Thursday morning at five o clock as the day began at Dover docks it was cool and grey,not what we had hoped for.The only birds worth a mention on the crossing were gannets,magnificent adult birds hung in the air at the stern,like Eric Cantonas seagulls,I digress.The day continued grey and gloomy,a visit to a small reserve at Ardres which was similar to Stodmarsh yielded the usual marshland birds but nothing out of the ordinaire.From here a drive to the coastal dune reserve of Mont St Frieux with the prospect of the mythical black woodpecker crested tits and woodlark.After a couple of hours searching through the mixed woodland and clearings we had found a pair of crested tits ,nuthatches, buzzard ,treecreeper,great spot and green woodpecker and a distant tree pipit, but the black woodpecker still eludes me and the woodlarks were not showing either.On the way back to Calais we went to the marshes at Bazinghen and Tardinghen,as we left the latter a superb male Hen Harrier was seen hunting successfully last seen moving away with a young lapwing chick in its talons.As Calais appeared ahead the clouds started to clear and the first hint of sunshine glinted on the water of La Manche.Zilch oiseau in Calais harbour and only one juvenile gannet on the crossing.Too dull for photos,sorry,thats all folks.
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