LAST OF THE KITTIWAKES?

LAST OF THE KITTIWAKES

Last sunday morning I walked from Langdon Cliffs to South Foreland, a few years ago the cliff face at Langdon Hole would have been alive with kittiwakes,now there is just one occupied nest with one chick,a sad reality .There are more at Fan Bay and at South Foreland now, but only a couple of hundred at most not the thousands of yesteryear,and there is at least one chick that will not fledge as it was taken from its nest by a peregrine falcon and in the ensuing chase by agitated parents it was dropped ,lifeless, on to the rocks below.On a happier note skylarks seem to have had a successful season on the fields there,and are still singing well.