THE "CAR PARK" AT WARDEN POINT. TO THE LEFT IS THE HOLIDAY CAMP FOOTBALL FIELD RUNNING OUT TO THE CLIFF EDGE. TO THE RIGHT THE TARMAC TRACK GOES ROUND THE CORNER AND RUNS DOWN TO THE HOLIDAY CAMP ENTRANCE AND IS BORDERED BY MANY LARGE TREES AND BUSHES AND IS THE BEST SPOT FOR GOLDCRESTS, ETC.
THE TOP OF THE CLIFFS FROM THE END OF THE FOOTBALL FIELD AND LOOKING EAST TOWARDS LEYSDOWN, SHELLNESS AND THE ENTRANCE TO THE SWALE.
THE TOP OF THE CLIFFS LOOKING NORTH FROM THE END OF THE FOOTBALL FIELD.
THE ORIGINAL TARMAC ROAD AT WARDEN POINT DISAPPEARS OVER THE EDGE OF A VERY HIGH CLIFF. IT USED TO CARRY ON FOR SEVERAL HUNDRED YARDS FURTHER THAN THIS.
I spent a couple of hours at Warden Point this morning, hoping to find a decent bird or two, such as Yellow-browed Warbler but weather conditions were not ideal. A strong and cold N. wind was rattling through the trees and as well as causing a lot of noise, was causing the leaves to constantly flutter, making the movement of small birds very hard to pick out. I walked underneath the trees alongside the tarmac track running down to the holiday camp and clearly there were a lot of Goldcrests in them, I could hear them, but saw very few due to the leaf movements. There were also a lot of Robins, Great Tits and Blackbirds there as well but no other thrushes. Two Great Spotted Woodpeckers and several "Yaffles" also put in an appearance but no Flycatchers, Redwings, Shrikes or YBW's. I walked the length of the football field to the cliff edge but here it was devoid of bird life, probably due to the gale that was coming in off the sea and blasting across the top of the cliff edge.
So, nothing to be gained by hanging around there, I walked back to the car park and took the unmade track opposite which led down and under the huge radar tower and ended up at the white painted Manor Cottage. Here in the bushes opposite, the vagrant guy is still in residence in his tent, although I never actually saw him in person this time. I could hear a few more Goldcrests here in the bushes and got my first Brambling of the year, sitting atop a bush under the radar tower, but little else.
A return visit to where I started off, amongst the tall trees and bushes by the tarmac track, still found no more than Goldcrests, Robins and Tits and so I decided to go home and mow my lawns, a far less favourable alternative.
Derek, I had to laugh at the last coment you made on my bog :-)
ReplyDeleteIve been blogging since Oct 2007, so I would get more comments than you, as you've only been on for a few months.
I think your writing is infinitely more interesting than mine !
PS well done with your first Brambling :-)
It's years since I last visited that area and I doubt I would recognise it. The cliff erosion is obviously still quite rapid and your photo looking N from the end of the football field shows it well, the various stages of the subsidence being very apparent. Those cliffs always fascinated us as kids when we were oblivious to the dangers.
ReplyDeleteKenL
Ken,
ReplyDeleteIf you double click on the photos it enlarges them and in that way you get a better view of the mouth of The Swale and in the north-facing one, the coast of Essex in the distance.