16th May 2022: Dartmoor, Yarner Wood

- May 17, 2022

Following last year’s successful trip we returned to Robin’s Cottage on Dartmoor for 5 days with Andy. Our first stop was Yarner Wood, a washout last year, and we were somewhat disappointed to find it raining again on our arrival, despite a positive forecast. However, it was drizzle rather than solid rain, so we set off on a circuit of the Heath and woodland areas. Our first target was Pied Flycatcher, and we were able to track this down relatively quickly by hearing a song we were not familiar with, and checking our suspicions using the Collins app. Initially high and flitting unco-operatively in the high canopy, we later encountered two more birds which elicited much better views.

We were aware of Lesser-spotted Woodpeckers recently reported but held out little hope of finding them. However, a chance encounter with a local led us to confirmation they were nesting in a birch near the car park. On our return these sparrow sized birds were easily spotted, with regular feeding sorties across to the woodland in search of sustenance for young birds still inside the nest.