Saturday 29th March 2025: Dartmoor birds

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 We left Sue’s at around 7am and arrived at Yarner Wood in Dartmoor around 9 o’clock. We spent some time in the bird hide, getting great views of familiar woodland species, including Marsh Tit, Coal Tit and Nuthatch. Then we strolled up onto the small heathland area, but there was almost nothing here, save for some vocal Chiffchaffs and a Stonechat. We returned via the woodland path to the visitor centre, then walked up towards the other hide, enjoying a pair of cronking Ravens which chased each other over the valley beside us. At the hide we found a Great Spotted Woodpecker and on the path back down Tim managed to see a Siskin, which had been calling all around us but remaining elusive. Disappointingly there was no sight or sound of Lesser Spotted Woodpecker.

After a tasty brunch, we relocated to Postbridge in a fruitless search for Dipper, then continued on to Bellevor Tor, where a Great Grey Shrike had been reported. It was quite a trek with scopes to the area it had been seen, and a scramble over a barbed wire fence and stone wall with the scope on my back was a bit of a challenge. Then we had to stumble across uneven tussocky ground to scan the pine tops, but it was all worth it when I found the target bird perched atop a pine tree in front of us. Frustratingly, I’d no sooner got the scope focused than it disappeared! Edging forward to the ridge of the hill, I picked it out again, this time huddled on the leeside of the tree sheltering from the cold northerly wind. Tim managed a few record shots, but with time running out, he was reluctant to move any closer for a better photo. But it was another unusual bird in a spectacular week, and we had great scope views which are not reflected in the photo.

Great Grey Shrike


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