Another tree that grows strangely at Dungeness is blackthorn Prunus spinosa. Like the oak this tree is represented by very stunted horizontal plants, but it is a more frequent species. Its long thorns presumeably give it protection from grazing. They tend to grow where the shingle surface is closer to the water table, either due to gravel extraction, natural hollows, or around the margins of the beach.
Yesterday afternoon I carried out part of the survey work for the Winter Atlas around Camber, including the dunes/golf course (and also the extreme easternmost part of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve and Rye Harbour village). Highlights were a flock of 22 White-fronted Goose (pictured) feeding on fields just behind Camber itself, and around thirty Corn Bunting split between here and the Golf Course (these latter are the birds regularly recorded flying over Lime Kiln Cottage which commute between the reserve and the golf course).
