Saturday, May 30, 2009
The Downs - Oxfordshire/West Berkshire
We did our usual 7-mile walk here, hoping for cuckoos and yellow wagtails - but didn't get 'em.
Greger couldn't find any yellowhammers today, but I like his shot of a corn bunting in the rape crop. This field also held at least 50 Painted Lady butterflies.
Bird of the day was a curlew that rose calling from the side of the footpath just ahead of us, where a tractor was mowing the gallops.
The field on the opposite side of the road is littered with sarsen stones, remnants of the sandstone cap that once covered the land hereabouts. I love their other name of grey wethers, linking them with the sheep that often graze on downs farmland.
Birds were scarce, but it was a good day out in a lovely part of the country. There were no naked ramblers this week, but at White Horse Hill a passing walker lifted his straw boater in greeting. Classy!
Friday, May 29, 2009
Greger was the early bird who caught one of the blue tits leaving home this morning.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Dorney Wetlands, Berkshire
An evening walk brought lots of painted ladies. Zooming in on them made me aware of the richness of the grasslands here, with clover and vetches adding splashes of colour - I hope they don't mow it!
Many of the butterflies were "round the back" by the sewage farm entrance. 
If the wetlands have become disappointing from a wader point of view, the plantations and shelterbelts must be good news for small birds. Several blackcaps and whitethroats were singing and I saw two chiffchaffs in my short walk; but there was no sign of the garden warbler I got a glimpse of two days ago.
At least three butterflies were cavorting in the garden of the Pineapple - this one, not in tiptop condition, perching on the seat and waiting perhaps for a pint of best nectar.
Monday, May 25, 2009
I cycled down to Dorney Lake with all my paraphernalia. There seemed to be absolutely nothing around so I crossed the common to Dorney Wetlands, where a redshank was dozing on east marsh.
Since it's only the second wader I've seen there this year it seemed worth digi-scoping, especially given the unusually still conditions. Thought I heard a distant grasshopper warbler but it might have been my bike.
Since it's only the second wader I've seen there this year it seemed worth digi-scoping, especially given the unusually still conditions. Thought I heard a distant grasshopper warbler but it might have been my bike.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
I drove to the Lookout and walked down through Swinley Forest to sun-drenched Wishmoor. On the heath I saw stonechats, one woodlark, a pair of redstarts, willow warblers, chiffchaffs and a smart male reed bunting carrying food. I heard cuckoo and tawny owl in the distance, but was unlucky with Dartford warblers.
I always think of this as Greger's Hill, as he's done a lot of stomping up and down it over the years while I bird-watched in the heather.
I always think of this as Greger's Hill, as he's done a lot of stomping up and down it over the years while I bird-watched in the heather.
The redstart was near Lower Star Post. I'd been watching a tree pipit displaying in a clearing when I became aware of a song I didn't know and finally located the redstart - alternately singing and flycatching from the top of a conifer. He was feeding rather than food-gathering so I watched and listened to him for some time. Magical!
There were loads of manic orange butterflies which I couldn't see well enough to identify (probably painted ladies given that many have been sighted on the coast), and a dragonfly which I've since learnt was a broad-bodied chaser.
Quite a few siskins were feeding high in pine trees by Forest Pond.
Saturday, May 23rd
The most interesting thing we saw on our Ridgeway walk was a naked man.
We set out from Warren Farm near Streatley, Berkshire, for our usual long walk with several target birds in mind - none of which we got. Greger however took another nice pic of a yellowhammer.
The nude rambler was the second one we've encountered in the last couple of years, the previous one being spotted near - appropriately enough - Scutchamer Knob.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Taplow, Bucks
A sun halo this morning - caused, I read in Wikipedia, by sunlight being refracted by ice crystals. I noticed it while I was hanging out the washing - so domestic chores can sometimes be useful!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Dorney Lake
The return lake was being canoed on, so I wasn't very hopeful. But two greenshanks on the seasonal pool were my first of the year. Redshanks were also present.
A turnstone fed near them for a while, then flew towards me with its vibrant call and landed on the south shore of the return lake.
Sunday, May 03, 2009
Pagham Harbour - Kentish Plover
The path along the bank to the beach made a great walk in the windy sunshine, and the combination of bluebells and flowering gorse was intoxicating.
The path along the bank to the beach made a great walk in the windy sunshine, and the combination of bluebells and flowering gorse was intoxicating.
Greger used the P90 to take some nice pictures of a whimbrel and a flock of dunlins in flight.
Meanwhile, I digi-scoped with the P995 - with my usual degree of success. Returning from the beach I stood on the Church Norton spit in an increasingly cool wind and caught sight of a delicate pale plover running along in a channel. Alarm bells rang; but try as I might I couldn't relocate it.
Then I spotted a plover standing far out on the mudflats. Was it the same bird? Was it my first-ever Kentish plover?
Now and then it would disappear into a channel, then reappear and stand on the mud.
I used up the memory of the 995 digi-scoping the plover, and when I finally stood back from the telescope I realised how cold I had become. I also noticed a little group of birders nearby, seemingly intent on the bird; but none of them looked at us or said anything. Did this mean that it wasn't a Kentish plover and I was getting excited about nothing? Or did it mean it was one and that it was known about and so not a big deal?
The walk back along the bank soon warmed me up. At home I uploaded the photos and compared them with Kentish plover pictures on the birding sites. The following morning I checked Sussex's website, but no-one had reported a Kentish plover; so I sent my picture to ask for confirmation. A Scarcer Species form was sent to me, and the upshot was that I appeared as the finder; but with the addition of "et al". This bothers me. Who were the "et al"? I never claimed to be the finder; and if other birders who were sure of their identification saw it, their names should be there, not mine. But if that's the case, why didn't they report it? Questions, questions, problems, problems.
Nevertheless, a fabulous day!
Saturday, May 02, 2009
The target birds today were cuckoo - and something a little more rare. We didn't get the cuckoo.
Greger photographed a nice bright skylark, while I failed to get a calling yellow wagtail flying over. The wheatear helped by being right in the middle of the path.
But bird of the day was an elegant raptor, floating like a grey ghost across the hillside.
A birder told me whereabouts I might get a sighting of Montagu's harrier a few years ago, and we devised a couple of routes to take in the location for one of our Saturday walks. It's a nice, "natural" way to see it.
The pictures were taken from the road. A brilliant end to an enjoyable walk.
