ECHOES OF THE EQUINOX

Last weekend ,although the weather was much better,the cliffs were fairly quiet,apart from saturdays chaffinch movement,no sign of the wheatear yet,but a small tortoishell was a welcome sight.At home the goldfinch was again on the feeders and has been joined by a second bird.On Sunday afternoon whilst I was gardening the gulls that had been restless all day,were up again and this time there were no fewer than eight buzzards in the air,wheeling around quite high up over the hills above Temple Ewell.

SMALL TORTOISHELL

GOLDFINCH

SUPER MOON OVER DOVER
Monday March 21st the vernal equinox,day and night are of equal length,and spring is sprung,so it was off to the woods once more to find the elusive lesser spotted woodpecker before the leaves burst forth on the trees.About 100 yards from the car the echoes of a drumming male rang out loud and clear and eventually he showed behind me and I watched him drumming for some time before he departed the scene.

LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER
Also spotted in the area were great spotted and green woodpeckers,treecreeper 3,nuthatch 2,marsh tit 2,numerous blue and great tits several pairs of long tailed tits and two coal tits.At the far end of the wood another pair of lesser spots were found and several fieldfare and redwings were seen on the edge bordering the sheep field.A mistle thrush was singing his heart out in the tree top back at the car and a comma butterfly
was sunbathing by the verge amongst the celandines.

MARSH TIT GREAT TIT

COMMA

LESSER CELANDINE

WOOD ANENOME
As a matter of interest disel in Dunkirk village was £151.9 p per litre the highest price ever?needless to say I went on to the shell garage in Faversham a measley £136.9 there.
Made a flying visit to Oare,nothing unusual birdwise but the highland cattle made a fine sight and I could not resist a few shots.

HOW NOW BROWN COW

HERE`S LOOKING AT YOU KID

THE COW WITH THE CRUMPLED HORN

THE END