Dave Brown

[dave brown]

2018 so far

Despite the lack of Diary entries we have enjoyed some very good moments and wildlife during the year so far. January provided us with some good views of the Hawfinchs around Godmersham. This was part of the national influx as we have not seen this species there before. Our maximum number was 42 but on most visits it was normal to see only 4 or 5. A stunning if somewhat elusive bird. Sightings continued on and off until March.

The main attraction for March was a very showey White Spotted Bluethroat near Dungeness. This attracted large numbers of birders, photographers and even some locals. Early April so us watching a Hoopoe near Lydd for several days. Our first decent day for Butterflies was 7th April when Peacocks, Brimstone and Small Tortoiseshells were noted. Orange Tips showed on the 19th April along with Green Veined Whites. Bird wise we saw Short Toed Treecreeper on the 11th April at Dungeness and a Black Winged Stilt at Stodmarsh on the 14th. A day in the Brecks on the 21st found Breckland, Fingered and Spring Speedwells along with Grape Hyacinth and Oregon Grape.

The 9th May produced 3 Emperor Moths at Oare Marshes, one of our favourite moths, and the following day Wall Browns and Dingy Skippers at Samphire Hoe. Bonsai Bank on the 15th found 22 Duke of Burgundy and 3 Green Hairstreaks. A most enjoyable visit into East Sussex saw us looking at over 200 Burnt Tip Orchids. It's been a few years since we have seen this species, which is now very hard to find in Kent, with some years seeing none at all.
A Kentish Plover was at Dungeness on the 20th May and Grizzled Skippers on the 26th May. An oddity in the Orchid world was a totally green Fly Orchid on the 27th May at a site near Wye. With a Pretty Marbled (moth) on the 28th, Great Reed Warbler and an Adult Rose Cloured Starling on the 30th May, all at Dungeness the month drew to a close.

During 2017 a colony of Tongue Orchids had been discovered in Essex. This year special arrangements were made to visit under controlled conditions to the private site on the 2nd June. We were fortunate enough to be able to join one of the guided tours to view 36 plants, slightly down on last year. It will be interesting to see how the species fares next year, especially in light of potential long term future development. It's close proximity to the Essex coast, and the fact that it was not near any footpath, strongly suggest that these were the result of wind blown seed off the Continent and not a deliberate introduction or a accidently sowing. All the flora around the plants were British Native.
June saw Red-belted Clearwing, Sallow Clearwing, Currant Clearwing, Yellow-legged Clearwing, Orange Tailed Clearwing and Six-belted Clearwing. The main local feature was the excellant numbers of Heath Fritillary at East Blean Woods. We saw a minimum of 169 numbers but numbers of 200 plus were being reported. Perhaps responding to the beautiful summer weather and plenty of Cow Wheat. In some places we just stood in a whirling mass of Fritillarys. For the third year running we saw the rare Norfolk Hawker in the main car park at Blean. Perhaps from the small but growing population at Grove Ferry and Westbere. In addition to good numbers around Grove Ferry and Stodmarsh Nature Reserves. It looks like this species is now established in East Kent.

to be continued.....

[dave brown]

Hawkers, Clearwings and an unusal plant

Early June saw us invited to a private wood near Ashford where the rare (for Kent) Downy Emerald was present. We managed to see 3. Just as interesting was the huge numbers of Four Spotted Chasers present. Park Heath Corner reserve was next where we managed to catch up with 3 Small Pearl Bordered Fritillaries and 12 White Legged Damselflies. This brings back memories of the late eighties and early ninties when decent numbers of the Fritillary were possible, but I don't remember seeing the White Legged Damselflies then. A field of 50 Greater Butterfly Orchids near Faversham was a great find by others. Mid June saw our first White Admiral and Ringlets of the year.
Late June saw us invited to a private orchard near Cliffe where we caught up with the rare Southern Migrant Hawker. We saw 6 immatures that day of a species that only colonised Britain four years ago. Up until now Essex had been its stronghold but this year Kent came good. They have been present near Cliife for at least 2 years but on land not accessible. This year they moved into nearby orchards and by good fortune we knew somebody working there. We though that this was the end of the saga but on the 18 July there was a happy and most welcome twist. We had been watching the Temmincks Stint and 4 Black Winged Stilts at Oare Marshes when we decided to take a walk to the West Hide to see if any Common Emerald damselflies were present. Half way there we noticed 3 Hawkers with very blue eyes and bodies. Surely Southern Migrant Hawkers, but none had been recorded here before or indeed anywhere in Kent other than Cliife, some 25 miles away. We managed to obtain a photograph which indeed showed SMH, as kindly confirmed by MH of Kent Dragonflies. Better still they were right by the footpaths so available to all who wished to see and photograph them. A thorough search of Oare by ourselves and others over the next few days found at least 12 males and 2 females present. Maybe next year will see consolidation and expansion in Kent of this rare species. There presence also resulted in other things being noted such as a White Rumped Sandpiper, Small Red Eyed Damselfies, Scarce Emerald Damselfly with several Clouded Yellows and a few Painted Lady's.
Our one regret of late June was cancelling our planned trip to see the Large Blues at Collards Hill. The weather was forecast to be 30 degrees plus and that we felt would have made an uncomfortable day. As it happened only a few were seen in the heat, and they were very mobile. There's always next year.
Having already seen Silver Washed Fritillary, Purple Hairstreak, White Letter Hairstreak, Large Skipper and a remarkable 34 White Admirals in a local wood we ended June with our second visit of the year to the Brecks to see the very Rare Fen Ragwort, Perennial Knawel and the protected Crested Cow Wheat. I believe the Fen Ragwort is the only surviving true plant but seedlings have been raised and planted elsewhere to ensure it's survival, for the lone plant is right next to a busy main road and not on some protected Nature Reserve. 36 Forester Moths at Cranwich Heath was a good find for us.
Thanks to a good friend the 3rd July saw us looking at a Silver Barred moth. Only a few Kent records.

Late July saw us looking at a Raspberry Clearing found by a friend near Hamstreet. This is a recent addition to the British list. It is not a long distance migrant so probably entered this country via Raspberry canes, on which it feeds. It was first reported in Cambridgeshire in 2007 but has since spread.
At the start of August someone reported at least 2 Southern Migrant Hawkers on Pett Level. Surely a possible invasion of the species going on. We decided to spread the search into South Kent and bingo. We found 2 males in a ditch near Appledore in Kent. They remained for a week or so but unfortunately we could find no others in suitable habitat. Talking of habitat we found the SMH seemed to prefer ditches with little water and plenty of reed with open spaces.

to be continued.....

Black Winged Stilt at Grove Ferry/ Stodmarsh

Bluethroat. Dungeness

Green form of Fly Orchid Near Wye (Kent)

Hawfinch at Godmersham (Kent)

Tongue Orchid in Essex

Snakeshead Fritillary at Fox Meadow Open Day (Suffolk)

[David M]

Nice to read that commentary, Dave, and the images are lovely, especially the one of that Bluethroat.

[dave brown]

Clancy's Rustic at Ruckinge

Continuing the year.

To be honest this year has been very hard work when it comes to moths. Butterflies and Dragonflies have done well but moths are another story. Numbers and species are well down in our garden and I believe in many other gardens. Despite that, and in addition to the Clearwings, we have seen some good moths. In addition to the Oleander Hawkmoth and Siver Barred mentioned in previous post, we have seen the Ghost moth, Gypsy moth, Golden Twin-spot, Many lines, Pale Shoulder, Deaths Head Hawkmoth (a really impressive moth), Beautiful Marbled, Delicate, Sombre Brocade (mega rare migrant), Clancy's Rustic, Streak, Porters Rustic, Blairs Mocha, Scarce Bordered Straw, Gem, Blairs Wainscot and lots of Hummingbird Hawkmoths. Many of which are Rare or very Rare migrants. We can't complain about the quality.

Despite seemingly good conditions we failed to find any Long Tailed Blues despite searching. We are aware that one or two have been seen this year, but another hoped for invasion failed to materialise. We were luckly and jammed in on a Geranium Bronze that was handed into Dungeness Observatory (22 Oct 2018). Caught in a Kent Garden, fairly near the Coast, and following several days of hot Southerly winds. Whether it was a true migrant or already in this country is anyones guess. Considered by many as a pest I believe the authorities were notified as to it's disposal. Like the Long Tailed Blue it could not have survived the winter, or the cold nights that followed.

One insect that is definitely not welcomed, and is a must notify species is the Asian Hornet. Well Dungeness had the misfortune to see two this Autumn. Luckily both were netted, potted, and handed over to the Authorities who spent a week undertaking a thorough search for any more, but none were found. You can see why they are of concern. They are big and can easily carry off any sort of bee, especially the Honey Bee. You won't mistake this if you see one.

Painted Lady's seem to have been harder to come by this year. Dungeness

Raspberry Clearwing at Ruckinge (Kent).

The Passenger at Hythe (Kent).

Southern Migrant Hawker we found at Oare Marshes.

Southern Migrant Hawker we found at Oare Marshes

Southern Migrant Hawker we found near Appledore

[David M]

You always seem to come up with something unusual, Dave.

Love the moths, especially the Passenger.

[dave brown]

Bringing the year so far nearly up to date.

Doing less travelling this year meant we missed out on a few Butterfly and Dragonfly species. We didn't try for Silver Studded Blue, Silver Spotted Skipper, Wood White, Brown Hairstreak, or even the gorgeous Purple Emperor. All within 100 miles of us but all requiring a effort in mileage terms. As we see them most years it does not really matter, but it still takes some getting used to not seeing them annually. We also failed to visit the New Forest for such goodies as Bog Orchid, Southern Damselfly and Scarce Blue-Tailed Damselfly. We may have to rethink our strategy for next year. We managed to catch up with 2 Lesser Emperor Dragonflies at Dungeness in August near the ARC pit. These are almost annual here in Kent, but what are annual is Red-veined Darter, which we failed to see.

The one plus side was spending more time locally and finding the two new Kent sites for Southern Migrant Hawker, seeing several new locations for us of Flowering Rush and Marsh Mallow. Seeing new species for us of Clearwings. Checking previous locations for Willow Emerald Damselfies, Sickle-bearing Bush Crickets, spending more time looking for migrant species of Dragonflies and Butterflies (other than the two sites mentioned for Southern Migrant Hawker none found), and best of all, just enjoying the glorious Summer that 2019 was here in Kent.

To bring this nearly up to date I will just mention the weekend of 3rd November when one of the Ramsgate boys picked up a large Diver Species off Ramsgate. It turned out to be a White Billed Diver, better still it was in full Summer Plumage. An absolute stunner. Too distant for my camera but there are some excellent photos on the web that show what I mean. A lot of us caught up with it on Saturday, showing well off Margate (Foreness Point). Margate is probably best known for the Turner Contemporary, sticks of Rock and Del Boy's summer outing. It should also be known for Rare birds as it has turned up some real goodies over the years. Then on the Sunday (4th) a Lesser Yellowlegs was refound between Camber and Lydd which we caught up with.
We are still seeing the odd Red Admiral and Common Darter despite the change to colder conditions. Maybe there is still time for another goodie or two although I suspect it will be a Bird rather than an Insect.

Common Blue Damselfly. A fairly common species throughout Southern England.

A record photo of the Adult Rose Coloured Starling at Dungeness. A beautiful plumage.

Burnt Tip Orchid at Mount Caburn (East Sussex) in May. Good numbers this year with 210 counted.

Willow Emerald Damselfy near Appledore (Kent).

Beautiful Marbled at Dungeness. (Too flighty to take out of container).

[dave brown]

With the Year almost at an end so are our updates. Following on the rest of November was a mixed bag. Butterflies were few with just Red Admirals. Dragonflies were down to the odd Migrant Hawker, our last one was the 17th November, but still a few Common Darters. The garden moth trap was put away for the winter, but a surprise at Dungeness was not one, but two White-specks. This rare immigrant moth usually eludes the South East, having more of a West of England arrival. This year we were lucky to see both, our first sighting of this moth, on the 14th. Another Kent goodie was the Sprawler on the 8th.
November can be a good month for unusal Birds and this year did not disappoint. Any Swift in November is worth a second look. Some years have seen good numbers and suspicion, with some photographic evidence, that many, if not all, are Pallid Swifts. This year several sightings were made of Swifts and all the photos obtained suggest that they were all Pallid Swifts rather then the similar looking Juvenile Common Swift. The differences are subtle but are there. The paler Brown plumage is a good start, with a larger white throat patch and dark eye. Mottling on the breast and blunter wing tips all help to ID the Pallid Swift. As usual most sightings were on the East Coast and followed warm Southerly/ South Easterly winds. Kent did not miss out and we managed to catch up with two near Margate on the 13th. Even better was one that arrived at New Romney on the 16th. Good quality photos taken by the boys with the big lenses proved, due to feather damage, that the New Romney individual was the same one seen two days earlier in Norfolk.
A bit of an anti-climax followed with a change to colder weather and more Westerly or Northerly winds. Still, up to 6 Cattle Egrets at Dungeness, good numbers of Great White Egrets and the odd Caspian Gull have kept the interest going.

That just leaves December and lots of photos to sort.

Silver Washed Fritillary was seen in good numbers this year in the Orlestone complex.

White Letter Haistreak was hard for us to find this year. This is probaly the best view we could manage. Near Hamstreet.

Deaths Head Hawkmoth. Not the best of photos but a stunner in real life, and what a size. Dungeness

Pretty Marbled moth at Dungeness. (Photo courtesy of David Walker).

Black Hairstreak in East Sussex. Probably the butterfly highlight of the year.

One of up to 11 Cattle Egrets seen at Dungeness

Foresters Moth. Good numbers as seen by at least 7 on this one flower. Breckland.

[David M]

Wow! It's not often we get an image of a Death's Head Hawk Moth on here, Dave. Is this a vagrant or do we get an influx every year?

[dave brown]

Hi David. The Death's Head Hawkmoth is an immigrant moth that is recorded in varying numbers most years. Current evidence suggests that they cannot over winter in Britain, even in a mild year. Good years may see 25-30 arrive in Britain but I believe less than 20 are seen most years. Usually arriving from May onwards they can be recorded as late as October. They are really impressive when seen in real life and are Britains largest moth. They can make quite a audible squeak sound if touched or disturbed.

[David M]

Thanks for the information, Dave. You were very lucky to see this if only a couple of dozen are usually recorded each year!

[dave brown]

A very good year draws to an end.

We consider 2018 was in general a very good year for wildlife. The very hot weather did cause issues with numbers of moths, and a mixed bag regards plants/ wildflowers. Here in Kent Orchids suffered badly from the heat , but some species, particulary Small White Orchid and Lesser Butterfly Orchid were seen in record numbers in the Highlands. Unfortunately we did not manage our visit this year so were unable to witness this spectacler.
We were delighted this year to find a new breeding colony of the very rare Southern Migrant Hawker at Oare Marshes and possibly another at Appledore (Kent). We also saw the delightful Club Tailed Dragonfly in Sussex, our first sighting for years. The Downy Emerald seems to be spreading here in Kent, as does the Southern Emerald Damselfly, but alas the latter is on private property. The Scarce Emerald Damselfly seems to have found Oare Marshes to its liking with several records (previously only known from North for the County around Cliffe).

Late November and December went out with a bit of a whimper. 9 Pink Footed Geese at Scotney was of note for Kent. Pink Feet are quite scarce in Kent although of course they winter in large numbers as close as the Norfolk Coast. 12 visits to the Shirley Moor area of Kent failed to the Great Grey Shrike that was seen on just 4 dates in December and then only briefly. The Humes Yellow Browed Warbler near Dungeness was just as elusive although we caught up with that on the 4th December. A Rough Legged Buzzard near Sittingbourne on the 29th December was a nice surprise, but no Butterflies in December was a disappointment. We normally manage a Red Admiral or two.

Looking forward to what 2019 brings.

No excuses for another photo of the Rare, and in my view, most stunning of moths. The Oleander Hawkmoth at Dungeness.

Orange Tailed Clearwing (moth) at Ruckinge (Kent)

Western Conifer Seed Bug at Dungeness. Rare but currently increasing in Britain

[David M]

Fabulous array of insects in your last post, Dave. Pride of place goes (unsurprisingly) to that spectacular Oleander Hawk Moth. How I’d love to see one of these…they truly are the pinnacle of the moth world.

[dave brown]

I have not updated my PD for a while, actually almost a year, but I seem to have been just as busy watching wildlife as previous years, but with a slight difference. I have spent some time looking for the unusal rather than chasing the same things as every year. Not that I was that successful mind you but at least I looked. Seeing that I am so far behind with my diary I think the best thing is just to do a summary of each month supported by a few photos.

Before I get underway I would like to say that I personally found 2019 a poor year for moths and some extent butterflies. Moths in particular seemed lower in both quality and quantity, with some nights not producing much at all. Migration seemed non existent on some days, and again for many days running.
I also believe that here in Kent we had a very poor Autumn for Birds with very little to find. Days running of Westerly winds did not help.

January 2019. Birdwise nothing exceptional although enough to keep the interest going. Dungeness held varying numbers of Great White Egrets, Little Egrets and up to 4 Cattle Egrets. 35 Bewick Swans was our best total. Occasional Firecrest, what a stunning bird, 2 Whooper Swans, Black Necked Grebe and the usual Ravens. We managed a Great Northern Diver in Folkestone Harbour (3rd), 2 Velvet Scoters off Pett Level (6th), 3 Twite at Rye Harbour (8th), a wintering Whimbrel and 4 Greenshank Oare Marshes (12th), Great Skua off Hythe (17th), Black Throated Diver off Hythe (29th) and a Marsh Tit near Chilham (27th).

I mention the Marsh Tit because that seems to be an increasingly scarce bird in Kent. I hope that it does not go the same way as the Willow Tit which is now absent from Kent, but was quite regular in the Eighties, even a few pairs within a few miles of home. The Twite is another bird that is getting harder to see in the South. Always only a winter visitor to Kent and East Sussex it is now one to enjoy when it does appear with some years totally absent.

The best looking bird of January award goes to the Male Wood Duck at Godmersham although it's origins are suspect.

We noted no Butterflies, Moths or Dragonflies.

[dave brown]

February 2019.

This winter proved hard work to see any scarce ducks here in Kent. The weather on the near Continent was not cold enough to instigate any real movement into Britain. So it was on the 02nd that we saw our only male Smew of the winter period. It stayed most of the month around the RSPB Dungeness.
Present at Dungeness during February
Black Necked Grebe, male & female Goldeneye, Goosander, 2 Whooper Swans, maximum of 4 Cattle Egrets (10th), Great White & Little Egrets. Raven. 3 Dartford Warblers (24th). Our first Sandwich Tern of the year on the 24th. Nearby Scotney GP held a maximum of 12 Whitefronted Geese, 1Tundra Bean Goose, 2 male & 1 female Goosander.
Walland Marsh was unusally deserted with just 35 Bewick Swans of note. Gone are the days when we used to see 200 plus there.
Brabourne (near Ashford) held 3 Cattle Egrets (15th).
At Godmersham the male Wood Duck was joined by 2 females. Wood Ducks are fairly common in captivity but it does seem strange that 3 managed to break out and travel together. None were ringed or pinioned. On the coast Seasalter held 3 Ravens whilst the 17th produced 2 Rough Legged Buzzards at
Funton Creek (near Sittingbourne). These stayed most of the month and were enjoyed by many.

The 23rd was our first good butterfly day of the year with 10 Brimstone, 2 Comma and 1 Red Admiral at Sheldwich in spring like sunshine.

Thanks to a good friend we saw a Red Sword Grass (moth) that he trapped on the 24th at Ruckinge. This species is very scarce in the South East and almost certainly a migrant, although it is much more common in Northern England, Wales and Scotland. This was our first record. The camouflage is remarkable, looking more like a twig than a moth.

I only just managed to catch this Barn Owl as it flew past in falling light.

A distant photo of the Wood Ducks at Godmersham.

Against the right background this species would be
almost impossible to see. A very scarce moth for Kent. 24th February

[Neil Freeman]

Before I get underway I would like to say that I personally found 2019 a poor year for moths and some extent butterflies. Moths in particular seemed lower in both quality and quantity, with some nights not producing much at all. Migration seemed non existent on some days, and again for many days running.

Hi Dave,

I found 2019 a mixed year for Butterflies, some species definitely did better than others, but like you I found moths to my garden trap down in both overall numbers and number of species.
We don't get many migrants here in the midlands at the best of times.

Cheers,

Neil.

[David M]

...Thanks to a good friend we saw a Red Sword Grass (moth) that he trapped on the 24th at Ruckinge. This species is very scarce in the South East and almost certainly a migrant, although it is much more common in Northern England, Wales and Scotland. This was our first record. The camouflage is remarkable, looking more like a twig than a moth.

That's a quite divine looking moth, Dave. Looks like a random ink splash on a shard of wood. Very impressive.

[dave brown]

So on to March 2019 and the highlight has to be the sighting of a Large Tortiseshell at Dungeness. We were not the finders. It had already been seen by several others, mainly locals, during the week. The 29th was warm and sunny so we decided to give this butterfly a try. Anyone who knows Dungeness Trapping Area will appeciate finding a butterfly in that vast expanse of Sallows and Brambles is not easy. Luckily it had only been seen in an area of about 150 metres x 100 metres so we were in with a chance despite others not finding it the day before. In total there was four of us looking when it suddenly rose in front of us and drifted slowly by before appearing to land near a dense clump of brambles. Another person had even better views as it flew slowly in front of him at less than a metre distance below waist high. Despite much searching of the area we could not refind it although we are confident it didn't fly off high.
This is the second year running that Large Tortoiseshell has been seen at Dungeness in the trapping area. The 2018 record was of a worn individual being seen, and photographed, by 3 others on the 23rd April 2019. Makes you wonder.

Otherwise March was fairly uneventful with the usual Cattle, Great White and Little Egrets being seen almost daily at Dungeness. We saw our first Sandwich Terns of the year at Hythe on the 6th. Dungeness also produced a male Smew, 2 Whooper Swans, several Goldeneye, Firecrest. The 19th saw a large flock of 64 Sandwich Terns at Littlestone (Kent), Our first garden Large White on the 16th, lots of flowering Cuckoo plants on the 19th at Shirley Moor (but no Orange Tips). Our first Wheatear of the year at Oare Marshes on the 20th.
Red Kites started to appear with one over Ashford (20th), 2 over Godmersham (23rd) and 1 over Witterhsam (24th). Spring passage over Kent is now fairly common, presumably birds drifting north looking for breeding terrorities, or returning to established sites in the MIdlands and Scotland.
Other March goodies were a Glossy Ibis and Short Eared Owl at Oare Marshes (21st), Penduline Tit at Grove Ferry (23rd), an arrival over 200 plus Med Gulls at Pett Level (27th).
12 Brimstone, 6 Peacock and 1 Comma at Orlestone Forest (24th), followed by 2 Small Tortoiseshells and a Peacock at Dungeness (25th) whilst the 29th gave us a Hummingbird Hawkmoth at Dungeness.

Our expectations for March was probably too high. Would April deliver?

[dave brown]

April can be a very interesting month with winter visitors leaving and summer visitors arriving. With decent weather it certainly makes you feel that you should be out there looking, and looking we certainly were.
We started with a 1st winter Crane at Dungeness that remained for three weeks, although it could be elusive at times. We also saw our first Sand Martins of the year on the 2nd, plus Willow Warbler and Sedge Warblers, a few days later than normal. 6 Swallows the next day near Ashford was good, usually the bird that most people associate with the start of Summer. The 7th produced our first Common Terns of the year at Dungeness.
Marsh Frogs in full chorus at Oare Marshes on the 5th meant it was time for them to find a mate. It was not until the 8th that we saw more butterflies with a Brimstone and Small White.
Other goodies that week included a Red Necked Grebe at Dungeness on the 7th, a Black necked Grebe on the 10th, the usual Cattle and Great White Egrets. A Spoonbill at Oare Marshes on the 11th, and Glossy Ibis at Camber on the 13th.
A surprise find by a local patch birder was of a Stone Curlew at Conningbrook Country Park with 2 male Ring Ouzels in the same field. What a brillant find for an inland patch in Kent. Things were happening fast now with 3 Cattle Egrets near Naccolt (Kent), our first Whitethroats and Black Tern of the year locally. Naccolt also saw our first Orange Tip on the 17th. Peacock, Brimstone, Small White and Small Tortoiseshell were now regular. The 19th was very good for butterflies with 8 Green Veined Whites, 29 Brimstone and 15 Orange Tips at Orlestone. Also 4 Nightingales singing their presence whilst watching the butterflies. What more could you want. But want we did and the next day delivered 2 Garganey, 14 Whimbrel and 18 Yellow Wagtails at Dungeness. The 21st added Lesser Whitethroat, 14 Bar Tailed Godwits, Cuckoo, Hobby and Whinchat at Dungeness. The same day and place saw a mass arrival or emergence of Peacocks with at least 30 seen.
They kept on coming with 2 Black Winged Stilts on the 22nd at Dungeness, with a Blue Headed Wagtail and our 1st Hairy Dragonfly of the season.
The 24th was quieter but we still managed a Swift over Ashford and 3 Emperor Moths at Oare Marshes. A visit to Stelling Minnis on th 28th found us looking at Toothwort, Early Purple Orchids and the beautiful Lady Orchid. Followed by a detour to Dungeness for a mobile but stunning male Serin.
We ended the month at Oare Marshes (30th) watching 7 Emperor Moths then a quick dash to Pett Level for a male Ring Necked Duck.

April is a great month for us and really signals the start of summer. It seems like we were always on the go, but in reality we took 2019 a bit easier and reduced our mileage. Often staying more local but still enjoying the wildlife on offer.

This is Toothwort. A scarce plant in the South East. It is Parasitic on Hazel and a few other species of tree.

This photo would have seemed impossible 10 years ago. Here we see Great White Egret, Little Egret and Black Winged Stilt together at Dungeness. April 2019. All now regular visitors to the UK.

Emperor Moth at Oare Marshes on the North Kent Coast.

[Goldie M]

That's a great Moth shot Dave, don't think I've seen one of those yet Goldie

[David M]

Wonderful shot of the egrets and the stilt, Dave. Seems a trifle too exotic for the UK but perhaps that's where we're headed....