Kent birder, occasional twitcher, also enjoy butterflies, dragonflies, damselflies and orchids including different forms and hybrids. Outside is good!
Tunbridge Wells, England
Joined October 2012
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Andy Appleton retweeted
A long overdue patch tick at New Hythe today in the shape of 2 Southern Migrant Hawkers along the now drying out ditch by the East scrub✅.@MarcHeathym007
Thank you for your help again this morning Sean.
Another great moth event @DungenessBO - thank you David and Jacob, too!
Andy Appleton retweeted
Great to see the Red-flanked Bluetail yesterday at Crockham Hill. A first for me. Showed very nicely at times. Photo from Gary Howard. Couldn't manage my own photo but attempted a sketch. @_BTO @Natures_Voice
Congratulations indeed Will, good to meet you today and Thank You 👍🏻
#KentBirding
Phew that was a close one: ex Cranleigh birder @whjoliver nearly got a first for Surrey @SurreyBirdNews with an incredible wintering Red Flanked Bluetail just 200 yards from the county border in Kent. Let’s hope it’s a Dorking wanderer, Will, and big congratulations!
Andy Appleton retweeted
The lovely Eastern Black Redstart at Sheringham, Norfolk, this afternoon. Although largely elusive, it does show very well on occasions. My first ever in East Anglia following one in Kent and two in Cleveland/Yorkshire.
Andy Appleton retweeted
I’m proud to say he’s my MP.
Well said Chris.
Andy Appleton retweeted
Photographed this Swallow at Balranald, North Uist late this afternoon. I think due to the lack of a dark band across the lower throat that it's the American subspecies: erythrogaster?
Andy Appleton retweeted
Think this could be a genuinely good conservation project, but @KentWildlife don’t seem able to help themselves… immediately talking about reintroducing pine martens. Forget the reintroductions and focus on what’s clinging on now! It’s like a disease with them - it’s why I left.
Andy Appleton retweeted
I recently reacquainted myself with a 'lost' memory card, and hidden in amongst were these Short-toed Eagle photos taken on Ashdown Forest (East Sussex). Of the 330 species I saw in the county before moving to the Highlands, this was the stand-out bird by far!
Superb bird - and good to know what they look like when they show well - something the @DungenessBO didn’t want to do 😢 in the Spring
Brilliant views Early this afternoon of this Eastern Bonelli's Warbler in Houland, Unst. Thanks to the finders. @BirdGuides
2/2
Common Nighthawk was a good reason to make a swift exit from work (Oxfordshire, 2022),
Masked Shrike at Spurn (2014) was most welcome,
More locally watching Paddyfield Warbler a few feet away at Bockhill (2007) but a Long-toed Stint at Weir Wood (2011) was more distant!
The last half of September has produced some quality including:
Siberian & Red-throated Thrushes (East Anglia, 1994),
Cliff Swallows (Dorset & Kent),
2 Vireo species (Cornwall, 1990),
2 mega yank warblers (Pembrokeshire, 2023),
Amur Falcon (post Brown Shrike dip),
1/2
ALT Magnolia Warbler twitch - being late to the party meant we were very placed when news of the Canada Warbler was broadcast!
Semi-P at Dungeness changed my day plan (2013), 11 Sept. has produced Black-winged Pratincole (Suffolk, 1993), Green Warbler (Yorkshire, 2021) & Brown Booby (2023).
I connected with the Swalecliffe Fan-tailed Wbr (2008) - 1 of 4 Zitting C’s that I’ve seen (Dorset:1, Kent:3).
ALT Tracey and I saw this large green bouy (with attendant Brown Booby) at South Gare, Cleveland, while on holiday in Suffolk in September 2023.
I had 3,500 Cory’s Shearwaters past Porthgwarra in 90 minutes on 5 September 1998 and my second Nutcracker in the UK the next day (Kingsdown) - no more since for me.
Baird’s Sand’ at Dungeness was good (1988) with Barred Wbr & Hooded Crow (both lifers) at Reculver for desert.
The first few days of September have produced some quality:
Baird’s Sandpiper & Grey-headed Wagtail and Sardinian Warbler in East Sussex on the third day of the month (2005 & 1994).
c.9th Booted Warbler for the UK gave crippling views in the moat @DungenessBO on 4 Sept 1987
I’m not keeping up!
The last 19 days of August have provided some action with the Red-footed Booby out west, Western Sandpiper in Scotland (1997), Sharp-tailed Sandpiper in Wales (1996) and two American Black Terns some of the best.
ALT My best photo of the are-footed Booby, August 2023
ALT Bishop Rock Lighthouse - overnight drive to Penzance, two and half hours Scillonian to Scilly and transfer to a smaller inter-island boat to steam off west for another hour, well past St Agnes. It was a quite some relief when the Red-footed Booby was found still to be present! Forster’s Tern in Poole Harbour on the way home.
Andy Appleton retweeted
Never thought i would see a Guillemot at New Hythe so i was super surprised to see this one drifting up the river on the incoming tide!! Nice big fat patch ✅, you just never know what can turn up next!
