Kentish birds

A Sandwich tern looks to me like a size four bird with size six wings; yet somehow this surfeit of wing seems only to add to its rakish elegance. Today a dozen terns flapped their strappy silvery wings past Kelling Water Meadow, their nuptial caps flawlessly black so early in the season, and the tips of their bills minutely lemon.

As I walked to the meadow a holly blue, of one colour with today’s unexpected sky, danced around the ivies in the hedge. Swallows flew in from the sea as I watched and a Mediterranean gull gave one quiet call, enough for me to pick its perfect persil wings from the mob of black-heads here.

Inland a crisp comma – among my favourite British butterflies – basked on a post. Pale primroses flowered by a fishing pond and early bluebells peeked into flower. On a flashing yellow stand of European gorse a portly stonechat puffed his chest and after he flew a Dartford warbler took his place: cocked tail, maroon breast, slate back and proud red eye.

Blackadder: Baldrick, go to the kitchen and make me something quick and simple to eat, would you? Two slices of bread with something in between.

Baldrick: What, like Gerald Lord Sandwich had the other day?

Blackadder: Yes, a few rounds of Geralds.

Richard Curtis and Ben Elton

Blackadder the Third: Ink and Incapability

New this afternoon

	Mammals
440	Sandwich tern	Sterna sandvicensis
441	Dartford warbler	Sylvia undata

  

2012 Totals

Mammals: 55

Birds: 441

Reptiles: 12

Amphibians: 5

Fish: 3