The lid on local Nightjars

My lads, now15 and 13, through semi-forced bird and wildlife watching, have grown up with a good knowledge of wildlife sights and sounds they'll never forget. For now though, they don't really join me on plods around Orlestone forest, unless it involves taking a mountain bike. But, it's not a problem, they spotted the Kites back in May, they know the call of Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, a purring Turtle Dove, and the churring call of the Nightjar.

The Nightjar once heard never forgotten, is a bird we used to take our boys down to Orlestone forest in their toddler years right-up to 2008 to see and hear. Then, a quick walk along the trails of Birchett Wood or just a short stop in Fags Wood car park would guarantee Nightjars. But now I've not heard one for three years. I could just be unlucky, but it feels to me like they've gone.
 Last night, in still muggy air, no Nightjars at all in the forest, and that would have been my fifth visit this year. Orlestone forest has benefited from some expansive spruce-fellling in recent years so certainly there is plenty of new habitat for them to recolonise. On the plus side, young Tawney Owls where calling across the forest, so there's evidence of a good breeding year for them at least.

Breeding Green Woodpeckers and Buzzard news

Probably with another week of hole confinement to endure, a family of Green Woodpeckers are being raised in Orlestone Forest. With a patchwork of Woodland, sheep pasture and grassland, Green Woodpeckers may well be our commonest Woodpecker in the Shadoxhurst/Woodchurch area.

Close-by, in woodland I've surveyed countless times throughout the spring, a thriving family of Buzzards finally made their presence known, and judging by their activity last weekend, may well now have left the nest.

Turtle Dove pair - a new garden addition

Turtle Doves - a new garden tick. June 16th 2012

During the unseasonal storm of last Friday, in this wretched early summer we're experiencing, gale-force winds lashed through the countryside. Bizarrely, a Turtle Dove purred away that day, very close to the back garden edge. Such is the scarcity of Turtle Doves, I hoped that once the storm had died away the Dove would hang around long enough to photograph. But it wasn't to be. The storm died away and the bird was gone. So rare was the event, I thought perhaps the bird had been displaced out of its normal habitat, but that didn't make much sense as the local Collared Doves went about their normal garden business, unruffled by the terrible weather of the day.        
   Three days on, Sian thought she had heard a Turtle Dove purring again. Coincidentally, I'd put some seed out today (bought half-price at Tesco!) something I don't normally do in summer. In no time at all, Finches, House Sparrows and a lovely male Yellowhammer came into feed. Then this evening, the surprise of the year, two Turtle Doves dropped into the garden - perhaps attracted by a small number of Wood Pigeons and Collared Doves already feasting on the seed. Once landed, they immediately pranced the lawn for food. They seemed as tame as Collared Doves and came very close to the house, hard to believe this was the same species I struggle to get anywhere near in Orlestone Forest.
   The weather at the time was cold, wet and surprisingly dark. I managed just one sharp picture, before the birds walked out of sight to the back of the garden, where I'd also added some seed. Will the birds be back tomorrow, are they breeding on our door step? .... only time will tell! Whatever happens, today's appearance of Turtle Doves in our garden feels like a dream with no right to be repeated.

Around the Village, in the garden, through woods..

Woodchurch Road, Shadoxhurst

In fields neighbouring Shadoxhurst there has been a lot of Flax (Linseed oil) grown this year. The blue-flowered Flax looked at its best during May - the flowers have just about gone now.  Perhaps, just because of its more subtle colour, it has a more pleasing effect on the landscape than the fields of oil seed rape that neighbour us.

A few notes from the garden and pictures taken in-between the bank holiday rain showers. The Red-tailed Bumble Bees are visiting the last of the season Water Avens. Before I forget; in the garden pond we have discovered a female adult Great Crested Newt, the first one for at least 5 years.

Red-tailed Bumble Bee and Water Avens

In the paddock behind the garden - there's the occasional horse rivalry going on.

Out in Orlestone Forest again, and when the sun shines the occasional Grizzled Skipper can be seen.

Grizzled Skipper, Orlestone Forest.

 ... and on a big cycle ride around Orlestone forest today we found this magnificent 'Chicken in the Woods' fungus fruiting on an oak tree.

Orlestone forest - Spotted flycatchers and Crossbills

Woodcock 'roding' at Orlestone forest - May 27th

Weekend walks in Orlestone forest for the most part showed much improved numbers of our more scarcer migrants than previous years. A bike-ride down Duck Lane and through to Woodchurch Road had four singing Spotted flycatchers and four purring Turtle Doves. In the same area all our previous Nightingales territories continue to have singing birds - some 8-10  birds present.  Long tailed tits seem to have had a bonanza of a breeding season, with many family parties trailing through the Stone Wood area.

With the more settled warm weather, Grizzled skippers and Small coppers are on show in small numbers.

Perhaps the highlight of my weekend walk was a party of 20 Crossbills vacating one woodland area for another on Saturday morning.  Crossbills seem to be resident in the forest this year - could it be that they've bred?

A late evening walk in Faggs Wood had just one one Woodcock present and, as yet, no Nightjars. Surrounded by the calls of Cuckoo, three close-by Tawny Owls, the song of Nightingales and our commoner song birds, Orlestone Forest is now at its best!

Red Kites - and then they were gone..

I returned back to the newly ploughed fields near Shadoxhurst today just in case the Red Kites may have returned. But sadly, no second chance, it was pretty obvious there were no birds present.

Now, just a few Wood pigeons were feeding, scattered across the red brown fields. Gone were the fast-moving, noisy tractors with their ploughs throwing dust, soil and earthworms into a trail of Gulls and the fantasy sight of Red Kites in tow.  To the hungry Red Kites, which will have wandered from much hotter and drier weather in Europe, the site of Gulls and Crows feasting on spoils from freshly tilled soil must have been a strong lure to drop down into our little corner of Kent, and hang around for a few days and recharge on an earthworm bounty. But that, as we know, was yesterday. All I have today are a few more images from yesterday to share.  The photos were taken within minutes of the birds going off to roost, and I'm left with the feeling if I only I'd found them earlier in the day, I may have taken some much higher quality pictures, but I mustn't complain, for me and Lewis, watching Red Kites swooping around tractors on our patch of Kent will be a life long memory.

More images, up-to-date information and recent sightings can be found on Martin's very excellent web-site at:
 http://www.ploddingbirder.blogspot.co.uk/

Red Kite group - Shadoxhurst / High Halden area

Returning back from my son's football practice this evening and driving between High Halden and Shadoxhurst, we were amazed to find ourselves watching four Red Kites following tractors ploughing fields. The birds on closer inspection were not wing-tagged and of rather scruffy appearance, suggesting to me they're of continental origin.

As the farmer's finished ploughing for the day, the birds responded in a similar way, and rested on the ploughed earth for a little while before roosting together in the trees behind the field. Despite me watching them land, they were very difficult to relocate again in the foliage.

As I watched the birds, I met a Homewood school student cycling down the road. She told me that the birds had been in the area for 3-4 days. She went onto talk about an Oystercatcher, her local Buzzards and Deer all watched around the same farmland area. I was very impressed with her  wildlife knowledge and presentation - a credit to the school I'd say! Perhaps a future 'deadly 60' presenter one day - heh?!!

I think the farmers may have completed ploughing the area, and the birds may well just move on soon. Even a Kite can only eat so many Earthworms! This is my second Red Kite sighting this year, no doubt due to increasing numbers in Europe and the UK.

STOP PRESS - 6 birds present on Wednesday morning, thank-you Martin for checking.