A beakful of worms

One of the pairs of Blackbirds that have our garden in their territory is nesting in a Pyracantha bush next to the kitchen window.

The bush is in need of trimming but there have been nests in it all spring and it will have to wait. There is a window, directly behind it and this does give a view into the bush.

Looking up, from outside, the nest is visible and I can stand very close to it and watch both birds on the nest with out them taking much notice. If they come back with food and I have a camera, instead of feeding the young they immediately sit on the nest and brood them. So I haven't managed a picture of the adults feeding the young.

Both bird will feed very close to both Pam and I while we are in the garden and the male seemed to follow me around while I cut the lawn today. The female spent much of her time with Pam as she weeded and put in some plants.

In the front garden I accidentally flushed a juvenile that was drinking in the "stream". It sat on the fence for a while and allowed me to take its picture. It isn't one of the young from the nest I've been watching, they are still in the nest being fed.

We've got a really good compost bin going at the moment and it is absolutely heaving with worms. I put a dollop of the compost on the ground, near to the nest site and waited for the birds to find it. The female carried on going down the garden to feed near Pam, but the male quickly found this rich source of food.

It was interesting watching his method. He collected quite a few worms each time, and every now and again he put them all down on the ground in front of him before picking them all up again. Once again he took no notice of me until the big lens was pointing at him when he would often move away until the lens was out of sight. I mush look, like a large eye of some huge monster, it certainly makes him a little nervous.

See you at the weekend?

Doesn't time fly! Village Safari's happen every two years in St Margaret's and raise a good sum for the Pilgrims Hospices. It is a tiring, but rewarding weekend, but it really doesn't seem two years since the last one.

If you are in the area do come along, there will be lots going on in the village. I hope that I'll have some garden wild-life to show people. I'll be running my moth traps over night and hopefully, if the weather is kind I should have some interesting moths to show people. If you want to see how it is done, drop me an e-mail. The traps run overnight and I from about 5'am I'll be in the garden to check them.
Pam will have some of her Sculptures on show as well, and the garden will be open, although it isn't a vintage year this year after the hard weather in the winter.
We look forward to seeing lots of people and renewing old acquaintances, and it is all in a very good cause.

Miniature World

Common Froghopper (Philaenus spumarius )

Sometimes things other than moths turn up in the moth trap. If they are like this Common Froghopper that's OK but Wasps and Spiders can be a bit of a nuisance as the predate the moths. The Froghopper is an extremely common species in a wide range of plants across the UK, the larvae are the familiar producers of 'cuckoo-spit' in gardens. It is about 5mm long and is a prodigious jumper. It can jump 70cm in the air, and when it does it generates a G-force of over 500 gravities, 80 times that experienced by and astronaut.

Silver Barred (Deltote bankiana)

Some of the smaller moth are spectacular when looked at closely, this Silver Barred has a wingspan of about 22mm but is a Noctuid and therefore a "macro".

Evergestis limbata

Only a little smaller than the Silver Barred is this Pyralid, Evergestis limbata. A short time ago it was a major rarity, the first record in the UK was in 1993, but know they are frequent enough on the Kent Coast to suppose that there is at least a few breeding.

Homoeosoma sinuella

Pyralids are a relatively large family of moths, they are classified as "micros" despite the fact that several are larger than many of the pugs and other small geometers. At this time of year there are a lot of species of pyralid on the wing and they are several migrants that can occur.

Homoeosoma sinuella is another that I'm catching at the moment, it is a species often associated with chalk grassland and the larvae feed on the roots of various species of Plantains.

4th of July Farewell Party

We've been zooming about this weekend, child minding Sam on Friday Evening/Saturday Morning at Walthamstow, a 4th of July party at Reigate on Saturday afternoon and a Geoffrey Whitworth theatre party Saturday evening.

The 4th of July party was great fun, but sadly doubled up as a farewell party for former St Margaret's residents Matt and Perla Acin and their children Priscilla and Sofie. The had been neighbours of ours and although Matt's job had moved them away we have remained good friends. Although we have five wonderful grandsons Pam also enjoyed being a surrogate "Nanny Pam" to two young girls who enjoyed her talents with sewing, jewellery making and all those other special girlie things that boys avoid!

The party featured a very good "Lounge Jazz" group, with a singer who had a wonderful voice.

At the back the rhythm was laid down in a steady, and non-flamboyant manner by Matt, showing another side to his skills (one not always appreciated by other residents in The Avenue when he practiced when they lived here. It was very good, I hope Matt keeps his drumming up when he is in Buenos Aires.

Perla refused to get up on stage as a backing singer, and the two girls said that it was a good thing as singing is not her strongest area. On the other hand this rather scatty and somewhat nutty individual is in fact a very talented lady who is going to back to Argentina to start a new and demanding job, having been promoted. We will miss her and wish her well, I hope she and Matt don't mind visitors I still have a lot to see in Argentina and Buenos Aires will make a good base.

Priscilla, on the right, is doing what all young ladies of her age do, having a good gossip. She was only six when we first knew her and were amazed at how quickly she had learnt English. She's done well at school and I'm sure will settle back into Argentina with no problem.

Sofie was an addition to the family, so we've known her all of her life. She is a bit shy at first but like all of her gender once you get her talking she can gone on for a very long time! She also has a decent appetite.

A week ago they had come to St Margaret's for Sunday lunch and to tell us of their impending departure back to Argentina.

I think this Rugby T-shirt is what once aspiring stand-offs wear when they realise retirement was a good idea.

Not much you can say about this fashion statement, it very Perla though.

Priscilla can never resist have a fish in the pond. I this instance it was tadpoles that she was catching.

Sofie took advantage of the nice warm exercise pool for the last time and really seemed to enjoy it.

Back after at least 100 years.

The news of Ravens once again breeding in Kent has now been published. It is always a difficult decision, balancing the need for protection against the desire to tell all interested parties the good news. Today the story appeared on the BBC News website with details give by Property manager Simon Ovenden.

The last time Ravens bred in the area was around 1890, according to Norman Ticehurst, A History of the Birds of Kent(1909). For the last couple of years there have been odd sightings on or two Ravens in the area, so when it became obvious that they were staying around it was fingers crossed.

At least three young fledged around the 7th of May, and the sight of them clambering around the top of the cliffs was a momentous occasion.

This one took a rather wobbly flight along the cliff top and made a hurried landing in the grass.

They were mostly just over the edge of the cliff and I am not that good with heights. If my legs hadn't gone a bit weak at the knees I think I would have been able to get a better picture, as it is I had to make do with the head and upper body. There are more pictures of these historic birds here.