Cant they read the labels!

I must be getting a grumpy old man, or I've been reading Dylans Blog too often! Either way I'm going to have another moan. After failing to find any Waxwings in a couple of likely places today I decided on a quiet sit and watch at the Reed Bed Hide at Stodmarsh. Often there's not much to see, but sometime a Marsh Harrier will wander very close or a Kingfisher might drop in. When I got there it was already occupied by two gentlemen birders. Now I'm not antisocial but in this case they spoiled my objective. Not because they were there, having what was probably a well earned cup of coffee with the shutters closed to keep out the cold. But because the hide was full of the stink of very recent smoking. I pointed out that there was a no smoking sign in the hide, and it was then that I was out manoeuvred. "Don't worry about that, we don't mind if you want to smoke" was the reply. Was I too subtle when I pointed it out, or was I just beaten by an old hand? Yes these weren't the youngsters whose manners come under frequent scrutiny, but two older chaps reaching nad passing what passes for maturity. What is it in tobacco that makes smokers so selfish?

I left quickly, deciding to return when the fog had subsided and the air wasn't so toxic. Along to the Lampden Wall where apart for Mallards, Teal and Coot there was little to see. One Marsh Harrier flew by quite close and I did hear the "ping" of a Bearded Tit.

I walked up to the channel where in April 1996 an American Coot, found by Chris Hindle, was the second for Britain, and a surprise tick for many Kent birders.

Back at the Hide, now less fume filled and empty, I opened the windows and watched over the marsh. There were at least5 three female or immature Marsh Harriers hunting, but none came very close.

The only birds on the water in front of the hide were Mallards and Coot, and a flock of Teal was dashing around in their normal panic each time there were disturbed by a Harrier. A noisy flock of Greylags, took off from somewhere not far away, but hidden from view and did a fly pasty.

Looking towards the industrial estate, along the A28, the trees at at the back of the marsh seem to be decorated with Cormorants, a bird that has prospered by the increase in fisheries in lakes and gravel pits, much to the displeasure of the fisherman who have been generous enough to donate these feeding stations to these hungry birds.

Grammar or Maths, or can we have both?

I heard Alex Bellos, author of "Adventures in Numberland", on the radio today. He was on Andrew Marr's "Start the Week" and giving his book a good plug. As someone who enjoys number puzzles and is appalled by the declining numeracy in the country, I was mostly in agreement with him. Then came the awful moment, when, while he was extolling the merits of the duodecimal system, he said "a lot more easier". It would be good to halt the decline in numeracy, but is doesn't have to be at the expense of literacy!

There have been a few butterflies around this week and I always enjoy seeing the first brood of the Comma. This is a real sun seeker, often resting on a sunny position on brambles and Ivy. They normally rest with their wings open but when the close them they reveal the grammatically correct comma.

The Large or Dark Edged Bee-fly is a true fly although it is a bee mimic. It uses it's long proboscis to feed on nectar while hovering in front of flowers, especially primroses. it lays is eggs near the entrances to the underground nests of solitary bees and wasps. After the larvae hatch they find their way down into the nests where they feed on the grubs.

There seem to have been a larger number than usual of early Peacock Butterflies. As far as I know these aren't migrants but hibernate over winter. They are the probably the longest lived British butterfly with adults surviving from late July one year, sometimes to June the nest year. The Peacock is doing well, with most Butterfly transects showing an increasing population. The fact that they seem in such good numbers this year must mean that they survived the winter well despite it being one of the coldest for 20 years or more.

A Day of Mixed Fortunes

Many of the birds that make their way on to Bockhill list are seen passing by while we are sea watching. I decided to have a quick trip to Oare Marshes and get some close views of a few of these species.

As usual at high tide, many of the waders that feed out on the mud, came to the reserve to roost. These Black-tailed Godwits, mostly now in their beautiful summer red spend most of the time asleep.

This male kestrel perched up beside me and it was too good an opportunity to miss, although of course is doesn't fit the specification of a migrant passed St Margaret's.

Most of the Common Terns we see are a long way out so it was a real treat to watch this one feeding along one of the fleets.

Occasionally we get small groups of Avocets migrating past the bay. This used to be considered a really rare bird in the UK but now they have become breeding birds at several places in Kent and there are over 800 pairs in England.

Not strictly a migrant over the sea at Bockhill, but mostly seen and heard as the fly over. It was good to see this male on territory even it it has what is probably the worst song of all our "songbirds".

Why! why do people dump rubbish.

This mattress was dumped by the side of the road to East Langdon. This is only about 3 miles from the free disposal facility at Whitfield. I couldn't do anything about this thing, it was too big to pick up.

I did however pick up all this rubbish dumped in pond lane, and it contained a real piece of luck, an envelope with an address on it. Guess who going to be getting it back tomorrow!

Todays Birding A real mixture of excitement, frustration and ineptitude. There were lots of Swallows and some House Martins and Sand Martins migrating this morning, plus an increase in Whitethroats singing. Then while we were lazily sitting around on the grass at the monument a Black Kite flew through. So intent was I on watching it that I never thought to get my camera, Phil thought about it in time to get some "record" shots. I was really cross with myself for not having my camera at the ready as it had flown almost directly over us. The frustration came this evening with the news that a White-billed Diver had flown passed Dungeness. Five of us assembled in the Bay in the hope that it would pass by and close enough for a good view. About and hour and a quarter after the Dungeness sighting Nigel picked up three birds flying up the channel. It soon became obvious that they were divers and that one was larger than the other two. But at the distance they were and the light conditions that was as far as it went. Three divers, one bigger than the other two.

Mothing. Not many moths, but I did have my first Double-striped Pug and Light-brown Apple Moth of the year.

Foggy Bay

This morning was exceptionally foggy and although there were birds about it wasn't all that easy to find them.

Along the Lees I could hear a Whitethroat singing, but couldn't find the Ring Ouzel that has been seen earlier. It is often said that the songs of Blackcaps and Garden Warblers are difficult to tell apart. I think that in general they have very different tones and structures and with practice are normally quite easy. Sometimes, however, the Blackcap quietly sings a sub-song that lacks the clarion quality of the full song and is much more suggestive of the Garden Warbler than normal. If you add to this that the later into the season you get the more leaves you have to peer through care must be taken. This Blackcap was loathe to show itself properly, but there were enough gaps in the hawthorn to make out the black cap and of course it is still very early for a Garden Warbler to arrive.

I've mentioned that Buzzards seem to be making a bit of a comeback in the county and although I've shown them feeding on the ground, probably catching worms and invertebrates, the majority of their food is small mammals and Rabbits are an important part of this. Rabbits seem to be more numerous now than for a few years and this, as well as the withdrawal of organic-phosphorus pesticides, such as DDT and the greater protection of birds of prey, is probably a factor in their success.

Starlings are busy collecting nesting material and should soon be mainly glossy black instead of the spotty individuals many still are. If you want to know which are the males and which are the females, look at the base of their beaks. In the male it is blue(ish) and in the female pale pink(ish). I suspect that they can work it out with out this clue!

This evening I noticed a couple of carrion Crows cleaning up and edible bits and pieces left by the days visitors, and not so far found by the gulls. Much of the clearing up is done by some very public spirited villagers who give their time to keeping the bay tidy. I wonder why people find it acceptable to leave rubbish? While I'm in moaning mode, why is it that when you're quietly walking along, enjoying the quiet beauty of the area the mood is often broken by the manic shouting of someone else. It wont be the teenagers that so often get the blame, or even younger children, no the odds are it will someone walking their dog. I can't understand what enjoyment people get out of walking a dog in beautiful quiet places and then shouting at it all the time. If it wont do what it's told quietly for goodness sake put it on a lead!

A day best forgotten.

Most days have some redeeming features, but it was difficult to find anything good to say about the weather today, but then again I suppose I could have been in terminal five!

The rain swept through the garden in wave after wave, while the wind reached gusts of 50 mph. By the early evening it had reduced to lighter rain so I had a look at the bay. Not really expecting to see much passage out to sea I wasn't disappointed when there was absolutely zero.

I took a wander along pond lane, where there is a good view over much of the area and scanned the sky for a late raptor moving now the weather had relented and of course found none. I'm not alone in having a poor day in Kent. There wasn't a single item on BirdGuides relating to Kent when I looked at 10pm. The weather is improving with a reasonable forecast tomorrow morning, a new day with high hopes!

just in

Having broken down on the M20 at Maidstone at 21.45, I finally got home (car on a pickup truck) at 2.45am, consequently I apologise for no proper entry.

Oh yes, the water pump has disintegrated!

Puddles

If I remember correctly both the ancient Greeks and the Romans had a fair knowledge of drains and drainage. Archimedes used the fact that water would flow down hill when he jumped out of the bath! It is a shame then that the engineers (?) who designed and over saw the work (?) on the car park in the bay seemed not to have learnt these rather simple lessons of Physics and material science. Water runs down hill, concrete is not permeable to water and water molecules love to congregate in puddles.

The car park was closed for about seven weeks in total, to describe the quality of the work done as poor would be to praise it far more than it deserves. It now looks like a car park in need of renovation, just eight weeks after it was finished. I'll let my photos tell the story.

This is not a paddling facility for disabled drivers.

The surface is like this already, I know it was meant to be loose stones but this will get positively dangerous.

It would not have been difficult to put drain holes (weep holes) in the retaining wall to let the water out.

And remember Dover District Council is spending OUR money.