Field of Dreams
African Birdlife|March/April 2022
Harriers quartering the Devon grasslands
Text and Photographs by Sean Thackwray
Field of Dreams

My son is now bored with looking for birds and has started drawing pictures of Yoda from his Star Wars book. Clearly it’s time to take a break for lunch. We drive back into the old town where I discover a previously unseen takeaway café, just off the main road. There are two ladies inside: a bubbly, freckled blonde serving at the counter and, behind her, a quietly dignified woman running the kitchen. We mull over the menu and my son says he would like a cheeseburger. The blonde asks, ‘Have you guys tried the Dagwood?’ I tell her we haven’t and she says, ‘You’ve got to have the Dagwood. It’s what’s happening in Devon, baby!’

Not wanting to buck the trend, we take her advice.

A heady aroma of vinegar and griddle-fried meat permeates the Land Rover as we close the doors and head south into the grasslands. I turn left at the Wolwebank sign and pull off the road. The camera comes out of its bag on the back seat and onto my lap. The search continues.

This story is from the March/April 2022 edition of African Birdlife.

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This story is from the March/April 2022 edition of African Birdlife.

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