have suddenly sprung up but bee orchids are still awaited.... will this be one......... or will it be another late spider orchid like this....?
Butterflies are scarce at the moment, with the first meadow browns emerging, and a few common blues.

If the rain’s got to fall let it fall on Wednesday, Tuesday, Monday,

Any day but Sunday

Sunday’s the day when it’s got to be fine, ‘Cause that’s when I’m looking for plants.

If the rain’s got to fall, let it fall on Piltdown, Queensdown,

Any place but Kingsdown,

Kingsdown’s the place where it’s got to be fine, ‘Cause that’s when I’m looking for plants.

Management styles

2011-05-31T20:41:00.004+01:00

The final wood in my informal survey of A2 woods was the largest, so I left it until the Bank Holiday. What a waste of time.... once renowned for the richness of its flora, it has been firmly managed so it is now a dark mostly-silent place dominated by chestnut coppice, with only occasional bits of ivy, bramble and dogs mercury forming an apology for an understory.

There was not a sprig of sanicle or other ancient-woodland-indicator species to encourage further searching, and as for orchids, I saw just one twayblade.
The sole piece of interest was a calling woodpecker that I initially thought was a lesser-spot, but which turned out to be a noisy young great-spot shouting from its hole.

To recover from the soul-destroying walk around the dead wood, I crossed the A2 to Waterworks Wood, which was immediately lighter, more varied and full of interest. A line of hornbeam coppice along an old ditch and trackway provides a historical perspective too.
In the first wood, the only signs read "Private", but here there is an apologetic explanation of management practices.
Under the graceful beeches were plenty of white helleborines, and next month's budding broad-leaved helleborines were showing well.
Just one group of four bird's-nest orchids was seen......
... and a sunny nook held gone-over lady orchids, and three spikes of fly orchid.
This wood also had its young birds - in this case a family of marsh tits hassling the hard-pressed parents for food.

No prizes for guessing which wood is the more profitable, but also it's not a great leap of imagination from these to the future of the Forestry Commission lands.

Early lates

2011-05-27T20:37:00.005+01:00

A quick check over the downs above Folkestone, just in case......... and sure enough the Late Spider Orchids are early this year.
Every bloom has its own anthropomorphic character. This one is a bride, don't you think?
Near the crop of five LSOs are half-a-dozen Man Orchids.
During the week I called in to Park Gate Down to remind myself of the differences between Military and Monkey Orchids. I was immediately struck by the crowded form of Monkeys - a real mish-mash in contrast to the Military.
A couple of geezers with posh cameras were there - good company and cracking photographic skills from Jamie and Martin. I despair.
A phone call alerted me to a young kestrel (I assume) on a neighbour's roof. Another mish-mash!

The first morning of the weekend was supposed to be a lie-in, but a calling cuckoo put paid to that. It was carving out a territory around the garden - a very welcome visitor but not conducive to sleep.

More thoughts from abroad

2011-05-26T20:20:00.007+01:00

"Much the same, only more so" is the impression of Normandy in May. Roadside verges are scattered with a liberal sprinking of Pyramidal Orchids on the chalk plateau that covers much of this region. Thank heavens for the end of municipal herbicides.
The Seine snakes ox-bow-like towards the sea from Paris, cutting deep gouges in chalk cliffs along the way through dense forests that are now mainly hunter-free. The forest of Ronde is criss-crossed with paths (yes, in France!) for exercise by foot or bike, and in an afternoon spent wandering along them I met precisely nobody.
The canopy held more birds than an equivalent wood in Britain, and provided me with good views of a pair of Wood Warblers both calling and singing, and of Crested Tits flitting above me with beakfuls of food for the family.
There were disappointingly few butterflies, but a pair of Black-veined Whites provided some entertainment.
Occasionally the path would sweep across a slope, creating a sun-warmed bank where a profusion of plants grow, like Lady Orchids, Deadly Nightshade, Bastard Balm (appropriate for Normandy - think about it) and plenty of unidentified sun-lovers.
These oases contrasted with the darkness of the woods surrounding them, holding occasional Bird's-Nest Orchids, White Helleborines and Spiked Rampions.A visit to the ruined Abbey of Jumieges not only provided more Military Orchids by the roadside, but also a large meadow of wild flowers dotted with Pyramidal Orchids and a group of Bee Orchids - and some of the relatively few butterflies to be seen on the trip.

Military orchids found in castle!

2011-05-21T14:26:00.004+01:00

My Holy Grail was found last week - Military Orchids, appropriately in the grounds of a castle, Chateau Gaillard on the chalk cliffs above the north bank of the Seine in Normandy.
Since the castle was built by Richard the Lionheart to defend his (i.e. English) lands from the French, this clearly is a British tick.
The name derives from the "helmet" formed by the hood which is clearly different from the otherwise quite similar Monkey Orchid.
An area within a couple of hundred yards of the car park also held Fly, Lizard and Greater Butterfly Orchids and White Helleborines. A sign by the local conservation society effectively reads "the flora here is threatened by tourists - please tread carefully".

Forgive us our trespasses

2011-05-08T20:58:00.005+01:00

A few visits to East Kent woods looking for spring flowers, and there seemed to be a lot of self-imposed privacy. I'm a threatening presence as I aggressively impose myself on the landscape, malicious camera in hand.

A chap in a security company Landrover quizzed me, warned me of an escalating scale of fines for further offences, and then told me about his own cameras. Fortunately the land that he patrols has no obvious interest so I don't need to go there again.

Another patch of woodland near Coldred is protected by these all-embracing signs. It's a shame they didn't try a bit harder with the list of banned activities - how about picnicing, botanising, mothing, birding, dogging........?
Here there were Man Orchids and White Helleborines.
Wouldn't it be nice to find an area that has both Man Orchids and Lady Orchids?

Meanwhile........
The numbers of Small Blues by Campbells are growing daily - 12 seen yesterday, losing no time before reproducing as that's the meaning of life. Below is a tiny egg nestling in the cosy embrace of a Kidney Vetch flower.

Also seen....... 50+ Adonis Blues, a Grizzled and 5 Dingy Skippers at Lydden........

.... a few Early Spider Orchids and a profusion of Nottingham Catchfly over the cliffs at Dover.
After 40 days and 40 nights with no rain, we must be being punished for our sins. If anyone knows which particular of our sins has caused offence, please tell us so we can stop doing it - we need rain desperately.

We got the blues

2011-05-06T19:59:00.003+01:00

I can't believe that, after such a bad winter, the blues have survived!
First a couple of Common Blues at Postling at lunchtime (no camera, so no undignified leaping and crouching), then two male and one female Adonis Blues at the north end of the Lydden reserve in the evening.
Hopefully when I return at midday tomorrow there will be more.
Also on the agenda for the weekend is a bit more woodwalking, and the promise of more plants like Solomon's Seal seen today near Shepherdswell.
And maybe more bugs to try to identify. This may be Cardinal Beetle pyrochroa serraticornis.

The Seeker

2011-05-04T20:35:00.002+01:00

I've looked under trees
I've looked under hedgerows
I've tried to find the plant
That's called the Bird's Nest Orchid

They call me The Seeker
I've been searching low and high
I won't get to get what I'm after
'Cos it's far too dry

I asked the KWT
I asked Plantlife
I asked Fred the Greenie
But he couldn't help me either

They call me The Seeker
I've been searching low and high
I finally found what I'm after
Near the "High and Dry"

May Day!

2011-05-01T21:05:00.005+01:00

Good morning lords and ladies it is the first of May,

We hope you'll view our garland it is so bright and gay,
For it is the first of May, oh it is the first of May,
Remember lords and ladies it is the first of May.

A lovely morning on the first of May, spent walking around Grove and Stodmarsh to the constant sound of birdsong - warblers, turtle doves, cuckoos and nightingales.

Wood sandpipers showed well on the watermeadows, and 14 greenshanks were scattered by a swooping peregrine. Common terns brightened up the main lake, and at least six marsh harriers cruised around, but the stars of the day were the hobbies taking dragonflies from the wind, up to nine in view at a time although some reported 20 or so.

A superb morning, and overall a credit to the warden and his helpers in maintaining such a variety of habitats.

A quick trip to East Blean Wood suggested that it's still too early for heath fritillaries, but this broad bodied chaser was some consolation; back in Kingsdown the first small blue of the year was seen braving the cool breeze.

And now you've seen our garland we must be on our way,
So remember lords and ladies it is the first of May,
For it is the first of May, oh it is the first of May,
Remember lords and ladies it is the first of May.

Bog-wading

2011-04-30T19:54:00.007+01:00

In my college days in wet Wales, our occasional games of football and rugby were, for obvious reasons, called "bog-wading". Today I pulled on my wellies (only one of which leaks) and waded around some of the few wet areas of mid-Kent.

This is not my normal habitat, and I know little of the flora of wetlands, so Gibbins Brook near Sellindge is an interesting place, with plenty of species I'd not see before.
Bogbean is a lovely flower, each one a hairy cross contrasting with the smooth unopened buds above.
A Small Copper kindly landed on one flower.
This is, I believe, Marsh Valerian, a much smaller, subtler plant than its red namesake.

Large Red Damselflies were very active, except when being otherwise active, blending in with the similar colours of the pond vegetation.
This may be Bog Stitchwort (it's great reading the guesses of a novice -available for guided walks at the usual rates)

Hothfeld Heathlands have blossomed with Cottongrass, and were otherwise notable for much larger patches of Lousewort than in recent years.
A Red Poplar Beetle was seen, as was an early Brown Argus.
A lovely couple of visits, but the third was chastening - last year the Water-Violets at Ashford Warren was stunning but this year there were only a dozen flowering stems - perhaps early in the season, but the omens are not good.
It was, however, good to see our trusty Little Owl in the usual place on the dead stump near Northbourne.

Nothing about Kingsdown today, but I should report a very successful village street party last night, with great bands and a marvellous atmousphere. The pub was almost drunk dry, I hear.

The story of the weekend

2011-04-25T20:55:00.003+01:00

The hot inland air was choked with pollen, without the relief of any rain. The wind cooled the coast, however, to a pleasant temperature although the sun shone throughout.
Fifteen spikes of Early Spider Orchid have appeared on the rifle range, although none yet near to the road. These numbers are nothing compared with Samphire Hoe or Langdon cliffs, but I'm proud of them.
Green-winged Orchids are up at Sandwich Bay, looking sumptuous in the sunshine.
A tiny white Storksbill creeps over the sandy meadow.
These flies seemed to be everywhere, while Orange Tip butterflies have been joined on the wing by Small Whites and Green-veined Whites, making identification at a distance a bit tricky..... a good opportunity to compare their flight movements.
Much time was devoted to sitting in the garden, waiting for the Green Hairstreak to reappear, but when on the few occasions that it did, it didn't rest.
No early blues were seen (apart from Holly and they don't count) but a Dingy Skipper showed at Lydden.
Plenty of raptors were on the wing - ringtail over Worth and Common Buzzards galore, including this individual with a damaged tail giving an impression of a fork.

It ain't 'alf 'ot

2011-04-22T19:55:00.005+01:00

The morning broke according to the forecast, warm and sunny, so I put on my child-molester shorts (think Don Estelle), hat on, roof down and Beach Boys on the stereo and drove off in the warmth.

The oil seed rape pollen swirled around but I didn't care - four days of sunny holidays ahead.

As it turned out, my carefully-laid plans didn't quite work out...... wherever I went, I failed to find what I was looking for, but found something else in compensation:

I walked around the tinder-dry Perry Wood, looking for early Bird's-Nest Orchids......
..... but found much else of interest including a small patch of Woodruff, which is unusual in these parts.
I paid another visit to Park Wood, to see if any Duke of Burgundies had appeared.......
.... but they hadn't, but a lay down on the grass brought me closer to another world, of Pill Millipedes......
..... and shield bugs.......
..... and a ladybird that might not be a ladybird.
Orange tip butterflies were everywhere.
I called in at Campbells garage to check if Small Blues had emerged, but although their food plant, Kidney Vetch, is starting to flower.....
... there were none to be seen, as a cooling breeze was coming in off the sea. Only one butterfly flew past - a worn Painted Lady.

So I returned home to spend some time in the garden, where a green spider was spinning a web (a Cucumber Green Spider?)........
...... a couple of Orange Tips, a Holly Blue, and what the..........?
Up in the trees, a small green butterfly fluttered........ a Green Hairstreak. This warm weather is really benefiting the early spring bugs.

Blinking heck!

2011-04-20T07:00:00.000+01:00

And on a long weekend too! What did we do to deserve this? Hope you can enjoy it.

A good thing just got better

2011-04-17T20:48:00.008+01:00

Park Wood near Challock has long been one of my favourite places, a peaceful wood with a the sound of buzzards overhead, marsh tits calling, goldcrests singing and occasionally a glimpse of a lesser spotted woodpecker. There's a variety of timber - coppiced woods to the left and yew trees on the right. Now the Woodland Trust has cut the middle area of recent growth, leaving a lovely sunny expanse of primroses, with orange tips and brimstones flitting over the piles of logs. There will surely be an increase in orchid numbers, and an improved habitat for Duke of Burgundy butterflies which were seen here last year. A line of gnarled hornbeam pollards marks an old ditch on the boundary of the wood in earlier times, giving protection from grazing deer. When I moved on to Denge Wood, I saw another line of these trees, not obviously on a ditch line but again probably used to define a boundary. The hornbeam leaf is similar to that of the beech, but the distinctive bark and catkins easily identify it. Anyway, the main reason for going to Denge Wood was to see if the continuing warm sunshine had brought out the Duke of Burgundies early. And hurrah it has. One, at least. Coincidentally (although on reflection the chances were quite high) I ran into the DoB survey team and the butterfly they found was considerate enough to stay still for long enough for all to get their photos. The group is a lovely bunch of people, who really know their subject and are good company (it helps that the sun's usually shining when they go out, I suppose). The surrounding song of willow warblers was an added bonus. Wild cherry trees have been left standing in an area of coppice, and look stunning in the bright sunlight. I noticed some wood ants climbing one of the trees...... .... so decided to follow them to the treetop to see what they were doing, and found that they were feeding on the flowers ..... ....[OK I didn't climb up, there was a small tree further on]. A beautiful day, with lots to see and pleasant company. It just got better and better. Especially when the ice-cream van was heard, playing its "Greensleeves" tune - the best sound in the world.

That Was The Week, That Was

2011-04-15T20:38:00.007+01:00

A random miscellany of a varied week....... starting in Suffolk where a social event gave an opportunity to stroll through the lovely Dedham Vale, where a Nightingale sang loudly by Willy Lott's cottage, ignored by the many trippers but not by us. Sublime.

Less sublime was the sighting of two Egyptian Geese by the mud of one of the many estuaries, although a large flock of Black-tailed Godwits helped restore some sense of reality.
Back at Kingsdown, there was excitement when a Black Kite was seen flying in off the sea over the cliffs, and then being seen circling over a nearby wood in the evening,
.... and more distantly I assume this was the same bird in the same spot the next morning. The next day, the mis-named Greater Kent Birder saw and impressively photographed two Red-rumped Swallows.

Bluebells are carpeting the woodland floor,
..... but dotted amongst the millions are occasional spikes of Early Purple Orchids, many still in bud......
.... but some in full flower.
Also in the pink are some of the countless Wood Anemones,

and a clump of large Common Dog-Violets.

Hair~treak and ~nake~

2011-04-08T20:16:00.003+01:00

Occasionally my daughter deigns to browse my blog, but as she hates snakes I have to set up a warning in the title.... just a secret code that nobody else will notice.........

So first, some pretty pics of an early Green Hairstreak butterfly that was found for me today by that master of bushcraft, Fred the Green Man of Bromley.
I'd hoped to see this butterfly as this spring weather has been so glorious, and Fred duly found this one flying uncertainly low across the downland sward. Presumably it had only emerged minutes before, and looked beautifully pristine.
Each time I see this species, I can't believe it's a native of Britain - it's like seeing a hummingbird!
Anyway, back to the snakes. Fred is an inveterate snake-tracker and was soon pointing out adders warming themselves in the early morning sun.
Each one was a male, as they emerge from hibernation earlier than the females, slough their skin and prepare for the rigours of conflict, courtship and mating.
Fred found 9 in all, mostly out in the open although one had settled himself under a piece of corrugated iron to poach quietly.
As the day warmed up (to an impressive 22 degrees) the snakes snuck off, as did I. We had counted five species of butterfly and I dismissed another fluttering around the hedgerow as a Large White - Fred is made of sterner stuff and tracked it, recognising the movement of a Brimstone, seeking buckthorn.
The evening drive home was enlivened by an Osprey flying over the M20 towards Eastwell Manor lake, and three Common Buzzards circling over Postling Wood. I'll recognise this one if I see it again, with its tell-tale missing feathers.

Balloons

2011-04-07T20:41:00.002+01:00

"What the heck are they?"

"You wouldn't get me up in one of those"

Pimms anyone?

2011-04-03T20:36:00.008+01:00

A chorus of warbler-song this morning turned an intended quick stroll along the cliff-top into a longer walk around the patch, as it was clear that there had been an overnight arrival. Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs called across Otty Bottom valley, and a tack - tack from deep in a thicket indicated an early Whitethroat. It's easy to identify Whitethroats - if you can see it, it's a Common one, and if you can't it's a Lesser version. Probably. As the track starts to rise up to Barrow Mount, the tree cover gives way to low hedges and fences, which should be a good habitat for Corn Buntings and Yellowhammers. The latter are seen here most years, but I can't recall seeing the former here before, so this one was welcome. It wasn't singing, so may have been a female. The problem with the winter arrival of Northern Long-tailed Tits is that you feel duty-bound to check each LTT just in case - knowing that you won't be lucky. A Goldcrest was seen foraging along the way, dropping down into the leaf litter, perhaps searching for nesting material. Except when I developed my sketchy photos, it turned out to be a Firecrest. Mental note - look with care first, then reach for the camera if you must! A quicker shot would have been useful as I reached Hope Point, however, as a Weasel skittered into a rabbithole, then turned back to check me out. This is the first I've seen in the area. Soon after, my first Black Redstart of the year was seen feeding from a compost heap in a garden - novel. There has been a reassuring number of sightings reported this year of Small Tortoiseshells and I was pleased to see (a tatty) one myself, as well as a fresh Comma. Bees were everywhere, and two unusual ones hugged Dandelion flowers when the sun faded and the cool wind chilled the clifftop. And finally, the obligatory close-ups of flowers (as an aide-memoire if for no other reason).... Sun Spurge

Red Deadnettle (or Cut-leaved Deadnettle?)

Field pansy

..... and it's clearly the start of the punting season..... Pimms anyone?

Calais Riviera

2011-03-31T20:03:00.002+01:00

Considering that we live within sight of France, and that there is good bird- (and other nature-) watching over there, we constantly regret that we don't visit more often. Gradually, however, we are getting to know more of the sites with the help of local blogs like North France Birder and Skua-Over, and are getting better at scheduling our days.

A visit to Le Clipon in search of Kentish plovers and anything that might fly past was mainly fruitless, as all the plovers that we saw had orange (not black) legs and there was precious little on the sea, but there were enough waders and Sandwich terns to keep us occupied, with eiders and mergansers as a welcome surprise. Also (having a broad interest in my surroundings) I was able to enjoy a variety of plants in the harsh moon-like landscape.

The lowlying landes between Calais and Dunkirk are protected from the sea by the dunes, and are dotted with lakes that attract a wide range of birdlife. Part of the the area has been designated a nature reserve but as this surrounded by hunters' guns the birds' arrival and departure must be tricky. One shooting club has a lake with signs asking for a cease-fire between mid-March and mid-May to allow gulls (including Meds) to breed. For future reference, the site is marked with an "x" on the south-west corner of this map:

The Platier d'Oye reserve held spoonbill, avocets, pintail and other duck, as well as overflying buzzard, marsh harrier and swallows, and three hides provided shelter from the worsening weather.

The desperate search for crested larks on the roundabouts and verges near the old hoverport has become a tradition, but we have clearly been trying too hard, as this time we found five of them on Calais seafront leading to photo-opportunities in the kiddies' playground. Have we no shame?

A blog with more detail and much better pics can be found here.

A purple patch

2011-03-24T19:59:00.004Z

We're blessed with another lovely day, made even better because I'd taken it off as a holiday. Somehow I found myself at Foreness, but was soon cursing the lack of waders again, as well as the probable cause (dog walkers). Even the gulls had found a better occupation.

I was gazing glumly at the last rocks to be covered by the rising tide, watching a few turnstones dibbling about, when a flock of 15 purple sandpipers flew in. Some promptly tucked their head under their wing, but the waves soon woke them up. They stayed as the last of the rocks were submerged, then flew off for somewhere drier.Counts of purple sandpipers have reached over 50 at times over the past few years, but reports have been few this year. Birds of Kent reports that their numbers increased from none in the early 1950s to a maximum of 106 in 1977, the last year of its records. Perhaps a Thanet birder has more recent trend records?

A flock of 50 Brent geese grazed close in to the shore, and a Wheatear was on the putting green, their favourite resting place.

Back in Kingsdown, I pounded the beat but saw little. Each time I walk past a stand of pine trees I check them for crossbills, and today I thought I might be in luck, but it was just a few two-barred chaffinches.

A glorious day

2011-03-19T17:33:00.011Z

A glorious day, Calooh Callay, with unbroken sunshine from dawn till dusk apart from brief incursions of a chilling sea fret.
Insects were buzzing, the new season's flowers were blooming and all was well with this small corner of the world.
Two peregrines chased along the cliff-edge and three Brents bobbed about at the foot of the cliffs looking suspiciously pale, but it was probably the light.
Some of the Bockhillers were out early, and reported "From 06:30-10:30 in a light NW there was a movement N of 6752 Chaffinches, 8 Bramblings, 35 Linnets, 68 Siskins......" etc. Or maybe it was 6753. Anyway, it was an impressive stream of the chirruping ones, and the movement continued through the day as I worked in the garden.
A few siskins landed in one of the trees for a quick feed, while one took up a singing post for rather longer. Looking for it, I saw the unmistakable orange of a brambling, my first for over a year and a first for the garden.

New bloomers included speedwell and fumitory - common field and common ramping, perhaps?
The day ended as it had begun, with a bright object rising from the sea in the east, with the lights of Calais twinkling below, and the chaffinches are probably still flying overhead.

One man's conservation....

2011-03-13T19:27:00.004Z

Barrow Mount is an isolated down between Kingsdown golf course and St Margaret's, and has a few crevices of rich flora although it is mostly covered by the dastardly tor grass that smothers all other life. It only covers a couple of acres or so, and cries out for reclamation so I was pleased to read this notice which holds out hope that improvement may be at hand, courtesy of the National Trust.
Perhaps the new yews were planted by the same person who put in some stocks which were quickly nibbled by rabbits.

No doubt they were acting with the best interests of the site at heart, but not in line with the views of the NT. The poisonous yews would not be welcomed if livestock are to be introduced, of course. There have been a number of discussions locally about conflicting conservation policies where the intentions of one party are questioned by another, and I hope that those involved can find the time to stand back and try to understand other people's point of view.

The pressing need to curb the spread of red valerian and other invaders along the beach, to prevent them from choking out the rare native species, will no doubt be criticised by casual passers-by who like the colour that these newcomers bring to an otherwise "dull" patch of shingle. We need to show them how lovely our less showy plants can be.

There seems to be a good show of sweet violets this year, or is it just that they have run amok on my lawn?
Red deadnettles are also showing well, and a white version was found on a walk..... when digging on the allotment later in the day I found a plant that had a sprig of red flowers and one of white. I fail to understand how that happens.

Bird life activity is incresing with the onset of spring, although no new individuals have been seen or heard yet. Visitors to the feeders have increased now that the fat male blackcap has gone - a female is now regular, and this pair of long-tailed tits are easily recognisable as one has a smart appearance and a broad white headstripe, while the other is a scruffy urchin, and they return for a quick bite every half hour.

Turned out nice... at last

2011-02-24T19:22:00.005Z

Yay, the first sign of spring for me is the blooming Coltsfoot - late this year, of course, but as we've had a run of south-westerlies in February I think that the season will catch up this year.

Yew are blooming too, the male flowers above on one tree, and the green female ones on the next tree. How romantic - standing side by side but destined never to touch. The female flowers are on the stem, by the way, and the flower-like growth at the tip is a Yew Gall Midge gall (Taxomyia taxi - thanks Claire!)

In the depths of the wood the slow-growing Butcher's Broom's tiny flowers briefly show, then if fertilised turn into ripe red berries.
The bugs were out today and I think this might be a solitary wasp - perhaps one of the multi-talented pan-listers can help?

Oare was lovely in the afternoon sunshine in good company - nothing special to be seen, but a Merlin and a Little Owl were perched on a bank, 119 Avocets swept the shallows of the creek, a Little Egret waded in a roadside pool and Golden Plovers glowed in the sun.

Yew suckers

2011-02-20T19:16:00.005Z

Another grotty weekend, but not totally wasted (the weekend, not me) as I passed a morning clearing scrub from the Lynch, probably the only inland chalk downland left in the parish.
The 1930s OS map shows the Lynch as a mile of unwooded slope, where now almost all is scrub and trees.
The good news is that some of the trees are yews, which provide more interest than the ubiquitous sycamores and holm oaks. Ash keys, yew berries and wayfaring tree seeds are enthusiastically populating the last area of grassland while blackthorn and dogwood encroach by suckers. A little clearance is all that's needed to keep the last bit free of scrub, but it would be good to push it back with some heavy machinery.
A party of four goldcrests with six (British) long-tailed tits brightened the gloom, and even in the depths of winter there are still a few plants to lift the spirits, like salad burnet and carline thistle, with its apparently dead seed-head shut tight against the miserable weather.
Little more was encountered on a slippery muddy walk along the Lynch to Oxney Wood, apart from some untrained fighting dogs (don't worry, he won't hurt you).

Bird sighting of the day was a great spotted woodpecker surveying the village from the top of the church cross, while 31 nest-sites were occupied by fulmars along the cliffs over the rifle range - a higher number than in the past when 17-26 sites have been counted.