Christine's walking & birds blog

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.