Thursley Common

Little was I to know that my visit preceded a major fire at this heathland nature reserve by just a few hours... . An early arrival on another sunny morning was originally planned because I had never met Colin the Cuckoo, the celebrity photogenic Cuckoo that obliged by eating mealworms in a pasture at Thursley. We heard him calling but he didn't come in to feed, however the day was saved by 2 very obliging male Redstarts that perched up repeatedly for us, the colours being especially stunning in the early morning low light. My best ever opportunity to photograph this species. Also very good views of a Mistle Thrush, along with Woodlarks collecting food, presumably for a nearby nest containing young. Green Woodpeckers and Dartford Warblers also seen. Devastating news to hear that about a quarter of the heath (2oo acres) was burnt just a matter of hours later, the fire presumably started by a careless visitor. Happily the area of the heath that I visited was unaffected, but very significant damage has been done to the boardwalk famous for its dragonflies, and also to the reptile population.

Nightjars.......

29 May - Another perfect, warm evening during the current exceptional spell of fine spring weather. A change this year, for my Nightjar fix, a trip to the Forest of Dean rather than Greenham Common. I arrived a bit later than planned due to a road closure, but walked up to Crabtree in plenty of time. Two Fallow Deer in the clearing were followed by several adult Wild Boar accompanied by no less than 6 stripey piglets.....then about 10 minutes after sunset I heard the first brief churr of a Nightjar. Over the next 30 minutes or so I was treated to good views, at least 5 birds present, with a lot of wing-clapping by the males as pairs of birds flew in the dusk light, presumably courtship behaviour? At one stage a pair came within less than 10m and the white tail-corners and on the body were very obviously bright in the failing light. The churring call always has a slightly unearthly quality, ventriloquil in nature and hard to localise especially when the eyes are straining in the gloaming. A much better sight to view the birds than Greenham, with more open areas and less traffic noise. Surprisingly, and sadly, no roding Woodcock seen.

Spotted Flycatchers

27 May - Spotted Flycatcher is an increasingly hard bird to catch up with in the UK - it is fairly unobtrusive, and easily overlooked - I had a tip that a pair were being reliably seen in Corsham Park. There is an avenue of magnificent mature oaks here, and after a short wait I had several views of an adult feeding (flycatching) and calling. I didn't see one at all last year... yet when I was a kid (a few years ago now! they bred in our garden in a nestbox!

Hants/Wilts borders

25 May - a chance to take advantage of the current dry, sunny spell, and a fairly early arrival at Acres Down on the northern edge of the New Forest. A the day heated up, a variety of raptors appeared, including several views of male and female Goshawk. Sparrowhawk also seen for comparison. As thermals started a number of Common Buzzards rose and soared, then mid-morning a fairly distant Honey Buzzard appeared to the S and spiralled up with very flexible flat wings and acrobatic tail, climbing in tight circles, and then glided away on flat wings. Red Kite also seen soaring. In the adjacent woodland alongside the track, 2 Firecrests found immediately. Woodlark also seen at close quarters near the car park, Siskin and Stonechat logged, and flyover Hawfinch and Crossbills. En route home, Corn Bunting and Curlew seen at Haxton, but no Whinchats.

Farmoor

22 May - mid to late May is the traditional time for waders on passage to their Arctic breeding grounds to drop in briefly at Farmoor. The reservoir has now re-opened from 10am, but pedestrian access is allowed a few minutes before, so I bypassed the long queue of fisherman's vehicles and walked up to the causeway - 3 small waders were feeding half way along, a Ringed Plover together with 2 of my target species, the Sanderling. Unfortunately they were not in the full russet breeding plumage, but still a real bonus to see with their scalloped upperparts. Unfortunately they were very wary and within 10 minutes or so flew off high to the north, indeed some birders arriving a bit later did not see them at all. Waders on the causeway at Farmoor, especially autumn juveniles on their first migration, can sometimes give exceptional close views compared with the distant specks usually seen on gravel pits or estuaries.

Collared Pratincole !

21 May - A dilemma.... as lockdown eases, the chance to see a rare bird while still being socially distanced along the sea wall, at Pilning on Severnside. We are no allowed to travel an unlimited distance for exercise, so in evening sunshine I made the trip and, almost in the shadow of the Severn Bridge, a scan of the lagoon revealed a smart adult Collared Pratincole sat on the mud, alongside Avocets, LRPs and a couple of Black-tailed Godwits. Pratincoles are strange birds - almost like a cross between a Tern and a Swallow, but part of the shorebird family. This bird showed the fawn-brown plumage and the yellow throat patch, and between periods of resting on the mud it fed in erratic flight, jinking in a strangely fluid motion and approaching quite close at times. A mini-twitch with a few other locals present, and strange to have this reminder of normality, after so long a period of restrictions, it almost caused a slight feeling of guilt to be leaving the immediate environment of home...….

Lockdown eased......

21 May - Lockdown has now been eased for a week or so, with unlimited outdoor exercise now permitted. Traffic on the roads has returned to something approaching normal after the silence of April, though there’s still no real rush hour. I’ve ventured a bit further afield, by car, as well as the local cycling. A short visit to Salisbury Plain, in early morning before the heat shimmer, gave excellent scope views of several Stone Curlews on their specially-prepared breeding scrapes, and included a pair with 2 fledged chicks. Such strange birds, furtive in their movements and sometimes difficult to spot against broken ground, but they can be quite obvious at times. I also saw a bird in flight and heard them calling. A good morning for raptora as well, Buzzards and Red Kites as a supporting cast to rarer species. Can Buntings are numerous on the plain, and I saw Stonechats but no Whinchats. Eurasian Curlew also heard calling. Nice to be able to go a bit further afield to one of Wiltshire’s special places...... More locally, a combined list from birders active on 16th May produced a combined total for CWP of exactly 100 species..... confirming what an excellent area this is for breeding bird species, including Warblers and Cuckoos which have a stronghold here, and Nightingale which maintains a localized presence. Not that many waders on the list with a lack of many really good areas for them this spring, combined with the dry weather. We did however log Crane, and 5 species of Heron which is not too unexpected in the WaterPark these days...... With the ongoing sunny spring weather I also made an early foray to the Forest of Dean on 20th for my annual spring visit, one of the best times of year in the Forest. Very successful in terms of target species, being serenaded on arrival by parachuting Tree Pipits, then moving on to a more deciduous area, where 3 Redstarts we’re singing in the old trees, with one seen well - then one of my favourite songs, the haunting Wood Warbler which seems to echo through its forest habitat, especially where dappled sunlight filters through the leaves - 2 of these sang, one either side of me, with one bird seen well and showing its lemon-yellow throat in the sun. A Spotted Flycatcher in the same area was a real bonus as I didn’t see one at all in 2019 - and I then heard a singing Pied Flycatcher, although I didn’t see it up in the canopy, at Nagshead, currently only accessible by public footpath. Singing male Cuckoo, a small flock of Crossbills (c15) and Siskins also seen/heard. An excellent morning, and so mentally helpful to see nature and the seasons turning as normal in the current strange and anxious times. Other odds and ends - a flyover Hobby powered north over the garden last week, and a Sanderling dropped into CWP resplendent in evolving orange-rufous summer dress. The breeding season feels as if it is in full swing now, with birdsong starting to diminish. Swifts and hirundines appear to be back in full force, with Swifts screaming over the garden in the fine weather. And one morning at 5.30am I heard a Cuckoo while lying in bed - my first from the garden since 2018.

Sanderling in CWP

19 May - Eysey again, this time a Sanderling, a classic late spring shorebird migrant, was found on the new pit at Eysey and stayed all day. A smart bird, Arctic-bound, moulting into rufous summer plumage, with Ringed Plovers for company. Distant but good views.

Wessex

18 May - A trip south for exercise with the new relaxed rules, with an early start. Firstly, a walk on the edge of Salisbury Plain gave good views of no less than 5 adult Stone Curlews, one pair with 2 fledged young. Such strange birds with their large eye and ungainly appearance - one also seen in flight with its white wing bar, and the mournful slightly eerie call also heard. An undisclosed location a few miles away was scanned and after a few minutes a real bonus - a male Montagu's Harrier hunting the grassy slopes - watched for a few minutes, very buoyant flight with upturned wings, and the grey upperparts and white rump contrasting with the chestnut on the underwing. Such a rarity these days. Eurasian Curlew and several Stonechats also present here. Very good numbers of Brown Hares present throughout the area.

CWP rarities in lockdown

18 May - During lockdown, the travel restrictions meant that bird news could not be released as "twitching" even locally was off limits except for cycling or Shank's pony. Fortunately, living within easy cycling distance of the Water Park, I was able to do both my daily birding in various areas and to see a couple of rarities that arrived and could only be seen by locals within area. The first of these was only the second record of Black-winged Stilt for CWP, the previous record having been back in the 1980s. A bird arrived at Shorncote on 11 April and remained all day, being visible from the cycle path to Keynes Park. A very elegant wader as always, with impossibly long legs. It was found in Glos but then moved a couple of hundred yards into Wilts. The second rarity was a White Stork found a week later on 17 April, in meadows along the Thames at Waterhay. It fed in the field and moved off to roost, was not there the next morning but I relocated it, looking very bedraggled, at North Meadow, Cricklade. Due to a rainy day (rare this spring) it stayed until the following morning, when it was seen to fly off north, mobbed by one of the local Red Kites. The same day a female Long-tailed Duck was at Pit 125 near Fairford, again only seen by a few locals. One of the better periods in recent memory for CWP rarities unfortunately coincided with a period when not many people were able to see them.

Lockdown ongoing, week 7......

11 May - The weather has at last turned after another week of spring sunshine. The dawn chorus is in full voice, with the suite of local Warblers all present - Garden Warblers and Whitethroats seem to be in good numbers this year, and Lesser Whitethroats are also in reasonable numbers. Cuckoos are also very vocal especially on calm or humid days, and I heard one from the house on 10th, the first here since 2018. Hobbies have been obliging feeding on insects in the fine weather, with a peak of 9 seen at Lower Mill. Swifts are back locally, and screaming over the garden in the evening - fantastic - and numbers of Swallows also seem to have picked up. A few waders are passing through and I was fortunate to see 3 Whimbrel fly up calling from the scrape at Pit 74 last week - a Greenshank was around for a few days, and Ringed Plover, Dunlin and Redshank have all been seen in addition to the resident Oystercatchers. Wheatear passage has petered out at Blakehill, with a second Whinchat finally being seen. The leaves are fully out now, and birdsong will soon quieten as the breeding season begins in earnest.

Avocets!

3 May - The new pits at Eysey have been good this spring, with regular LRPs and Ringed Plovers on passage, and have also produced Little Egrets and a Cattle Egret and been worth checking on a regular basis. On 3 May, the morning was overcast and hirundines and Swifts were buzzing around low overhead. A check at Eysey initially revealed nothing new of note, but walking back a check on the loafing Gulls produced 2 other black-and-white birds amongst them - 2 Avocets feeding up and down the bank, that I could easily have overlooked on a quick glace. They gave good but fairly distant views. Avocets are becoming a more regular (but still scarce) migrant through the Water Park, as the UK, and especially local, breeding population increases, with Slimbridge this year for example hosting more than 50 pairs. Very elegant birds, and the 3rd time I have found this species in CWP.