Buzzards are now probably the most frequently seen raptor in this area. Their breeding displays over the woods and frequent calls make them highly visible. Most of the larger woods in the parish seem to have a resident pair, which is quite amazing in view of the fact that the first breeding record in the county was so recent, in 1999.

Their expansion to the east of the country from their stronghold in the west is one of the most remarkable ornithological events in recent times. This fantastic recovery is not completely understood but reduced persecution and the banning of pesticides are probably the main drivers. Fortunately Buzzards have a broad diet, with rabbits being the most common prey item, but when rabbits are in short supply they will turn to other small mammals as well as beetles and worms to augment their diet. They are also known to take chicks from the nests of tree-nesting species including that of the Carrion Crow and related species.

Kestrels are the next most commonly seen raptor in the area, again easily identifiable by its hovering hunting technique. Roadside edges and rough grassland are its favourite haunts, where voles make up a very large part of its diet. This is sometimes supplemented by ground-nesting chicks such as pipits and larks in the breeding season. The two areas where I most often see one hunting are the oaks at the bottom of Hilly Fields and on the rough area near the practice golf range on the Sissinghurst road.

Kestrels have been in slow decline, possibly due to improved pastures for grazing replacing vole-rich rough ground. The introduction of setaside reversed the trend for a while but was not sustained long enough to affect the population to a significant extent.

Sparrowhawks on the other hand are only occasionally glimpsed, as their hunting technique is by stealth and surprise. Unfortunately they have learnt that there is a good supply of their quarry at garden bird tables. They will approach the garden using the cover of a hedge and then dive over and grab a feeding bird. I have seen this is on a number of occasions with about a 30 per cent success rate. The most dramatic attack was when the hawk caught a Great Spotted Woodpecker and pinned it to the lawn before plucking it and eating it. However I have seen many more piles of feathers than I have seen attacks, with Blue Tits and Collared Doves being the main victims; identifiable from their remains. The female hawk is quite a lot larger than the male and may be responsible for the doves, the male for the Blue Tits.

In the summer, this trio of raptors is joined by our only local migrant bird of prey, the Hobby. It is a member of the falcon family and slightly smaller than a Kestrel. It usually arrives in late April and nests in hedgerows, woodland edges and isolated trees, which means it can just about nest anywhere. It tends to be seen more often in late summer, when family parties hawk for insects over farmland, particularly dragonflies, which are consumed on the wing having first been de-winged.

It is an elegant falcon with long pointed wings enabling it to fly fast and catch aerial birds such as Swallows and even Swifts. The Hobby has in the past nested in Hemsted Forest but I haven’t seen or heard of any recent breeding attempts.

The above four raptors all breed in the parish and writing this article has highlighted to me that there is very little competition for prey, allowing them to co-exist. The only overlap is the Sparrowhawk and Hobby but even then they target different species of birds as the Hobby goes for the more aerial ones.

Other birds of prey are occasionally seen in the parish. Occasionally a Marsh Harrier will fly over - they have recently bred as close as Lossenham Marsh near Newenden. The establishment of the Red Kite colony in West Sussex after the introduction in the Chilterns has meant an increased number of sightings locally as the young wander from their natal breeding grounds.

Peregrine Falcons that nest on the Kent coastline are now beginning to nest inland on such impressive structures as bridge towers and cathedrals. There are no such structures locally but keeping an eye open for fly-overs will probably be rewarded, although patience is needed!

The Merlin, our smallest falcon, nests in the northern hills and catches small birds such as Meadow Pipits. Merlins winter on our estuaries and coastline and I have seen one in Biddenden when the Hammer stream was in flood at the turn of the century. Hen Harriers are also mountain breeders and much persecuted, illegally, as they like Red Grouse chicks. They are now very rare but some do join Harrier roosts on the Kentish marshes in winter.

Goshawks frequent large, wooded forests and, despite both Bedgebury and Hemsted being suitable habitat, disappointingly this large Sparrowhawk has never bred or even been seen locally. There are possibly two pairs that do breed in Kent but their whereabouts is kept under wraps for security reasons. Unfortunately egg collecting is still an ongoing problem.

It is the same with the Honey-buzzard, which is a very rare summer migrant that also breeds in similar habitat to that of the Goshawk. Its name is a bit of a misnomer as it feeds mainly on wasp larvae, which it digs out of the ground. It occasionally breeds in Kent.