Christine's walking & birds blog

So we carried on towards Langdon Hill, and while we were eating lunch on a bank at the side of the track a peregrine cruised by. Further on a wide area has been given over to pig-farming. Here we saw an immense number of gulls - mostly lesser black-backed - just standing about among the pigs, or foraging, or taking to the air and milling about in small groups. Greger reckoned there were about 2,000.

At the bottom of the track we turned sharp left to walk back through the valley, the slopes of which are dotted with hawthorn scrub and juniper bushes and grazed by sheep. A male blackcap and a goldcrest were moving through with a band of tits, and a dozen fieldfare went over chacking. Lapwings, starlings and linnets were on the high fields and a large flock of corvids chased a buzzard. A goodly walk.

Hearing high, sibilant sounds outside Greger's office I peered into the gloomy depths of the big holly and saw this busy goldcrest.

Forest and heath

The first thing of interest as I walked down through the forest was a big flock of chaffinches. I hoped for a brambling, but barking dogs put paid to that as all the birds streamed away through the trees.

I had a scan for a great grey shrike on Wishmoor and then struck out for the Surrey heaths. Were these great spotted woodpeckers (male above and a female) courting? After a cool start, it was certainly spring-like weather by now.

A dozen fieldfare flew over chacking and the odd siskin went across calling. A small party of crossbills skipped about above pines in the distance, and a Dartford warbler was heard in the heather. I lingered for quite a while, enjoying just being there on the windy, sunlit heath. On my return to Wishmoor I saw a male and a female stonechat; while the stream and the alders were still attracting siskins and redpolls.

Back in the forest, I found more crossbills (with siskins and chaffinches) at a junction of tracks, feeding in pines and waiting for the coast to clear so that they could fly down to drink at small puddles. I walked on and found about ten more, not far from the Lookout. This was one of the brightest males I saw today.

The third woodlark (clip above) was heard calling on Wishmoor; it then flew to the top of a tree and sang. I'd already heard two others; one in the danger area, singing from a treetop, and another on the Surrey heaths. I didn't hang about for that one because a man and a boy were making a hell of a noise with a motorbike in the burnt area where it was singing.

It was lovely to hear the woodlarks singing but I didn't see any song-flights today; perhaps they're beginning to realise they might have this all wrong....

The dead tree near the stream held goldfinches, lesser redpolls and siskins; here's one of each, in a picture that's only interesting because the redpoll is striking a pose.

However, when we got round to Weathercock again there was another wheatear on the top of the hill. So I had to take a photo, as it might be my last one of the year....

A raven, a buzzard and two bullfinches were the only other birds of note; but it was a very enjoyable walk.

On a flying visit between errands today, I was convinced at first that a heron in the water garden was a statue. Bit naff, I thought. As if to put me right it stalked indignantly across the rocks to a new spot from which to stare intently into the depths of the pond.

I drove to the Lookout hoping for my first crossbills of the year as there have been recent reports of some in the forest. Agreeing to answer a survey in the car park, I learnt with a sinking heart that we'll almost certainly soon be charged to park here.

I'd decided not to go looking specially for the crossbills but just to follow my usual route and hope some turned up; however, a diversion was made right at the beginning to bag the trig point on Gravel Hill.

I spent some time on the "bridge" by the stream, photographing three or four siskins in the dead tree. (All pics trashed!) Tearing myself away at last I turned onto the track across the heather and glanced casually to the right for a last look at the tree. I couldn't believe my eyes. Instead of the slender little siskins I saw five decidedly chunky birds which could only be crossbills. Where did they come from?!

I was too tired to visit the high Surrey heathlands and Caesar's Camp, and returning to the Lookout via Lower Star Post I fell in with more crossbills; first one or two opposite the military fence and then a larger flock. Along with siskins and redpolls they were favouring conifers around the big diggings just to the south-west of LSP; they were right next to the path but I kept my distance as pine cones, detached by their feeding, were falling to the ground with quite impressive thuds.