Saturday, November 27, 2010
A cold day in West Berkshire
It was minus three this morning in Taplow and sleet began to fall as we left home. Some thirty miles to the west it was dry but foggy; invisible ravens were calling, and we had to get quite close to the gibbet before we could see it.
A willow tit was calling in the hedgerow on Inkpen Hill, and we would have three further sightings involving at least two individuals.Many birds had congregated round a pheasant feeding station in the woods including willow tit, chaffinches, blue tits, robins, two splendid bullfinches - and a pheasant.
A number of lapwings flew over heading east, and a sparrowhawk was soaring. At least two bramblings were feeding on hawthorn berries with chaffinches, fieldfares and redwings.
Ravens were calling and tumbling over the northern slopes. On the other side of the track some dark foraging birds turned out to be golden plovers, though goodness knows what food they were finding in the frosty ground. There were about a dozen near the trig point but there could well have been more down the southern flank. Walbury Hill (297m) is the highest point in Berkshire, so these were the top golden plovers in the county today.
By this time the weather was clearing and the sun was beginning to struggle through.....
.....but it was too late for us. Our walk was over.
After dipping down to Combe we gained the ridge once more and turned back towards the car park. Trees were still white up on Walbury Hill and the ice on the puddles was so thick it could only have been broken by a vehicle.
Ravens were calling and tumbling over the northern slopes. On the other side of the track some dark foraging birds turned out to be golden plovers, though goodness knows what food they were finding in the frosty ground. There were about a dozen near the trig point but there could well have been more down the southern flank. Walbury Hill (297m) is the highest point in Berkshire, so these were the top golden plovers in the county today. 
By this time the weather was clearing and the sun was beginning to struggle through..... 
.....but it was too late for us. Our walk was over.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Combe
Greger chose the location for today's walk, which began in thick fog. I didn't expect much in the birding line so the calls of an unseen raven issuing from the whiteout seemed a bonus; and I was further cheered by views of a marsh tit (identified with the naked eye by Greger - I'd thought it was a great tit!) and a brambling.
Shortly after this came a harsh, nasal sound that was music to my ears. A willow tit! I can't count the times we've walked through these woods, where I know they can be found, and not even heard one! Now I was getting some brief views as well. It was a first in the UK for me, so already the walk had changed from being a birdy no-hoper to something special. But there was more to come!
The fog began to clear. There were loads of redwings and fieldfares flying around, and a buzzard and a calling raven were seen well from a clearing.
Some way ahead a flock of finches flew into the treetops, so we hoped for another sighting of brambling. One bird appeared larger than the others and I thought it might be a woodpecker. A look through the bins showed me a thickset bird with a white wing-bar and what seemed to be a heavy bill, although its head at that point was turned away. I told Greger it might be a hawfinch and clicked off a picture.....
.....unfortunately, in the panic, he never got to view it through the bins. The species has been recorded in this area, so I was hopeful. But the bird was distant and visibility was poor; and it was only when I'd uploaded and cropped the image at home that I knew for sure what we'd seen!
We had no choice but to walk towards it, and it immediately took off with the other birds; but while they skipped about and peeled off to either side the hawfinch seemed to fly strongly on until it was lost to view.
Going up Walbury Hill a bit later I was almost relieved when a tiny bird in the hedgerow turned out to be a goldcrest rather than a firecrest. I'd had quite enough excitement for one day!
Friday, November 19, 2010
Dorney
I set off along the Jubilee River this morning in a pearly white mist. Above East Marsh a flock of lapwings was wheeling; then came the liquid calls of golden plover. They landed close to the hide, so I clicked off a couple of shots despite the poor visibility.
There were plenty of ducks: wigeon, pochard, shoveler, tufted, mallard, gadwall, teal, and a single shelduck.
Dorney Corner was as busy as usual with swarms of flies making a long stay if not impossible, at least uncomfortable. A chiffchaff, foraging on branches that dipped into the water, was chased away by two reed buntings; and a grey wagtail flew in with a sharp call. A Cetti's warbler sang several times. The hedgerow bordering the common held another chiffchaff.
Back near the first footbridge, a second Cetti's was singing/muttering - only to be outdone by a sudden burst of song from a third individual. A water rail squealed gently. By this time, the place was bathed in glorious sunshine.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Burnham Beeches
My target bird on this walk was the lesser spotted woodpecker I'd had a glimpse of a couple of days ago.
After much walking and searching and just as I was about to give up, I got onto a male bird high in a mature beech.
As usual I located the woodpecker visually. They seem to feed quietly; in my experience, a steady "tap-tap-tap" from above generally turns out to be a great spotted woodpecker or a nuthatch.
As usual I located the woodpecker visually. They seem to feed quietly; in my experience, a steady "tap-tap-tap" from above generally turns out to be a great spotted woodpecker or a nuthatch.Sunday, November 07, 2010
Burnham Beeches & Egypt Woods
Today was one of my washout days at this site. I walked for miles through the Beeches and Egypt Woods but failed at first to get any of the specials. Four redpolls were flitting about, and I heard a siskin call but never got on to it. Oh well, at least the sun was shining most of the time and the colours were pretty.
Towards the end of my walk, when the light was quite poor, four bramblings flew into a tree just above me and saved the day.
