Christine's walking & birds blog

An amazing shot had been posted on berksbirds of a grey wagtail on the concrete shoring at the weir, with a grass snake just above it; so we scanned carefully but there was nothing there today, not even a common sandpiper.

Despite the dull weather it was almost springlike on Bagshot Heath, thanks to two woodlarks singing in display flight. Loads of meadow pipits were around as well, but not much else. A great spotted woodpecker flew over.

At least six woodlarks were on Wishmoor, skipping past me silently and dropping to feed unseen in the heather. Two stonechats were present, one heard only. A group of cadets on orienteering practice asked me if there was a bridge nearby, so I pointed to the "sort-of-bridge" where the track crosses the Wish stream. They were northern lads and they kept calling me Ma'am.

The lapwings went up at one point, but the ruff wasn't having any. It dropped into a crouch instead and froze with its head just showing above the mud. Long before the lapwings returned it had stood up and continued feeding, having saved itself the effort of taking off and flying around. Perhaps it's learnt that the lapwings tend to be rather hysterical birds that will go up at the drop of a hat.

Ten or eleven waders came zooming over my head and down onto the flood; more bright snipe to add to those already foraging there. A kingfisher flashed past, two grey wagtails were vocal and active, a common sandpiper was at the weir, and at least seven yellow wagtails were with the cattle.

Pett Levels

Towards Fairlight

Catalina Flying Boat

The rough verge below the seawall gives free parking. A swift climb up one of the flights of steps and you're on a shingle beach with the levels laid out on one side and on the other, the sparkling sea. I instantly loved it here, and Greger liked it as well - especially when the Catalina flying boat cruised by.

Unfortunately the house in the village was not really suitable and as it was at the top end of our range we rejected it; the story was the same with the others we drove past - one of them beautifully sited on the high Sussex weald. Meanwhile, the possibility of living at Dungeness recedes, with only a tiny fisherman's cottage currently available; romantic but impractical.  Over to Plan B. I must now get myself into Greger's frame of mind, that our move will be an adventure, and not let other people's opinions suddenly make Scotland seem a banishment rather than a positive choice. 

The juvenile ringed plover was still present on the flood at least until the birds all went up; and four or five yellow wagtails were with the cattle on the common.

The lapwings all went up and the ruff with them, although it was very quickly down again. It landed on the southern side and further away so I called it a day. I vote this the prettiest bird on the flood so far.

A sparrowhawk was flushed from the hedgerow where it had been on the ground unseen; and as I drove away I could see five or six yellow wagtails with the cattle.

A couple of reed buntings and a kestrel were nearby. Back at the flood I enjoyed again the spectacle of many house martins, some swallows, and several sand martins hunting low over the pool and the Roundmoor Ditch (and me - not sure how some of them avoided crashing into my head). Two chiffchaffs in the willows darted out and had a go at them when they flew too near to the trees. A kingfisher brightened up what was otherwise a cold and gloomy morning.

Usual place

Two whinchats were present again at the far side of the cattle field on the edge of the common.


Two wheatears were also there. Two yellow wagtails were with the cattle. The flood has been topped up by yesterday's rain but I couldn't see anything of note. A common sandpiper was again present at the weir.

I heard but didn't see a meadow pipit on the common, and sand martins were among house martins and swallows over both the common and the Jubilee River.

Then the dog-walkers started to arrive and I went home.

Wishmoor had a big flock of chaffinches, tits, crests, and at least one chiffchaff; but they stayed high and were virtually impossible to see in poor visibility and drizzle. Hunting over the heather were swallows, house martins, and at least two sand martins. Two or three crossbills went over with "chip" calls just south of Lower Star Post.

None of the dogs we encountered bothered us and mountain bikers were mostly friendly, even when we strayed into their area. A good walk after a hectic week.

My dreadful pictures belie the wonderful hour or so of birding I had. Throw in a hobby, a little egret, six wigeon, and a glimpse of a singing Cetti's warbler - and it made a worthwhile walk on an unexpectedly warm day.

The swallow tree

At least the swallows thought it was theirs to rest in; the chiffchaff had other ideas and chased them both away. Another fine shot for my collection of multiple-species photos.


My first local meadow pipit of the autumn was also on the common. Two yellow wagtails were in the flooded field of Eton Wick, hanging out with the famous three-legged cow.


I had my scope and was able to see five or six snipe, a green sandpiper, and a dunlin on the flood. In fact I re-found the dunlin later for a birder who only had bins with him, and it was quite difficult to spot against the mud. A scruffy kingfisher was active along the Roundmoor Ditch and an unseen Cetti's warbler uttered some explosive calls.

At home: The bloke who lives opposite has a dead exotic conifer of some sort in his grounds, a huge thing. They've been taking it down bit by bit for over a week, and this afternoon a large part of the trunk was felled. I not only heard it, I felt it; a no-nonsense thud with an accompanying shake of the ground beneath our house.  The trunk section could be seen where it landed just beyond his garden wall, about 70 metres away or less - it also fell slightly downhill which probably made it worse. He should have had it fall towards his own house but then he's a bit of a pig, that bloke. And that's my whinge for today.

Dorney

An evening walk in the rain brought a little egret on a tiny island above the weir on the Jubilee River, and a great crowd of swallows and house martins hunting near the weir - sometimes swooping low over the water below the weir so that I was looking down on them.

I counted eighteen snipe and one dunlin on the flood. A kingfisher flew out from the Roundmoor Ditch with a sharp call (possibly in pursuit of another bird) and then hovered above the flood for several seconds. It resembled a large blue-and-chestnut hummingbird; but it didn't appear to be hunting. It seemed more like territorial behaviour; and after a few seconds it flew back into the bushes along the stream.

At least ten yellow wagtails were on the common among the few co-operative cattle that were feeding. Most of the cattle were lying down, which is no good to them. There was much flying about and "swee"ing, as if to tell the cows to get up and graze. Nice to see more yellow wagtails there after the early ones in August.

The starlings were snapped on the common five days ago.

The walk was 13 kilometres and the weather was sunny and windy. Driving home along the M4 we hit a band of torrential rain and came out the other side onto a dry road.

This morning: Greger was painting the hall window, and as I hoovered the curtain on the patio (just to be out of doors on such a gorgeous day) I was serenaded by a willow warbler singing in the silver birch by the car park. I got a record shot.