Sunday, July 31, 2011
A Kentish weekend
We stayed with Terry and Dorn, who live in a village near Dover.
On Saturday we had a walk across Samphire Hoe, with the best bird a green sandpiper flying over calling.
Terry then suggested a cuppa at the Clifftop Cafe, Capel-le-Ferne. Below the terrace, a path threads down through the bushes to a footbridge over the railway. Terry told us that a cross-channel ferry once got grounded on the concrete apron just in view, and also recalled climbing the path from the beach many years ago with their son Peter (then aged three) on his shoulders. Peter's now grown up with a little boy of his own.
It was enchanting enough just to be sitting there on a sunny day, enjoying good company and a delicious cream tea, and glimpsing a hobby far below.....
.....I couldn't know that I was also about to have one of the most sensational bird sightings of my life!
Looking towards Folkestone Harbour, I saw what I thought was a buzzard having a dispute with a large gull high above the beach; but a glance through the bins showed me something with a longer tail, and a more languid flight, than a common buzzard; something altogether special!
"I think it's a honey buzzard," I said, grabbing the camera. Greger looked sceptical - but he also looked through the bins! And he agreed that it didn't look like a common buzzard. I found it difficult to hold the camera still through excitement, but there is no doubt that these hugely cropped shots show a honey buzzard.
The dispute with the gull over, the honey buzzard turned towards us and headed north (when I got these pics), flying back inland until it was lost to sight.
How do you follow that?! Well, you go a little further along the coast road and call in at the atmospheric Battle of Britain Memorial, with its wall of names and its evocative stone airman, sitting in the centre of a three-bladed propellor and gazing, dreaming, out to sea.
Today we visited Chartwell, Sir Winston Churchill's family home; a lovely old house with gorgeous grounds and fabulous views over the Kentish Weald. I tried not to do too much bird-watching but couldn't help noticing that there were loads of house martin nests under the eaves, presumably still containing young as the adult birds were constantly swooping into them.
It was a lovely day and a great weekend. Thanks Dorn and Terry!This southern hawker was in the garden at home on 28th July.
// posted by Christine @ 10:43 AM 
