FORENESS BIRDS - 1984 - 1999 - Mick Davies.

This is a list of Birds I saw during my time at Foreness.

I had a great time there and a lot of laughs. I have placed this short video here as a memory of our many visits to the local pubs, in and around Thanet. Something I do miss and I still have the bruises to prove it. As you can see FS as usual is leading us on this little jaunt to the Marsh Side Pubs.
 

	Regular "Bar Offenders" Kevin Lord, Dave Mairs, Simon Mount and Francis Soly Neil Faulkner Tim Hodge (Reculver bird group)
		Foreness kent pics

Foreness birders Christmas drink up's, they could never get you out the "pub" Francis!.

"Less regular pub visitors": who I would say gave a great deal of there time to birding at Foreness; Dave Beadle, Nigel Bean, Ray Bolden, Nick Hando, Phil Milton and Craig Samuels, Chris Turner. Apologies if I have left anyone out; I have listed only people who were regular contributors to the Foreness bird report.

Foreness Birders Membership: is free, with just a few rules of acceptance.

1: That you own or have owned, previously; at least one pair of 10x50 Ziess Jenoptomen Binocular, (damage, fugus & non waterproof) complete with life time guarantee. No refunds or repairs.

2: Certified document as to proof of insanity.

3: Annual consumption of at least 1000 pints of Shepard & Neame "Master Brew"

4: Remain upright on your bicycle for a least 3 seconds upon leaving the Orb Public House.

5: To have had at least five rarity descriptions rejected by the Kent Ornithological Society.

For some less than hard core members this was quite a challenge and so 3 out of 5 is acceptable.

Violent actions on visiting bird watchers was at the very least "rare"

The Orb Inn (Margate) Thanks to Mick & Rose for putting up with us Lightning Coach Tours - Marty Feldman 1968 (Northdown park can be seen in the distance)

The video has some odd or coincidental facts related to it. Lightning Coach Tours was filmed in 1968 and before, many of the Foreness birders were born. At the time of release I was living in Potters Bar.

The film appears to start and finish at the "Original" Fayreness Public House, Botony Bay, Kingsgate in the heart of the Foreness area.

The Coach is seen as it journeys through the sunlee housing estate? This dreadful estate was built by a consortium of which my uncle was a member. I don't know when it was first constructed, late 70's I would guess, however this sprawling estate was to continue it's progress over the Foreness Landscape for three decades and other similar housing projects ensued.

The short Marty Feldman; movie Lightning Coach Tours was unknown for its Thanet connection until it was shown on Christmas day by the BBC in 199?  and I remember several friends telephoning me, wildly excited at seeing our area on the TV.
I was a fan of Marty Feldman comedy and I remember this clip when it first came on the screen, I had no idea then as to where it was filmed and that I would spend a large part of my life in that area, with this insane group of birders.

Englands first Lady.

Englands best comedy film.

Foreness was an excellent migration watch point and had some of the most enthusiastic birders I have ever met. Single minded in there approach to recording migration.

Sea watching, visible migration and arrivals of day and night migrants were the prime interest, coupled with regular wader roost counts.

Resident species were in the main typical common garden birds. Fulmars nest? on the cliffs and good numbers of Jays and formally Tawny Owls as the Holm Oak is common here.  Some species have declined of vanished; such as Grey Partridge, Little Owl and Jackdaw...

Sadly the birding area and most of the Isle of Thanet was wrecked by Thanet District Council; whose only concern was financial development of the costal area and inland sites and by 1993, I had mostly given up birding at Foreness as there was no where left to go.

We all were sick of the local Dog shitting club; who daily brought in car loads of dogs to crap all over the place. As most of our birders used bicycles we were in constant conflict with dog owners who had no regard for others.

I was influenced to move to Thanet by Dave Gilbert in 1983. I had been there a couple of times and actually found a corncrake there in 1978.

The area then still had some wild habitat and short eared owls were common on the cliff tops, and many older birders related the demise of Foreness. Formally a patch work of small holdings farms and paddocks. The full birding potential of Foreness was lost before the emergence of the Foreness Birders.

	Foreness Whiteness and North Foreland form a large headland. this is the most easterly point in England. Many migrant seabirds are funneled down the North Sea. In the early eighties Foreness was unrivalled in Kent for the numbers of Richard pipits and Yellow-browed warblers. Collared Flycatcher; just one of the many rarities found by local birders, this one was in1984 and attracted the attention of 2000 twitchers. photo from - www.nyctea.co.uk
Leaches Petrel

I like to try and do something different and so while very much a part of that group, I concentrated on North Foreland and Whiteness. We pioneered raptor migration at Whiteness; I must have been crazy to spend so many hours scanning on suitable weather conditions for what would be considered in Europe as to few to count. However it was a great thrill when in the late 80's we had a passage of 54 Sparrow hawks, and if I remember correctly; a spiraling group of 8. This was unheard of in the UK at this time.

The Foreness Birders were always welcoming to birders who had a genuine interest in Foreness and the group numbers increased during the eighties. Many of these birders adopted there own particular areas and the coverage were very good.

I have to give credit also to Sandra Davies who found a number of rarities in our garden and seen by her flying over and included two firsts; Spoonbill and Honey Buzzard..

All rights reserved. © 2007 Yonok Wetlands Project - Mick Davies