Birdie Time

When you are birding,especially if you are doing a list for any reason,a day list, a trip list or even a life list, there is an old saying all "ticks" are equal.

I have to say some are more equal than others and near the top for me is the fabulous Peregrine.

This is an adult, with horizontal bars across the breast, and I think this si the male.

A loud honking about alerted me to a Raven over head, and as it flew over the fields it also alterted a group of Carrion Crows perched in the Empty Wood.

The flew out to challenge their larger relative and continued to escort it away from their presumed property.

They ended up flying up the hill that marks the fairway of the par five hle no 8 on the Kingsdown nnd Walmer Golf course.

It is a long uphill hole, and although I don't play this game, it seems like an expensive way to spoil a good walk, from what I have seem there seem to be very few birdies associated with this hole.

Look Who came to dinner tonight.

I watched two Peregrines this afternoon, It was slightly strange encounter for a couple of reasons. I was with another birder and neither of us were convinced that we were watching a pair, or even a male and a female. One stayed resolutely on it's perch while the other did a series of flights. In fact at one point I thought there were two in the air, but hadn't seen the one leave its look out post. the one that was mainly flying was also unusual, in that it had its legs down all the time, although they didn't look damaged and it did land in view once, and look quite OK.

This guy never left his look out position while I was watching

This bird spent most of its time flying but did land in view for a short while.

The "flying bird landing"

The lookout bird from another view point

Life as normal below as four Cormorants go by.

And the breeding Fulmars circle the cliffs.

The look out bird did turn round for a while.

You can just see the legs extended.

I has been suggested that the extended legs represent a threat display, That is a possiblity as it seemed normal when it had landed.

It has be markings of a mature adult.

A strange view with it flying straight towards me.

The plumage on this bird looks immaculate.

Cruising along the cliffs.

Look Who came to dinner tonight. 

Look Who came to dinner tonight. Our frequent diner this year has had a quite short, square brush shaped tail, so I was surprised to see a slightly longer pointed tail when I looked at table one tonight. 

  Our regular customer wasn't long in joining us. As our new client tucked into chicken and rice she carried on as usual with her peanuts.

I suspect that these two are regular companions as there was no bickering or pushing and shoving as often happens when more than one arrives.

Our regular remained to the end and proceeded to "hoover" up any dropped Sunflower seeds from the feeders above.

The best pictures are just in my memory.

I had a walk from home to Barrows Mount ("the rough" in Bockhill birders terms). When I got near the gold course I could hear a bit of a rumpus. It sounded like a Peregrine and since I was still about half a mile from the cliffs and the wind was in the wrong direction, I was surprised I could hear it. As I scanned I saw a Peregrine stooping at a large bird of prey. A first I thought it was a Buteo sp. but as it turned I could see it was a Red Kite. It was forced lower and I thought that it had landed in the Freedown. I didn't see it lift up again and I hurried across the fields but I was disappointed and could not relocate the Kite. It must have stayed low and exited at the farm end. No pictures as it was too distant, but an exciting couple of minutes, and a very good memory. At one point I did see a Raven flying over, presumably also brought to the area by the commotion.  

 The walk to the cliffs wasn't wasted and I watched as Fulmars glided around the cliffs. These masters of flying are a joy to watch.

 Fulmar.

 This 2nd year Herring Gull drifted by, showing that they aren't the villains as portrayed in the trash papers, but the legitimate occupants of the coast. 

 Herring Gull

I spent some time scanning the cliffs,watching out to sea and hoping for a repeat visit of one or both ofthe raptors.

 No Raven, but a couple of Carrion Crows flew over the "big field" as I was scanning.

 I guess the ferries and their passengers were a lot more comfortable today. As it became more cloudy the light over the Channel was quite interesting, and the French coast stood out on the horizon. P&O ferry

 DFDS

 P&O

 A distant Cap Gris Nez

 The Channel

 A Magpie joined me in viewing la Manche.. 

Back At home I was very happy to see the first femal Blackcap of the year, feeding just by the window.

 Female Blackcap.

 Female Blackcap.

Autumn has arrived

This morning the weather relented and the gloom partly lifted, and I motivated myself to walk across to Bockhill and Hope Point. 

As I walked down the Droveway, a Peregrine, with a rather full crop flew over my head and proceeded inland towards Ringwold. I hastily snapped it, but failed to allow properly for the dark silhouette effect against the sky, hence the poor picture.

At farm wood I was aware of a bit of a kerfuffle and as I got closer a Kestrel, followed by a Sparrowhawk left the wood and circled in the sky.

The Sparrowhawk was definitely less than enamoured with the presence of the Kestrel and was giving it a hard time.

They got pretty close to each other and it almost look like their own tribute to the dog-fights that had taken place over the White Cliffs during the Battle of Britain.

When |I got to the Kingsdown Leas I was a little disappointed to see that the large part of the lawn at Little Green and be recently mown. Happily they had left two large areas that contained some beautiful spikes of Autumn Lady's-tresses (Spiranthes spiralis).

This is the smallest of the British Orchids and they are particularly fond of growing in short turf on the chalk around St Margaret's and Kingsdown.

This year many of the spikes have grown a couple of inches higher than I've seen in previous years. Perhps this is due to the amount of rain that has fallen at their peak time of growing. 

A close-up shows the intricate individual flowers on each spike. It is a shame that an enthusiastic lawn mower man, can't call him a gardener, 'cos a gardener wouldn't cut the grass while these precious flowers are growing, probably mower about 8,000 spikes in the name of a short lawn!

There were still some Painted Ladies around, but in the increasing cloud and dropping temperature, they weren't sunning themselves much.

View to the monument from near Hope Point. 

The Golf Course, with Hope Bay Studio in the background.

Bockhill Farm, with the Empty Wood to the fore.