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Jun 26 2015
RSPB Dungeness : 26th June 2015
RSPB Dungeness : 26th June 2015
On the morning of the 26th we stopped at Dereck Jarman’s garden first before heading off for RSPB Dungeness which I had never been to before but was curious to see. We started by dropping into the visitor centre where we immediately got a good year tick when one of the staff pointed out a Common Gull sitting on a nest on a raft just in front of the reception ; there was also a pair of nesting Oystercatchers on the same raft. In fact Common Gulls at this site were extremely common and were one of the many goodsightings we had.
Jun 25 2015
The New Inn at Wincheslea 25th June 2015
The New Inn at Wincheslea 25th June 2015
After we left Rye Harbour we went to our hotel for the next couple of days, the New Inn at Winchelsea where we had a nice room overlooking the graveyard in which Spike Milligan is buried and the church of which has magnificent Arts and Crafts stained glass windows. The room we had was the one right behind the pub sign and gave us lovely views of Swifts in the evening. On our first post-dinner walk we took a stroll round the graveyard and church and noted that the ruined part of the building (presumably a monastery before the Reformation) held Swifts nests which was the first time I have ever seen Swifts nesting in stone niches. There were plenty of them and they obviously had young they were feeding as they kept returning to feed their young before sallying forth again for more food.
Jun 25 2015
Rye Harbour Nature Reserve : 25th June 2015
Rye Harbour Nature Reserve : 25th June 2015
After our visit to the Stodmarsh NNR, Sandwich and Deal we finished up at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve. The whole reserve is quite big so we concentrated more on the part that borders the sea and takes in the Ternary Pool which was our principle interest with Little Terns ours target species. Unfortunately we did not manage to see these birds which do breed here but we still had plenty of good birds so we were happy enough.
Jun 25 2015
Stodmarsh NNR : 25th June 2015
Stodmarsh NNR : 25th June 2015
On the morning of the 25th June we set out from Canterbury to Winchelsea with a planned stop off en route atthe Natural England Stodmarsh Nature Reserve. This was another well reviewed birding site and we were not to be disappointed with a good range of birds and some special little ones.
Jun 24 2015
Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory : 24th June 2015
Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory : 24th June 2015
From Blean Woods we drove towards Winchesea stopping to do some tourist things at Whitstable (Oysters for lunch) and Herne Bay (Ice Cream on the prom), the latter of which did not seem to think that summer had started and was something of a ghost prom/pier. Of much more interest was our next port of call which was Sandwich Bay. Sandwich Bay and Pegwell are well-known reserves bu they were new to us. We weren’t sure where was best to go so we asked at a local toilets cum information office and we were directed to the Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory and Field Centre which we found by following the signs to the golf courses and then on to Sandwich Bay Estate (Sandown Road then Guilford Road) to the toll both. This toll booth charges a lot of money; it is a private road to a private estate. As it happened it was unmanned when we were there but, apparently, if you say you are only visiting the Bird Observatory the charge is just a pound. At the observatory they are happy for you to park there and go on foot to discover the rest of the area thus avoiding the steep toll. We found the observatory a quarter of a mile on the left from the tollbooth at 51.268281, 1.372647 and even though they were nearly done for the day they could not have made us feel more welcome.
Jun 24 2015
RSPB Blean Woods : 24th June 2015
RSPB Blean Woods : 24th June 2015
After our party we had three days in Canterbury We did the usual tourist things but also went to RSPB Blean Woods. which had been recommended to us for good birding. We parked at 51.294456, 1.042020 and took one of the longer circular routes around the woods. Although we didn’t see anything spectacular it was a lovely walk and you can easily imagine in spring that the place is alive with birds. It is a particular hot spot for Nightingales so we must really try to go back there again some time.
Jun 20 2015
Studley Green Red Kites : 20th June 2015
Studley Green Red Kites : 20th June 2015
We started our holiday in the south of England with a visit to friend’s wedding anniversary party in Maidenhead. As we drove down the M40 near to Maidenhead the usual Buzzards gave way to the local specialty – Red Kites. Not only are they the dominant large bird in the sky in that area (Aston Rowant Nature Reserve was one of the release locations for the original re-introduction of these birds to mainland Britain) but they are also mind-bogglingly numerous. Knowing this did not stop our amazement at what we were shortly going to see.
Jun 16 2015
Birding Group Visit to Bempton Cliffs : 16th June 2015
Birding Group Visit to Bempton Cliffs : 16th June 2015
We all left the Travelodge at South Cave at 8am and then stopped off at the Ferguson Fawsitt Arms a few miles down the road at Walkington where we had arranged that we could all stop off and partake of their cooked breakfast at £7.50 – a much better deal than that available at the Travelodge. Although it is a hotel, they were happy to have eleven outsiders pop in for breakfast. After a sustaining full English we headed off for Bempton Cliffs reserve getting there reasonably early which was just as well because it wasn’t long before the place was heaving with people.
Jun 15 2015
Birding Group Visit to North Cave : 15th June 2015
Birding Group Visit to North Cave : 15th June 2015
We left Blacktoft Sands around 2pm and drove back up to the motorway and then across the other side of the River Ouse to the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust reserve at North Cave. Here we were pleased to find that the site was full of wildlife and there were birds aplenty – especially the raucous Black-headed Gulls with their hungry young but also very large numbers Greylag Geese and a good smattering of other, perhaps more interesting, birds.
Jun 15 2015
Birding Group Visit to Blacktoft Sands : 15th June 2015
Birding Group Visit to Blacktoft Sands : 15th June 2015
Our birding group outing this week was a two-day event taking in Blacktoft Sands, North Cave and Bempton Cliffs. On the first day we went to Blacktoft and North Cave. The drive was about two and a quarter hours so we arrived at Blacktoft Sands around 11.15am. Our target bird was clearly going to be a Montagu’s Harrier, a pair of which had bred here this year and now had young.