Shhh, we're waiting for a Kingfisher

So I should really be doing some studying but it's been far too long since I wrote my blog!  So here's a little catch up on the past couple of weeks.  We had a trip to the Kent Wildlife Trust nature reserve at Sevenoaks on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.  It is a fantastic reserve full of lakes, reedbeds and woodland.  It's great for birds and has some well placed hides.  We sat in Willow Hide for a while hoping to catch a glimpse of a kingfisher but unfortunately the closest we came was a possible fly-by which we were fairly sure was one.  Our chances might have been greater if the hide hadn't been so busy and the elderly couple, who following wishing us good luck on spotting, hadnt slammed the hide door on the way out...twice.  Honestly, an airplane crashing into the pond would have caused less disturbance.  However, we were fortunate to watch a Grey Heron hanging out and catching fish:

There seems to be a little brown jobby flying across the first picture, not sure what that was.  It is amazing how still the heron stands whilst watching for prey and for ages.  If anyone saw the crazy bobbing Jack Snipe on Autunmwatch, quite the opposite!

I also got quite a nice picture of some Devil's-bit Scabious whilst wandering around:

There are plenty of willowherb species around the reserve and though no longer in flower I got these pictures at an earlier visit to the site.  This is Large-flowered Evening-primrose:

I have also been spending a fair amount of time in woodlands lately.  A new flora discovery for me was this:

Lesser Periwinkle

It doesnt look like much now but when in flower it has beautiful blue-violet 5-petalled flowers (google it).  Despite its ornate appearance it is apparently native in the south.  Great name too.

Ah, get them off me!

Having spent more time rummaging through woods these last couple of weeks I am discovering the wondrous joys of walking through cobwebs very regularly.  Now, I have realised that if am to get on in this industry I am going need to man up a bit, grow a pair, and stop squealing like a 5 year old girl when those sticky wispy webs waft across my face!  So that's my challenge, though I dont think I am ever going to develop an amicable relationship with spiders, no sir.  Look how creepy looking they are!

Garden Spider Araneus diadematus

This is England's common Garden Spider, also sometimes known as the cross spider due to the holy white cross on the abdomen (photographed at Tyland Barn).  This species spin orb webs which are apparently the most advanced webs.  I just ripped this info off the RSPB website but orb webs are built by laying spirals of silk around radial threads and the spider sits in the middle awaiting prey.

I just discovered that baby spiders are called spiderlings, that actually makes them slightly less despicable I think.