August – Early September

Migration starts so busy times ahead

Hook-with-Warsash

It’s always nice to have a highlight of the month and this month was without a doubt the Pied Flycatcher at Hook-with-Warsash. I’d heard there was one about and after a long circular walk spotted it in a residential street on my car back to the car. In fact it was about 200 meters away from the car. It’s amazing how often you can walk a long way, just see the norm and when all is lost you spot something in the Car Park back at your home !

Pied Flycatcher
Pied Flycatcher – Cowes Lane

More from Hook-with-Warsash…

Meadow Pipit    Whinchat    
Meadow Pipit – Whinchat – Wheatear

Old Winchester Hill

It took me two and a half years to finally go to Old Winchester Hill which considering it’s only 7 miles away, it needless to say a bit silly as the diversity of scenery and wildlife is quite diverse. Basically, I went there twice in a week !

If you like Red Kites it’s definitely worth visiting and what’s nice is the amount of birds you see from above especially Kestrels hunting. Again, not too many people during the week and if you take the longest circular walk which involves a steep decline and as they don’t say “what goes down must come up” you’re lucky to see anyone.


Red Kite

Bishop’s Waltham

A week of good weather enabled me to take a few good walks around the Village both north and south. The Garden is not so active at present except the Hedgehogs which are doing well and visiting every evening without fail.

   Spotted Flycatcher    Chiffchaff
Chaffinch – Spotted Flycatcher – Chiffchaff

Muddy walks are coming !

Red Kite at Wye – 9th.May

The Red Kite is a majestic bird and one who’s survival has been quite remarkable.
Shot and hunted to near extinction some 100 years ago, it has been the focus of the World’s longest ever Protection Programme.

Red Kite over Wye Downs Kent

In 1989 some were imported from Spain and since that time numbers have increased dramatically. A good area to spot them in the South is on the Surrey Hills and Chilterns.
They say you will never not see one in Reading where local residents feed them in back gardens!

So it was a real treat for me today.
I’d been to Canterbury to do my survey on the House Martins there and rather than taking my normal countryside route back through Hastlingleigh and down the hill to Smeeth, I cut across the top of the North Downs to Wye.
Being some 600 feet up with a clear view over the Romney Marshes as far as Pett I thought I may at least get a Kestrel flying below me.

Red Kite at Wye

Seems I was there at exactly the right time. Looking slightly to the west I saw what I thought at first was a Buzzard. Upon noticing the forked rear tail I knew it was a Red Kite.

Now, it’s not a rare sighting in many places but you don’t see as many around this way. Had I been a bit earlier I may have seen it more and got closer, but it was obviously finishing off his or her circuit and flew northwards toward Canterbury.

Back home with my tail up like my Ginger Cat when he’s pleased to see you. A great day !!

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