Wednesday 11th May 2022
Stodmarsh NNR, near Canterbury, Kent
9 of us made the 2 hour trip to NE Kent. The highlights were:-
- over 40 observations of hobbies
- a really close cuckoo
- and the usual hirundines and swifts, marsh harriers and reed and sedge warblers.
- The stiff breeze meant we missed out on turtle dove and bearded reedling.
Friday 13th May 2022
Churlwood, Ashdown Forest
No unlucky day for me on my patch this morning!
- I heard then saw a cracking male firecrest
Monday 16th May 2022
Goat, Ashdown Forest
After drawing a blank last Friday night it was normal service tonight when Martin, Alastair and I welcomed back the first nightjar of 2022 to the Goat site on the Ashdown Forest.
- It started churring just on 9 pm and then flew over our heads shortly afterwards. We managed 3 such close up encounters before it got too dark for us to continue.
- Last Friday's visit wasn't all loss as we got splendid views of a roding woodcock as well as another welcome tree pipit singing its heart out nearby.
27 May 2022
Old Lodge NNR, Ashdown Forest
Old Lodge NNR, Ashdown Forest
This morning, Martin posted,on our group's WhatsApp page, his sighting of a couple of spotted flycatchers at Old Lodge. As there were 2 and they were emerging from holes in a dead tree there was a strong possibility that they were a nesting pair.
- With this thought, I paid an afternoon visit to the said site and much to my delight the same 2 birds appeared from the same hole and then flew into the tall trees nearby.
- A little while later, one of them returned to the same dead tree but did not go into any of the holes, eventually flying away again.
courtesy of Martin Jeffree
- I waited for almost an hour but was unable to get any more sightings.
Three subsequent visits, all on different days, all drew a blank so maybe this is not a nesting site and is more likely to be a regular stopping off point.
More work needed on this one.
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