If you can bear to take your eyes from the breath taking views over the channel and listen carefully you may be able to both see and hear some of the resident bird life who call the cliffs home.
The rarest of birds that makes the cliffs their home is the peregrine falcon. These stunning masters of the sky are the fastest animal on the planet, being able to reach 200mph in a hunting dive. The peregrine is usually identifiable by its silhouette high in the sky, but up close they have a black hood and ‘moustache’ and grey bars that mark its white underside. Despite being very elusive, these birds can be spotted above the cliffs all year round.
Although not as rare as the peregrine, the raven returned to breed on the cliffs in 2009 for the first time in 120 years. The world's largest crow, this giant has a wing span of 130cm and is easily identified by its obsidian colour. The tail of this bird is rounded or diamond shaped but the raven's most distinctive feature, however, is its deep, croaky call.
By no means rare the cheeky jackdaw can often be seen outside the White Cliffs cafe. Similar to the raven in its colouring, but much smaller and more like a pigeon in size, the jackdaw has a distinct grey hood giving the appearance of a permanent scowl.
Following its recent and dramatic population decline the skylark is a Red List species but can be found all along The White Cliffs of Dover. Identifiable as somewhat larger than a sparrow but smaller than a starling this little bird is streaky brown with a small crest and a white-sided tail. It is perhaps most renowned for its display flight, vertically up in the air, and its distinctive call from the arable fields along the cliffs.
Of course we mustn’t forget the abundance of seagulls who call the sea buttressed cliff face home, the most common being the Herring Gull which can often be seen spiralling and squabbling above the cliffs. The adults of this species are instantly familiar with their light grey backs, white underside and black wing tips, whereas the young birds are a mottled brown. These birds can be seen, and heard, all year round.
Migration
A true wonder of nature, small birds arrive at the cliffs after completing incredible journeys of hundreds or even thousands of miles. Some of our summer migrants include the chiffchaff and the whitethroat, both small insect eaters.