Window to Wildlife

 Another repeat from last year, exploring the incredibly scenic river Webburn at Ponsworthy. Fortunately the path was substantially drier than last year and the walk was quite magical. A scented sea of azure bluebells flowed across the open woodland floor as the river bubbled and flowed along its way and an abundance of birds sung lustily from the branches. Beautiful Bluebells River Webburn at Ponsworthy Our key target bird here was the Dipper and it didn’t take long to spot one dashing upstream and out of sight. We continued cautiously on and Andy soon alerted us to a young bird, characteristically bobbing on a mossy rock in the middle of the river. It slowly hopped away, using the rocks as stepping stones, An adult soon appeared, it’s mouth stuffed full with insects, and looked somewhat bemused, possibly at the absence of its young offspring, before it too disappeared, perhaps alerted by a begging call.  Juvenile Dipper A magnificent male Yellow Wagtail in spectacular breedi...

 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 sorti...

 I visited Rye Meads RSPB reserve with my friend Virginia hoping to see kingfishers as they usually nest there each year. When we arrived at Kingfisher hide it was quite full of people all waiting for views but there was room for a couple more so we made our way to the end seats and joined the wait. Within 5 minutes a kingfisher arrived and landed on one of the conveniently placed perches in front of the hide. It then proceeded to dive several times returning to the same perch but without catching any fish before it flew off out of sight. In the time it was visible I managed to get a few photos. Further round the trail I heard what sounded like a possible garden warbler and after a short while I was able to locate the source of the song which allowed me to confirm my original identification. Luckily it managed to show itself long enough for me to get a few pictures. Other birds of note seen were a sedge warbler, reed bunting and a distant hobby sitting on a gate post.

 Following the cancellation of our planned trip to Morocco, we decided to escape to Cornwall, a favourite location. On the way down we called into Exminster Marshes where a Spotted Crake had been reported close to the car park. We were helpfully advised where the bird had recently been seen and did not have to wait long for an unsatisfactory glimpse of the bird, or at least it’s distinctive buff-coloured tail! With a little more patience, and the help of some friendly locals, we managed further and better views of this ‘lifer’ before continuing on our way to Cornwall. Unfortunately it was too far away for photos. Easter was possibly not the best time of year to visit, being a little late for winter birds and a little early for summer visitors. There were a few rarities reported, notably Rose-coloured Starling and Woodchat Shrike, but we failed to catch up with these species, despite our best efforts. A Ferruginous Duck of suspect origin  was at Helston Lake, where it has appar...

 We were taken out to the Crawley area today by an SDOS member who has relocated to Shoreham. We begun in some rather attractive woodland searching for Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. Drumming was heard several times, but the length was indicative of Great rather than Lesser Spotted. Even more frustrating was a report later on that birds had been seen in the same location the previous day. Undeterred we set off to search for Goshawks, and this time we came up trumps. Birds were seen at every location we stopped at, with some stunning overhead views. A Sparrowhawk sharing the skies with a Goshawk at one site allowed for a useful comparison of the size and flight of these two species. A Woodlark posing obligingly on the fence was another highlight of the day… and a new tick for Sue M. A few record shots are shown below. Woodlark Goshawk Goshawk

 We had spent the morning at Pulborough, enjoying the warmer weather and were about to settle down at home for a nice cup of tea when news came through of a Desert Wheatear at Goring Gap. Despite feeling a little tired, this was an opportunity not to be missed. Wheatears don’t tend to hang around for long on their Spring migration and it was unlikely to linger till the next day, so we dragged ourselves and headed over to the beach. The bird was easy to find due to the small band of photographers, and although a little mobile, it stayed at a relatively close range and we had some incredible views. This was a lifer for me. We had hoped to be on a birdwatching tour in Morocco in late March, so it was rather lovely to have this beautiful bird come to us as we were unable to go to him! Desert Wheatear

 We have never stayed on the New Forest before but regularly drive through on our way to Dorset. Having read the excellent book ‘Rebirding’, this wood pasture area is praised for its mosaic of habitats creating ideal conditions for a variety of bird species. So we decided to book a two night stay and see what we might find. Day 1: We began at Piper’s Wait, a viewpoint overlooking some forest where historically there had been Goshawks. It was cold and windy, so we didn’t linger too long,  but managed to spot a pair of likely looking suspects flying around near a row of distant pylons. We went back to the car and studied the map, identifying a road which appeared to pass near these electricity wires so set off in that direction. We pulled in to a layby where an RSPB van was parked, thinking they may be watching our target birds. But as it happened, we had stumbled across an RSPB reserve, Franchise’s Lodge, which had been acquired in 2018, but was not yet widely publicised as a l...