When's a Hare not a Hare. When it's a Deer Oh!!

This morning Don, Benji and myself decided to do a slightly different walk around Aldbourne. Last time round we had headed northwest, but this time we decided to do a walk to the east. At 10:20am we headed off down the hill from Oxford Street and into the village. At the bottom of the hill we passed the Co-op and took the next left which takes you past the Library and the Forge (which is still being used today). At the end of Oxford Street we turned left again onto South Street (A4192 Knighton / Ramsbury Road) and headed off up the hill towards Ford Farm. Fortunately as you come out of the village there is a proper path on the other side of the road. Why there's a path here nobody seems to know, but I'm glad there is as this quite a busy stretch of road. Eventually the path is no more and on your right is the main entrance to Ford Farm.

The route we took today, east of Aldbourne

(Aerial photograph courtesy of Google Earth)

Up until this point the wildlife consisted of a few House Martins in the village and one or two Woodpigeons calling. Alongside Ford Farm there were a few Robins, Great Tits, Blue Tits, Dunnock, Jackdaws and Collared Doves.  Opposite the Farm entrance there is a track leading up to Winchcombe Copse.

The entrance to Ford Farm on your right.

Opposite Ford Farm the track which takes you to Winchcombe Copse

Carefully crossing the road we made our way up the track, which has a slight incline to the top. In doing so you pass a gap in the hedge on your left which gave a great view of the Church of St. Michael, Aldbourne. I'm glad we stopped as a pair of Meadow Pipits passed overhead followed by a Yellow Wagtail.

Church of St. Michael, Aldbourne

Further up on your right you pass a barn, which by the looks of the floor is often used for sheep shearing. As you pass the barn, the field on your right ends with a tall hedge and the path bears right. It was just beyond this point that there was another gap in the hedge on the left and peering through it we could see a Hare grazing in the field. I took a couple of photographs and suddenly realised when I got home that it was actually a Roe Deer. Easy mistake!!

Barn

Hare! Oh dear its a Deer

Mistaken identity.

As the track nears the summit, there's an Apple tree on your left that is most certainly not a Crab Apple. But not only was it full of fruit, which tasted delicious, it was also full of birds. It was extraordinary but along this stretch of track there were Goldcrests, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Long-tailed Tits, Chaffinches, Corn Buntings and Yellowhammers all in this apple tree and surrounding bushes. In fact just after the Apple tree there was a Buzzard watching us coming up the track. Eventually we got to close for comfort and he took off, circled above us and drifted away to the south.

Apple tree

Female Chaffinch

Buzzard on branch

Buzzard in flight

Eventually we hit the summit and in front of us was a gate and stile with a yellow arrow pointing straight on and a double white arrow indicating left and right. At this point we turned left, but as you can see by the photograph below, Benji had other ideas and was heading back to where we had just come. Do you know I'm convinced he walks twice as far as we do.

Benji you're going the wrong way.

The gate at Winchcombe Copse

If I thought the hedgerow was interesting on the way up, then I was in for even more surprises along this stretch. Yet again there wasn't a bush that didn't have a bird in or on it. Along here were more Goldcrests, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Long-tailed Tits, Chaffinches, Corn Buntings, Yellowhammers and also Chiffchaffs and Bullfinches. With the amount of berries along here including Hawthorn, Elderberry, Guelder Rose and Sloe, this could be an excellent place to visit for winter thrushes later in the year. A squawk on our left was suddenly responded to by squawks on our right and then out of nowhere 3 Jays shot across the field to join a 4th one in Peggy Knowl Copse.

Long-tailed Tit

Jay

The path has not been used for sometime along here and we decided to walk along the edge of the freshly harvested cornfield. The amount of grain that had been left behind was quite a lot and though not a particular nice topic to talk about, there were lots and I mean lots of clumps of "crotties" or scat, which were either from Roe Deer or Fallow Deer. But also there were elongated and sausage shaped faeces which were full of grain, with one in a scrape indicating that Badgers had been feeding here as well. Needless to say we tiptoed carefully passed them.

Possibly Roe Deer scat

Looking north west towards Baydon Hill farm

our next destination.

The light line in the field is the path we eventually took

 once we followed the track down the hill from Green Hill

Further along the field we came across 8 or 9 Red-legged Partridges. At first I don't think they knew quite what to do as they slowly moved along the edge and then whether they saw the dog or not I'm not sure, but there was a big flurry and they were gone.

Red-legged Partridges

And more

In flight

About a mile along the ridge you come to Green Hill, which is another copse to your left, it was at this point that we headed west and started the slow walk down into the valley below. Yet again this is another path that’s not been used in ages, with Stinging Nettles at chest height. It was at this point I wished I was a dog, as Benji just poodled along with the nettles forming a canopy over him. Half way down the slippery path I spooked a Pheasant, which made us jump. Though Benji couldn't see it for amount of vegetation above his head.

Masses of Sloe berries

The track down the hill

Eventually the path opened out into a field and as we looked across towards the Baydon Hill Farm, we could see a pair of Red Kites above us. However having enjoyed watching them in "play mode" we then realised we couldn't see a stile to get over the fence to carry on our walk.

Once out in the open we headed for Hawthorn tree in the centre

 of the picture, which is where we hoped there would be a stile

 to use, so that we could cut across the horses field

A pair of Red Kite

We needn't have worried, as just behind the Hawthorn was a stile. Phew we weren't really looking forward to doubling back and trying a different route. The path the other side takes you across the running track for the horses and up the grass field to Baydon House. I think this area is for the rehabilitation of horses. Its not obvious at first but to the left of the house there is a stile. Once over here it’s a short walk through the gardens to another stile on Oxford Street.

The stile

You first Benji

Looking back towards the Hawthorn

and treeline at the top of Green Hill

Almost a straight line....

And facing the way we were going the stile

was to the left hand side of the fence.

You first Don

Looking back at the stile we climbed over,

there's a sign - all dogs to be on a lead. 

There isn't one on the way up the hill,

 but common sense prevailed.

Through the garden to the side of Baydon House and over 

another stile you come out onto Aldbourne Road, just above 

the 30 MPH  speed signs, which then becomes Oxford Street.

When we arrived back at the house at 12:10pm there was a Hawthorn Shieldbug, Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale on the front door.

Hawthorn Shieldbug

Hawthorn Shieldbug

Species recorded: Birds - Red Kite, Common Buzzard, Pheasant, Red-legged Partridge, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Black-headed Gull, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, House Martin, Swallow, Meadow Pipit, Yellow Wagtail, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Long-tailed Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Jay, Magpie, Rook, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Linnet, Goldfinch, Bullfinch, Corn Bunting and Yellowhammer. Mammals - Hare, Rabbit, Grey Squirrel and evidence of Badgers. Insects - Speckled Wood, Small White butterflies and a Hawthorn Shieldbug. 

See Also Photo Album Here