Beddington Farm - A Few Crumbs!

We are currently in the birding doldrums but I am out most days walking the path at Beddington Farm. The hides are a good refuge during inclement weather as yesterday’s easterly blow with showers proved. I went on the remote chance that a rarity might have got caught up in the blasts of heavy rain but it was not to be!

A few species that have been missing from my recent ebird lists were noted today. A Little Egret on the proposed area of wet grassland. The pair of Shelduck was also in the same area. I have not seen them for a while perhaps they have been on 100 Acre! There is a mound which is at the top of the bank off the path that Jim’s bed can be viewed from.

Today was much brighter with several raptors noted over the Hide on the North Lake. Peregrine, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel and Buzzard answering the morning register. The buzzard pictured is moulting its primaries possibly inner secondaries which is mirrored on both wings.


I had promised myself I would not stay beyond 8am as a park run was beckoning! I have to make sure I am ready for the start of the football season in August! Needless to say I was still on Farm turf at 9.30am! I’m glad that worked!

With the number of regular path watchers on the increase the likely-hood is that the next mega will be seen from one of the hides (South Lake, North Lake and Wet Grassland Area). Those of you that used to grumble at the lack of news can find the latest sightings on the Beddington Farmlands ebird page. Most path watchers and some of the BFBG have switched to using ebird.

The days of limited viewing along the permissive path is also a thing of the past and therefore there is no excuse not to visit the farmlands!

Kent - Orchids in the Fields!

My day started out at Beddington Farm on the vague chance that the Surrey Black Winged Stilts were on the move and would grace the Farm with their presence. This time of year is not to be neglected and has seen frequent but generally short visits to my patch over the last week. My sightings and other path watchers daily news can be viewed on the Beddington Farmlands hotspot on ebird! Here


Having drawn a blank at the Farm I joined up with Pete Alfrey to go out on the Orchid trail again with another excursion into the North Downs of Kent. We visited two sites on Wye Downs NR looking for Late Bee and Spider Orchids. Returned to Park Gate Down which was littered with Fragrance Orchids by sadly no Musk Orchids were found.

See Peters blog for directions to sites and better pictures of the hirundine.

 

The last stop of the day involved some birding around Sandwich Bay which produced an interesting presumed hybrid Swallow/House Martin. A local observatory volunteer informed us that this was the first day the bird had been seen having visited the area last year.

Skylark were regular on the Royal St Georges Golf Course this bird seemed to be watching the days play on what is to be the venue for this year’s open tournament.

I added four new orchids to my list. The first located was a Bee orchid in the valley of Wye Downs.

We were lucky to find a single flowering Spider Orchid at the second site in this area. 

Sandwich Bay produced the largest and the ugliest (according to the green keeper!) Lizard Orchid were numerous near the beach viewable from the public footpath.

I also saw my first Southern Marsh Orchid on the golf course.

(Vipers Bugloss with Small Skipper)

I also photographed some plants on the golf course. I won’t even pretend I knew what they were but they looked colourful!

(Evening Primrose)

(Stonecrop)

Another interesting day spent in the field and we were very lucky to avoid the rain!