Our first sighting! The Downs are home to hobbies throughout summer. Now heading back to Africa for winter, these agile falcons sweep through the air with the speed, grace and silhouette of swifts.

A yellow wagtail paused at the distillery during its autumn migration. Usually found on farmland, wet grassland and near cattle, this summer visitor travels south to sub-Saharan Africa each winter.

This female passed the distillery during migration, pausing among the trees to hunt insects before continuing her remarkable journey south towards distant wintering grounds in West Africa.

Bramblings return to the Downs each winter, feeding across farmland and beech woodland. They gather in lively mixed flocks with chaffinches, searching the ground together for seeds.

A remarkable Goat Moth caterpillar, measuring over 10cm long. Rarely seen, it spends several years hidden inside mature trees before emerging to find a sheltered place to pupate underground.

One of Britain’s smallest birds, the Firecrest is a striking woodland resident. Southern England supports a small breeding population, joined by migrant birds from continental Europe during autumn and winter.

Our finest wildlife sighting on Wick Lane. A magnificent White tailed Sea Eagle drifted overhead. Britain's largest bird of prey, called the "flying barn door" because of its broad wings.

Our young barn owls spend weeks in the evenings mastering silent flight, practicing glides and landings from the farm gates before becoming confident nocturnal hunters across the Downs.

More often heard than seen, the elusive Common Quail stays concealed in dense grass, making every encounter genuinely exceptional. A small covey was seen in the distillery garden in mid July.

Three years ago we had no hedgehogs around the distillery. Last month we saw our first one then, followed by two youngsters last week. They can travel 3km each night looking for food.

The Downs awaken with birdsong and fresh growth. Skylarks climb into the morning sky, butterflies emerge and wildflowers begin another remarkable season.

From Grey to Green.

The chalk grassland bursts into colour. Bees, butterflies and orchids flourish whilst bird life fills the air with song. Youngsters hustle and bustle between trees.

From Green to Golden.

The hedgerows glow with berries as migrant birds pause before their journeys south. Fungi appear after autumn rain and the landscape begins to slow.

From Golden to Tan.

The Downs reveal their wild side. Frost whitens the chalk, winter thrushes gather in the hedgerows and barn owls hunt beneath vast open skies. Winds blow across the landscape.

From Tan to Grey and Brown.

Goshawks are elusive woodland hunters, rarely seen on the open Downs. Their secretive nature and low breeding numbers make every sighting exceptional.

The UK's smallest falcon, the Merlin is a fast, agile hunter. We recorded a single sighting in April 2026, making this a memorable highlight. They are the size of a blackbird.

The Little Owl is Britain's smallest breeding owl. We often find one hunting from the walnut tree in our distillery garden, patiently watching for insects and small mammals.

A resident pair of Barn Owls calls the distillery home. We enjoy watching them throughout the seasons, from raising young owlets to silently hunting the Downs at dusk.

A striking upland thrush, the Ring Ouzel pauses on the Downs during spring migration. We were fortunate to record this beautiful traveller passing through.

The elusive Spotted Flycatcher visits our distillery garden each summer, expertly catching insects in flight before quietly disappearing into the trees once more.

A true summer visitor. The Wood Warbler has only appeared four times and only in the early mornings, its beautiful song echoing through the distillery garden.

The explosive song of the Cetti's Warbler announces its arrival each spring. We hear and occasionally glimpse this elusive visitor around the distillery.

Shy and elusive, Bullfinches are becoming increasingly scarce across Britain. Their gentle presence and beautiful colours make every sighting a real privilege.

From first light until evening, Skylarks fill the skies above the distillery with one of Britain's most iconic songs throughout spring and summer, whilst fluttering high in the skies.

The Yellowhammer's distinctive song welcomes visitors along the road to the distillery, despite the species declining by more than 60% nationwide.

The distinctive jangling song of the Corn Bunting will stop you in your tracks. This farmland specialist has declined by 80%, making every sighting valuable.

Is Chalkdown land.

Distillery profile ranking.

Of bird recorded at distillery.

Red listed species at distillery.

The hummingbird hawk-moth is a small, day-flying hawk-moth. It is a summer visitor to the UK, migrating from Southern Europe. It can fly 35KM a day. Favoured foods are verbena, valerian, bergmot and salvias.

It is one of Britain's most familiar butterflies, regularly visiting gardens to feed on nectar from verbena, buddleia and other summer flowers. Its caterpillars rely almost entirely on common nettles for food.

A spectacular woodland butterfly, the silver-washed fritillary drifts effortlessly through sunlit clearings, visiting brambles, thistles and other nectar-rich flowers. We have only seen this twice.

Relies on wormwood as its larval food plant. Our thriving garden supports healthy populations of wormwood, which is a companion plant to deter the deer. It can be seen flying around the yarrow.

This sighting was especially exciting, as I have never seen Glow Worms on the downs before. These were seen near the cedar trees, next to the dense undergrowth.

We have a colony of Red-tailed Bumblebees nesting in the garden in an old vole hole. Their favoured nectar is from our salvia and lavender. Hugh will point them out on tours.

Acanthus hungaricus 'White Lips' has become one of the most important plants in our garden, attracting the ruderal bumblebee. It is one of Britain's largest native bumblebees.

Dark Bush-crickets help control insects, feed wildlife and thrive in bio-diverse gardens, making them a welcome sign of healthy, undisturbed habitat. Our hedgehog loves them!