NORTH DOWNS & BEYOND

We   are now half-way through Meteorological Autumn and I am at the same point in my foolish Uberpatch challenge. Whereas the results for September were slightly underwhelming, so far October has been undeniably underwhelming - there have been a handful of surprises (see below) but by and large overhead vis-mig and grounded migrants have been hard to come by. We are now past the point when any notable pipit or hirundine movement can be expected and, as expected, neither have shown during October. Finches are still absent apart from a few modest Chaffinch mornings and the thrushes have yet to get going. I just hope that they will do so. Birding took place on 14 out of the 15 days and there now follows a list of the highlights. October 2nd: Malden Rushett A warm, light southerly wind encouraged 133 Meadow Pipit to move south, a Yellow Wagtail to head in the opposite direction and a flock of 5 Mistle Thrush to head east (in what is a decent autumn for them.) The stubble held up to 50...

I first met Pete when I was standing on the banks of the moat that surrounds Dungeness Bird Observatory - it would have been around 1981. I knew that he was one of the 'old time' DBO regulars and up until that point our paths had not crossed. It was like ticking off a new species of bird, as most of his contemporaries had made it onto my 'seen and met' list. We immediately hit it off. What struck me was his great sense of humour which was mostly aimed at himself - self-deprecation had rarely been so expertly showcased! Over the years we would meet up, always at Dungeness, and bird away whilst guffawing at the latest gossip, mishap or balls-up (mostly at our expenses) and reminisce about the places and people that we shared in common. Pete was a modest man. You could be forgiven in believing that he had only just picked up a pair of binoculars such was his modesty, but here was a man who had been birding since his youth in north-west Kent and was part of the pioneering t...