Sunday, March 03, 2013
This was yet another attempt to see a lesser spotted woodpecker in one of the three woods. The red-legged partridges were on the road and I snapped them through the car window.
I parked the car, made a quick decision about which direction to take, and set off along the road. Walking into the trees I saw a green woodpecker and a jay; and thinking I could hear other birds I diverted from my intended route. I was glad I did because six siskins were spotted, feeding high in a silver birch, with long-tailed and blue tits buzzing around them.
Then I heard the very welcome sneezing "pitchou" of a marsh tit (in fact there were two). This is another species I hadn't encountered on the site for a long time.
When I also saw a couple of treecreepers making their way up a birch trunk I began to have a good feeling, and decided to spend some time here rather than stride off on a longer walk. This eventually paid off. Several trees away and very high up, a familiar profile was seen hammering at a beech branch; and I got the bins onto a male lesser.
The lesser-spot, probably tiring of my attentions, flew off. I didn't try to follow. I was just elated that one was still around! I gave up on a longer walk (I've done enough of them this winter) and drove home.
About 3 pm, a large dark cloud rolled away leaving clear blue sky. The cloud showed a rather straight trailing edge which the sun, hidden behind it at first, lit into a white rim. It was quite spectacular. As I drove down to Dorney in bright sunshine, the retreating cloud mass was like a great dark wall to the south and west. (I've quickly changed that last sentence as it contained a dangling participle!)
Although then breaking up, it was still in view when I reached the floods.
A vocal kingfisher sped up and down the stream, and I counted thirteen snipe on the EW flood. A shelduck was on the Jubilee River and a skylark was in song high above the wetlands. I feel a bit guilty about my nice day because Greger has carried out some pretty nifty DIY at home, despite being grounded with a cold. But he was also pleased about the lesser-spot!
// posted by Christine @ 1:02 PM 
