Folkestone Warren

Folkestone Warren - wet and cloudy - Just spent the past three days at a family gathering camping at Little Switzerland. The camp site overlooked Folkestone Warren with the pitches cut into hillside terraces surrounded by trees and scrub. This morning Lesser Whitethroats were everywhere, calling from cover and showing occasionally, while Common Whitethroats, Blackcaps and Willow Warblers were also noted; what else must go through here in the autumn is anybody`s guess...
  The view from the café terrace looking back along the chalk cliffs towards Samphire Hoe and across the Channel were simply stunning and a two hour watch yesterday produced three Buzzards and two Sparrowhawks west, plus the local Peregrines, Kestrels and Ravens. Other birds noted during our stay were Tawny Owl, Green and Great Spotted Woodpecker, Long-tailed Tits and Bullfinch.
  Yesterday, down on the beach I walked along to Copt Point at low tide where at least 300 Mediterranean Gulls were loafing on the weed-strewn rocks along with hundreds more Black-headed and Herring Gulls, 25 Sandwich Terns and an Arctic Skua that briefly harried the terns before heading west.  


                           
                                Little Switzerland, view from the terrace café

                                Barney chilling in the tent

                                Mediterranean Gulls, Copt Point

                                Common Lizard by the café

Lade - Many thanks to Chris P for calling in this afternoon to show us a superb Death`s-head Hawk-moth found recently along Coast Road, Lydd-on-Sea. 

                                    Death`s-head Hawk-moth, Lydd-on-Sea