Sandwich and Pegwell Bay NNR

Following in a similar vein to my previous post, I thought this time I would have a look, albeit far more briefly than it deserves, at the wonderful National Nature Reserve at Sandwich and Pegwell Bay.

The lovely view out from the Sandwich and Pegwell Bay reserve

Managed by the Kent Wildlife Trust, this coastal reserve is Internationally important for its bird species, particularly wildfowl and waders such as dunlin (Calidris alpina), curlew (Numenius arquata) and oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus). It covers a variety of local habitat types including mudflats, saltmarsh, sand dunes and coastal scrubland and has a range of difficulty paths to suit anyone visiting.

Insect getting covered in pollen

Flies getting their fill of nectar in a lovely purple wildflower

A lovely rustic glass vase of these stunning red edged flowers
 was placed with others beside a lain wooden log

White flower of the lesser bindweed

As you walk around the reserve, there is some beautiful flora to be seen, particularly in the summer with wildflowers thriving throughout, although some of the more resilient flowers such as those of the lesser bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis) still make an impressive appearance in the autumn.

Common red darter newly perched on a leaf

Common red darter perched on a dead stem

View out across the marshes on a
more cloudy day

Bunches of elderberries thriving on the reserve

The surprisingly consistent good weather this summer has also bolstered the local insect life, with flitting dragonflies such as the common red darter (Sympetrum striolatum) and summer butterfly species, which accompany the marsh and field habitat, being a welcome regular sight. Wild growing fruit can also be seen on the reserve keeping the wild bird species well fed, with apple trees (Malus domestica) and elderberry bushes (Sambucus) scattered around. 

Highland cow grazing whilst a curlew
 forages nearby

Highland cow basking in the summer sun

Exmoor pony shaking off dust in the summer sun

Herd of exmoor ponies grazing

The reserve is also home to herds of lovely shaggy highland cattle, Exmoor ponies and Polish Konik primitive horses grazing in certain areas. On one of my sunnier summer visits to the reserve in fact I was even lucky enough to spend time watching a group of highland cattle resting in the shade whilst two adventurous magpies (Pica pica) hopped around and even on top of them to peck at insects abundant in the cow's fur.

Magpie picking flies from the face of
a Highland cow

Magpie standing proud beside an inquisitive Highland cow

Magpie after hopping onto the head
of a relaxed Highland cow

All in all, this reserve offers a wonderful nature trip out for anyone in the area, with picnic seating areas and a play park for the little'uns. For those interested in more marine species as well, the harbour in nearby Ramsgate runs a boat trip along the adjacent River Stour to search for marine mammals, particularly seals, with the boats often being seen drifting up and down the river from the reserve.

It really is brilliant being able to see such a wide variety of protected habitats in a visit to one site and, with hides and viewing areas dotted around, you are exposed to a good range of what more natural Kent has to offer and stand a good chance of seeing some fantastic wildlife.  

Wilderness view down one of the reserve's paths

View out the marshes with waders and
Ramsgate visible

Bunch of Hawthorn (Crataegus) berries

Another view out over the marshes towards Ramsgate

Well then, that's my brief account of what I've experienced so far and my thoughts on the Sandwich and Pegwell Bay National Nature Reserve. I hope to have done it some justice through my photographs, although to really see how beautiful it is you'll have to visit it yourselves! 

For those who are interested, my next post will be looking at another of the NNRs in Kent, the picturesque Stodmarsh Reserve in the Great Stour valley. See you then! 

Wild About Kent

Hi all, and welcome to the first post of my new blog, Invicta Zoologia, so named for the motto of the county of Kent, meaning undefeated, and the animal species I will be focusing on. This being the first post and all I reckon I should explain what it's going to be all about.

Over the past 4 years, I have lived in Bangor in North Wales completing my Masters in Zoology with Conservation. During this time, my fascination with the common wildlife we often see all around us has blossomed. I've always felt an affinity for the wildlife found across my home county of Kent, and now that I'm back I have recently made it my aim to experience as many of the hotspots as I can.

I feel that to truly learn about something you have to see it for yourself, and so whilst detailing my personal experiences of these local and national nature reserves, wildlife parks and general green patches, I will also be using this blog to further my wildlife photography as a way of showcasing some of my local shots. 

Overall, you might say that the aim is to show Kent's plants and animals, particularly those you might say are around us every day, in a new light.

The public pond in Herne Bay Memorial Park on a lovely summer day

For my first post then, it makes sense that I would look at the town of Herne Bay and nearby village of Herne which I have spent most of my life growing up in. A quiet town on the north coast of Kent, Herne Bay spends it's seasonal months as a small tourist attraction. Being fairly urban though, it is not generally regarded in terms of its wildlife, and so over the rest of this post hopefully I will be able to show some of the town's lovely spots and some of the life around the town.

Mother mallard caring for her ducklings

Black-headed gull floating in still water 

Moorhen foraging for food amongst the reedbed

Herring gull taking off from pond

One of my favourite places to sit in Herne Bay on a sunny day, although not entirely natural is the Memorial Park and it's pond. When conditions are right the blossoms of the gardens look stunning and around the pond you can see what I think are beautiful examples of the more common water-based birds, such as black-headed gulls (Chroicocephalus ridibundus), herring gulls (Larus argentatus), mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) with their ducklings and moorhens (Gallinula chloropus). When the sun is shining, I have also on occasion been lucky enough to see unknown terrapins basking on the board ramps up to the middle island.

House sparrows hiding from the wind
in their plumage in Waltrop gardens

House sparrow foraging with seafront
 houses in background

Herring gull scavenging on phone box

Common gull on seafront wall with Reculver
castle in background

Starling perched on sign at
 Herne Bay beach

As with most coastal towns, Herne Bay beach is another excellent place to see bird species. Not just the range of seabirds visible, the cultivated flower beds and picturesque Waltrop sunken gardens beside the seafront bandstand are commonly rustling with more urban birds. Alongside expected domestic scavengers such as the feral pigeon (Columba livia), collared dove (Streptopelia decaocto) and woodpigeon (Columba palumbus), flocks of house sparrows (Passer domesticus) can also be found foraging in bushes with groups of starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) and solitary carrion crows (Corvus corone) hopping about the beach.

Blackbirds scoping out scavenging
 opportunities of a house

Rabbit staying alert whilst foraging
 near Curtis wood

Red Admiral flitting between knapweed pods

Although I will focus on the area around the village of Herne, including the nearby National Nature Reserve (NNR) of East Blean woods, in a later post, I thought that for now I would briefly mention some of the wildlife I've seen around the village itself. If you get a day with particularly nice weather, the south side of Herne has a wild pond I used to play around in early childhood where you can often see moorhen's with their chicks in amongst the reed beds and blackbirds scavenging around the houses (Turdus merula). Nearby you also have Curtis wood and the park leading to it, where on quiet early mornings you can see groups of European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) grazing, as well as countless butterfly species, such as the red admiral (Vanessa atalanta) seen above perched on a common knapweed (Centaurea nigra) flitting across the grassland. 

Well there you have it, although I'll be the first to admit my zoological and literary knowledge is far from perfect, hopefully over this post and the course of this blog I can begin to show in my own way just how fantastic the local wildlife, even of towns can be. Maybe even an animal or plant is shown in a new light or unexpected place, and could be the something new you learn one day. 

Cheers for taking the time to read this, hopefully I'll be able to update it at least once a week if possible. What I do know though, is that next time I will be having a look at what I've experienced so far of the Sandwich and Pegwell Bay NNR, exciting! Hope to see you then!