Sunday, March 27, 2011
Forest and heath
My poor man has yet another cold, and was content to rest at home today while I went out for a trek. He was pleased when I said where I was going, because apparently when I go to Swinley I always come home happy!
I walked quickly down through the still-cool forest, eager to get to Wishmoor; but I got delayed by an immense flock of finches. Redpolls and chaffinches were restless in the tree-tops and as they flew in wave upon wave over the path ahead, I thought I saw a white-rumped bird amongst them. A little later I heard a harsh wheeze confirming the presence of a brambling, but it wasn't until they'd all settled to feed on pine cones that I was able to get the bins on one (possibly two).
Much of the heather has been burnt off on Wishmoor, though whether in a controlled measure by the authorities or in an act of vandalism by wastes-of-space I do not know.
The sun broke through the lingering mists and it became a genuinely warm day. I was delighted to see several stonechats on both the Berkshire and the Surrey heaths. For a nanosecond, a lesser redpoll shared a bush with a male stonechat - which looked away at the critical moment. Typical.
The heaths were alive with the songs of woodlarks; two were singing simultaneously and I probably heard at least three birds.// posted by Christine @ 2:11 PM 
