We have been busy with several sets of visitors recently, getting out and about to show them how packed East Kent is with interesting history and wildlife. One day we caught the Go2Sea ex-special forces rib out of Ramsgate harbour to see the seals that lounge around at the mouth of the River Stour.

There were lots of unusual vessels in Ramsgate harbour. These two below carry pilots out to large ships to help them navigate into the Thames:

There were also five or six of these UK Border Force vessels moored there, used to intercept small boats carrying migrants across The Channel:

It was lovely to see so many harbour seals resting up at the mouth of the river:

They stay still and look very sweet, so are definitely a photographer’s friend:

The land to both the north and the south of the river entrance is all nature reserve and there were plenty of birds to see too. A little egret strolls past one of the seals:

And a marsh harrier hunts above them:

A pair of shelduck stand watch over their little family:

On another day we visited Elmley nature reserve on the Isle of Sheppey. The view from the Well Marsh hide, over what is usually a lake, tells you all you need to know about how dry it has been so far this summer:

Black-headed gull chicks finding themselves something to drink:

Nevertheless, we saw a pleasing forty-three species of birds, a list that contained marsh harrier, bearded reedlings, corn bunting, cuckoos, avocets with chicks and yellow wagtails:

On another day we went to Goodnestone Park where Jane Austen’s brother once lived and where she often visited:

Martin found some noteworthy invertebrates while he was here in Kent:

The beach at Walmer and Kingsdown is looking really rather lovely at the moment

We have also had our daughter Sarah and her family up from Cornwall to stay. Our young grandson very much enjoyed rockpooling on the beach at low tide in Kingsdown…

…and he was of course introduced to the wonders of mothing while he was here:

Other interesting things that we have seen this week:

We met John the bird ringer in the wood and he checked the six raptor boxes that we have up there – two barn owl boxes, three tawny owl boxes and a kestrel box.

Along with evidence of squirrels using two of the boxes, we think that three of the boxes currently have stock doves nesting. Indeed, a stock dove flew out of this tawny box as we were putting up the ladder:

Inside were two warm eggs and a third egg partially buried under twigs which is presumably no longer viable:

Stock doves moved into another of the tawny boxes more or less as soon as the young owls fledged on 11th May:

John also noticed a songthrush nest in a tree and ringed the four chicks in it. They were apparently the perfect size for ringing:

The green woodpecker chicks have now fledged from their hole in the old cherry tree, but the camera is in disgrace since it failed to capture any of the departures:

Great spotted woodpeckers have also fledged elsewhere in the woods and the juveniles are frequently appearing on the cameras:

As I write, we are suffering another scorching spell of weather – this time with amber warnings of extreme heat. But there has been some recent rain and we are extremely grateful for the recharging of the ponds and water butts:

The meadows slope gently downwards, overlooking the North Sea to the east, and it is therefore a place of sunrises rather than sunsets. Nevertheless I finish this week with a beautiful sunset that I was recently treated to when I went out at dusk to give the badgers their peanuts:

What a wonderful sight.