Skylarks

A party of 13 skylarks just flew over Ash Valley Golf course heading south east. Largest flying group I have seen locally. Also on and over the course today; several green woodpeckers, 1 male kestrel and up to 50 linnets roosting in shrubs near the putting green

The Camargue 25th - 29th September

Just returned from a super 4 day trip to The Camargue, with a quick visit to Avignon on the last evening.

All very good with a wide selction of birds, butterflies and dragonflies observed, as can be seen in the attached photos.

In all, over 70 species of bird, which is low for this area but was expected as it is between the summer migrants that have now almost all moved on and before the winter migrants arrive. However, a few summer visitors were recorded, including purple heron, roller, aquatic warbler, sub alpine warbler, spotted crake, wood sandpiper, kentish plover, common sandpiper as well as the resident sardinian warbler, moustached warbler, egrets (100's), flamingos (1000's) thekla lark, crested lark, calandra lark, red kite and peregrine.

Day 1: Luton airport at 4.30 for a 6.30 flight to Nimes. Train and bus had me at Albaron village mid afternoon and an exploratory walk gave up 24 species, before returning to the hotel.

Day 2 and a 24 mile bird wander following a 45 minute bus journey. In all another 32 species were seen and heard along with butterflies and dragonflies. Day 3 was spent at the Parc Ornithlogique before a bus trip to Arles and a train journey to Avignon before returning to Nimes for a 13.00hrs flight back to Luton.
Great trip, good food, super natural history and great weather.

Photos;

self portrait

red underwing moth

clouded yellow butterfly

red veined darter ( I think. good discussion on bird forum thread regarding some of the darters I photographed)

scarlet darter

flamingos in flight

coypu

general architecture

Popes Palace, Avignon,

River Rhone, Avignon

little egret

flamingos

bull

horses

red kite
The road out of Ste Marie de la Mer

Looking south from the road

The hectic road
Looking north from St Marie

Statue to the horse in town centre.

I have been booked to give an illustrated talk on this trip: Little Hadham village Hall. 7.45pm Tuesday 9th November. All welcome, £1.50 entrance which will include coffee and cake. Please come along and help increase the funds for the village social club and hopefully have a pleasant and interesting talk.

North Norfolk 13th - 16th September

A few splendid days spent at Salthouse, staying at The Dun Cow. Basically, just an away break and little specific birding done, but bins came on the walk and so some good birds were registered.
Lapland Buntings were a highlight, along with a pectoral sandpiper, hooded crow, bearded reedling and 400+ black tailed godwits.
Several black terns were feeding along the beach at Cley, with one flying inland and directly over the visitors' centre. Marsh harriers were evident most of the time, along with the expected waders such as curlew, avocet, redshank, little stint and dunlin.
Photos to follow

small copper butterfly

A butterfly not regularly seen around Little Hadham parish is the small copper. However, at Dungeness they are by far the most common butterfly. This was one photo taken near the bird observatory as I have only poor shots of local ones.

A few moths; September 2010

A few moths found locally, mainly on the walls of the Nag's Head pub, on warm evenings.

In order from the top;

1. square spot rustic

2. small square spot rustic

3. setaceous hebrew character

4. light emerald

5. feathered gothic

Local round up

A walk on Sunday 12th September offered a selction of expected birds, with common buzzards (3) (1 shown overhead) and regular gulls being good sightings. Butterflies were evident throughout the walk along the Ridge path and then over Ash Valley Golf Course, with comma (photo here) speckled wood (photo attached), red admiral, large and small white and small heath ( photographed here)(6) being observed.

The other photo depicts a juvenile swallow resting on a roof along Chapel Lane.

Dungeness 7th September

A day trip to Dungeness observatory and RSPB reserve was the order of the day. In all, 91 species were recorded with many highlights and lifers for my 3 companions. Top birds included whinchats (a distant bird shown here), wheatears, black redstart, hen harrier, marsh harrier, juvenile cuckoo (photographed), black necked grebe, spotted redshank and over 30 yellow wagtails. Birds of prey were evident throughout the day with hobby, kestrel, merlin, the harriers and sparrow hawk all being observed. A firecrest was heard but not seen and the bushes appeared to be full of whitethroats, with 1 lesser whitethraot and 1 reed warbler also recorded.

At the patch arctic, little, common, sandwich and black terns were registered along with a solitary kittiwake whilst out at sea a single shelduck headed west and plenty of gannets were heading in both directions along the channel.