BUZZING IVY BUSHES

The footpath at the top of the Firs Chase caravan site was buzzing with many insects around the ivy bushes in flower on a sunny Saturday 15th. This comma butterfly pictured above was one of three seen along the path, as were 20 red admirals and a small tortoiseshell. Adding to the buzzing sound were honey bees, bumble bees, wasps, flies and a few hoverflies too. Nearby small whites, large whites were also on the wing as were several migrant hawkers, southern hawkers and common darters.


A Mediterranean gull flew over Firs Chase early in the morning calling and thirty linnets were in the field near the caravan site.

Along the Maydays seawall in the early Saturday evening a short-eared owl was flushed by Steve Entwistle. A short-eared owl was also seen in mid afternon just to the north of the Island at Langenhoehall marshes by Hugh Owen who also saw a buzzard over his garden while a marsh harrier was seen over the marshes here and one by the Strood too.

An early evening walk along the Strood seawall on Friday 14th provided views of a number of waders on the mudflats. Amongst the usual redshank, curlew, grey plover, golden plover, black-tailed godwits was a greenshank and also a green sandpiper and 20 mallard on the borrowdyke. A common tern and little egret were seen too and the first handful of teal of the autumn were present.

Beside the seawall a corn bunting flew off, a reed bunting was heard while 6 linnets and a kestrel were noted.

Earlier on Friday at the country park, there was a good high-tide roost of 140+ redshanks at the pools in the fields - the first big one of the autumn. Four snipe, 25 black-tailed godwits, 50 curlew, 200+ teal and 10 wigeon were some of the other birds seen here.