With my sister spending the day at one of her school-friends' houses, my parents and I decided to enjoy the fresh, late-autumn sunshine with a local walk. We began at Kenley Aerodrome, a site close to Caterham in Surrey. As I quite enjoy a bit of history, especially about war and conflict, I found it fascinating as to how important the site was during both world wars (more about it here.) However, I think sites such as this, where human infrastructure has become unused and abandoned, are some of the best places to find wildlife, as so often nature finds a way of adapting and returning to the environment.
Our walk started off nicely with a female Bullfinch by the car, as well as several Pheasant on the airfield. There was a group using the aircraft for a display that morning, and they were joined in the air by 2 Common Buzzard and a Red Kite, all of which were very vocal and actively hunting. There's something about raptors that regardless of the number of times you see them, they are always so cool to watch with their aerial manoeuvres using the wind to their advantage. My personal highlight however was a group of 32+ Meadow Pipit we came across at the border between the Common and Aerodrome. It was the closest I'd seen them before and watching them on the deck wasn't something you get to do everyday...
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| Meadow Pipits |
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| Meadow Pipit |
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| Meadow Pipit |
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| Meadow Pipit |
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| Meadow Pipit |
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| Meadow Pipit |
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| Mipit portrait |
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| Red Kite |
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| Red Kite |
As we carried on walking around the Aerodrome, several Linnet flew over from Kenley Common, as did a single Reed Bunting. Just as I began reading about an area that had stored a number of planes, with several bomb shelters nearby, this stunning little Stonechat hopped up onto the overgrown banks above me. It really did prove that regardless of what happens in our world, the natural world will try and bounce back, using the resources available to survive.
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| Stonechat |
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| Stonechat |
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