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.// posted by Christine @ 9:59 AM 
