Last Day at Stowting Common

Thursday October 18

A very leisurely start this morning. I read in bed, Pam showered and pottered before emptying the moth trap. That didn’t take long. Our poorest catch yet, both in numbers and species. 53 0f 19 species. Cooler and rather windy, not good conditions for moths, especially the wind. The best moth was a pristine Cypress Carpet, wholesale planting of Leylandii has helped its spread. 

M de Jour always welcome. So many Nov agg moths, all over our end wall as well as in the trap.

I heard a Siskin call as it flew over, another Autumn pleasure.

We’d decided to go to Dungeness again for our final full day, not too far and with the possibility of birds as well as moths.

What were the odds of us being held up at the level crossing by a Rhomney, Hythe and Dymchurch train? Incredible. I had a card in to-day - and it was the red engine.

David, the warden, was not in. We sat in the yard and looked at to-day’s egg boxes.

Dungeness Bird Observatory. Tiny back yard through gate on the right.

Nothing new but a good chance to try and consolidate specialities such as Feathered Brindle. A man came along, saying that it was fine to go in and look in the fridge. Pam did so, finding yesterday’s goodies with nothing new.

As 4G kicked in somewhere to-day, I got emails on my phone. One of them was from David, written on the 16^th,  suggesting that we call in on the 17^th. In the morning. By sheer chance we were there yesterday the 17^th . He must have thought that it was odd that I didn’t mention the mail nor arrive until the afternoon. I left David a note of thanks and we left for the RSPB reserve.

An opportunity to take a few photos of the Dungeness area.

Both lighthouses

One of the typical cottages - a tidy one.

Very few birds around to-day. An arrival of 100+ Pochard on a roadside pit was the obvious change plus the lack of Greater Black-backed Gulls loafing on a shingle ridge off the reserve approach road. We drove the hides again, more Great Egrets with Little Egrets, a Spoonbill and Grey Herons on a distant island – but not as many as reported on the pager. 

I heard a Greenshank but didn’t see one. Another inspection of the cattle groups on Denge Marshes failed to find any Cattle Egrets.

I’d noticed an interesting shop name as we drove through this morning and managed to find it on the way home. Pam did a U turn so that I could photograph it from the other side of the road. The lights were kind to us, all I had to do was wait for a low car to pass by ! I’ll send it to our Mick when we get home. 

We’ve decided to leave to-morrow instead of Saturday. Less traffic and we feel that we’ve ‘done’ this part of England. The weather has changed and we are unable to take advantage of sites such as Howlett’s and Port Lympne. Leeds Castle etc as it would involve walking. Very frustrating.