I know so little - but still look

In the brutal world of factory life I was taken to task when, after The Red Arrows had flown over the factory - en route to Manston, I admitted that I knew nothing of aircraft mechanics, yet still found the sight and sounds of military aircraft fascinating. Steve C. (everyone who works at FSIS will know to whom I refer) gave me a hard time - "that's the first time I've ever heard you admit that you don't know about something - you know everything you "big-headed" c**t!" A charming man - no, really; this is how we pass our days - mutual disrespect and pig-headed rudeness. If you can't stand the heat?

A Typhoon Eurofighter landing at Manston - a fantastic sight and sound

The military aircraft of WW II are very dear to my heart, the sound of a Rolls Royce Merlin or Griffon engine being akin to Led Zep playing Stairway to Heaven. The Olympus engines of XH558 - our National Heritage - the last flying Vulcan Bomber, have the ability to rattle my inner soul. Childhood memories of an encounter with this iconic aircraft - I couldn't understand why we needed to paint Concorde in cammo?

XH 558 - at the Margate "Big Event" 2011

The sight of the Red Arrows fills me with pride - the finest advert for the RAF - the finest advert for the UK armed forces; Top Guns indeed!

The Red Arrows at Margate - an image I am rather proud of.

I'm more than happy to admit that this technology is way beyond my comprehension - my joy is very simple; the sight and sound (much like modern motorbikes) is capable of conjuring childhood emotions. It is the Manston Airshow next weekend, the first time in 21 years! - the big news being that the Vulcan (XH558) will be flying into Manston at 16.30hrs on Saturday 15th June and will  remain on site for the week leading up to the event. I have a plan! I will be at whichever end of the runway, wind direction dictating, I need to be in order to witness the arrival of this magnificent aircraft at our Thanet airport.

Obviously the history of Manston will mean that the BBMF will be taking part in proceedings - the airfield being the most attacked during the hostilities. I have been exceptionally privileged to be able to grab shots of a Supermarine Spitfire from the comfort of North Foreland - most others require a helping hand.

Happy birthday Dad!

A bit more like it

I walked home from work, this afternoon, in glorious sunshine and temperatures that are, finally, more in keeping with the month of June. The biting northerly had abated and been replaced by a far more gentle SE breeze. With this change in temperature has come a change in the insect activity - all of a sudden there are butterflies along the footpaths and a few bumblebees as well. I got home and fed the birds before grabbing the camera gear and wandering back across Newland's Farm.

I'd seen a nice Ichneumon Wasp - Amblyteles armortorius - on my homeward journey and hoped that it would hang around? Luck was on my side and I relocated it (?) plus getting the opportunity to photograph many other species that were enjoying these "Spring-like" conditions.

I got a few images of Small White butterflies, but the white balance on my camera wasn't correctly set and they are hopeless. Better result with my second Painted Lady, of 2013, when a tatty individual posed on the exposed earth around the edge of a potato field. The tiny sawfly, Cephus pygmaeus, was found along the same field boundary - a very serious cereal crop pest, I photographed it on wheat stems - the female releasing pheromones?

I did the full circuit, with so much activity along the hedgerows it seemed silly not to. Diamond-back moths were everywhere - another agricultural pest species and one that is usually associated with insect migration. I will run the moth trap tonight and expect to see a massive increase in my catch. (It shouldn't be too difficult to improve on seven moths?)

It was just nice to be out in the sunshine again. Whatever the season, it always seems so much better when the sun shines from a clear blue sky.

A splash of Mediterranean colour!

I knew about the "Pegwell" Bee-eater yesterday afternoon - Keith Ross finding a bird in Stonelees NR and posting some very nice video on Youtube, plus a couple of images with Birdguides. I had another 06.00 - 12.00hrs shift today, so didn't find out that the bird was still present until I got home, around 12.15hrs - it had been reported as present at 11.50hrs. Bev and I had some stuff to attend to so it was after a lunch, in The Sir Stanley Grey, that I found myself with enough free time to make my way along the cliff top and down to Pegwell Bay.

Noon Fly (Mesembrina meridiana) - a beast of an insect.
I can't imagine that I've made a major discovery, for such a widespread and common species, it must
just be overlooked? How many people take time to look at flies?

As usual, I looked like an advert for a charity shop - full camo, bangles, beads and a necklace, plus a snide Rolex; is it any wonder that no-one ever speaks to me? With no more info than I'd gleaned from Birdguides, my intention was to head straight to Stonelees. One brave soul asked if I knew anything about the Bee-eater, as I passed the car park - I could only tell him that it was still present at 11.50hrs; it was now well after 15.00hrs! I wandered along the cycle track, encountering no-one; so arrived at a deserted Stonelees NR. That's funny, the car park was rather full, surely they weren't all dog walkers?
A slow stroll around the reserve, finding a very smart fly along the path towards the old Pfizer sports field. I fitted the extension tubes and fired off a few shots - Noon Fly (Mesembrina meridiana) being the result. New to me and new for Thanet (if the info I gleaned from the Internet is correct?), however, I feel that like many insect records, they are simply overlooked and under recorded.

My best effort - pitiful by any standards, yet the best I could muster in the grey conditions of a balmy Thanet afternoon.

With my head down and arse up, the distinctive dy-syllabic "purr-ip" of Bee-eater distracted my efforts as the avian quarry passed close by, without being seen. Had I mis-heard a call, no surely not, it had to be Bee-eater. I walked about 20m to be confronted by the sight of a Cuckoo and Bee-eater in the top of the same small dead Hawthorn. "SHIT" I still had the extension tubes fitted - I fumbled about with the camera gear and managed to grab a series of four shots before two passing dog-walkers flushed the birds. It would appear that the Bee-eater had been showing in the area directly behind the hide, at Pegwell, and that was where the "twitchers" had set up base camp. My sighting had coincided with a mass movement and I stumbled across the mob as I made my way out of Stonelees. Cameras and mobile phones seemed to be the tools of the trade, very few choosing binoculars as a way of locating their quarry; times they are a changing?

I stayed on site for a couple of hours, bumping into Heather Willis and Steve Ray, which was nice. However, my over-riding memories will be off the desperate behaviour of the visiting birders (twitchers) who harried the Bee-eater from pillar to post. I will make no more comment, I used to go twitching and am sure that I would have been no less enthusiastic. The Bee-eater looks very tired, I didn't see it catch any prey whilst watching it, the strong NE (20mph) wind and 11C temperatures will have done nothing to aid its' cause and constant disturbance by birders won't have had any beneficial effect.

Don't panic - I didn't get this shot at Pegwell Bay!
This is what a Bee-eater is supposed to look like,illuminated by the Mediterranean sun.
(Pefkohorri, N.E. Greece - May 2009)

There was a significant movement of Common Swifts, several hundred moved north during the afternoon, and I was happy to grab the chance to get an image of a male Common Whitethroat, spider's web still attached to its' beak - fantastic birding in comparison to the Newland's Farm patch. There were at least seven Song Thrushes singing between Pegwell Village and Stonelees - I think we have one in Dumpton!

Common Whitethroat - a male
I used my 170-500mm Sigma with a 1.4x converter - not too shabby?

Not long now

There has been some fairly heavy shit circulating the blogs which form the bulk of my cyber surfing. Mis-id'd warblers in Devon and the subsequent "twitcher" fall out - all very amusing; soul searching and introspective analysis - the need for nostalgia and the questioning of "why do we bother blogging?"
I have no answers, but am happy to read the varied postings of other guys who also feel the need to air their thoughts in a public arena; I find comfort in the fact that I'm not unique!
It could simply be an age thing? Not that it is of any real importance - just a single thought amidst masses of others. Work continues to dominate my life, we are in Saturday and Sunday this weekend, just to keep up with our burgeoning order levels. A fantastic result for the marketing department and  senior management strategy of factory efficiencies and continuous improvement projects. Confidence in the ability of FSIS to manufacture and deliver quality inks must be at an all time high?
I spoke with Benno, earlier today, and he is buzzing about the prospect of getting back to the R. Stour. The start of the season is "Father's Day" - Sunday 16th June. He already has plans to fish a particular swim, I will wait and see what pans out. I went back to Dragon Carp Direct, this morning, and purchased another Matt Hayes "Limited Edition" centrepin (No. 56 - I already own No. 55) so that I now have a matching pair with which to pike fish the RMC later in the year. Before then, however, I hope to spend some time in pursuit of Chub and Barbel, the pleasure of catching fish from flowing water is hard to beat.

My best Chub, so far, 5lbs 2oz from the Kentish R.Stour

With one week to go, I hope that the overtime (welcome as it is) doesn't interfere with my plans - too much. A Chub of 5lbs 3oz or Barbel of 9lbs 3oz will do the trick - at present my PB's are both an ounce lighter!

Easy life or a vital source of food?

Our garden feeding station remains the focus of all my avian observations; the visitors are numerous, and activity continuous, during the daylight hours. I had originally thought that this was due to the ease of which the food was available but, now, am starting to have second thoughts! Thanet has been blasted by steady winds originating from the North and/or East since the start of 2013. Summer migrants are almost non-existent, our resident species are struggling (Starlings excepted). There are only two pairs of Herring Gulls nesting along Vine Close - there would normally be four. Johnathan has remained faithful to our bungalow but his mate has long since moved away - their nesting attempt was a very half-hearted affair.

One, of four, Great Tits collecting sunflower hearts to feed broods in nest boxes
in adjacent gardens along Vine Close.

Moth trapping has been an exercise in pointlessness - I caught seven moths on Wednesday night, four species! Daytime temperatures are struggling to make double figures in the face of a stiff NE breeze, night time will see the mercury plunge to 6 or 7C. Butterflies are scarce, bumblebees are almost non-existent; the whole eco-system is in utter chaos. The role of my feeding station is therefore far more important than providing an easy option for lazy birds. It is now providing a vital service to those resident breeding species which are struggling to find enough natural food (caterpillars and the like) to feed their broods. Two pairs of Great Tits and umpteen House Sparrows are regularly visiting the sunflower heart and seed dispensers, the fat balls remain untouched? Other species put in irregular appearances, today it was a pair of Goldfinches. There are a few Greenfinches that seem to be holding territories along the gardens, a smart male providing a nice photo opportunity this morning.

Adult male Greenfinch and House Sparrow - both gathering food for hungry broods?

If garden feeding stations were not available I cannot imagine how these birds would be able to find enough food to give their broods a chance of fledging successfully and providing the basis for the next generation. Rachel Carson's 1962 "Silent Spring" becoming a chillingly real scenario.

A colourful garden visitor - rather out of place in June.
Is this yet another sign of the environmental chaos caused by the crazy weather?

A mixed bag

I've had a very enjoyable session at Long Shaw Farm today; Bev, her Mum, Dad & Brother had plans to spend the day at Hamstreet, there was a fair and car show, so it was a fairly straight forward logistics exercise. I drove Bev to Herne Bay, for 09.00hrs, where she met up with her brother and parents. I was then, free, able to continue on my way to Long Shaw Farm and was fishing before 09.40hrs! The day ticket costs the modest sum of £10 (for two rods) and allows access to four lakes, all of which will provide great angling.(advert over!)
I had with me three rods; two Duncan Kay's and a Tring Tench Special - with the plan to fish two rods on the bottom, until the forecast sunshine appeared, then fish a surface bait - centre-pin fitted!
Problem - the sun was shining brightly as I arrived, so I only ever fished a single bottom bait (five fish - 3 carp, 1 tench and a bream!) The surface baits produced another seven carp (no doubles - best fish going 9lbs 12oz) which were shared between the two remaining rods.

 

The Rolls Royce (Match Aerial) left & The Chrysler "copycat" (Matt Hayes "Limited Edition) on the right
 

I had the Matt Hayes Centrepin on a Duncan Kay (12lbs b.s. & size 8 barbless) for bullying fish out of the snags and the "Match Aeriel" on the Tring Tench Special (7lbs b.s. & size 10 barbless) for the more refined open water presentation - a bit like a Rolls Royce and a Chrysler - they are both good products, but one is just so much better than the other (reflected in the price tag!)

A rather sad looking Tench, it has some damage to the mouth probably caused by picking up
carp baits, fished on heavy tackle? One of the problems on these heavily fished "carp puddles".

It was a fantastic session, I spent the best part of ten hours at the venue, catching fish on a regular basis, although I have to admit that I was less than 50% successful in my  hooking attempts, when using floating fishmeal pellets.

My first ever sighting of a Barbel in Kent - and from a still-water!
Taken on a lump of bread that was fished, free-lined, in the margins.

I did manage a first, when a fellow angler landed a, very, small Barbel. This is the first Barbel I've seen in Kent and the first one I've ever seen landed from a still-water; it weighed little more than a pound but that is unimportant. Plenty of wildlife to distract me from my task, a Common Tern was regularly patrolling the lakes, using an floating aeration platform as a resting spot. I saw a few Blue-tailed Damselflies, a single Large Red Damselfly, a Striped Hoverfly and a rather smart Marsh Harrier during the day. As usual, at this venue, Kingfishers were omnipresent, their shrill whistle alerting me to their movements around the complex. The sun shone, the fish were biting and it was an absolute pleasure to be outside - happy days!

Blue-tailed Damselfly - Ischura elegans

Common Tern

Striped Hoverfly -  Helophilus pendulus

My best, and final, fish of the session - a chunky little Common Carp of 9lbs 12oz

More mini beasts

I realise that it's been a while since I last made a post; a very good sign of the times - we are incredibly busy at work and I've been putting in twelve hour shifts, just to help out (you know the score). I go to work for a very simple reason - MONEY! If there is a chance to earn a few dollars more, then I'm a very willing volunteer. This particular wind-fall will pay for my Cinque Ports AS ticket - so there is method in my madness?

Holly Blue - 1st generation female

The garden has continued to provide the bulk of my sightings, with many species of invertebrates being seen in the late afternoons. I haven't bothered running the moth trap, news from Gadget, Franny and Phil being that I've not missed much. I have spent quite a while pointing the camera at various garden visitors, with very variable results as to be expected with the ever changing conditions. My first Painted Lady of 2013 was flushed from the footpath by the Old Rose Garden as I walked home on Friday afternoon.

Hoverfly - Myathropa florea

The local Starlings have been very successful with 100's of birds, the vast majority being newly fledged, feeding out on the Ellington Girls School playing field, however summer migrants remain very scarce. A Blackcap is holding territory around the garden of Newland's Farm but there are no Whitethroats to be found and the Swallows, which use the tractor shed, have yet to appear! Swifts are sporadically seen, high overhead, but not in any numbers. This crazy weather appears to have had a catastrophic effect on our local wildlife.

Common Green Shield Bug - Palomena prasina

Narcissus Fly - Merodon equestris