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.