Last week I went on a cruise to Orkney, the Faroes and the Shetland Isles, this was on a 12-storey cruiser from Tilbury and it gave me a unique opportunity to see from the Thames the RSPB reserve from reverse side and at an incredible elevation. Here are a couple of photos I took of Higham Bight, Cliffe Creek with Flamingo in the background and Lower Hope Point. Both Northward Hill and Black Barns can be seen in the distance.
Getting back from the fabulous more Northerly climes it was great to touch base with staff at Bromhey Farm and celebrate the still sinking in news about the reprieve for Lodge Hill and the Nightingales there, but not to forget that this was not just about the iconic species, but all the plants trees, insects, butterflies that call the redundant MOD site home and the close-by Great Chattenden Wood, not forgetting the 19 butterflies species we found there this summer, including Silver-washed Fritillary, White Admiral and Purple Emperor.
Talking of butterflies, there were still plenty around at both reserves, including Small Copper, Small White, Small Heath, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Common Blue, Wall Brown and the fantastic immigrant Clouded Yellow.
A brilliant picture of a Clouded Yellow female from Cliffe Pools yesterday, Rob (Budgen) says it's taken him three years to get a photo of one.
This is a Meadow Pipit.
The image below of the LBJ had us all scratching our heads, even the experts, Nightingale, Garden Warbler, Redstart, even Black Redstart, female and others besides, but I think we have finally settled (with a little help from Dr Greg Conway of the BTO) on Reed Warbler.
My thanks as ever to Rob for the photographs.
The North Kent Marshes are a very special area and worth preserving at all cost.