Low Carbon Birding

Gary and Kevin pose for a selfie in front of an information panel for Old Park Hill reserve

Towards the end of last year, Kevin Thornton got in touch with us to discuss an idea he had for introducing the birding community and newcomers to birding to low carbon birding. Kevin is very much a rail travel advocate, combining walking, cycling, trains and buses for many of his own journeys.

 

Kevin had put together a talk “Rails of north and east Kent – the train as a local birding transport alternative” which he presented to two local RSPB birding groups. Within the talk he covered birds that could be seen in the area at sites easily reached from stations, how to use railcards and groupsave to make things more affordable, and how some of the railways little secrets, like flexible tickets that allow you to break your journey, can make it easy to visit multiple sites along a line in a single day.

Having spotted Kent Community Rail Partnership’s noticeboards at our stations, Kevin got in touch to see if we could help him spread the word and share the joy of low carbon birding.

 

Over coffee and cake our ideas took shape. Working with Kevin we would offer free “Try A Train” low carbon birding experiences to small groups, helping them to find out more about Kent CRP, the right deals for their rail journeys, the birds and wildlife that are in ready reach from local stations, and grow advocacy for rail travel within the birding community.

Low Carbon Birding Around Kearsney, with Medway RSPB

Our first trip was to Old Park Hill, Kearsney Abbey Gardens, Russell Park and Bushy Ruff, a wildlife reserve and series of managed park spaces near Kearsney station.

An infrormation board for Oldpark Hill An infromation board for Kearseny Abbey and Russell Gardens

Around Old Park Hill we encountered Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Chiff Chaffs and Black Caps; hearing songs and calls or making sightings. 

 

We also saw a Flower Beetle, Gorse Shield Bug and Orange Tip butterflies.

A flower beetle, settled on a large daisy Three people crouch, kneel or look down as one explains the bug they have found on a flower A gorse shield bug nestled in a gorse bush

The site proved popular, with rich habitats and extensive views towards Dover harbour and the surrounding Kent Downs. We spent a little longer than planned.

Two highland Cows graze on the grassy verges beside a well trodden dirt path. A view from the lush green hillside of Oldpark Hill across Dover with the harbour and the sea in the distance. A group of people stand in a line as they pose for a photo. Behind them are tress in full green leaf and a noticeboard for Oldpark Hill nature reserve

While some of us missed the Highland Cattle browsing in the woods on our way up,  they had moved into the open before we headed back down.

We moved on through the aptly named village of River following the course of the river Dour for a refreshment stop, passing nasting Grebes on the way. After a short break we wandered through Kearsney Abbey Gardens, cutting our trip a little short to ensure we caught our train.

 

The aim of our trip was to deliver a positive low carbon birding experience, demonstrating the comfort and convenience of accessing the local area by train, to create advocacy for sustainable birding trips. 

Participants said:-

“A comfortable journey and a lot less stress compared to driving, without the risk of getting lost.”

“Very enjoyable, nice to be able to talk to friends, enjoy the views and relax on the train – not always possible in a car journey.”

“Very enjoyable, would consider using the train for exploring in the future.”

“Has given me ideas for a repeat experience with another group of friends.”


With comments around repeat journeys and the exchange of Railcard information between peers in the group we can safely say the advocacy has begun, a really positive beginning for this project. We’ll be checking in again in a few weeks’ time.

If you are interested in co-creating a Low Carbon Birding session with Kent CRP, please get in touch.

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