A win win Day

While I spent time sea-watching in the bay and then wandered around the cliff top hoping to find that special something, my phone was out of range, so I was blissfully undisturbed.

I like this view, looking back towards the "Bluebird" Tea-room from a few hundred metres north towards Hope Point.

I didn't find anything special, a few butterflies, including a Wall, and this Small white at the edge of the cliff, but no blues of any sort yet. I decided to go to the cricket at Canterbury, I'd miss some of the morning session, but I thought I'd see most of the game. When I got home it was to find that I'd had loads of messages telling me that there was a Black-winged Pratincole at Reculver. This is only the third Kent record, with one at Sandwich in 1969 and and one on Sheppey in 1988. Nationally a very rare bird, I'd seen just one at Cley in Norfolk, in 1999, I decided to take a detour and see it on the way to Canterbury. After fun parking and a wait for it to return to its chosen area I got excellent views of it flying, and then rest and preening on the ground, but unfortunately no photos. However there are some good ones around. Mike Gould and Steve Ray did well and there are some on the KOS site, with an account of the finding and identification of the bird.

I got to the cricket to see the second part of the Kent innings. Chasing a Warwickshire total of 218, Kent had lost four wicket for 125 when I got there.

Geraint Jones, batting well this season, scored 35, including a big six, just after I arrived.

Unfortunately he didn't managed to say in to then end and edged this ball to Ambrose, the Warks wicket-keeper.

Justin Kemp kept his cool and scored six fours on his way to an un-beaten 45, above is one of his hooks for four.

After a brief scare, when Treadwell followed Jones back to the pavilion, this time for a duck, Azah Mahmood came in a cracked a quick 18 including the winning four, above.