With a few jobs to do today there was still time for a couple
of ambles before the rain (Yay!! At last!)
set in for the afternoon. A short walk
around the Old Brickfields at Lower Halstow was a little breezy but I could
hear a couple of Nightingales in the scrub along with the expected warbler
assortment. There were Reed Warblers in
the wet bits closer to the sea wall but the verge there had recently been mowed
back at least 5m from the path which seemed completely unnecessary. Tidy
Britain – I do hate it. The No Mow May memo had obviously been misplaced.
There were a few Bumbles attempting to find what scant
Ground Ivy and Speedwell were left in bloom and Small, Green Veined Whites and
Peacocks searching for breakfast.
The tide was most of the way in and smart chocolate, grey
and white Black-headed Gulls picked delicately from the surface and I could see
two distant colonies on raised green areas way out on the Medway islands. There were Med Gulls too and a couple drifted
past me, seemingly enjoying the breeze.
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| I suspect the Environment Agency will say it was for 'river wall integrity'... |
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| Black-headed Gull |
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| Med Gull |
Starlings probed the banks and down in the last of the
exposed seaweed and seemed to be finding food for hungry young still in the
nest although I suspect that most insects were gleaned from the grass as the ground
was already baked solid by weeks without any noticeable rainfall. A smart male
Wheatear hopped towards me on the top of the bank before realising I was there
and dashed the other way in a flash of black and white rear end. Two Oystercatchers
and a Whimbrel were the only waders I saw and in the distance I counted 35
Dark-bellied Brent Geese paddling around aimlessly.
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| Wheatear |
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| Oystercatcher |
I came back through the scrub where of course the
Nightingales were now silent but there a selection of Hoverflies for me to look
at including my first Parhelophilus sp of the season and a few racing Brimstones
and Orange Tips. The air was full of
dancing small flies and a blizzard of drifting Sallow fluff.
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| Myathropa florea |
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| Helophilus pendulus |
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| Pisaura mirabilis |
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| Musca autumnalis |
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| Salsify |
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| Celery-leaved Buttercup |
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| A Figwort I think |
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| Hop |
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| Fluff |
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| Hawthorn - if only there was scratch and sniff images |
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| Ground Ivy - away from the mowers |
A Red Kite was chased over Rainham on my way out towards the
A2 before I cut down the A249 to try and check out an Orchid site that I would
like to take people to over the next couple of weeks. Roadworks made access
tricky but I found my way in and was greeted by well over 150 dazzling Lady
Orchid spires in their usual array of ‘dress’ shapes and tints.
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| With Black Bryony trying to get a grip... |
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| Lady Orchid |
The Lesser Butterfly Orchids were also doing rather well
with three spikes already up and flowering and two more to go while the Early
Purple Orchids up amongst the Yew trees were very nearly over although once
again I found the almost white-lilac one with its strangely shaped
flowers.
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| Lesser Butterfly Orchid |
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Early Purple Orchid -
they all seem very tall here and loose flowered |
I looped round passing the glorious Columbines and a single spike of Yellow Archangel and back at
the car the first few inches of Broad-leaved Helleborines were showing.  |
| Broad-leaved Helleborine |
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| Columbine |
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| Yellow Archangel |
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Wood Melick - one of my favourite spring sights -
like little tiny snails climbing grass stems |
With the wind increasing I forwent any further orchid explorations
for the day and headed for home as the
sky continued to darken.
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