14 AUGUST 2025 – OARE MARSHES, KENT
An 8.00 a.m. start from my house
saw us arriving at Oare Marshes Reserve shortly after 9.30 a.m. As we
approached (in John’s newly acquired Black Landrover Discovery) it was
immediately obvious that the marsh itself was almost wholly without water - due
to the heat and lack of rain in recent weeks - so straight away we were
unlikely to get a good number of wading birds. In addition, it was already
quite hot, with a warm breeze, so it could prove quiet difficult walking around
the reserve in the heat, which was likely to heighten as the morning wore on.
Our first objective was to locate
the adult Bonaparte’s Gull that had been present over the past couple of weeks,
having returned for the 14th year in succession; but we were out of
luck. But immediately a Wall (Brown) Butterfly was found opposite the slipway
(where the Bonaparte’s had been seen that morning) so that kept me happy for a
while trying to get decent photographs - although that proved harder than expected
because the insect kept its wings very firmly shut, except for the initial
sighting.
I was also hoping to see Clouded
Yellow Butterflies, and a brief sighting gave us hope, but we only saw two that
morning - both flight views as the insects flew rapidly past without settling.
Mike saw a Painted Lady butterfly briefly, but most of the butterfly species
seen were Large or Small Whites. We continued along the very dry path adjacent
to the Swale Estuary, reaching the bird hide without seeing the Bonaparte’s
Gull, or anything much else of interest. But it was extremely warm with quite a
strong, warm breeze from the northeast (I think) so no wonder the butterfly and
dragonfly activity were minimal.
Mike and I wandered on whilst
John was talking to another birder, and along the path a few Wall butterflies
were seen, together with Meadow Browns, Gatekeepers and the usual Whites. But
suddenly, Mike had seen another butterfly resembling a Gatekeeper and/or Wall
and which had a distinctly ‘bouncing’ and ‘zigzag’ type flight pattern not
consistent with either. It was difficult to pin down, but eventually it settled
briefly quite deep into a bramble where we could see the gingery colour, and
finely ‘spotted’ pattern on the upper wings - which Mike said was consistent with it being a Queen of Spain Fritillary, of which he’d had extensive experience of in
Spain and the Camargue in Southern France. The insect remained still for a few
seconds but was soon in flight again disappearing into a dyke with thick brambles - and was never seen again; I didn’t even get the opportunity to take
any photographs, and which would have been helpful for identification purposes.
The butterfly was a new species
for me in the UK, and Mike’s second, and despite the relatively poor views,
together with Mike’s experience of the species on the Continent and the details
we did manage to observe, we were both happy with the identification. We also
understand that another had been observed that morning near Gillingham, Kent -
not too far away - but others had been observed at Oare recently and along the
South Coast. Regrettably, John joined us too late to see the butterfly, and
although we stayed at the location for a while, we didn’t get to have a second
view.
We continued along the path in
the direction of the second hide (situated overlooking the almost wholly dried
watercourse on the reserve) observing at least three stunning male Southern
Migrant Hawker dragonflies, as well as Ruddy and Common Darters - but with surprisingly
no Damselfly species whatsoever (maybe the consequence of the continuing strong
breeze - as dragonflies don’t usually fly much in such conditions).
We returned to the car for lunch,
then opted to have another try for the Bonaparte’s, and were eventually
rewarded with reasonable views with good comparison with nearby Black-headed
Gulls. The bird was quite distant on the mudflats and was observed ‘paddling’
vigorously with its feet, for worms. It was in moult so only had a partial
black hood, but its distinctive small, black bill was observed well, despite
the distant views. Photos here were taken with a 100-400 mm telephoto - on full
extension.
We continued along the path again
up to the coastal hide with nothing else of much interest, until we turned back
towards the slipway. At that point I seemed to lose all my energy in the heat
and found it extremely difficult to continue. Mike kindly took my rucksack and
John my binoculars, which only helped marginally, and I struggled all the way
back until we reached the car again and I could rest inside and take
refreshments, until I recovered.
On the way, a large flight of
Whimbrel (totalling 45 individuals) calling continually, flew over the Swale
but veered off southwards without Mike seeing them. It was the largest flock of
Whimbrel I’d ever seen, and despite John giving me back my binoculars to view
them, my condition didn’t allow me the level of interest the sighting
warranted. Other birds seen here included several Little Egrets, a single
Sandwich Tern, a distant Marsh Harrier, and a Hobby (which I missed).
After I’d recovered, we took the
car down to look at the almost dried out pool, where a few Golden Plover and
another Clouded Yellow Butterfly were seen (though not by me, as I stayed in
the car - I’d had enough of the heat by then!).
The M2 motorway traffic was quite
heavy at times, with a relatively slow journey up to the Dartford Crossing,
arriving back home at mine at around 5.45 pm.
It had been a slightly
disappointing day dragonfly-wise (despite good views of Southern Migrant
Hawkers - though no photos were taken) but undoubtedly the highlight was finding the
Queen of Spain Fritillary …………………. I wonder how long it would be before I get
to see another??
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