Creeping about

I don't know how we managed it, but this week both Pam's and my cars were due for their MOTs.Yesterday while Pam's was being done was Buzzard time, today I walked down to Kearsney Abbey.

There were a lot of birds active in the trees along the river and I stopped to watch a group of crests and tits.

Blue, Great, Coal and Long-tailed Tits were noisily feeding and although there were several crests the only ones I identified were Goldcrests.

They are always fun to watch, but often not easy to get a picture when they are in the open.

Often equally frustrating to the photographer is the Treecreeper. I saw this one along by the lake at the Abbey and I gave me just one chance for an un-obscured picture. Although they are found in around 45% of the tetrads (2km x 2Km squares) in Kent it is a bird I seldom see around St Margaret's (not on the garden list), so it's good to see them here.

 Along at  Bushy Ruff the water levels were of course very high. Moorhens were feeding on the grassy edges, but as soon as I, or one of the dog walkers, appeared they dashed into the water.

 Some of the Black-headed Gulls were showing signs of their black heads appearing in readiness for the breeding season.

The Mute Swan family was still there in a contented group.Given how early Springs seems to be arriving I was somewhat surprised to see the adults happily escorting their offspring. I'm sure it won't be long before they are showing the youngsters the door and chasing them for their territory.

Bushy Ruff is the kind of place that you hope to find something exceptional has popped in. So far I've been unlucky, but it is always good to see a pair of Gadwall. I did see several Grey Wagtails, but never close and always on the move. Today Kingfishers totally eluded me, but I suspect they are  still around.                                                                                                                                 

A Grey Day

All my good intentions of posting on a more or less daily basis went out of the window last week due to a multitude of either reasons or excuses. Today was MOT day for my car and while it was being done I walked down to Kearsney Abbey and along to Bushy Ruff. There is always a change of seeing a Kingfisher and Grey Wagtails are usually around.

Overall it was a quiet day and the birds, apart from the numerous Mallards, Coots, Moorhens and Gulls were fairly scarce. One Grey Heron sat high up on one of the trees on the island opposite the tea rooms at the Abbey. The snow had ceased and it looked fairly comfortable surveying the park from an elevated view point.

Normally Grey Wagtails are easy to find but today I had to work quite hard and only found a single bird at the far end of Bushy Ruff. Although it was a grey day and it seemed as if someone had turned the lights out I was given a good performance as this bird used a branch projecting into the high water for fly-catching.

I did think that this was probably a first winter bird but reading through Pipits and Wagtails of Europe, Asia and North America by Per Alström & Krister Mild ageing and sexing Grey Wagtails in winter isn't as easy as I had supposed.

After a fair bit of log running my show was ended when it bird flew across the Dour and vanished in the trees opposite.

I had a look at the ponds on the other side of the road. still hoping to come across a Kingfisher. I was not lucky in this respect but there was a group of six Gadwalls quite near the edge. Whether it's because this lake is less disturbed than Bushy Ruff I don't know, but this Gadwall seem to favour this side of the road.

Getting a ducking

It is still summer holidays for schools and a short walk round Bushy Ruff this afternoon showed that the "fishing net" industry is still doing well. I wonder how many, if any, Sticklebacks or Minnows found their way into ice-cream tubs (In my day it was a jam jar, but the much safer plastic tub now seems the container of choice).

Not surprisingly with all this activity going on, bird life tended to be distant, or at least a bit wary. This Mallard though, wasn't one bit shy. I mistakenly thought that when the onset of moulting to eclipse came the hormone levels dropped and the drakes were no longer interested in the ducks. Not so with this chap, he spent a considerable amount of time taking a ride on his chosen duck's back before they dashed off in a ritual fly round the lake.

I eventually found a Grey Wagtail, sifting through the weed, on one of the stepped weirs as the water drops down into Russell Gardens. It took little notice of the people around, just moving from one side to other if someone got too close.

I came across this one in the small stream between the two parks. It was very close and at first I thought it would stay there while I photographed it, but it wasn't playing ball and flew up onto the roof of the lodge.

This Badger was a little more cooperative this evening, even allowing two of our grandsons, Sam and Eliot really close views. At first Pam and I thought it was the small female that's been a regular visitor of late, but a closer look showed it to be a different chap. She did come.later after the boys were tucked up in bed.

The man in the moon went home and the river went dry

I had a look at the Bay this morning in very windy conditions and was rewarded with a couple of Red-throated Divers not too far off shore. Other birds in evidence included a Great Crested Grebe, quite a few Auks, the only ones I identified were Guillemots, two adult Gannets not far out and a flock of Fulmars sitting on the sea. Dover pier was closed to visitors and I decided on a quick visit to Kearsney Abbey and the adjacent parks.

The water at Russell Gardens still hasn't returned. I assume that even with the rain we've had there still isn't enough for the River Dour to flow.

The lake at Bushy Ruff is equally dismal, with just two large puddles. I can't quite work out how the river is flowing through Kearsney Abbey, and where the water comes from? Is the problem over-extraction up river and if so what is going to be done to restore these two important sites, both for wildlife and as amenities for the public.

There were a few Mallards on one of the "puddles" along with Coots and Moorhens, but there was no sign of any Dabchicks.

I was a bit surprised to find a pair of Gadwall sitting on the muddy edge, there doesn't look to be much food present for the ducks since the lake more or less dried out completely at the end of the summer.

I was pleased to find a pair of Grey Wagtails on the grassy area nest to where the stream should have been flowing. Last year a pair nested near here, but unless water returns they are unlikely to do so this year.

Over the road the lake at Kearsney Abbey still have a fair amount of water and there were a good number of Mallards, Mute Swans, coots and Moorhens, but I still couldn't find a Dabchick. Along the river as it flowed towards Crabble there was a Little Egret enjoying the quiet conditions. Two Kingfishers sped passed but I failed to relocate them.

I could hear a lot of Goldcrest calling in the bushes but the river and after some time I got some views of this little sprite.

It seemed to get quite upset when I squeaked at it and raised it's crest at me in what seemed to be a threatening display.

(SC aka Kingsdowner do you know where the title came from?).

The Autumn Collection

Another warm day with a bright blue sky and potential for sun burn! I walked through Kearsney Abbey grounds and followed the River Dour through Bushy Ruff.

At the end of Bushy Ruff, just before the river goes under the road I sat and watched the water trickle past for a while. The area looks perfect for a Kingfisher and it wasn't long before a flash of orange and blue proved me right. Although I saw one several times, never did it sit in the open and pose for pictures. It may be worth looking again and trying to work out if it has a favourite perch that can be watch from cover.

This time of year brings a collection of moths that really fit the "season of mists and mellow fruitfulness. In the third verse of his "Ode to Autumn" Keats does mention Sallows, but of course he is referring to trees, not moths. But the Autumn does bring sallows to the moth trap and somehow their basic yellow patterns reflect the season perfectly.

Centre-barred Sallow

Barred Sallow

Orange Sallow

Dusky-lemon Sallow

Some of the other moths that I'm trapping at the moment are similar in their style.

Lunar Underwing

Beaded Chestnut

Autumnal Rustic

Best of all, for me today, was a Flounced Chestnut, the first I've caught here. Chestnuts are another group of moths that are mainly seem in the Autumn.

Flounced Chestnut.

How big's that fish?

I had a walk along the River Dour at Kearsney through to Bushy Ruff early this afternoon.

I did see two Grey Wagtails, but no family parties and they didn't hang around for long.

When I got to Russell Garden there was an Emperor Dragonfly patrolling up and down, but never staying in one place for long. A bit of a surprise was a young Cormorant opposite me. I say it was a surprise, not because they are particularly unusual, but because it was quite close and I hadn't seen it arrive. It stood with it's wings open, and as I hadn't ever seen anything bigger than a Stickleback here it certainly wasn't showing how large the last fish it caught was.

I walked round the water so as to get some better light on the bird, and anticipating it would be shy, I moved very slowly hoping to get quite close.

In fact the bird was almost oblivious to people and allowed very close approach, although as far as I could tell it was perfectly healthy. I did wonder if it had been driven inland by the high winds and it was therefore somewhat weak and exhausted, but it seemed very alert.

With the sun on it's feathers it was quite glossy and allowed me to sit on the steps quite close to it while it started to preen.

It got in to some strangely contorted positions.

Despite those huge, clumsy, looking feet it was able to delicately scratch the side of it's head until satisfied that the itch had gone!

It didn't do the full preen, but did spend some time sorting out the feathers on it's back.

Neck rubbing seemed to be a favourite manoeuvre.

A close look at the beak shows what a great tool it is for catching fish. I've often seen them fishing in the sea, coming up with small flat fish speared by this impressive sword.

Have spent some time drying out and preening it re-entered the water, and had a couple of dives. I didn't see it catch anything, but I have to say the water looks a fish free area.

Beautiful Baby show,

Once I'd had my fill of watching the British Open at Sandwich, I decided to have a look at Bushy Ruff, in the hope of finding a Grey Wagtail family or some dragonflies. The weather wasn't conducive to the latter and I failed to find any Wagtails.

I was quite surprised to find this family of very small ducklings amongst many almost adult sized young from this year.

Even if they are just a family of park ducks they do make an attractive sight, duckling are one of the prettiest of youngsters.

The same can't be said of young Moorhens, they really wouldn't win any baby contests. I watch a family of very recently hatched Moorhens in the stream at Russell Gardens. There were five chicks and once they'd be led on to the grassy bank they quickly go spread out. One followed mum and these two returned to the water where the youngster benefited from being a temporary only child by being fed a regular intervals with out having to share. Unfortunately for this bird, when the adult returned to the bank it got stuck in a thick clump of grass. The mother returned when the chick started calling loudly and it soon disentangled itself. It still got left behind ans mum retraced her steps to where the other chicks were scattered in the grass.

Once in the water the "neglected" chicks quickly made contact and followed her as fast as their paddling would allow.

As soon as a morsel was picked from the surface a beak presented itself and a begging call made it clear the chick was hungry. By now the fifth chick had caught up and the family were all together in a tight group.

At this point they were led to a small island in the stream (cue Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton). I didn't seem a clever move and after a few minutes two of the chicks were still struggling to climb up the slope. I expect they managed to make contact in the end, but she seemed to be making life difficult for them.

On my return as I came into St Margaret's a saw the Little Owl , that often sits out along Westliffe Road, sitting on a telegraph poll. I turned round in the village and went back and parked by the church, having passed the Owl still on it's perch. When I slowly walked down the road I saw no sign of the Owl, I presumed it had dropped off the poll when hunting. I turned round and walked back to the car. As I approached I saw something sitting on the roof, it wasn't the Owl but two young Kestrels. They were quite noisy and looked as if they weren't long fledged.

One of them shuffled about a bit and in the end decided to have a flap and s short flight. It managed this OK but it was yet particularly skilled at landing.

I think that it had intended to land on the ridge of the rook, but after a somewhat clumsy descent if ended up below the top, clinging to the roof.

It soon readjusted and took itself to a far better lookout position. From here it would have been able to see the telegraph polls that I'd been looking at earlier. If had looked it would have seen the Owl back on top of the telegraph pole.

It was there OK, but it refused to stay there for me to take a decent photo. Both the Little Owl and the Kestrels will probably be largely feeding on invertebrates, such as beetles and earthworms at the moment and I would guess they will be in direct competition for food. I don't know if there is ever any interaction between these two species.