Definitely a Good Friday for me!

At this point I need to apologise.  On Good Friday (April 18th) I visited this lovely reserve - and I've only just got around to posting a few photos!!  This isn't a reflection on Dungeness - it just shows how badly disorganised I can get.

Chaffinches are always lovely to see:

Hello, Tufty:

And the Mrs, of course:

I thought these two were going to treat us all to a display but sadly the female decided to abort the dance and preen instead!

A friendly coot:

This lovely bird was very happy to be snapped - I think it's a sedge warbler:

It went one better and sang for me:

Awwww:

Mr and Mrs Mallard were enjoying the sunshine:

Finally, a reed bunting was very visible on the path back to the visitor centre:

  • Doing a bit of HW on computer has turned up some great captures!

    Dungeness is on my wish list of places to visit ... Must have been a long ol' trek for you but well worth it judging by all you managed to see!  Do they still have the old railway carriage holiday homes on the shingle?

  • I have no idea!  I didn't get a good look at the place apart from the reserve.  It was a long drive but what a lovely part of the world.  I didn't see any ravens, though.

  • Just googled & apparently they are & mighty expensive too!  Queen Victoria's personal carriage is too, though original cream/brown livery in sorry state & has been boarded over!  Just realised it is 50 years since I went there!!!

  • Blimey.....I haven't been alive for 50 years yet.

  • Oooh, I didn't know you'd been to Dunge! Glad you had a good day. The singing bird is indeed a Sedgie.

    Dungeness is a really brilliant place, so much to see. You have the RSPB reserve, but also there's the observatory and the excellent beach with the 'patch' (warm outflow from the power station - attracts masses of gulls and, in summer, terns). I have had many birding 'firsts' and great days out there over the years. Tis a bit tricky to get to without a car or I'd go more often.

    If you go again and have enough time I also heartily recommend nearby Rye Harbour nature reserve - and the drive between there and Dunge goes through excellent habitat too, including along the shores of the huge Scotney gravel pit. And while we're talking Kent, Elmley Marshes and Shellness beach on the Isle of Sheppey are brilliant, esp in winter!

  • I had been meaning to go to Dungeness ever since I heard it had ravens - it was a bit of a trek but it was worth it even though I didn't see this most magnificent of corvids!  Thanks for the info on Rye - I'll try to get there when I'm next in that part of the world.

  • I've never seen Ravens at Dunge... I do, however, often see them when I visit my father in Hastings, and have taken by far my best ever Raven pics from his back yard! They fly over the town regularly, but your best bet would probably be to have a walk along the cliffs towards Fairlight.

    Tussling with a Carrion Crow!

    Handy Raven/Carrion Crow size comparison :)

  • Wow!  Those are just wonderful.  I love crows, they don't seem to be in awe of anything.