Capel Fleet Raptor View Point Road Works

[KentYeti]

You're very welcome Dave.

I just hope you haven't got to cross over the North Downs to get there on Sunday!

Cheers,

Bryan

[KentYeti]

Road works are finished well past the Raptor Viewing Point now and will presumably not start again until Monday.

Bird activity there is quite low at present. Mainly Marsh Harriers, with the Short Eared owls not normally coming out until close to/around sunset. They are being seen earlier over on the Swale NNR.

But beware. Sheppey is one big wide open space. It has felt incredibly cold there this last week in the wind which is always much stronger than inland of course, (better yesterday though). My car thermometer showing it to be two or three degrees C colder than here at a very cold West Malling. I've had two large T shirts, a pullover, a fleece and a very heavy Barbour Ventile Jacket on my top part, and still felt cold in the car. Even with a flask of hot coffee.

I think my Yeti fur needs a re-tread! LOL.

Cheers,

Bryan

[KentYeti]

No work yesterday and it didn't start until 14.00 today.

BEWARE. Todays work looked like just scraping the top off the bumps and leaving a mushy mess of ground up tarmac, (I think), all over the next section to be re-surfaced. Even driving over it at very slow speed I had little control over where the car wanted to go. Get onto a section like that at any speed could easily see someone end up in the adjacent dyke.

The work is now a long way away from the Raptor Viewing Point. It just means a potential long wait when wanting to get there from the main road.

Bit chilly there today. Did a five hours owl watch from noon with no success, but I think it was too windy for the Short Eared Owls to come out hunting. Two were out yesterday hunting from 14.30 in the snow: that's about two hours earlier than "normal". I went up to the viewing point at sunset and a guy there had a hand held device showing minus ten windchill. He'd seen a Barn Owl near Elliot's Farm at around 16.30.

Photo of the roadworks today! Well, I had to find something to do in those five owl free hours! LOL!



Cheers,

Bryan

[pressld2]

I chickened out on Sunday, left the car in the garage and walked down to Crossness. I'm still thinking of owl hunting this weekend though. Maybe a morning at Sevenoaks and out to Sheppey for about two-ish. Might just pinch your favourite parking spot!

Dave P.

[KentYeti]

Might see you there Dave. With care and co-operation there is room for three cars at that location! Three of us managed it last week.

But if the wind is from the North/East it's not a good location as the Owls hunt with their backs to you! You've then got to hope they fly back towards you before they start another hunt.

They had only partly finished the last bit of road they are apparently going to re-tread once you've gone down the "hill". And were doing the section from the main road up the other side of the "hill" yesterday.

Weather etc permitting it looks like the work wil be finished this week.

The result is rathe nice.

No Owls out yesterday. Too windy.

Cheers,

Bryan

[KentYeti]

Road works finished.

Lovely to drive on. But not sure how long a quick re-tread job like that will last. A home delivery van pulled over to let a vehicle coming the other way pass. And then got back onto the new surface, disloging a chunk off the edge!

Cheers,

Bryan