A Robin was already singing when I left the house....! Dawn had arrived....and when I got to Whetsted....
Crack....!!
More a meander round today rather than a specific route taken.....mostly to enjoy the birdsong and not worry about counting etc....obviously plenty of Nightingale action going on...I was also hoping to catch up with the Barn Owl which took quite a while and I eventually located it at the far western end of the site.
A Tawny Owl called and one of the last birds I saw was a Buzzard, making three raptors this morning.
I located two Garden Warblers that have set up home within 50 metres of each other....! With all that room who would have thought....the site seems quite alive with Garden Warbler at the moment and they are most prevalent now.
Two male Mandarin Duck were on the eastern stream though no female to be seen.
I meandered somewhat off track over to the Medway and wandered along from Oak Weir Lock, where a Grey Wagtail was found, to East Lock which provided another Grey Wagrtail, but this one carrying plenty of food. Whilst walking along the river bank there was a good display of....
White Dead-nettle, Lamium album
Red Campion, Silene dioica
Ramsons, Allium ursinum
Pictures arent great, apologies, using my phone again as, once more, I left the camera at home.
Back on site there was still one Common Tern present and a Common Sandpiper.
Now....that little quiz I posted yesterday, one picture...a reminder....
Yes, its Water Plantain, Alisma plantago-aquatica. That identified the plant I wanted, the big green one in the picture...but a picture tells a million stories...or at least two here....its the other plant that has caused consternation...that small plant this side of the Plantain...its an invasive New Zealand Crassula...eeek! Easily spread on wellies, vehicle tyres....a birds foot....
This is the only place on the whole site that Water Plantain grows that I have found. In this one puddle. Today I looked at two near by puddles, they also contain the Crassula! I also found lots more along the area I call 'the puddles' where, when flooded, both Mallards and Mandarin Ducks like to hang out...
Talking of puddles...I have been looking in them for a while as there is activity in them...which leads to....
....todays quiz....what are these...first one, possibly Mares Tail?...in a stream on the edge of the site...
...and this one...in one of the puddles these little guys have been quite numerous, however...the puddle they are living in is shrinking fast in the hot weather....what are they, will they survive...is that a flageolated tail?...
That last image looks like a dragonfly nymph Graham ???? No good with plants though!
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