Early Spring Garden records

Lesser Redpoll - April 9th

Heading towards mid-April and we think the same 3 Lesser Redpolls are still visiting the garden feeders as they have been for the last month - (one bird has a silver leg ring). Occasionally, Siskins are present too and in Birchett Wood this evening, male Siskins were singing away.

Today, I saw the first garden Holly Blue Butterfly of the spring and with the sunny weather being been fairly reliable at the moment, we've had plenty of Butterfly activity including Brimstones, Speckled wood, Holly Blue and ocsasional Orange Tip.

Peacock Butterfly sunbathing on Blackthorn

Female Orange tip on Cuckoo flower, April 2nd

For the records, the last Raven was heard March 21st - the third record of the year. The last Little Egret was flushed by a dog walker from the field behind the garden on March 22nd. Surprisingly we haven't seen the Egrets for at least a month and presumed they had long gone to a breeding colony.

On a sunny day it's possible to see at least two pairs of Common Buzzard above their territories at different corners of the Shadoxhurst parish. Kestrels, too, are fairly easy to see at the moment, and as on one March day we saw four birds soaring together, it's not unreasonable to expect that we have two territories in the village. Little and Tawney Owl are ever present at night. Mallard and Pheasant sit around the garden waiting to be fed on seed spilled for our regular little flock of Yellowhammers.

House Sparrows are nesting in at least three boxes at the front of the house and there are regularly about 12 birds feeding with the Yellowhammers and Chaffinches, assorted fringe farmland birds including this Stock Dove below. All are kept alert by Sparrowhawks that frequent the garden.

Stock Dove

Marsh Marigolds and Blackthorn presently in blossom at the back of the garden.

We're rather proud of our new Cleft Chestnut fence which spans the back of the garden