Sunday, April 15, 2012
Spring heathlands
I walked down through the forest this morning without seeing anything of note, although I did hear a willow warbler and a chiffchaff singing. On the edge of Wishmoor I flushed a pair of tree pipits up from the ground; and a second male was in the middle of the heath, singing from the top of a pine.
I climbed Greger's hill hoping to get a view of a cuckoo that was calling from somewhere on the other side; but I wasn't careful enough. As I puffed up to the top, I was just in time to see the cuckoo launch itself from a bare branch near our lunch spot.He landed below the hill and took a couple of dives into the heather before flying off across the heath.
On the heathland (Poors Allotment, or Barossa: there are information websites about these places but I wish people would use maps more, so that I can tell which is which!) four crossbills were waiting above a muddy puddle to drink. I could hear stupid noises and yells from the area I call the badlands, and a police car was seen making its way along the track. I decided to keep clear!
As I dropped back down onto Wishmoor a bird flitting about on the ground ahead turned out to be a super male redstart.
Near the Forest Pond on the way back, at least two bright siskins were calling and displaying. My walk was just over 11 kilometres (about 7 miles). The sunshine was welcome but it was defeated in the end by icy gusts from the north.
Several pairs of stonechats were present and I couldn't resist snapping a woodlark although the wind was swaying the branch it was on.
On the heathland (Poors Allotment, or Barossa: there are information websites about these places but I wish people would use maps more, so that I can tell which is which!) four crossbills were waiting above a muddy puddle to drink. I could hear stupid noises and yells from the area I call the badlands, and a police car was seen making its way along the track. I decided to keep clear!
As I dropped back down onto Wishmoor a bird flitting about on the ground ahead turned out to be a super male redstart.
Near the Forest Pond on the way back, at least two bright siskins were calling and displaying. My walk was just over 11 kilometres (about 7 miles). The sunshine was welcome but it was defeated in the end by icy gusts from the north.// posted by Christine @ 12:28 PM 
