A fairly quiet visit to Sharstad Wood, Doddington yesterday afternoon. Wren, Robin, GSW & Goldcrest heard fleeting visit of Covid and probable Woodpigeons but not good enough for ID’s. A flew diptera on the still flower umbellifiers. Found a patch of Green Elf Cup fungi on a fallen branch.

A 5m circular walk between Chilham & Chartham in sunshine following heavy rain earlier. 3 Ravens, 1 heard in Chilham village square & 2 over the fields were the highlight. Robin. LTT and Goldcrest the most common passerine’s noted. The fishing lakes held Coot, BHG & a Herring Gull.

A morning walk in lovely autumnal sunshine at a muddy Hucking Estate. No winter thrushes yet on the berry laden bushes. Leaves on the trees shades of green, gold & copper. Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Goldcrest, Nuthatch, Robin, Great Tit seen or heard. 2 Ladybirds & Candle Snuff Fungi also seen

A sunny day but with a coldish wind blowing at Eastwell Lake, Ashford c25 Mallard were on the road as I headed to the carpark. Greylag (c60), the Mallard, 4 BHG & Coot & 2 Egyptian Geese, 2 Cormorant & a Little Egret on the lake. In the churchyard Coal & Blue Tit, Kestrel & Greenfinch & Robin heard.

A late morning 7 mile walk around Appledore, starting in sunshine ending under grey clouds. Majority of birds seen were Corvids but there were a number of passerines calling. Distant Buzzard & a Kestrel the only birds of prey. A Red Admiral. a White, Common Carder & distant Hawker & Darter seen

An afternoon visit to Seasalter levels this afternoon. Under grey skies & a cold wind blowing, 10 Little Egret were huddled together, c60 Starling in small flocks & couple of Carrion Crow flew through. At least 20 House Sparrow in the hedge by the pumping station. On the sea were c80 Brent Geese.

Yesterday’s lunchtime walk @kentwildlife.bsky.social Cromers Wood produced Blackbird, Green Woodpecker, Goldfinch (2) with Great Tit, Chaffinch & Magpie heard. #kentbirding

Lost wallet - if any birding friends hear of a wallet being found at St Margaret's Bay/Pines Garden/South Forereland (Kent) yesterday, it's mine! Last used at the beach cafe. Cards stopped but don't want the hassle of getting a replacement driving licence, etc.

Today’s lunchtime walk was in glorious autumnal sunshine around Highsted Wood, Sittingbourne. 2 Jays seen separately were the highlight. The Silver Birches on the chalk pit edges seem to contain some Linnets. Found my first Fly Agaric of the year. #kentbirding #kentnature

A more productive lunchtime walk around @kentwildlife.bsky.social Cromers Wood, Sittingbourne. Jay (2), Great Tit, Green Woodpecker & a Goldcrest by the pond were all heard whilst a Robin, Magpie & a Buzzard on a pylon were seen. A Grey Squirrel & a 7-spot Ladybird also noted.

Found what I believe to be Sheep’s-bit during our walk today at Dungeness NNR today.

Completed a 3.5m circular walk around part of the Dungeness peninsula today. At least 5 Gannets close in by the fishing boats were a yt. Herring & Great Black-back Gulls in the shingle with a few Black-headed. Meadow Pipit & Linnet in the shingle with vegetation. A cracking male Stonechat also seen.

At Wingham this morning, a Red Kite low over the fields, 2 Swallows through & House Martins in leeward side of roadside tree’s. At a windy Sandwich Bay, Herring Gulls loafing on the beach, Black-headed Gulls flying up towards Ramsgate. On land c10 Jackdaw & a Robin. A Wall butterfly & a Colletes sp

Todays walk was around Highsted Wood, Sittingbourne. 2 Peacocks, a distant White & a Wall were still on the wing. A Carrion Crow seen & Jay, Magpie, Blue Tit & Green Woodpecker heard. Hopefully the solitary bee can be confirmed as a Bull-headed Furrow Bee which would be a lifer.

Today’s lunchtime walk was @kentwildlife.bsky.social Cromers Wood. A Blue Tit & Goldcrest called from the old carpark & later a Jay down the slope. A Common Carder, 7-spot Ladybird & a cranefly to ID. A dead Common Shrew on a path. Seems a good crop of Sweet Chestnuts this year.

A lunchtime wander to @kentwildlife.bsky.social Ashford Warren & Hoades Wood. Fungi are now emerging around the wood. A Coal Tit calling was the ornithological highlight, with 6 species noted. 2 Eristalis hoverfly species & a Parent Bug also recorded. #kentbirding #kentnature

A 5m walk around some villages south of Sittingbourne. 11 Swallows (small groups) & 2 House Martins going south. 2 Coal Tits at Borden & Bredgar where the other highlights. Robins were the most numerous bird heard or seen. Largest number of Butcher’s-broom bushes I have ever seen at Tunstall Church.

5+ House Martins flying south over the house. A very rare sighting these days

An evening walk along the western side of Conyer Creek. With the tide out, Black-headed Gulls & a couple of Little Egret were on the creek edge. Saw 1 Curlew and heard the burbling calls later. Corvids flew overhead from Sheppey while gulls flew in the opposite direction. c25 Swallows flew through

Yesterday I visited the heath land plot at Eureka Park, Ashford. Warm in the sheltered sunny spots. Few birds seen or heard. Buff-tail Bumblebee & Common Carder seen. The sandy soil has hundreds of mining bee (Ivy?) nests now. 7 spot Ladybirds stood out against the vegetation.

A pilot autumnal early morning walk down Milton Creek in sunny conditions but a cold wind blowing. 5 Spot Reds, 4 Snipe feeding in the open & 21 Little Grebe were the highlights. Found aWarbler flock going through the Sea Aster containing Chiffchaff, 1 Lesser Whitethroat & 2 Blackcap (I dipped these

We did a 6m circular walk around Newington & Lower Halstow this morning. Starting in rain finishing in 22c bright sunshine. At least 30 Robin seen or heard, lots of Corvid about. Tide coming in at Lower Halstow flushing Redshank. Possible Little Owl yelping. Red Admiral & Small Copper on the wing

An early evening walk around Milton Creek CP last night in warm but windy conditions. Magpie’s & Goldfinch’s mainly recorded in the park. At the creek, with the tide out, we had 4 Little Egret including 2 on the salt marsh. As we arrived at the viewing point disturbed a hidden Kingfisher.

Today’s lunchtime walk was around Highsted Wood, Sittingbourne. In warm sunny weather we saw a Buzzard over the wood & heard Jay, Green Woodpecker & Robin. 2 Common Carder, Southern Hawker, Small White, Hairy Shieldbug, Myathropa florea hoverfly & 7 & 22 spot Ladybird also recorded.

A lunchtime walk along the Stour from Chartham towards Canterbury. At least 4+ Sand Martins along the river, their brown plumage showing against the riverside vegetation. A brief glimpse of a Kingfisher, positive I missed at least 1 Grey Wag. Found a Vapourer moth caterpillar, 4 Common Carder

A lunchtime visit to Eastwell Lake, Ashford in warm sunny weather. On the lake 2 of the 4 Great Crested Grebes seen were displaying. Single Coot & Moorhen and 7 Greylag. The churchyard was mainly in shadow. A pristine Speckled Wood showed well. A few flies about. Hadn’t appreciated Hedges Woundwort

A lunchtime walk @kentwildlife.bsky.social Cromers Wood, Sittingbourne. More birds heard with Robin, Blue Tit, Wren, Woodpigeon & a Buzzard. 2 Speckled Woods by the animal carved bench along a ride. A few parasitic wasps flying through the tangle of bramble runners & leaves on the hunt for hosts.

A first recording trip to Barton’s Point Coastal Park, Sheerness this afternoon. In hot weather & with a warm breeze blowing we saw some good birds. A Common Sandpiper flew across the lake. A flock of c25 Linnet on the grass beside the lake. Little Egret & Grebe and 6 Lapwing on the lake edge.

A late morning walk around Adisham nr Canterbury. 50+ Herring Gulls on a field being ploughed, on other recently ploughed fields Corvids searched for insects. We flushed 2 Partridges (probably Red-legged) & a Thrush (probably Mistle). 6 species of butterflies noted & a few Whites didn’t settle.

An afternoon wander around @wtscotsocial.bsky.social Victory Woods, Dargate. In hot sunny conditions, few birds were seen or heard. Meadow Brown, Small Heath & Speckled Woods were noted. A few Whites but they didn’t settle. A lovely Hawthorn Shieldbug flew past and landed on a branch.

Another lunchtime visit to Eastwell Lake, Ashford, just dodging a heavy short shower. The lake was quieter with just Great Crested Grebe, Egyptian Geese, Mallard & Coot. A couple of Woodpigeon flew about & a Robin heard. On the iron Church boundary fence was a Willow Emerald damselfly.

A lunchtime foray over to Eastwell Lake under grey clouds & showers. Approximately 100 Greylag on the lake, along with Mallard (4), Egyptian Geese (3), Canada Geese (2). Mute Swan (2) & a Coot. A distant Kestrel perched on at the top of a tree in the field. Chaffinch, Robin & Dunnock in churchyard

Today’s walk @kentwildlife.bsky.social Ashford Warren was between showers. At least 1 Long-tailed Tit & a Robin heard. A Probable Chiffchaff flitted quietly through the trees on the edge of a glade. There, on a sunlit bramble, was a Dock Bug, Turnip Sawfly & a large parasitic wasp. A hoverfly to ID

A late morning walk at Lullingstone CP. The highlight was (I believe) a Pine Hawk-moth caterpillar crossing a path. The one Brown Argus & 2 Meadow Brown seen. A few bird species recorded mainly heard only. A hidden Stock Dove was probably the ornithological highlight. #kentbirding #kentnature

A lunchtime visit to @kentwildlife.bsky.social Ashford Warren under grey skies & a brief shower. A tapping sound alerted me to a Nuthatch with an acorn in its beak. Wren & a Blue Tit heard. A Melanostoma hoverfly on a flowering Angelica was the only other sighting. #kentbirding #kentnature

A very quiet visit to @kentwildlife.bsky.social Cromers Wood today. Only a Magpie heard although a brief possible Coal Tit call was to distant/quiet for me to confidently ID. The flowering Water Mint patches attracted the few pollinators seen, Common Carder, Meadow Brown & Green-veined White.

Moved onto Birling for a 4.5m walk. c40 Woodpigeon in the harvested fields. A Red Kite glided over a field while Common Poppies were blown in the strong wind. A probable Bullfinch at Ryarsh didn’t show to confirm ID. A lot of White butterflies about but didn’t settle. First Ivy Bee of the year seen

A quick wander around a hot & popular Leybourne Lakes CP whilst my wife swam in the lake. A brief raucous Jay was the ornithological highlight. A Southern Migrant Hawker perched on a reed stem was a year tick, another was seen later. At least one Common Blue damselfly also seen. Few butterflies seen

A first visit to Lyminge forest. In hot sunny weather, at least 3 Goldcrests were heard, possibly more. A probable raptor chick constantly squawked. c30 Hawkers scattered around the glades along with a few Darters. Devil’s-bit Scabious, Fleabane & Knapweed attracted 5+ species of butterflies

A quiet visit to Perry Woods, Selling. A Robin & Chaffinch (f) were the only birds seen but a Nuthatch, Blue Tit & Woodpigeon heard. A smart Small Copper & a Speckled Wood seen on the orchard edge. A new gall found on an oak, Andricus foecundatrix (Oak Artichoke Gall). #kentnature #kentbirding

A great read. Includes a chapter on the Interrupted Brome at Ranscombe Farm & @kentgrasshoppers.bsky.social. Bought the book on holiday in Cornwall this week and already finished it. #kentnature

Lunchtime walk at Clowes Wood, Blean. In cooler conditions, we saw few butterflies, mainly Gatekeepers but also Meadow Brown & Small Heath, with the main sightings being around the Fleabane & Knapweed. A seemingly dead Fox Moth caterpillar would have been a lifer. Wren & 2 Woodpigeon heard only

Afternoon. I see that the Booted Eagle from St. Margaret’s in 1999 has been moved to category A by the BOURC, in a statement today. @kentishplover.bsky.social #kentbirding

Well, Woodpigeons can be added to the lyrics about mad dogs & Englishman in the midday sun. We repeated the @shepherdneame.bsky.social White Horse Inn pub walk at Boughton-under-Blean. Woodpigeons were most numerous birds seen, 4 Green Woodpeckers heard. 3 separate Jersey Tigers seen in each village

An early afternoon at Leysdown CP, Isle of Sheppey. In hot & windy conditions, wandered around the old pitch & putt area which is now looking parched. Green Woodpecker, Magpie & Woodpigeons seen along with Common Carder, Common Blue, Gatekeeper, Small Heath, Meadow Brown & Red Admiral.

An afternoon walk @kentwildlife.bsky.social South Swale reserve on a high tide. In hot & windy conditions I got a lifer in Adonis Ladybird & year ticks in Wheatear & 5+ Clouded Yellows. At Castle Coote, 29+ Little Egret on the saltmarsh while 100+ BHG were on the shingle, 4 Common Sands also seen

@tonyjuniper.bsky.social are you aware of the recent developments on the SSSI land at Swanscombe Marshes, Kent ?

Not sure everyone is aware but the new ‘owners’ Land Logical of Swanscombe marshes SSSI have this week started erecting fencing at the boat club. They’ve issued an eviction notice to the users, not sure what their next plans are? I assume Natural England are aware of [email protected]

A 5 mile walk south of Hadlow this afternoon. A stunning male Beautiful Demoiselle on the River Bourne is a Kent tick. Banded Demoiselle seen earlier. Around 10 House Martins seen. c20 Herring & 1 LBB Gull in a recently ploughed field, the only Gulls seen. 6 butterfly species & Jersey Tiger recorded

Today tried some walks from the Wishful Thinker, Lenham. First walk was adapted as the footpath was overgrown. We did get to @kentwildlife.bsky.social Kiln Wood, which generated the most sightings. Jay seen along with Meadow Brown & Speckled Wood. A Pebble Hook-tip is my first for 10 years.