Fulmars, Gannets, Kittiwakes, Gulls and
Terns are regularly seen from the chalk cliffs along this coast. Such rarities
as Peregrine and Hoopoe can occur. The beaches here are mostly North- or West-facing,
with large flint pebbles and occasionally some sand. Prawns and crabs - and
lobsters sometimes - can be caught, almost by hand, on the stony flat areas
below the tideline.
The side of the 'valleuse' where these orchids grow, dividing the high chalk
plateau, faces just South of West. A handful of cattle are often grazed here,
which flattens the long grass and the orchids; and the site is regularly mown
by its owner at the end of spring or the beginning of summer.
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I found just two species of orchid here, in incredible numbers this year. Three unusual white flowers completed my search, in a position where I had found only one some years previously. During my search for good photographs, I also collected a large number of sheep-ticks, especially under my socks and under my belt, but it was worth it. Two weeks later, and therefore long before seeding was complete, this field had been mown, and it was being grazed. |
orchid & nature photos © 2005 Jan Wikramaratna <contact@wikramaratna.org >