NORTH DOWNS & BEYOND

I met up with Beddington stalwart Steve 'Tank' Thomas, who is also staying in Port de Pollenca, and we headed off to the Boquer Valley. It was very hot... In three hours we completed a circuit of the valley, firstly walking along the length of its bottom, then ascending the eastern slope by the sea, returning by the well-worn central path. Our haul included 10+ Eleonora's Falcons (some giving stunning views low over the valley and directly above our heads), adult and immature Booted Eagles, a Stone Curlew, single Pallid Swift and Crag Martin, 5 Blue Rock Thrush, 6 Woodchat Shrikes, 20+ Spotted Flycatchers, a Nightingale, 2 Balearic Warblers, 4 Sardinian Warblers, 2 Ravens and a male Cirl Bunting. Two further butterfly ticks came my way - several Southern Gatekeepers and a False Ilex Hairstreak. We rewarded ourselves with a couple of ice-cold pints back in the town, where we were joined by Steve's family. A most enjoyable morning. In other news: still 3-4 Audouin...

Dungeness Early summer 1979 One warm, sunny evening, Alan Heaven and I leave the bird observatory, cross the road near the entrance to the power station and go through the small gate that leads onto the RSPB reserve. Between here and the Oppen pits is a vast expanse of shingle that has hardly ever been walked upon, let alone birded. It is private, owned by the RSPB but Tony Pickup, the reserve warden, is keen for those staying at the observatory to have access to his kingdom at all times. His thinking behind this charity is that we will collect data for him and also deter egg collectors at certain times of the year – it is still a problem for him. In one summer alone two egg collectors have drowned in the depths of Burrowes Pit as they swim for the islands in persuit of Mediterranean Gull or Roseate Tern eggs. Part of the warden’s job on those black days will be to fish bodies out of the water. The shingle in this largely unexplored area is different from elsewhere. It lacks ste...