Month: June 2025

Back from a Swiss work trip for a few days now, my first venture up the cliffs was on the 25th, where light SW winds and a Sea fog yielded a juv Black Redstart in Fan bay and my first Cuckoo of the year on Lighthouse down and a Clouded yellow near the Lighthouse.

The Sea fog has been a daily feature since but it had shifted out into the channel first thing today with the light Northerlies, these swang round to the South at 9am – Perfect wind for Raptor Arrivals but brought with it the fog again.

A break in said fog at 10.25 allowed me to pick up a nice Male Honey Buzzard coming in high over Langdon Hole, it must have set off at extreme height as it glided in higher than most arrive here, with a few lazy flaps it continued North.

My sixth this year in off the sea here, which is the first time I’ve reached six individuals before the end of June.

A Hobby at 12.10 arrived as the fog was clearing a group of 8 Sand Martins, 21 Swifts and a 3cy Yellow Legged Gull Flew SW but little else and I gave up and went for lunch at 2pm, slightly sunburnt. 2 Hummingbird Hawkmoths around my perch during the day and a huge number (1,000s) of Large Whites were moving South West first thing.

Over a week since the last spell of decent Raptor arrival weather (see previous post) Amazingly todays long awaited light SE winds are the first from this direction since April. With them came a plume of warm air and with that shift in temperature, a sea fog had developed. Mostly cleared by 11am by which time Colin & Kevin J had a male Honey Buzzard arrive at South Foreland (10.35). Buoyed by this news and hoping my efforts at the other end of the patch would be rewarded I was very happy to pick up my first Honey Buzzard of the day just after 11.40 – a female picked up over the water gunning NW over the Eastern arm of the Harbour.

Drawing some attention but moving at speed she continued inland up the Jubilee way.

Things this side of the channel were clearing further and I spent the next 2.5 hours staring out to sea before giving up and heading for lunch at 2pm

During the walk back I decided to have a final scan over the harbour before I reached my street and picked up another female Honey Buzzard at 14.10, coming in over the Eastern ferry entrance and heading straight for me.

The Peregrines went bonkers but she managed to get above East cliff and headed North.

Tomorrow I head to Switzerland for a couple weeks of work so am calling time on spring here. Its not been bad really, some things lacking but others in relative abundance aswell as some memorable birds. Alot of effort put in and some dire moments but I love the place and feel more connected than ever to it.

Light NW winds switching to the S and SSW from 10am. I decided to stare out to sea from the Langdon end of the patch today. Mostly bright skies over the Channel with cloud hugging the coast, which helped with heat haze.

In place above the Eastern docks by 11am. The first Marsh Harrier of the day arrived high at 11.30. The next raptor was, an ever hoped for Honey Buzzard, picked up directly south powering in just above the horizon at 12.10.

A dark, barred female – It circled over the Eastern docks gaining height and drifted West of my position, eventually continuing NW towards the castle.

Another Marsh Harrier (my first male of the year) came in high just after but at 12.40 I picked up a distant Honey Buzzard circling over the Southern mouth of the Harbour. Sadly it made landfall over the Western docks, coming in infront of Shakespeare cliff (below).

2 similarly sized but unidentified Raptors followed a similar line to this but arrived even further West over the next 20 minutes, by which time the heat haze had become an issue and I just couldnt be 100% sure what they were.

3 More Marsh Harriers (below) came in off before I left at 3pm bringing their total to 5 for the day.

I do love seeing Birds of prey arrive like this.