Eventually the sun did come out and a walk around Stratton Wood was the venue this morning. As I arrived the sun went in and a few drops of rain plus dust bounced of the windscreen. Yep this sandy dust is most certainly with us. Fortunately the shower was short lived and as soon as I got out of the car it stopped.
My walk today was anti-clockwise, taking me behind the Bungalows, Crematorium, Kingsdown Lane and then a left turn towards the A419, before heading south and returning to the car park.
My walk today around Stratton Wood
The first bird I could hear was a Chiffchaff singing and in total I recorded 18, though there would have been more in the interior of the wood. Around by Kingsdown Lane there were two males trying to impress a female as she sat on the branch of an Oak tree. Their efforts to win the female over, ended up with a chase through the undergrowth, saplings and at one stage a few inches from my head as they flew across the track I was on.
Lots of singing Chiffchaff
They weren't the only birds trying to win over females, as there were Blue Tits, Great Tits, Dunnocks and even a pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers, all flying about and in most cases raising the decibels a few notches as males tried to out-sing their rivals. It was interesting to note that I didn't come across any Willow Warblers, but hopefully a few will arrive soon.
Blue Tit
And a pair of very active Great Spotted Woodpeckers
What had arrived in abundance though, were at least 12 singing male Blackcaps, in most cases they had all found an ivy clad tree or bush to sing from. As the weather was overcast as it was today, most were singing from within the bushes, otherwise I'm sure they would have been higher up had the sun been out.
The secretive Blackcap
Other birds of interest were 4 Redpolls, 2 Linnets, 3 Skylarks over the fields to the east, 2 Meadow Pipits and a Green Woodpecker. There were a few Bullfinches about, but certainly not as many as I've seen here before. There were also very few Bumblebees about, but with the chilly wind, most insects were keeping well hidden. Chaffinches however were quite abundant with males singing from every part of the wood.
A male Bullfinch in pristine condition
As is this male Chaffinch
In the meadow there are just the signs of am imminent mass explosion of yellow, as hundreds of Coltsfoot are just coming out into bloom. The photograph below looks like a barren landscape, but on closer inspection there are many Coltsfoot covering the ground. In the corner of the meadow, last years hay has been slowly rotting down and in a few places there were toadstools growing.
The barren Meadow. Or is it!!
Maybe not.....
Coltsfoot everywhere
A Toadstool growing on last years stack of rotting Hay
Bird Species recorded: Pheasant heard, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull, Wood Pigeon, 1 Green Woodpecker, 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 3 Skylark, 2 Meadow Pipit, 1 Pied Wagtail, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, 2 Song Thrush, 12 Blackcap, 18 Chiffchaff, Long-tailed Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, 4 Redpoll, 2 Linnet, Goldfinch, Greenfinch and 4 Bullfinch.
Today's Photos Here