Out at Sparrows fart to do the first Breeding Bird survey in Deal town for this year. I decided that walking the streets at first light with binoculars staring at roofs gardens and chimneys was dodgy enough without taking photos too, so you are spared the pictures, but 2Km of Deal streets produced just 205 birds of 22 species. Most numerous was Starling - 41 - followed by Herring Gull - 32 - and Collared Dove - 21. All exciting stuff. I suppose lurking would be a truer description than surveying. The highlight was a single House Martin by Deal Castle
Later at home there was this pristine Orange-tip to admire, the underneath of the hindwing in particular very attractive
There was movement in the sky as we took coffee, as 4, then 1, then 2, then one more Common Buzzards appeared overhead from the direction of Dover and flapped off Eastwards into the light air. Try as I might I couldn't turn them into Honey Buzzards, but we were much amused by the hard-case local Carrion Crow flying up from his nest-site down New Townsend to chase the last one on it's way - coo, wasn't he brave!!
Later dogwalking out beyond Freedown wood towards Kingsdown, I found 2 Bullfinches separately whistling their single-note call in suitable breeding habitat - will keep an eye on them, discretely.
Yesterday morning there was another (or the same re-trapped) Streamer moth in the trap, so I was able to take care to get better pics of it this time - voila!
Plan A for tomorrow is a visit to the Forewood in Crowhurst to see the Bluebells and maybe even find a Hawfinch - I live in hope, so watch this space
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