THREE SISTERS

During my cliff top walk last week I was stunned to see one of my favourite Dover landmarks being dismantled, one of the three radar masts at swingate is no more.No doubt it is no longer of use but it does look really odd.Which do you prefer?

The last week has included a trip to dungeness with Pete Wells where we saw the goldeneyes from the firth hide, a walk over the cliffs to st margarets which provided my first swallow of the year as well as three black redstarts a firecrest at fan bay and a raven cruising along  the cliff edge,and a day of being the lone ranger at samphire hoe.It was an inclement tuesday but a brief interlude allowed a quick scout round to find five black redstarts several chiff chaffs and four stonechats.Imentioned last week about the rook coming to the garden ,well I managed to get a photo through the kitchen window,just look at the size of the bill,quite a weapon?. Ialso had a jay come down on to the lawn this week so I only need raven and chough for a full set of uk crows in my garden,anyone got a dead sheep?

The Prince of Wales pier in Dover is a good place to see some birds in close up,this winter I have seen red throated divers,great crested grebes,shags,rock pipits,turnstones, knot, ringed plover,purple sandpipers,as well as the usual mix of gulls.The most unusual sighting though had to be the great white egret flying over on christmas eve.

tits and kites

Earlier this week Ivisited blean woods to try to find lesser spotted woodpecker, eventually I was successful and located a female bird feeding in the birches,too distant for photos,in the same small patch there were two nuthatches and three treecreepers.I also sa

w a pair of marsh tits and a buzzard flew over the canopy.On the way home at the bottom of lydden hill a pair of red kites caught my eye cruising over a field that was being ploughed, parking the car safely ,i managed to get a few pics but the light was not great, I wonder if these two birds are a pair , would it not be great if they stayed and bred, its only a matter of time me thinks.

I had to go to folkestone too this week and thought Iwould catch up with the med gulls on the east cliff. When I worked in folkestone I regularly shared my lunch with them ,it was good to see them thriving.

garden visitors

WREN

BLUE TIT GREENFINCH

GREY WAGTAIL BLACKCAP[female] FIELDFARE

BLACKCAP AND COAL TIT

REDWING

garden visitors

It has been a fascinating winter for birds in my garden with a pair of blackcaps from january,redwings and fieldfares in the snow, blue,great, coal and long tailed tits, greenfinch ,chaffinch,blackbird,and song thrush are regular visitors along with robins wren and dunnock.There are also larger birds that visit including a flock of jackdaws ,magpies, wood pigeons, collared doves,herring gulls and black headed gulls.Recently a pair of rooks has discovered the free food source.

more from up north

red breasted merganser and dipper were two of the more interesting birds seen on the trip along with twite and med gull at heysham.

cumbria continued

sbbo trip to cumbria

Last week a group of us travelled north to visit martin mere ,leighton moss walney island and heysham.Apart from the first day travelling the weather was warm sunny and calm,with night frosts.

At martin mere the main attraction were the whooper swans, hundreds of them ,being joined by pintail, wigeon,and many other ducks.