Not as forecast

Yesterday the forecast was for a fine day in the South-east, with cloud and then rain arriving in the evening. Even a lunch time the radio was telling me that it was fine, whereas I was sitting looking at the heavy drizzle, heavy enough to be called rain most of the time, meeting the clouds as they mixed in with the mist enveloping the White-cliffs car park!

I wanted to stroll along the cliffs to Langdon Hole and beyond, but this is no fun in the rain, so I spent some time sitting in my car peering into the gloom.

A pair of Magpies braved the weather to pick up any morsels they could find in the car park and then moved to a tree nest to the car clacking loudly.

At one point fifteen Jackdaws landed in the same tree, but as soon as I put the window down these six were all that remained. They soon took off to join the others and I could see the flock every now and again as they re-appeared and then disappeared in the mist.

I did go and see a man about a turkey and on the way found a Mediterranean Gull along side about 100 Black-headed Gulls on a field at Whitfield. Once this would have been a notable event, but now Mediterranean Gulls are doing so well that it is almost an every day occurrence, especially in east Kent.