A few pics from the weekend - Dungeness, Elmley and the back yard :)

Well, as I've often grumbled on here before, we have no garden as we live in a second (top) floor flat. However, the building we're in does have a back yard and we can see bits of it from our bedroom window. Mr aiki alerted me to the presence of a fox family out there on Sunday, we both grabbed our cameras just in time to see the vixen suckling her four cubs :)

The poor girl looks pretty fed up and I'm not surprised, those are big cubs! She disappeared after the feed but the cubs stayed around a little longer. It was very overcast so the pics are not great.

That afternoon we went to RSPB Elmley Marshes. Weather no better, we didn't walk far down the trail. Still, we saw some nice things, including this baby Skylark:

and quite a few Brown Hares, including this cute lil leveret. Also around were at least two Short-eared Owls, Marsh Harriers, Avocets, Yellow Wagtails and good numbers of breeding Lapwings, Redshanks and Oystercatchers.

Then on Monday morning I went to Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve to meet a couple of friends and show them around. Saw first Common Sandpiper of the year, Little Ringed Plover, the usual warblers, Kingfisher, masses of hirundines and Swifts, and a pair of Little Grebes (this species has never been known to breed on the reserve so this is an exciting development). My favourite pic of the morning is probably this House Martin:

In the afternoon we went to RSPB Dungeness. Lots of summer visitors ticked off for the year including Hobby, Cuckoo, Common and Sandwich Terns, Spotted Flycatcher, Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat and Sedge Warbler. A few piccies - my first 2012 Speckled Wood:

The Spotfly. It's not often my path crosses with one of these, so I was really pleased to see it and get some pics :)

Lovely female Wheatear, who posed like a dream )

and we'll call this a mystery bird - but if you want to cheat, the image url will reveal what it is :)

Hi M great photos you certainly have been busy, I could not check the url as I am using my phone, wild stab at Linnet?

Shane

Hi M great photos you certainly have been busy, I could not check the url as I am using my phone, wild stab at Linnet?

Thanks S. I always try to make the most of the bank holiday weekends, even if the weather's rubbish! Re the mystery bird, let's see if anyone else wants to play before I reveal the answer ;)

Great set of photos Aiki well done with the House Martin but Mrs Wheatear has to be my favourite..and i'm afraid i cheated lol.

I wait intrigued to find out what it is

I was always one of those that if it said don't touch i usually did.

Saying that i would never have got it.

'Fraid I cheated too! I would never have guessed.

What a fab weekend you had. The fox and cubs must have been a wonderful surprise. Spotty is probably my favourite, but I do like the House Martin in flight. Wonderful photo.

Tsk, naughty cheaters ;) Here's another one of the mystery bird, which may make things better... or worse...

It looks like a chaffinch, but I will be wrong. They are a great set of pictures Aiki. Jan

Holding wrist out for slap, I would never have worked that out.  Mrs Wheatear looks like a professional at posing for her portrait.

Caroline in Jersey

Wow a real rare one a fur billed ring necked sparrow

You cheat Shane lol.

Shane

Wow a real rare one a fur billed ring necked sparrow

LOL! Jan's right, it's a Chaffinch :)

Great set of photos Aiki - you covered a few miles moving between those reserves. I like the 'Spotfly' - not a dramatic little bird but very photogenic. And you can't get more of a poser than that Wheatear!

Cracking set of pictures - agree with you on the House Martin, though the rest are good too. It may have been overcast, but at least it wasn't raining.