Acorn Barn, Kent June 2013

Kent 2013

Saturday 15^th June

Breezy and damp start to the day, but undeterred we decided to stop at Butterfly World near St Albans for a few hours (usually stop at an RSPB reserve but as the weather was so unsettled we didn’t fancy getting a soaking!). Tropical butterflies in the greenhouse were very good – good selection of species and plenty of them. It wasn’t too busy either and quiet apart from the school groups!! As the sun was shining we walked to the meadows but the wind was very strong and so no butterflies were seen at all. As the rain clouds gathered we decided to make our way on to Kent and Acorn Barn. For some reason the sat nav decided to route us via London and the Blackwall Tunnel (should have ignored it!) so it was well into the afternoon when we arrived after our usual visit to Tesco. Even windier at Acorn Barn and we worried that the huge Oak tree above the barn might blow over!

Sunday 16^th June

A bright yet cloudy start today - we were due to meet some good friends at Dungeness today which we did but the weather started to deteriorate as we walked towards the furthest lakes where we usually see hobbies. Quick change of direction saw us in a hide just as the heavens opened. We sat and watched the terns for 45 minutes while it threw it down!! Lunch was had in the hide and eventually the rain ceased so we wandered back to the visitor centre. There were lots of assorted warblers and good views of a marsh harrier along the walk. In the afternoon the sun shone and as we went to the ARC hide it was lovely and warm. What a difference – the butterflies and dragonflies were now all flying and from the hide a lovely great crested grebe family were clearly visible with the striped baby continually trying to get on the parents back! Back for tea and a kestrel and a green woodpecker were seen on the fence.

Monday 17^th June

Up early for hare watch! Not as visible this year, we think as the crop has changed (last year was oil seed rape which had blown all over the place making it impossible for the hares to walk through) – this year it is broad beans and there is plenty of room. So the hares very occasionally come out into the open but will very quickly disappear back when they see any sign of movement. However we had one on the lawn outside the barn so got some shots through the glass (which was very clean). Didn’t know it at the time but these were to be the only shots we got all week!

Went to Port Lympne today and did the safari ride – something very surreal about seeing giraffes and rhinos in the Kent countryside!! Very much recommended for a day out (very hot too!!)

Back for tea at the Kings Arms in Hythe – very good food at reasonable prices.

Tuesday 18^th June

Sunny and warm, right in the middle of the heath fritillary season, ideal conditions. So off we went to East Blean Woods to see them all. This is the third year we have been in Kent at the right time and in sunny conditions but sadly once again not one was seen. This year we were too early!! The only way to see these butterflies we think therefore is to make a long day of it when they have been reported flying. Booking a holiday 9 months ahead does not work!! Also went to West Blean but none there either. Allegedly a few had been seen elsewhere in Kent  - we were told to come back in two weeks!! Nice walk though and we did see ringlet, orange tip (very late!), large white, large skipper, speckled wood, red admiral and green hairstreak. Back home to look for hares but none around.

Wednesday 19^th June

Forecast the best day of the week so we went to Park Gate Down for the orchids. What a lovely place – loads of them all over, there must have been 500 monkey orchids along with lots of common spotted, lady and butterfly orchids. Find of the day was the fly orchid. Quite a few butterflies including a beautiful freshly emerged Brown Argus. Also got to use my angle finder for the first time – a very good addition to my kit and saved my knees getting any more bruised!

Then on to Lydden Down – one of my favourite places in Kent for butterflies. Very sunny and warm – lots of butterflies here including Adonis blue, common blue, brown argus, small heath, large white, small white and highlight so far of two clouded yellows.

Back to the barn and no hares visible again.

Update – later on three hares were spotted and as I walked closer to them a fox ran out from between the rows of beans and stopped dead, stared at me for 5 seconds and ran back the way he had come!

Thursday 20^th June

Bad forecast today, thunderstorms and very wet. However it wasn’t - nice dry morning breakfast outside again. This is a lovely place and the only sound that can be heard is nature. Had a later start today because of the forecast and headed towards Rye Harbour – didn’t get there as the rain did arrive and we diverted to Dymchurch. Always nice to visit this little seaside town (probably nicer out of season!) After a nice lunch in the local café we drove down Dungeness and stopped for a wander. By now the rain had stopped but it was very foggy – even so we ascended the old lighthouse (although we could see nothing!) which was very interesting.  Saw a cinnabar moth on some ragwort (both rare nowadays) along with a small white laying eggs on the sea kale. Back to change for a tea with the family at the Mayfly in Hawkinge – good food and great prices!

Friday 21^st June

Last day and we had planned to go to Dymchurch and Dungeness but as it was dull and damp decided to head for Canterbury first. The sun was forecast for the afternoon. Lovely city but a bit pricey to see the cathedral (which you now can’t even see without paying to get into the courtyard!). Browsed the shops, drank coffee in Waterstones and had lunch in Wetherspoons. Weather starting to look better so off we went to Dungeness to find cool and breezy. However we did see some grass snakes  and newts on the RSPB reserve. With the conditions there were no butterflies, dragonflies or even birds – very quiet afternoon.

We had decided to attend the wild flower walk led by Own Leyshon – a great leader who knew the flowers of Dungeness very well. Shame the weather had reverted to our typical British summers by now with drizzle, mist and a cold wind!

Back to the barn to pack, finish the G&T and beer and eat the ice creams!! And to reflect on another lovely week at Acorn Barn – it is a bit like coming home now!!

Kent June 2012

Saturday 9th June

Two years since our last trip to Kent when we stayed at Acorn Barn near Bilsington. As there were so many hares within easy reach of the camera we decided to visit again. Should be interesting to see what has changed.

We set off on Saturday planning to stop at Rainham Marshes (RSPB) on the way down as it was just off our route. Weather wasn’t too bad but we had seen the forecast for the next week – not promising! Gales and rain and lots of both. Interesting place though – a bit too windy for many birds to fly but we managed to spot several egrets amongst the reeds. Plenty of marsh frogs also – heard but not many seen! There were a couple of red admirals also.

After the usual shopping for provisions for the week ahead we arrived at Acorn Barn to sunshine. Everything looked the same at the barn and we got a friendly greeting from the owners. We did notice a huge new housing development near the Tesco in Ashford which wasn’t there in 2010! During the week we found quite a few housing developments where there used to be fields or countryside. Whatever happened to our green and pleasant land?

Evening sun brought the chance to take some pictures of the view from the barn as well as the hares – there was even one on the drive to welcome us!

Sunday 10th June

We planned to visit Dungeness today as the forecast wasn’t too bad. However as there had been so much rain all the water levels were very high and there was no space for waders. For the first time ever we visited the hides but they were all empty – nothing to see. We did find a group of people waiting for the purple heron (had been there hours with no success) but having not seen anything we made our way back. Made the wrong decision and decide to take the long walk back to the visitor centre – rain arrived on a day which was forecast to be dry and we got soaked! Still a nice day – still windy though. Made our way back to the barn where the hares were still out in the field so managed to get some more shots of them. I made it my mission to take pictures every morning and evening of the hares.  A kestrel came and sat on the fence (had gone before I got the camera) and there were several thrushes around also. Butterflies today – red admiral and a few green veined whites. Think it is too cold and damp for our usual species to be flying.

Monday 11th June

We were going to revisit Dungeness but as the forecast was wet decided to go to Wingham Wildlife Park – made a pleasant change to see overseas animals – meerkats, lemurs, lions and tigers. However it was a lovely warm day with no rain. So we know that this week is going to be difficult to gauge the weather! More hares before breakfast and after dinner today again. More in the sunshine and pictures seem to get better each day! Guess they are getting more used to this strange man with a big lens being around.  Kestrel visited again too. We took a short drive out to the military canal and some pictures of a lovely sky over it before coming back home.

 Tuesday 12th June

Dry forecast so we knew what was going to happen! Decided to go to Rye as it was a nice little town when we visited before – morning was supposed to be wet with a dry afternoon before the weather closed in overnight. It was a damp but otherwise ok morning which we spent wandering round the town before heading to Rye harbour nature reserve for the dry afternoon. As you can guess it was far from dry! Got soaked and the hides only showed black headed gulls (plenty of chicks) but nothing much else. There was also one avocet which flew off fairly quickly. Back to the barn to dry out – more hares some very close this time. There is a horse in the field which seems to have encouraged the hares to come out of the field – they like to sit at the bottom of the garden just the other side of the fence. Also today we saw a lesser spotted woodpecker family (think they are in the large oak tree next to the barn); a pied wagtail which sat on the fence and the evenings highlight was a fly past from a barn owl!

Wednesday 13th June

Blean woods for heath fritillary and then Denge woods for Duke of Burgundy. Sunny, warm the right time of year but no butterflies. We did the whole circuit of the RSPB footpath which went to where all the new coppicing had been done but despite being plenty of food plant and flowers and also being warm and sunny we did not see a single butterfly. Very strange and we can only assume that the rain and wind had finished off the spring butterflies. Plenty of orchids at Bonsai Bank however (and we did see a female common blue here so hopefully the next generation of blues will be around later in the year). Fragrant orchids were just flowering and there were lady and butterfly orchids although these had seen better days. By far the most common orchid was the common spotted.

Thursday 14th June

Park Gate Down for orchids followed by sandwich bay nature reserve. Lovely warm sunny summers day although a little windy – we have noticed that in recent years it can be either sunny and breezy or wet and still! There were quite a few monkey orchids around among the butterfly, fragrant, and common spotted orchids. After spending a lovely few hours here we drove to Sandwich bay nature reserve and had a windy picnic looking at the bay. Tide was out which was bad news for spotting birds but we did the walk through the reserve calling at the hide – although as the tide was so far out we could only spot wildlife through binoculars. Shelduck and curlew were plentiful, the latter being repeatedly disturbed by an erratic aeroplane which kept flying low and disturbing them. It was nice to see a large flock of them take to the wing but not so sure about the continual disturbance by low flying planes! Plenty of orchids here too (spotted and fragrant) and a few more butterflies – holly and common blue plus a red admiral. Next stop was Kingsdown were the small blue colony lived but like all the other butterfly sites we had visited there were none. This is a wonderful site although it has come to the attention of wildlife groups who plan to “manage” it. Reading the management plan it seems the first thing they want to do is pull out the valerian which is one of the nicest parts about the little area and an important nectar source for insects – in particular the humming bird hawk moth which loves it. Then on the way home we called in at Samphire Hoe for a cup of tea only to find that they had closed! Before 4 o clock in June! We had planned a walk but as it was so windy decided to abort the visit and find the nearest pub for a drink and an early tea! A few hares around when we got home but there seem to have been less as we move through the week.

Friday 15th June

There was a terrific storm overnight with thunder, lightning and very heavy rain. Kept us awake and awoke this morning to find bits of oak tree (there is a very large one just behind the barn) scattered all over the car and lawn! However good weather today! We decided to do something different and just plan a walk somewhere – we chose to go to Dover and park at the white cliffs and then do the short 2 mile walk along the cliff top to the South Foreland lighthouse. Windy but we had some magnificent views over the channel and also had a bonus when we saw a spitfire flying around. It was accompanied by two helicopters which were full of people taking photos if the spitfire flying over the white cliffs. After a very nice piece of cake at Mrs Nott’s tea rooms we had a guided tour of the lighthouse and it was extremely interesting. We learned all about its history and the history of the area as well as lighthouses in general. To be recommended! Then it was the walk back with some stops to take in the landscape before another windy picnic on the cliff tops above the very busy harbour. Then a quick browse around the national trust shop before heading back to Acorn Barn to pack have tea and watch England in their second group game of Euro 2012.

Saturday 16th June

Home sadly. We have enjoyed our second stay at Acorn Barn and will be back. It is the only place we have returned to for a holiday (people always say never go back – it is never the same the second time but it has been as good as the first week we spent there). We called at Rye Meads on the way back home and although no kingfishers were seen (they were sitting on eggs) we did have the unexpected bonus of seeing a pair of green sandpipers. Then home and prepare for work the next day! All good things come to an end but it means our next break is that much closer – North Wales in July.

Kent June 2010

Saturday 5th June

We arrived at Acorn Barn after a long wait to get over the Dartford Crossing (QE2 bridge) – the traffic kept us for 90 minutes! And after all the hustle and bustle of the M25 and loads of traffic we felt we had arrived in a different world – a world full of peace and tranquillity. We could hear birds all around us – yellowhammers and skylarks. Lovely little converted barn in Bilsington so really in the country although only a handful of miles from Ashford. We had a nice relaxing evening and settled to bed early – it was so dark without any streetlights that we could see all the stars and had no problems getting to sleep.

Sunday 6th June

After a tremendous thunderstorm in the night we awoke to a clear dull morning. A kestrel flew low over the field and a green woodpecker was pecking for ants in the paddock. There was a cuckoo in the distance and some hares came close to the barn and we were able to get some pictures (hares were looking decidedly bedraggled after the night’s storm)! After a trip to the supermarket in Ashford we went into Folkestone while the weather was dull and had a lovely lunch of pan fried prawns with noodles in the harbour market. After lunch we decided to visit Denge Woods to see if we were in time to see the duke of burgundy butterfly. We were! We counted 7 at Bonsai Bank along with over 20 Common Blues. The dukes looked in very good condition although we had to shelter from a downpour before finding them. After the rain the sun shone and it was a lovely afternoon. We also found large white, green veined white and small white. Back to the barn where the hares showed well in the evening sunshine and we got some much better shots than in the morning.

Monday 7th June

Bright and sunny despite the gloomy forecast we saw on TV! Off to Dungeness RSPB and spent a lovely morning watching the warblers – never seem able to identify them properly! We spent ages watching hobbies (8 of them) catching dragonflies above one of the lakes and a pair of marsh harriers in the distance. Sadly the water level was too high for any waders anywhere on the reserve but we did catch a glimpse of the purple heron. We had heard that there were colonies of dingy and grizzled skippers towards the end of Dungeness so we went to find them. Unfortunately we only saw 1 common blue! Never mind – we had a cup of tea in the Railway Café instead!

Tuesday 8th June

Another gloomy forecast today which this time turned out to be correct! So we decided to go to Rye in nearby Sussex. Rye is a lovely little town and we had a walk around looking in the little shops and the church – then the sun came out! We had a coffee and went to Rye Harbour nature reserve. It was turning into a lovely day – sunny and warm although not without a light shower or two. Birds and butterflies were plentiful – all three terns (common, sandwich and little) plus countless warblers. Butterflies included common blue, brown argus, painted lady, red admirals and commas. We visited The Woolpack in Brookland for crab salad with prawns – very tasty.

Wednesday 9th June

Weather not very promising today but bearing in mind that the forecast had turned out wrong every day so far we set off for Blean Woods near Canterbury to see if we could find heath fritillary. When we arrived there was a party of foresters but no information board or reserve leaflets. Fortunately we found a helpful RSPB warden who told us he had seen 11 earlier and told us where to find them. Numbers were well down this year (he had counted 1300 the year before!) – we only found out much later that they were later emerging this year. We did find some of our own – 7 to be exact in the sunshine. Then the sun disappeared and so did all the butterflies! They were all roosting somewhere but once I had my eye in we managed to find several and got some under wing shots. We had just made it back to the car when the heavens opened so we had our picnic in the car. Afterwards we went to Canterbury and filled up with petrol (expensive at £1.13) and did a little shopping while the weather decided what to do. The black clouds cleared and we went to Kingsdown (near Deal) where we had been told of a colony of small blue. The sun was out and it was very warm and when we found the area which was a shingle patch full of valerian and kidney vetch (next to Campbell’s Garage) it was full of small blue – probably around 50 butterflies in total. There was a mixture of worn and fresh specimens with lots of females egg laying. Also found common blue, large white, small white, small heath and painted lady. Next we walked onto the cliffs between Kingsdown and St Margaret’s Bay and found more common blue, large and small white, small copper, painted lady, orange tip and the highlight – 3 wall browns! Although by now it was getting late our journey back to the barn went past Lydden Down so we called in and saw lots of Adonis blue (around 30) – they were all at the bottom of the down and not on the top.  Also saw brown argus, large and small white and orange tip. An altogether lovely day full of sunshine and butterflies.

Thursday 10th June

Guess what – weather forecast again not good! Decided to go to Port Lympne and use our Tesco vouchers. Brilliant day out including a “safari” ride (very strange to see giraffe and rhino in the middle of the Garden of England!). Loads of animals and spotted the first large skipper of the year. A little rain during the early afternoon but another mild day with sunny intervals.

Friday 11th June

Yet another dull start so we went to Dymchurch where we discovered that the council had stopped all street parking and there was only the expensive council car park with its pot holes. Not very impressed with this place so we went to Hythe which is a world apart – a lovely little town and then called in to see Mum who lives nearby. We walked along the military canal where we saw a cuckoo – closest we have ever been to this bird!

Saturday 12th June

At last – a sunny day was forecast. Decision was made to return to Blean Wood and Bonsai Bank. Unfortunately (although probably to be expected) the weather forecast was wrong and it turned dull and a little gloomy. However we did make our way to the rides where we had seen the heath fritillary earlier. In the dull conditions we only found 5 roosting. Disappointed in the numbers as we had hoped to see “clouds of butterflies” like I remembered from childhood. It was not to be so we drove to Bonsai Bank where the sun came out and it was a lovely afternoon. There were only 2 dukes to be found now but it was nice to show them to Mum. We also spotted common blue, brown argus, red admiral, painted lady, large white, holly blue, speckled wood and a green hairstreak. Plenty of orchids around also with lady orchids being especially plentiful.

Sunday 13th June

Half way through our stay in Kent now but we intend to make the most of this week. Dull start and we went to Tenterden to have a look around. Sometimes it does not pay to be out too early as Tenterden was closed (it was Sunday!) Nice little place with a railway but we did not hang around too long as the sun came out. We decided to visit Orlestone Forest which was supposed to be good for butterflies (it wasn’t – not sure how it is being managed but there was not a single butterfly to be found! Ham Street nature reserve which we found nearby was much better where we had our picnic and saw red admiral, speckled wood, small tortoiseshell, common blue and comma. Then as the sun was still shining and it was warm we went to Hothfield Heathlands to look for reptiles. We saw in total none! We did find sundew and also common blue, brown argus, speckled wood and another large skipper.

Monday 14th June

Monday was forecast to be a dull and showery day so we switched our plan from butterflies to birds for the day. Needless to say the weather was lovely! Sunny but there was a stiff north easterly breeze meaning that the temperature only peaked at 17 degrees. We went to Oare Marsh but it was very disappointing for bird life so we decided to travel a little further afield to Elmley Marsh as we were in the general vicinity. What a fantastic place – very long drive along a bumpy road to get to the car park but the place itself was really nice and interesting. We saw several marsh harriers, lapwings, oystercatchers and redshanks all close to the car as we arrived. From the car park there was a further long walk to the bird hides but they were all interesting and the reserve was full of wildlife. Avocets, shelducks, loads of redshanks, skylarks and meadow pipits. There was even a hare on the way out!

Tuesday 15th June

We restocked our food supply in Asda and with lots of sunny intervals appearing we went to Darland Banks. We stopped at Tyland Barn on the way for an interesting look around (headquarters of Kent Wildlife Trust). Darland Banks is a lovely reserve and we would gladly have spent all day there! It is a lovely chalk grassland site and was full of butterflies. We found lots of common, adonis and small blue, large and small skipper, large white, brown argus and painted lady. After a wonderful afternoon we went back to the barn where at 9:30 a barn owl flew past!

Wednesday 16th June

Another sunny but windy day. We spent the morning in Dover while waiting for the weather to brighten up. When it did (although the wind did not drop at all) we went back to Lydden Down hoping to find some sheltered areas. A very kind lady in a charity shop told us where to look – she was right as there were plenty of adonis and common blue, large skipper, small and large white, brown argus, small tortoiseshell and wall brown. Away from this warm sheltered spot there was not too much flying due to the wind. Then back to the barn to see if we could find any more hares.

Thursday 17th June

Running out of days now so we went back to one of our favourite places – Dungeness. It was sunny but unseasonally cold – only around 13 degrees in June! Partly due to the cold north wind that was blowing again. We were looking for marsh frogs and although we heard plenty of them we only spotted one and that was jumping into the water. We had some glimpses of a possible purple heron in the distance and there were plenty of warblers around but the highlight was a bittern flying across in front of us in addition to hearing one boom. We had tea out today in Lydd (The George) – it was ok but we probably will not be back there – just us and Mum in a room on our own.

Friday 18th June

Our last day in Kent! Dull so gave up on butterflies and went to Canterbury where we had a lovely time walking around along the city walls – near the cathedral and in the lovely little shops in the cathedral area. We were disappointed to find that we could not get to the cathedral as there was now a huge charge just to get into the grounds never mind the cathedral. The only people going in were school trips – think they may have overcharged and stopped a lot of people visiting. Never mind we had a nice time in Canterbury anyway. Weather then brightened up so we went back to Blean Wood (East Blean this time) – more heath fritillaries here. This is a Kent Wildlife Trust site whereas the other Blean Wood site was RSPB.

Saturday 19th June

An extra day! We went to visit Don Wilks in Minster as he did a lot of butterfly breeding. Lovely garden – lots of butterfly food plants and he had a greenhouse to die for! Well at least if you are interested in butterflies. I learned a lot and even came away with a nettle full of New Zealand red admiral ova! Stayed overnight in the Pegwell Bay hotel which was really nice and then journey home on the Sunday.
Lovely holiday – shame the weather was so cold but that’s an English summer for you!