Getting there - slowly

With every passing day my energy levels are on the rise and that bloody cough, finally, seems to be going away. Although I am still struggling to find the enthusiasm to get my act together in an angling  sense, I am enjoying the simple pleasures of looking at whatever there is to be seen whilst on my daily wanderings with Bruno. Worth Marshes RSPB Res. and West Stourmouth have been the focus of my efforts and there is generally something to look at, even if not photographed, at both of these sites. 

The two most numerous dragonfly species I'm seeing out on Worth Marshes.
Migrant Hawker (top) and Common Darter (bottom)

The weather is still very unpredictable and, because of strong winds, there have been a couple of nights when I've not bothered to run the moth trap. Late on Friday afternoon there was a hatch of flying ants and the skies above Dumpton became alive with hundreds of gulls taking advantage of this situationn.Although it was Herring and Black-headed Gulls which constituted the bulk of those birds involved, there were also good numbers of Mediterranean Gulls present and I managed to grab a few shots as they passed over the garden.

It was this morning when I finally discovered a Convolvulus Hawk-moth within the confines of my Robinson Trap. Not the first 2025 garden record, as I'd seen one feeding, very briefly, on Nicotiana, right outside my study window on 31st August. However, it was a most welcome visitor and means that I've managed to trap all ten hawk-moth species that are on my garden list during this annual cycle.

A few other back-ups in the form of Olive-tree Pearl, Clancy's Rustic (5), Scarce Bordered Straw (2) plus the regular Rush Veneers and Rusty--dot Pearls. I did manage my third Vestal, of the season, on Saturday and was very impressed by another stunning looking Ichneumon sp. that was on the inside of the perspex dome on the same morning.

Ichneumon sp - probably very common?

Clancy's Rustic - a regular visitor to the MV trap.

With less than a fortnight to go before Kefalonia beckons, I am slowly getting my kit together in preparation for this adventure. There's stuff that I've never previously had to think about, so an A4 writing pad has proven to be an essential piece of the puzzle as I attempt to ensure I've got all bases covered?

EOS technology does the job.

Because of the strong winds, and associated  heavy rainfall, Bruno and I didn't head across to Worth Marshes RSPB Res until well after 10.30 hrs this morning. Even as I parked the van there was still a few drops of rain in the breeze, but we headed off, along the Pinnock Wall, towards the main floods beyond the Great Wood. A Chiffchaff and a Lesser Whitethroat were active in the hedge besides the horse paddocks, as we set off, and I was surprised, yet delighted to spot a lone Swift battling the conditions high over the Great Wood. A September record isn't something I always achieve these days. Crossing the small drain, via the wooden footbridge, it was nice to spot a Greenshank, two Wood Sandpipers and a Little Ringed Plover on the first pool we passed. A Green Sandpiper called loudly as it flushed from a small body of water in the adjacent field, whilst a Little Egret was stalking the margins of the bigger pool as I looked across towards the railway line. A few dragonflies were on the wing in sheltered spots, these being Migrant Hawkers and Common Darters, for the most part, but I did encounter a Willow Emerald Damselfly, which was a unexpected surprise. It wasn't, however, until we'd passed the Great Wood and were headed towards the double gate viewing area that I spotted another couple of Swifts. It quickly became apparent that there were a dozen, or so, hunting low over the surrounding landscape and I grabbed the camera in order to attempt to capture a useable image, or two.

Far superior to anything I've obtained previously. This image clearly shows the pale
 fringing to the coverts, on both wings, indicating that this bird is a juvenile.

They were not the easiest of subjects to keep in the viewfinder, yet I can have no complaints about the ability of the EOS 90d and 100-400 mm USM IS lens combo to capture record shots under the prevailing conditions. With the skies darkening ominously we retraced our tracks and got back to the van, around 12.50 hrs, just before the next belt of heavy rain arrived. It had been a very successful outing all round.

The slow path back

Despite the fact that I tested negative over a week ago, the after effects of "Covid" persist. Basically I feel very lethargic and still have an annoying cough which is very erratic, yet quite severe when it occurs. The kitchen cupboards are home to bottles of Benylin cough syrup, Lemsip sachets and other assorted medicinal potions which seem to be assisting my cause, but certainly not speeding up the recovery process. So it is really nice to have my Kefalonia holiday to look forwards to and use as "light at the end of the tunnel", so to speak. I am not going alone, my two great friends Leon & Pauline (from Devon) are accompanying me. Indeed, it was Pauline who did all the admin and, with my blessing, we fly from Bristol airport, which will be a novelty for me.

Argostoli main drag - plenty to see and lots of opportunities for a cold Mythos

I have absolutely no doubts that I will experience some emotionally challenging moments whilst we are enjoying ourselves out on this superb Greek island. This is my first holiday, since Bev's passing, I'm sure that certain people and places will be catalyst for me to recall vivid memories from those, by-gone, happy days! How will I cope? I won't know until I'm there but, at least I will have the support of two wonderful friends to help me through the process.

Argostoli Harbour is "the place" to see Loggerhead Turtles up close and personal.

To be honest, I am really looking forward to this trip because it will be the first time I've been equipped with my EOS 90d plus all the associated lenses, and bits, which will offer me the chance to acquire images which should be far superior to anything I've managed previously. As is always the case, it will be birds which are my main focus but, now having dallied with macro techniques, I am very much looking forward to playing around with whatever invertebrates are prepared to pose for me as well.

Honey Buzzards are nowhere near as regular on Kefalonia as they have been 
on Corfu. Yet it will be peak migration time, so anything is possible.

We are, as is usual, based in Lourdata, but have hired a car to enable us to visit other sites around the island. Not overly confident that I have the technical nouse to be able to upload posts onto the blog, but will be taking Bev's old i-pad with me, so something should be possible?  With little over a fortnight to go before we travel I find myself in the very strange position of having, not only, to do the washing and ironing but, also, making decisions on what is essential to pack and will it be within the strict weight allocation?  Tough life being alone after twenty-five years of supervision!

Sub-alpine Warbler.
It's knowing that I have the opportunity to find, and spend time looking at, birds
of this calibre (within a UK context) that fires my enthusiasm whilst out in
the Greek countryside.

The weather is all over the shop at present. Hopefully I'll get out with the rods again before the holiday gets underway? If not, it will be Pike season when I return and time to dust down the kit in preparation for another RMC campaign, plus the added quest of a "double" from a new venue.

Knocked for six by "Covid"

 Even during the days prior to my encountering the White Storks over West Stourmouth (my previous post) I'd not been feeling too sparkling. It was, however, the Tuesday (19th August) when it really kicked in and I was able to confirm the dreaded lurgy, thanks to some test kits I had in the kitchen cupboards as a consequence of Bev's health issues.  Symptoms were constantly changing, as the infection ran it's course, and included headaches, high temperatures, coughing, muscle ache, zero appetite and compete lack of energy. I seem to have been spared the loss of taste and smell which others have experienced. All I can say is that is was a most unpleasant period and I can't ever recall feeling so poorly, although this could easily be age related? On a positive, I am happy to report that I tested negative on Tuesday afternoon and am now well on the way to getting over this bloody virus. I am truly grateful for the efforts of my neighbours Terry & Glynis - who actually kept Bruno for three nights, and Maddie who, along with Glynis, have taken Bruno out for exercise on a daily basis whilst I'd been laid up. 

A very unexpected addition to the 2025 garden list

Thankfully, however, things are on the mend and I'm feeling better by the day. I had run the garden moth trap during the entire period, yet the strong easterlies ensured that nothing out of the ordinary turned up on the egg trays. For me, the best moth of the week was a Red Underwing, a species which is very irregular on Thanet, yet used to be an annual visitor to the garden in Ash. An imm Common Whitethroat was a nice surprise when it visited the bird bath and four Common Swifts, overhead, on the 22nd looked like they might be my last sighting of the year. 

This proved not to be the case, as I took Bruno for a wander across Hacklinge Marsh on Wednesday (27th) and was confronted by an extraordinary movement of Swallows (c. 2,700), Sand Martins (c. 800+) and 60+ Common Swifts.  Probably over within forty-five minutes, it was an absolute privilege to witness this phenomenon happening at a local site, whilst taking Bruno for a walk.

Nothing else to report, although I am hopeful that blogging will, once again, return to some level of regular input as my energy levels return?

Little Stour surprise

 Bruno and I went back to West Stourmouth for today's exertions. The main reason was for me to search a wider area for the presence of Willow Emerald Damselflies which, as it turned out, was a total waste of effort due to the brisk easterly and overcast conditions. Despite my failure on the odonata front, it remains a lovely part of East Kent to be able to wander around. I'd parked by the church and walked the track down to the pumping station before following the river inland towards the "Blue Bridge". We hadn't walked for a quarter of a mile before the protests of a Grey Heron alerted me to te presence of three White Storks moving eastwards over the village. Whatever the reason, they obviously didn't like what they saw out on the Ash Levels/Minster Marshes and, instead, drifted back westwards over the Preston Marshes where they were lost from view. Fortunately, the recent Purple Heron encounter had ensured that the correct kit was being carried and, although distant and not particularly brilliant light conditions, I was able to rattle off a series of shots which enable me to share the experience via the blog. As always, I am truly grateful for the 32.5 million pixels of my EOS 90D which allow fairly significant cropping without major quality loss. 

Two fully winged birds drifting back off to the west

The trio as first spotted. The bird on the left has very heavy feather loss on the right wing.

Not too much else to report. A few flurries of hirundines skimmed over the marsh, but I could only id Swallow and Sand Martin from these fleeting encounters. A couple of Yellowhammers always enrich any time spent outdoors. Odd Common Buzzard and a few Kestrels about sums the morning up, yet those three Storks - plastic as they probably are - certainly ensured I drove back to Dumpton with a smile on my face.

The best image from this morning and testament, if it's needed, to the
incredible technology housed within the Canon EOS 90D.

Monks Wall & more garden moths

 Bruno and I took a wander around Worth Marshes RSPB Res. this morning. It was a dreary, overcast, scene with the definite feel of autumn about it. A couple each of Black-tailed Godwit and Dunlin were spotted on the first pool down from the footbridge. I managed to pick out a lone Common Sandpiper on the main flood and two Cattle Egrets flew over as we started to make our way back towards the van. The conditions had caused good numbers of hirundines to feed low over the surrounding countryside and were a nice, fairly equal, mix of the three common species. As I was driving across to Worth, I had noticed that there were a decent number of Cattle Egrets feeding amongst the cattle herd out on Monks Wall NR so decided to stop off on the way home to get an accurate count.  A good decision, as it turned out, with fourteen birds present and relatively close to the perimeter footpath, although quite flighty if I got too close.

The garden moth trap continues to provide plenty of interest and last night was to see my first Ni Moth of the year discovered on the egg trays  So many other decent species are appearing on a regular basis, and in numbers which don't align with those being reported by the local internet sites. 

The Ni Moth - a proper example of garden "royalty"

I have absolutely no doubts about the role Thanet's geographical position plays within the bigger picture. However, I also feel sure that the effort involved in my garden plant choices will impact, in a positive fashion, on what species, and their numbers, being attracted to the MV light?

The Vestal - only the garden 2nd record this year

Small Mottled Willow - a regular garden visitor with a max count of four, thus far

Olive-tree Pearl - singles on most nights recently, with a peak of three.

Latticed Heath - an incredible year for this species. Many nights have
resulted in double figure counts, with a peak of thirty-two on 7th August.

General stuff and a Jersey Tiger invasion

Well, my quest to catch a Carp from the new drain has started. I've managed three sessions, thus far, none longer than three hours and am yet to register a bite! Benno, on the other hand, using a tactic and bait which hadn't entered my thought processes, landed his first fish within half an hour of casting a rig into this new venue. Me? I'm happy as Larry knowing that this particular challenge will require me to explore aspects of my angling which have previously been taken for granted. At this present time I have loads of ideas, yet still no answers. Exactly what I was hoping for after the "Mandarin Pool" debacle.

Benno gets the project started with this proper character.

My daily Bruno walks continue to provide me with so many opportunities to spend time with the wildlife which shares my space. A wander around the Worth Marshes RSPB Res., on Tuesday, was rewarded with good views of four Cattle and a single Great White Egret plus a nice group of five Whinchats. I also bumped into my mate, Neil D. who informed me that the BTO have now accepted my Booted Eagle (28th September 1999) as the first for Britain. Well, they called me a liar back then, and they're still calling me one now! They have aged it as a 2 cy, whilst the bird I (and Jack Chantler) found was a pristine juvenile. Does it bother me after twenty six years? I couldn't give a toss what the BTO, or anyone else, thinks. I know what I saw and have no requirement to justify it to anyone other than me! In factory parlance "F*ck Em"

On Thursday morning, Bruno and I found ourselves wandering the banks of The Little Stour at West Stourmouth. A very pleasant stroll was further enhanced when I spotted four Willow Emerald Damselflies. I did my best with camera kit, but with no extension tubes, didn't do the encounter justice. So we returned this morning, better equipped, and I managed to improve (slightly) upon the previous efforts. This is the first time I've seen this species at this location, although feel sure that they must be present in any suitable habitat right across the East Kent Marshes?

And to finish I need to recall the events around the garden 125w MV moth trap. It had started with the arrival of the full moon and continued for three more nights afterwards. I have no idea as to how unique (or otherwise?) this situation was, but it was certainly bloody impressive! It was on Saturday night, whilst watching the activity around the Fox feeding bowl, that I became aware of good numbers of large moths being attracted to the light. I went outside, complete with my head torch, to discover fifty-plus Jersey Tiger Moths in, and around, the Robinson Trap. It wasn't until Sunday/Monday that it really kicked off. I'd witnessed very similar activity as the previous night but, when I got up at 05.15 hrs to turn the light off, I was confronted by a scene of utter bedlam. I counted seventy-three Jersey Tigers around the outside of the trap and/or perched on the lawn and fence panels. When I examined the egg trays, some time later I counted another forty-two, thus giving me a minimum total of one hundred and fifteen individuals. Absolutely crazy.

Although the Jersey Tigers are obviously attracted by the MV light source, they
are not particularly happy being within the confines of the Robinson Trap.

As I've said previously, I'm not part of any moth related cyber networks, thus have absolutely no idea what's going on within Kent, or further afield. The odd internet bits I am able to peruse seem to indicate that Thanet is a pretty good place to be running a trap, at present. My recent results, when compared to Sandwich Bay and Dungerness Obs, plus the Folkestone gang, suggest that I'm doing very well, thank-you very much!