Back to the home county... albeit briefly – 2nd June 2020

I have only been north of the Thames three times since Lockdown and the need to have some work done on my car sent me back that way. I dropped my car off and then ambled down to Grays Chalk Pit for a brief bit of Orchid searching.  I did not go into the gorge fully but tried to remember where I found stuff a few years ago.  

The Man Orchids were back up and still looking pretty fine in the sunshine atop the pit escarpment but like many places there were fewer than my last visit due to the prolonged dry spring I suspect.

Man Orchids

Common Broomrape was dotted amongst it along with Yellow Rattle, Lucerne, Tufted vetch and Yellow Vetchling and the Sarson Stones still look completely out of place up top.

Common Broomrape

Yellow Rattle

Yellow Vetchling

Lucerne

Anyone for Sarsons on their fish 'n' chips?

Common Spotted and Pyramidal Orchids were found on the lower path along with Common Twayblade but there was not the display I had seen before but there had also been a lot of active management of the area which was encouraging. 

Common Spotted Orchid

Common Spotted Orchids growing in almost nothing

Common Spotted Orchid

Pyramidal Orchid

Common Twayblade

Agrimony, Round-leaved Wintergreen and Perennial Sweet Pea were flowering but I could not find any Bee Orchids.

Agrimony

Round-leaved Wintergreen

Round-leaved Wintergreen

Perennial Sweet Pea

Perennial Sweet Pea

Black-tailed Skimmers zoomed around the newly cleared areas despite the lack of water for some distance and although I found a few patches of Kidney Vetch I could not find any Small Blues at surely one of the most likely spots in the County for them to colonise if only they could get across the Thames at some stage!

Black-tailed Skimmer

Black-tailed Skimmer

Kidney Vetch

Common Blue

Aspen

A quick look around the lake below Ingrebourne Hill where the Black-necked Grebes bred all those years ago saw me add Large and Small Skipper to the year list along with Emperors, Black-tailed Skimmers and Four Spot Chasers while Azure, Common Blue and Blue-tailed Damselflies loitered in the grasses.

Four Spot Chaser

Emperor

Blue-tailed Damselfy

Marsh Frog

Drake Pochards and Tufted Ducks hopefully alluded to the nesting presence of females and a couple of Cetti’s were giving it large as they reaffirmed their territories for a second brood and I could hear a Cuckoo off towards the river.

Pochard

Pochard

Pochard

Great Crested Grebe

Salsify

I made my way to my parents in Ilford and chilled in the garden over lunch with the local Woodpigeons, Robins, Sparrows and a juvenile Starling coming ridiculously close in order to snaffle some grub.

Starling

Starling

Starling

Robin

Robin

Robin

You have to marvel at the largely ignored Woody.  When you visit anywhere abroad you are often trying to find exotic pigeons and marvel at their plumage and yet this most resplendent species with its petrol hued ruff, striking wing pattern, multi-coloured bill and always squiffy pupiled eyeballs rarely gets a second glance as we are just so familiar with it in Europe.

Woodpigeon

Red Kites were quite literally pouring through Kent and some of the dispersal was likely to come through Essex and sure enough anxious Crows got me onto a Buzzard who in turn got me onto a immature Kite power gliding to the north-west.

Buzzard

Red Kite

Osteospermums at M&Ds are enjoying the sunshine!

After giving Dad some SD help on the allotment it was time for me to go get the car and head for home. I had almost got through the front door when I glanced up and there was a Red Kite heading over in the same direction as the one in Ilford. I wondered how many I had not seen today that had snuck behind my house on their way towards Rob’s half a mile up the road? 32 was the answer.