Saturday, September 01, 2007


With Greger away and the world my oyster, I decided on the Ridgeway in west Berkshire. The walk (roughly 11 km) was fairly birdless for much of the way, with scores of house martins and a few swallows swooping over West Ilsley set to be the main interest - until near the top of Cow Down.

Where a wide green track runs down to the left, I heard "hoo-eet"; so I sat down and waited. Eventually two redstarts showed - one a gorgeous male, the other probably a female. They were flycatching from the tops of hawthorns and flying down to feed on the ground near the sheep, dashing back into cover with flashes of bright orange that warmed the heart.

They were worth the walk and the wait.

// posted by Christine @ 3:03 PM 1 comments

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