From the archives

Long-eared Owl Dungeness

A recently fledged bird (feather down still visible on head) that I found amongst the open scrub on the eastern side of the Long pits, in early August 2008. Walking alongside one of the clumps of mature sallows, I had to stop myself in my tracks, when I glanced to my right and saw the bird sat on top of the low Blackthorn scrub not much more than 10 feet away!

After raising my bins and slowly creeping backwards, I was able to watch it, still at fairly close range, as it shuffled around on the tops of bushes and made short flights between the stands of willows.






Juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls Dungeness