I arrived at Shuart on a beautifully sunny morning with all of the usual resident birds in good voice. That is apart from a Ring-necked Parakeet whose strident calls cut through the air, and drowned out the melodic song of a Blackcap, as it flew round calling loudly. Several Dock Bugs were soaking up the welcome early morning warmth from the sun and a pair appeared to be mating.
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| Dock Bugs |
I couldn't hear a Turtle Dove today but tractors were working in the fields which was resulting in a lot of background noise. Blackcap song followed me along and above a Common Buzzard was gradually gaining height. Good numbers of Holly Blue were on the wing and one looked as if it was probably newly emerged as its wings were still fairly rumpled.
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| Holly Blue Butterfly |
As I neared the end of the hedgerow my first Orange-tip butterfly of the year was patrolling and covering a large distance in a surprisingly short space of time before flying back and beginning again. Reed and Sedge Warbler song filled the air and the the Lesser Whitethroat, I had passed earlier, his song was carrying well despite being a fair distance away now. Two pairs of Tufted Duck were in the dyke at opposite ends as well as a single male. I was pleased to see my first damselfly of the year as I neared the railway line and was expecting it to be an Azure but it was actually a Variable and made a nice start to the season.
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| Variable Damselfly |
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| Variable Damselfly |
In the same little patch of sheltered vegetation there was also a single Blue-tailed Damselfly as well as several Red-and-black Froghoppers Cercopis vulnerata and a Rhopalid bug Corizuz hyoscyami. I couldn't manage to get a photo of the Rhopalid without the light reflecting badly off it but it was nice to see a good mixture of insects in this one little sheltered patch.
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| Red-and-black Froghopper Cercopis vulnerata |
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| Corizuz hyoscyami |
I was pleased to also catch sight of a Common Lizard resting up amongst the vegetation as it sunned itself. Normally I would have seen one well before now but the long spell of cold weather has meant that this is the first one for the year for me.
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| Common Lizard |
Coming up onto the embankment I could see another Orange-tip butterfly patrolling and was pleased to catch up with my first Common Blue butterfly of the year. It was a smart blue form female.
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blue form female Common Blue Butterfly
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| blue form female Common Blue Butterfly |
At the stables the air was stuffed full with the begging calls of young Starlings who appeared to be everywhere and were certainly making their presence known. I made my up to the sea wall but soon turned back as it was packed with people and decided to have a wander along the embankment instead. A Fulmar flew inland then west as I came off the sea wall. Coming back past the stables a Spotted Flycatcher flew up to perch at the top of one of the bushes and almost instantly a Goldfinch flew straight at it and drove it off. It perched again briefly lower down but the same thing happened again and the last I saw of it was as it headed west along the embankment. I hoped with a bit of luck that I might pick it up again further along. I came across another Variable Damselfly and also a Bishop's Mitre Shieldbug Aelia acuminata.
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| Variable Damselfly |
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| Bishop's Mitre Shieldbug Aelia acuminata |
Common Broomrape was in flower and the Lockheed Martin Hercules C-130J C4 I had seen on a previous visit came in off the sea and headed inland.
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| Common Broomrape |
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| Lockheed Martin Hercules C-130J C4 |
I could see a couple of distant Red Kite heading west and they were followed shortly after with a group of 6 distant Red Kite spiralling round as they moved west as well.
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| Red Kite |
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| Red Kites |
I could see another first for the year ahead as a Small Heath butterfly flitted up ahead before moving further along. Another Common Blue butterfly settled near me on an Ox-eye Daisy and delicately probed the individual florets with its proboscis.
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| Common Blue Butterfly |
I carried on having a wander along and was idly watching an Azure Damselfly when I glanced up and caught sight of another Red Kite coming through, nearer this time, which although it gave the overall impression of a Red Kite it also did not look quite right. I grabbed a few shots before it disappeared behind the hedge for me and when I looked at them at home I was increasingly puzzled. Characteristically it looked like a Red Kite but some aspects, particularly of plumage, seemed almost suggestive of Black Kite and the more I looked at any information I could find the more puzzled I became. With absolutely no experience with Black Kite I sent the photos to see what Chris thought and I am very grateful for his very helpful reply and for the photos of a Black Kite he sent which enabled me to compare my bird with one in a similar stance. Instantly I could see that, despite the puzzling aspects, my bird's character was still strongly suggestive of Red Kite in comparison to Matt's Black Kite in the photos. Its been an interesting bird for me and plumage wise unlike other Red Kites I have seen.
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| Red Kite |
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| Red Kite |
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| Red Kite |
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| Red Kite |
Single Red Kites continued to trickle through and a distant group of 5 Common Buzzards were also spiralling west. I caught sight of another damselfly. It was a smart male but though it had broken antehumeral stripes it did not have a post ocular bar, not even the suggestion of one. Pronotum and markings however all suggested Variable. Nearby there was a handy male Azure Damselfly for comparison.
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despite no post ocular bar other features suggest it is a male Variable Damselfly |
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| despite no post ocular bar other features suggest it is a male Variable Damselfly |
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| male Azure Damselfly |
Skylarks were bursting with song and Whitethroat, Sedge and Reed Warblers were all in good voice. 2 Oystercatchers were on a bare patch of mud in one of the fields and one reacted each time to any Carrion Crow that came near. An Orange-tip Butterfly which had been actively patrolling helpfully settled to feed on the nearby Sainfoin and gave the chance to try for a few photos. The male is a very attractive butterfly.
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| Orange-tip Butterfly |
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| Orange-tip Butterfly |
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| Orange-tip Butterfly |
Both a Sparrowhawk and a Marsh Harrier were up over the back fields. A Corn Bunting flew over calling as I made my way along. A Lesser Whitethroat was singing away and I continued to come across small numbers of both Variable and Azure Damselfly including 2 blue form female Variable Damselflies.
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| blue form female Variable Damselfly |
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| blue form female Variable Damselfly |
Out of the wind the sun had some real warmth to it and it made a change to feel pleasantly warm as I wandered along. A Carrion Crow taking off from the top of a bush spread wings and tail to give as much lift as possible as with a deep downstroke it took to the air.
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| Carrion Crow |
I had, what turned out to be my last Red Kite west and though I kept my eyes open I did not see anymore for the rest of the visit. They had all come through in just under a 50 minute window. A couple of smart male Common Blue butterflies were on the wing, blue flashes of colour as they flitted about. I had another damselfly, a female this time also with broken antehumeral stripes but no post ocular bar. The pronotum this time suggested Azure rather than Variable but did not look quite right for either. I obviously have a lot to learn with these. It will also be interesting to look up and see if hybrids occur or not.
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| Despite broken antehumeral stripe would pronotum and lack of post ocular bar suggest female Azure Damselfly? |
I could hear a Cuckoo calling and above a few Swift were heading west in small numbers together with some Swallows. A Lacewing fluttered across and on landing I could see that it was a Chrysopa perla.
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| Chrysopa perla |
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| Chrysopa perla |
I came off the embankment at Chambers Wall came across another couple of Variable Damselflies, 2 Blue-tailed Damselflies and an Azure Damselfly.
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| male Variable Damselfly |
A little further on I also saw a couple of newly emerged teneral Red-eyed Damselflies.
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| teneral Red-eyed Damselfly |
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| teneral Red-eyed Damselfly |
I'd rather hoped for a flycatcher and was well chuffed when a Spotted Flycatcher flicked out from the hedgerow as I made my way up the track before flying up and disappearing to the other side of the hedge. I could see through a small gap that it was flycatching from the hedgerow on the other side of the field. I wondered if it could be the same one that I had seen at Shuart flying west along the embankment.
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| Spotted Flycatcher |
I could still see it when I came up to the gap in the hedgerow and could also see another 2 Spotted Flycatchers in the bushes by the car park. Now that I wasn't expecting.
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| Spotted Flycatcher |
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| Spotted Flycatcher |
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| Spotted Flycatcher |
It was about to get even better though. I left them fly catching away and started up the exit road. I was surprised when ahead I could see another 2 Spotted Flycatchers near the end of the hedgerow. I had only just turned the corner so it seemed unlikely they were the same birds from the car park but I did have a peep back just in case and no, they were still there. The five Spotted Flycatchers made a very nice end to an enjoyable visit.
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| Spotted Flycatcher |
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| Spotted Flycatcher |
Birds seen this visit included: 2 Pheasant, 5 Chaffinch, Jackdaws, 8 Blackbird, 1 Robin, 9 Blackcap, 2 Chiffchaff, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Wood Pigeons, 2 Stock Dove, 3 Wren, 2 Ring-necked Parakeet, Skylarks, 4 Magpie, Carrion Crows, 16 Goldfinch, 1 House Martin, 3 Moorhen, 9 Common Buzzard, 2 Green Woodpecker, Sedge Warblers, 17 Whitethroat, 2 Red-legged Partridge, 2 Mistle Thrush, Reed Warblers, 8 Cetti's Warbler, 8 Swift, 2 Swallow, Herring Gulls, 2 Sand Martin, 3 Lesser Whitethroat, 11 Reed Bunting, 2 Dunnock, 1 Oystercatcher, 3 Yellow Wagtail, 5 Tufted Duck, 1 Grey Heron, 2 Little Egret, Starlings, 4 Swallow, 6 Linnet, 1 Great Black-backed Gull, Herring Gulls, 3 Ringed Plover, 2 Stonechat, 9 Sanderling, 3 Mute Swan, 3 Oystercatcher, 2 Marsh Harrier, 1 Fulmar, 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 11 Red kite, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Corn Bunting, Cuckoo, 1 Kestrel, 5 Spotted Flycatcher
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