What a contrast this April has been with last year when last year we had no rain and record temperatures whilst this year we had above average rainfall together with cold northerly winds that lasted nearly throughout the month. How did this affect our local birds? It certainly delayed both the arrival of our summer visitors the departure of our winter visitors as well. At first glance first arrival dates only show a slight delay as a few early birds arrived here before the northerlies really started. More detailed analysis shows, that the bulk of arrivals, particularly Swallows were very much delayed. Larger birds with GPS transmitters, such as Logie the Osprey that the BBC “World on the Move” has been covering, have demonstrated where the birds were delayed. Logie stayed in northern Spain for nearly ten days before crossing the sea, assumedly waiting for favourable conditions and southerly winds. During that time another female stole both her nest site and her husband in Moray. Needless to say being the holder of the site she soon evicted the intruder when eventually she did arrive.

Twenty parishioners from Benenden and Rolvenden joined me in an early morning walk in Hemsted Forest on May 3rd. The weather was perfect and we were able to listen to many of the summer migratory songsters. Competition is fierce when it comes to singing. For example we found a lovely singing Blackcap that has a delightful musical song but every time it tried to sing a nearby Chaffinch would drown it out. Later on the same thing happened when a Nightingale gave a few of its liquid notes only to be drowned out by a nearby Song Thrush. The combination was wonderful but trying to point out who was singing what was very difficult. Chiffchaff, Whitethroat and Willow Warbler were all heard as well as the regulars such as Robin, Blackbird and Wren. The Tree Pipit was the only one fail to sing although it had done in the rain when I did a recce a few mornings previously.

For some years now I have been recounting the fortunes of a Swallow nest site in a nearby watermill where last year we had three pairs but very poor breeding results, probably due to the weather. This year the birds arrived on April 20 a full week later than last year. The male birds usually arrive first and secure the best nest sites. As it is impossible to differentiate between the sexes, I do not know if the first arrivals were male or female but there was very little activity for the next ten days and in fact I wondered if the birds had moved on. I suspect they were males and when another Swallow arrived which I suspect was a female then the courtship started with lots flying and chatter. With the poor breeding results of last year I am afraid we will have only one or two pairs this year. At the time of writing in early May it is much too early to write off the possibility of further arrivals, particularly with the late season.

Whilst doing a survey on April 16^th in Smarden I heard a Turtle Dove, which is by far the earliest I have heard it and it was another two weeks before I heard another. What was rather bizarre was the fact that a flock of Fieldfare were in a tree not two hundred yards away. This is quite a late date to see these winter thrushes and to see these two migrants together was very strange. My brain was thinking was it winter or was it summer? On another occasion I was on the South Downs when I flushed a Ring Ouzel, which was on migration from North Africa to our own mountains in the North of England or Scotland. It is the first time I have seen one on passage through the south and it was an exciting find. A Ring Ouzel is like a Blackbird with a large white crescent on its breast making it a handsome bird indeed.

Charles Trollope