Up to date : Wedding, Moths, birds and Dragons!

Ok then it's nearing the middle of the year, it's a Bank Holiday it's dull outside, Louise is up North having seen Take That in Sunderland, I've got a bit of spare time and in order to prevent Mr Faulkner abandoning me forever I've decided to post. When I first started this blog a few years ago I used to spend huge amounts of time updating it, but I rarely seem to find the time to update now though do enjoying reading many blogs especially the Thanet based ones, Sheppey and my second favourite county in Britain, those from Devon.

To re cap the last few months then, I'll take you back to Dengemarsh and Springfield Bridge where Phil Saunders and Josh Jenkins Shaw started off a mini twitch with the Odonata Elite of the UK (well Dragonfly twitchers really)!

Vagrant Emperor was the target and very smart it was too looking rare as in vagrant but without a vagrants bottles of whiskey! This really is a Dragonfly meag and was widely tipped as about to set wing on UK soil as a result of huge numbers recently seen across other parts of Europe. On arrival on Bank holiday Monday all was looking pretty grim as the quarry failed to show in the slightly cooler temperature compared to the day before but luck was on our side when a timely phone call from Terrington Laws found JT and myself rushing back to Dengemarsh from the ARC and there it was winging it's way up and down the Pike ditch, a corking Vagrant Emperor yet another Odonata UK lifer. It wont be long now before someone achieves a full 50 species for the UK if the Dainties show this year and a few other new UK species turn up.

The small crowd above shows Phil Heath and Steve Whitehouse just before they left the site to twitch a local fridge for a few new Moth ticks !!

The Vagrant..........MEGA

Another trip to Dunge found JT and myself dipping on Crane and a Collared Prat, but once again the birding Gods were on our side when Steve Broyd then Mike B found two Red rumped Swallows on the RSPB reserve which gave good views for the next hour or so amongst the Swifts and other hirundines. Dunge really is having a cracking spring, and with Roseate Tern, Hobby, Little Gull and BTD made the day a great success despite the no show Prat!

April 28th 2011, the day I thought would never come and my childhood statement of 'I'll never get married' was broken!

Anyway it was a cracking day, everything went like clockwork thanks to our families and other guests, and especially to the staff of Leeds Castle who were simply superb. Now me being me, you wouldn't expect to attend even my own wedding without my bins and this paid off with a cracking pair of Spot Shanks and LRPs on the main lake, plus Peregrine, Med Gulls and stacks of hirundines. I never knew weddings could be so much fun and bird filled!! Our honeymoon was to be based in Devon at Crowdy Mill, Harbertonford with Tawny Owl outside and Dipper on the river viewed from the window.

Ok, the wedding went without a hitch but the car rebelled at Budleigh and we were towed to Exeter to exchange for a courtesy car called Kirsty ( a honeymoon with two girls) !! The steering rack had gone on the car and lots of money later we were reunited with our car. Anyway, our dog Forrest (not the little one in the picture above, that's a local) enjoyed being in a people carrier for a few days.

I had to take a photo of this, if you've watched Little Britain you'll know what I'm talking about.

Despite all my attempts I never did manage to see Ring Ousel on Dartmoor but I did find this photo om my memory card, that someone found very funny indeed!! Cheers Wifey!

No trip to Devon is complete without seeing Cirl Bunt, will we ever all see one on Kentish soil again?

Back home, another sighting of Red Kite, they are becoming extremely regular in Kent these days and reminds me of my first at Dunge in Dec in the early 1980's when it was still very rare in Kent.

The mothing continues this year with my first ever spring and it really has been both taxing on ,my ageing brain and great fun with loads of new lifers, just like when I first started birding way back in 1978. Above is White Satin

The Snout, a really great looking moth with a nose to be proud of.

Small Magpie

Big Magpie

Corn Bunting at Cliffe
Finally I will attempt to keep things up to date, (you've heard that one before) It's now 1pm, I'm hungry and I need to get the mansion ready again for the Take That wanderers arrival later today.

2011 Happy New Year

OK, it's April 12th, only a few days late but it's been a funny old year and I've really not had the time or inclination to update the blog but have been observing others and enjoying reading them. Therefore, do I intend to get back up to date, highly unlikely but as the summer migrants have already started to arrive in the UK and the Waxwing winter seems ages ago now I thought I'd post a quick note.

The Elephant was photographed in Udawalawe national park in Sri Lanka this year, a really great place and a very successful trip seeing all the endemic birds plus great photographic opportunities.

Hopefully my next post will be before December!!

New Years Resolution....

Must try and keep this blog up to date....................
NO CHANCE
Have a great 2011

Return to South America

Once I get a chance I'll update the blog with my recent adventures in Guyana. A great trip with nearly 50 new species seen out of a total trip list of 380+. Great company, food, great birding in simply the BEST continent in the World SOUTH AMERICA

The Rufous Crab Hawk above was one of many specialities seen, a species difficult to see in Venezuela but easy in Guyana

And so to Winter

A few weeks blog absence and not much to say really, a few TTVs a few good birds, lots of rain, even more work, loads of KOS work, lots of blogs read and a break from Moths...........looking forward to next year though
When all is quiet a perusal of websites and a bit of fun thrown in
see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHXQp-NhFuE

East Kent........again

As I was working Saturday I decided to once again head East to the promised land with JT. A late start due to work we arrived at Shuart and nearby and wandered around for an hour trying to jot everything that was moving down.......... Fortunately I had a large piece of paper and an unlimited supply of ink in my pen for jotting down

Brambling 1

Siskin 1

Buzzard 2

Goldcrest 4

Fieldfare 5

East Kent birding at it's best, what to look at next. Following the first hours birding heading West and back home seemed a good idea but we ploughed on to Elmwood Avenue. A quick chat with the lady at the riding school who seems to have been there forever but never ages as if it was still the early 1990's! Again notebook at the ready bins poised the migrants flooded in, Redpoll 1, Siskin 1, Dunnock 2, Mipit >20 . Again heading West looked the best option

Next stop a cup of tea and a sandwich at the pumping station where the ambiance of a charity cycle race was the main interest. JT spotted bird of the morning, a Whitethroat in one of the 3 bushes. Excellent, things were really looking up now, next stop North Foreland where a Wheatear showed well on the clifftops and on the beach below uncle Tom cobley and dog patrol chased the Turnstones on the beach. Time to head West yet?

Next stop the ever reliable Northdown Park, another cup of tea and a text from Gordon ........Pallas's at caravan park Reculver

We dithered, birded the area a bit longer notching up a handsome group of 37+ Bramblings, good numbers of Blackbird, 5+ Chiffs, a male Blackcap ,a Lesser Redpoll then spent a while scraping the migrant turds that had hitched a ride on our boots . As if set in a scene from Slumdog Millionaire the Parakeets kept the background alive with their tuneful racket!

Time to head West, yes onto Reculver with the sweet scent of GTs (growler turds) wafting in the warm car air . The Pallas's Warbler put on a good show to it's small appreciative crowd. This really is one of the best looking migrants to grace our shores. Overhead a Peregrine flew over

Things were finally looking up and off to Grove we headed. Over the years there's been various birding spots named after events like a certain lane near Scotney and Belshaw's Bush at Capel and we decided to park at Howard's Bend turning the car at a 190 degree angle before locking up and entering the reserve. Immortalised for ever this quiet section of road will always be remembered for two things Wilson's Phal and International rescue for GNH!

At Grove the Wilson's Phal was again present from the Harrison's Drove and showed brilliantly through JT's revamped Kowa. A look for the GGShrike drew a blank and we returned towards the car when we had ten minutes of cracking birding

The Wilson's was from the viewing ramp, a Jack Snipe flew over us and away and just before Howards bend, the Great Grey Shrike zipped past us

That's why East Kent is so good for birding it just needs time, perseverance and a willingness to check those areas that you feel others may not have checked yet and well done to Gordon and Chris for finding that wee Sibe cracker that's what it's all about

Why oh why did it have to be sunny!

Last Sunday was a day in East Kent with high hopes and a 'hoped for list of special birds'. Sadly, despite the rest of Britain being bathed in rares, with Red flanked Bluetails literally popping up all over the place later on, East Kent was very hard going.
Despite living in North Kent, I've always enjoyed birding the outer reaches of East Kent around North Foreland and more recently got to know more about the birding sites nearer to Ramsgate
and Pegwell village. Saturday was dreary, strong E'ly winds and very overcast you could almost smell those rares flying overhead. A call to Nigel Jarman Sat pm revealed that bad news...........starlit sky, Sunday was going to be hard work. East Kent deserves more attention from birders, geographically well paced for migrants with lots of nooks and crannies to look at and always that possibility of something special amongst the migrants. First stop for JET and myself was Margate Cmy where bird of the day appeared almost immediately..........DCG (Dave Gilbert) a real rarity in the field beyond the Margate triangle and great to see him again and looking well. I'd spent a lot of time in the past birding with Dave and have fond memories of travels to Anglesey, Norfolk, South Wales, on the Scillies and even in Ecuador for three weeks !! Still in characteristic migrant plumage we spent a short while birding the area also bumping into Simon Fogg, Jeremy, Bob, Alan and Brenda Like the grand daddy of Kent birding Dave was as keen as ever and his repertoire of jokes as fluent as ever. I've had to alter the exposure on the pictures due to the clash of autumn colours from Jeremy in camouflage mode

Below Courtstairs north of Pegwell village an excellent looking area for migrants and worthy of coverage. The area South of here, Milton ranges, and Solly moth garden a great piece of coastline that allows for great birding and an opportunity to see migration as it happens on a good day with some truly great counts from Phil and Craig in the past week.

Elmwood and the lighthouse, another hotspot for migrants with Bramblings overhead, a Black Redstart, a distant Grey Heron and good numbers of Mipits. Back in the late 80's early 90's I used to bird this area quite a lot with the are adjacent to the old St Stephens college particularly productive. A hard days birding some good migrants with Chiffs, Siskin, Redpoll, a Tree Pipit and a few Swallows but still no star bird despite visiting Northdown Park and King George V park full of sun seekers and ice creams. A last ditch attempt at something rarer at North Foreland revealed a couple of Wheatear and then finally Steve Blaskett informed us of a Shore Lark at the pumping station nearby. Off we shot and there it was very very tame and almost run over a few times by cyclists.

So there you have it, a superb area for birding and a very enjoyable day. Good luck to Dylan, Francis, DCG, Steve, Phil and Craig and monitor the years events with some great photos not just avian on Planet Thanet, Margate Cmy blog and the Dumpton Non Conformist.

Anyone lucky enough to live in this part of Kent enjoy it, as despite rampant development and loss of habitat the birds common and rare will still be there just a bit trickier at times to find, good luck to you