11/3/10: Redwings still around

There were 46 Redwings clustered in a few neighbouring trees on the north side of the former Barnehurst Pitch and Putt course, where they were making quite a lot of noise. They flew off to the Bursted Wood margin and later, from the cover of the wood, around 53 were counted foraging on the short grass that characterises much of the site.

By and large the Redwings were spread around the margins of a group of around 60 Starlings, but the latter were far more skittish - the Redwings staying down whenever the Starlings took flight.

4 + 5/1/10: More Bexleyheath and Barnehurst birds.

4/1/10

There were 5 House Sparrows in the Rhododendron and Juniper in my garden, a species that although still fairly common in the area tends to be seen on house roofs and guttering.

A wander through Bursted Wood en route to Bexleyheath Broadway didn't turn up much, but the low winter sun certainly highlights the subtle colours of the tree trunks at this time of year. Even the Wood Pigeons, sitting high up in the trees, now looked a more exotic pinky buff in the golden glow.

There were 35 Starlings in a tree between St. Audrey Av. and Francis Av, 10 more in a tree behind the garage at the junction of Francis Av. and Long Lane, and 62 in trees along the boundary of the Bexleyheath School field east of Belvedere Rd. and north of Upland Rd.

13 Wood Pigeons were sat in a modest-sized tree 'behind' 'The Yacht' public House, and east of Hyde Rd.

On the way home a young Fox was seen after dark on the raised grass/shrub bed in the centre of Mason Close, Bexleyheath.

5/1/10

There were 3 Redwings (and probably 6 - others were seen flying away from a distance) using the upper branches of a large Beech at the junction of Barnehurst Av., and Barnehurst Close as a base from which to go to and fro.

26/8-1/9/09: in my garden and up the road

26/8 - 1 x Green-veined White
27/8 - 1 x Common Darter Dragonfly
28/8 - at least 17 Starlings took off from a run of Rhododendrons in a neighbouring property that adjoins my garden

29/8
- 1 x Yellow Shell moth

- this (so far) unidentified species of moth:


- this Square-Spot Rustic moth:


30/8
- 1 x 22-spot Ladybird
- 1 x Silver Y moth

- this Small Blood-vein moth:


- 3 x Vine Weevils on top of Sedum spectabile flower heads (after dark)

31/8
- 1 x Painted Lady
- 1 x very ragged Common Blue butterfly
- 1 x Fox lying in the middle of the road at 10 p.m., at the crest of the hill just round the corner, whilst another was crossing the tarmac half way down my road

1/9
- 1 x Wood Mouse on compost heap

28/8/09: more Bexleyheath botany - another Hare's-foot Clover site

There was a Black Nightshade in a garden on Woolwich Rd.

A sheet of wooden hoarding had been pulled down to the side of the demolition site at 238 The Broadway, near Church Rd. The next bit will probably get me arrested for trespass, but since I could see an impressive patch of the uncommon London plant, Hare's-foot Clover, in I went to take some photos.


Hare's-foot Clover (centre), an uncommon London plant, growing in a demolition site on the Broadway (Bexleyheath), just over the road from another colony of the species

This location is a short distance away from the colony near the junction of Albion Rd and the Broadway, but the plants there are much smaller in all parts - no doubt due to having been mown down repeatedly by over-zealous Council contractors. It's not hard to imagine that some young persons have mucked about on the demolition site and have unwittingly been the vectors that have transferred seed from one side of the Broadway to the other.

There was a flock of approximately 56 Starlings over Glengall Rd, and several patches of Liverwort with 'parasol' type fruiting bodies along the foot of the east wall of the Royal Mail Office here.

Knopper Galls were on a Pedunculate Oak behind the 'up' platform of Bexleyheath station.

There were some Nipplewort plants in an alley off Pickford Close, and Yarrow and Petty Spurge in front gardens. A Tomato plant was growing between a wall and the pavement at the end of the Close.

Self Heal was noted in a garden on Brampton Rd, and Spear Thistle and Red Valerian outside the closed-down pub on the corner of Shakespeare Rd.

On the other side of Brampton Rd, in the parade of small shops, this Hart's-tongue Fern was pictured growing at the foot of a down-pipe between nos. 211A and 213A. It's an infrequent plant in urban locations in this area, but this is the sort of micro-habitat in which it can sometimes be found.

Hart's-tongue Fern - the extra moisture available at the foot of this down-pipe provides a survivable micro-habitat in an otherwise unsuitable area

There were 2 plants of Goat's-rue in a weedy front garden in Nicola Terrace on Long Lane, whilst this lawn sported a fine mat of Mouse-ear Hawkweed further east:


Mouse-ear Hawkweed in a garden lawn on Long Lane

A large specimen of Greater Celandine was noted in an alley behind the plant shop at the junction of Long Lane and Heversham Rd.

Ants off deck - Swifts and Starlings cash in

The black ants took to the skies today.

There were 14 Starlings on the communications mast on top of Bexleyheath fire station.

Walking along Rudland Rd I noticed that a gull floating overhead seemed to be snapping at something several times over. Was it out of annoyance at getting ants in its face, or was it catching them?

It looked like Starlings definitely were catching them. Both here, and on Barnehurst Rd, quite a number of individuals were making short, jerky, purposeful flights off of TV aerials and looked like they were feeding in mid-air. I can only assume they were eating the ants, but have never noticed this behaviour before.

When I came out onto Barnehurst Rd there were about 24 Swifts in two groups over the south end, flying very low over the road and houses. I have seen a significant number of these birds in this location on a couple of occasions. The first time they were flying so low that a couple only narrowly avoided crashing into the top deck of a bus.

Further down the road I stopped to see if I could get a video clip of the low-level aerobatics on my mobile phone, but no sooner had I taken up position than they all vanished.

On reaching the junction with Hillingdon Rd., I again scanned the sky. This time there were about 70 Swifts at a great height, flying over the area between Northall Rd and Hillingdon Rd.

At 8p.m., standing on my compost bins - from which ants were also taking flight - I was looking south from my garden with a pair of binoculars. A swirling band, now numbering around 120 Swifts (it's difficult to get an exact count!) made a magnificent sight away beyond the Bexleyheath railway line. There is surely something about the airflow that, not for the first time, favours congregation here. And must be no co-incidence that this record number came together just when the ants took to the sky en-masse.