I'm very lucky to live close to the sea, with fields and open spaces all the way along the front.
It was another glorious morning today, so I took a walk down to the sea. The busy summer season is now upon us so the beaches are packed with people - but not here :
The tide was a way out, and there were numerous gulls along the waterline and Oystercatchers calling noisily as they patrolled the sand :
Closer in, Turnstones were resting or feeding :
It was wonderful to sit on the sea wall and just watch and listen - the only sounds being the birds calling.
I took the track back along the fields. Lots of butterflies - mainly Small White and Gatekeepers - were enjoying the sun amongst the brambles and wildflowers along the field edges :
The thistles looked fluffy and glorious :
And as a real bonus, on one of the weirdly windswept trees on the open field, a Green Woodpecker :
A wonderful end to a walk, and all on my doorstep.
Sissinghurst has beautiful gardens, but just outside there is a Lake Walk which is quieter and brings unexpected joys. You walk along the outer edges of the gardens and can see the open fields beyond. There is a lightly wooded area with streams almost hiding between the trees and larger areas of water sometimes fully in view, sometimes only glimpsed.
When I visited yesterday, there were few birds to hear or see, but there were butterflies and dragonflies all around - elusive, darting, skimming the water and plants, settling occasionally, then off again dancing in the sunlight.
I saw Large Whites, Small Tortoiseshell, Gatekeepers, Skippers and my first Speckled Wood.
These Demoiselles shimmered up and down a stream bed.
This damselfly (?Common Blue) preferred the dusty path.
I noticed the one below when trying to focus on one of the bright demoiselles. Despite having just bought a guide to dragonflies and damselflies I still don't know what it is (and I'm not certain about the others either (no response on iSpot yet)). In fact the book, like guides to so many different creatures in the natural world, just demonstrates how hard ID can be when there are so many variants.
Some things are easier, and though very familiar, still great to see.
And some pictures taken accidentally can also reveal something of interest.
Sissinghurst is a wonderful place to visit, but while the gardens are packed with people, the lake walk can be more peaceful and with just as many beautiful things to see.
I spent some time this week at Oare and at Elmley. The sun was shining strongly, the heat produced a shimmer in the air and the light made viewing difficult, but there was a cooling breeze that made it lovely just to walk around.
At Oare, quite a few people were looking for the Bonaparte's gull which had been sighted there. I spotted it many times, but strangely it mutated into a black-headed gull each time I zoomed in on it. The general agreement of those who had not spotted it so far was that the light made it difficult. (Not just me then!) (See Robs Birding blog if you want to see more on it.)
For me the highlights that day were the butterflies and dragonflies, including this Small Copper - the first I'd seen...
...and this female Ruddy Darter...
Great names! And thanks to the iSpot experts who helped me with ids.
At Elmley, I spotted a pair of the Ruddy Darters together ...
And again, there were butterflies all around, particularly Gatekeepers...
Swallows were whizzing around the barn at Elmley and were a joy to see. Also in large numbers were horse flies. There is not much in the natural world that I don't like, but I really really dislike horse flies. And I have the bite marks to justify it. And no, I haven't taken a picture of one.
Oare marshes
Oare is a magical place. Just across the water from Sheppey, you can see the island from the northern end of the marshes. It is a place where the light on the water glows in the morning sun, and when there is mist, there is a feeling of mystery.
Highland cattle wander through.
Large flocks of waders come and go. Warblers dart in and out of the reeds - tantalising glimpses only - more heard than seen. There is so much to see, and so much to easily miss. Hidden amongst the flocks of one species will be a rarer sight.
For the less knowledgeable, like me, you can observe where the more experienced have got their scopes focused - and ask politely what they're looking for. People are generally very friendly there - they don't even get cross when you've already taken a picture of the bird they were looking for without knowing what it was!
There is a sense of peace, of light - even on a duller day - and always the chance to see something new, or something familiar but beautiful.
It is another of the places I visit often, so there will be more from here, but here are a few pictures from previous visits.
I have to start somewhere, so I'm starting here.
Elmley NNR is a place that makes me happy. I love the big skies, the surreal backdrop of the Sheppey bridges, the cows that don't care who you are and just wander across the track you're driving on. I like the surprises - the swans walking through the grass, the hares that sit on the path ahead and then rush away if you approach too close, the stoat that you see briefly before it disappears.
There are butterflies and dragonflies in summer and birds all year round, erupting from the reeds and the grass, flying above and away. And water, from puddles, to scrapes, to the estuary. It is marshland - flat and expansive, with grass, wildflowers, mud, reeds and fences and gates where birds can perch. It always seems to reveal something new on every visit at whatever time of year.
It is getting away from the worries of everyday life - absorbed in the moment - waiting, watching, catching a glimpse of something, the eye too slow at times, or deceived. At other times spot on, seeing a bird, capturing it on camera, seeing a scene a new way, or just recognising it as something magical.
I go back time after time - so there will be a lot about Elmley to come. Here are just a few pictures I've taken there.
