England August 2012 day 7 and Chesil Beach cafe

Friday

This was a go your own way day, I wanted to go Bird watching and Linda wanted to go shopping and museum visiting (teddy bears are just not my thing, but hey, each to their own) I headed out to Weymouth, first to get a Team GB top for my daughter and then to spend the rest of the day Bird watching.  I went first to the Swannery,  parked up, got the top and then had a good 1½ hrs. at Radipole lake and reserve. This really is a very worthwhile project and as it is so near the town centre, has a great big car park and is full of all manner of bird life. There were pole sitting Cormorants, Tufted duck, Gold eyes, Pochards, Scaups, Gadwalls as well as the Swans with cygnets, moorhens and coots.

I was informed by the wardens that there are bitterns in the reed beds, but school holidays are not the best time to see these shy birds. They do nest in the reed beds of the river Wey but sighting is best as dawn before the first of the public come along to scare the living daylights out of them.

As my 2 hrs were up on the parking ticket, I then headed out of town in the direction of Portland and Chesil beach.

The pebble bank towards portland Bill

And Westward

I parked up in the new car park adjacent to the Dorset Wild Life Trust Centre and as it was lunch time, I thought it would be nice to pop in for a bite to eat at the Beach Café. I went inside, and caught the head waiters eye, he apologised most profusely and said that alas all tables were reserved for the next 30-40 minutes, I said no problem, I can do a bit of bird watching in that time, so I crossed the RE Boardwalk

I plodded up to the top of the bank and looked along the beach, there were a few anglers setting up for the tide change, it was at low ebb and just on the turn perfect for Bass surf fishing).

I walked down the pebble bank towards the eel fishing station, but it looked as if no one was doing any commercial fishing that day. But a lone angler was out in the middle of the Fleet, spinning, either for Bass or if he was very lucky a sea trout. 

The remains of the Oyster Catchers lunch, now for mine.

Walking back in the direction of the Beach café I watched a, Oyster Catcher Haematopus ostralegus  and a Curlew Sandpiper Caldis ferruginea, grubbing at the low water mark for cockles and other small molluscs. A little further back was a flock or two of Ringed Plover Charadius hiaticula  and Dunlin Caldis alpine.

 I crossed the Samphire  patch just in front of the Centre

and sat on a large stone watching the birds feed at the water line of the incoming tide. It was warm with a slight breeze, the air full of the sounds of the sea, the call of the gulls, the crash of the surf on the pebble bank and alas the scream of kids running wild, I must be getting old.

I went inside and caught the waiters eye, he smiled and waved me to a table. I had seen prior that on the black board proclaiming the daily specials, that they had peppered and salted crabs claws and legs with a salad and a glass of Matts fizz, I ordered and sat taking in the views through the windows. I turned and there standing behind me was Mat Folass, I said good day and he asked had I eaten yet, I said just ordered the crab, he said a very good choice. We chatted about his new venture, I said that I thought it was a great idea and thought that it would be a great second string to his bow to the Bearminster Wild Garlic. I asked how the Wild Garlic was doing and he said that the evenings are virtually always booked out weeks in advance, but lunches are a little slow, but the Beach Café has filled in for this. He also said it had really taken off during the 2 weeks of the Olympic sailing, The sailing centre and the Olympic village being on the causeway leading to Portland (the Olympic village being built on the site of the old RN shore base HMS Osprey). I commented on the fact that some may have been disillusioned by the fact it wasn’t “fine dining” he said that he had, had a couple remarks to the effect “it wasn’t what they had expected” I said that they should realise it is what it is a café and if the want to do fine dining then you don’t go to a café. There are some presumptuous plonkers in this world!!!  

Just then along came my food so he said he hoped that I would enjoy it and moved along to the next table to chat with the cliental there. He is such a nice unassuming chap and it is nice that he goes out of the way to great his customers personally, I remember when in the Wild Garlic for 18 months previous he also took the time to come and serve us at our table and have a little chat. Finishing my crab, salad, chips and Fizz (well worth the 12 ½ quid).

I went out onto the boardwalk to see if any other birds had come in with the rising tide, but nothing in sight so I headed back in the direction of Dorchester via the scenic route.   

I got into town just before the shops closed and bought a few last purchases of none or difficult obtainables back in Germany. I popped into a nice small café and wrote my 2 postcards (I don't go a lot of cards either holiday, birthday or Christmas).

That evening as usual Manuela had cooked us a fantastic meal of a chunky soup, cold cuts and salads (my brother and I are both diabetic she cooks acordingly) and poached apples to finish.

As dusk was falling she said that she was going to visit her friend Mary (a wonderful old Dame, that lives alone in a massive rambling house with her Persian cat and does Jigsaw puzzles all day everyday). We did pop around and give her a hand.

She came running breathless back in saying he is there come quick, "slow down Manuela, who is were"? The Peregine Falcon was the reply, I must clarify, all week Manuela had been telling me about the Falco Peregenus that roosted on the spire of All Saints Church, as I had yet to see it I grabbed my camera and Manuela also grabbing her Bino's of we did jolly well trott from one vantage point to the next trying to get the best shot.

That is not a gargoyle, but a female Peregrine falcon

Now those of you none ornithologists will not understand people running around the streets of Dorchester at 21:00hrs, staring up at church spires and crying "he is there" while pointing in a heavenly direction, I think we got a few funny stares that evening and a few strange glances over the shoulder as they hurried about their business (some newly imagined I am sure). But I was at last able to confirm that he was not a figment of my dear Sister-in-Laws imagination and he is up there.