| The
Butts at Hawley by Nick Upton |
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The
Butts at Hawley is an area of arable fields on
the high ground to the west of the River Darent:
Wheat, Barley and Oilseed Rape are grown in rotation
and there are areas of pasture where horses are
kept and there is a large hay field which has
remained unfertilised for at least 15 years and
unploughed within living memory. I have been visiting
this area since I was able to walk and it is particularly
pleasant on sunny summer evenings. |
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| How
to get to The Butts at Hawley |
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To
get to The Butts one should take the A225 south
from Dartford. Shortly after passing under the
A2 one will see 2 right hand turns; take the second
of the two - Shirehall Road. Drive uphill, past
houses for approximately half a mile until a very
sharp right-bearing bend is reached. On this bend
is the footpath into The Butts.
One
cannot park here and it is best for visitors to
park in nearby Alfred Road or Ethelbert Road.
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| Birdwatching
at The Butts at Hawley |
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Farmland
birds occur in reasonable numbers at The Butts
with good populations of Skylark, Corn Bunting,
Linnet and Whitethroat. In spring a few migrants
pass through, including Meadow Pipit, Yellow Wagtail
and Wheatear.
1.
Entering The Butts along this footpath, a large
hay field is on the left. From early spring good
numbers of Skylark sing and in late May to early
July huge numbers of cockchafers emerge from the
hedgerow and are fed upon by clouds of Swifts
and up to 5 Hobbies; the latter sometimes stay
around to breed. |
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Skylark
(Photo by Daniel
Pettersson) |
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2.
Arable fields are criss-crossed by footpaths and are
good spots to watch singing Skylarks, Linnets and noisy
calling Corn Buntings. Corn Buntings have become scarce
or absent in many areas, but this is still a great place
to see them close-up and in July it is easy to watch
the parents feeding their chicks, often following the
combine harvesters and catching the insects that they
disturb.
3.Some
scrubland and horse pasture is home to Whitethroat,
Kestrel and a few pairs of Yellowhammers, as well as
many common species: the pasture is where most passage
migrants turn up in spring. |
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| A
wide selection of arable weeds grow along the
hedgerows and banks, with Field Poppy, Bladder
Campion and Chamomile all common. The area of
rough grass that runs alongside the M25 is a good
place to look for Pyramidal Orchid in late June/early
July and the hay field seems to gain more species
by the year and is a mass of Ox-eye Daisies in
late May/early June; it is gradually being colonised
by chalk-loving species such as Marjoram.
The
hedgerows are quite rich in butterfly species.
Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Red Admiral, Gatekeeper,
Small Skipper and Meadow Brown are all common
and Holly Blue, Small Copper and Common Blue are
present in smaller numbers.
Foxes
and rabbits are common and Pipistrelle Bats feed
on summer evenings. |
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Field
Poppies
(Photo by Nick
Upton) |
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| Bird
Species recorded at The Butts at Hawley |
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Blackbird
Blackcap
Black-headed Gull
Blue Tit
Buzzard
Carrion Crow
Chaffinch
Chiffchaff
Collared Dove
Common Gull
Corn Bunting
Curlew
Dunnock
Golden Plover
Goldfinch
Great Tit
Greenfinch |
Grey
Heron
Herring Gull
Hobby
House Martin
House Sparrow
Jackdaw
Kestrel
Lapwing
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Linnet
Long-tailed Tit
Magpie
Mallard
Meadow Pipit
Mistle Thrush
Pheasant
Pied Wagtail |
Red-legged
Partridge
Ring-necked Parakeet
Robin
Rock Dove (Feral Pigeon)
Rook
Skylark
Song Thrush
Sparrowhawk
Starling
Swallow
Swift
Wheatear
Whitethroat
Wood Pigeon
Wren
Yellow Wagtail
Yellowhammer |
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| Photo
Galleries from The Butts |
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Dungeness
Bird Observatory - Birdwatching and wildlife migration
at Dungeness.
Folkestone
& Hythe Birding - Birdwatching locations and sightings
from southeast Kent.
Kent Ornithological
Society - Providing information about Birds and Birdwatching
in Kent.
Sandwich Bay
Bird Observatory - Wildlife of Sandwich Bay. |
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