I set off just before six to meet Ian at the Acres Down car park at dawn. In fact we met a little earlier as both vehicles turned off the A31 at the same time. I had travelled in heavy rain, but on arriving in the car park this had eased and we just had to contend with heavy cloud at dawn. From the car park we set off on the familiar path with the sound of a drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker coming from the trees on the right hand side of the path.
On reaching the bend in the path at signpost 96 the drumming was louder, we located a dead tree, a suitable drumming post but could only see a Stock Dove on one of the dead branches, it was still quite gloomy and the white overcast background did not help.
Then the woodpecker appeared coming from behind the trunk of the tree to hammer away at an area of a broken branch.
We continued down the path, scanning the tops of the trees, watching the small passerines flying over. The majority of which were Chaffinches. Looking up the trees seem to reach out trying to touch each other at the very top.
As we came down the hill towards the dead gnarled tree on the left I noticed a bird fly up from the ditch into the bushes, a flick of a tail and a flash of yellow revealed a Grey Wagtail, in fact two. They led us a merry dance around the twisting meanders of Highland Water before I was able to pin the female down in the branches of a fallen tree. A first for the year.
We spent sometime wandering around the area, taking in the lovely greens of the moss gathered at the base of the tress and the russet browns of the still decaying leaves from the trees and bracken of last year.
Every season bring a different sense of beauty to the forest, right now everything is beginning to wake up after its slumbers of the winter. This year winter has brought heavy rains and I do not recall seeing Highland Water running with so much force and volume as it was this morning. As a school boy I was fascinated by the concept of ox bow lakes, never really getting the chance to see one. In fact it wasn't until my first trip to the United States when I gazed out of an aircraft window as we flew south along the eastern sea board that I first saw one. Here on Highland water there are several, while other will surely be created. The lakes or pools are dried up but you can see where they were created.
The photograph doesn't convey the flow and force of the water but does bring out the shape of the tightly wound meander.
All around the trees held sparkling drops of water on their branches and as the sun came out it turned many of the low trees and bushes into a collection of brightly shining jewels.
This one drop was refracting the trees around it.
Leaving the river we made our way back to the path, a singing Firecrest caught my attention and I managed to catch it in amongst the pine needles. It was singing as it foraged.
Its movement through the branches prevented any clear and obvious opportunity for photographs and I had to make do with this one.
We then headed along the path towards Millyford Bridge. The bracken turning a golden brown in the morning sunshine.
A few weeks ago we had a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker here and the hope ws that we could find it again. On reaching the spot we tried to lure the bird, but only succeeded in Ian finding a pair of Crossbills.
Both were feeding on larch cones at the top of the surrounding larches. This posed a challenge to the photographs having to compensate for the bright white background and getting through the mass of twigs and branches. The male though did pose nicely in the open for a few seconds leaving just one challenge that of exposure.
We turned off the main path and headed up along the boggy path through a plantation and towards the bottom of Acres Down. Just before the path opens out around the bog at the base of the down we came across a pair of Firecrest, the male singing. Again they were very difficult to pin down moving through the branches and the holly bushes feeding by hovering under the leaves.
So it was the same challenge as the Crossbills, how much to over expose, and can I get to focus on the bird through the branches. Here was the best outcome.
As we stood in drizzle, that had swept over us unexpectedly, watching the Firecrests a shrill piping call from a large beech tree behind us took our immediate attention, the call was followed by drumming and rather than us find the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker it had found us (or maybe another had).
On locating it in the tree we were faced with what seemed to be the story of the morning, it was high up, against a very white background, and we could pick it out through a tangle of branches. Needless to say the photographs were a record only.
Here heavily cropped, with raindrops
It was hammering away at something and not drumming in this shot.
Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers have been disappearing in the United Kingdom for years, between 1968 and 1999 the population declined by 60% and much more since then. This combined with their preference for feeding at the top of high trees makes them extremely difficult to see, this time of year being the best opportunity when they are vocal and there is no foliage to get in the way (just twigs, branches and white sky).
There are numerous possible reasons for the rapid decline,
but those most favoured arguments include the loss of ancient woodland habitat,
increased competitive pressure from other species, as well as the removal of
rotting trees.
There is a distinct difference between males and females,
the clearest feature being the crimson-red crown of the male; females, on the
other hand, are almost entirely black and white, and feature no colour at all. Here you can just make out the red crown of a male bird.
The Lesser spotted woodpecker is roughly the same size as
a House sparrow while the commoner Great Spotted Woodpecker is roughly the
same size as a Blackbird, but with a nasty looking beak!
As quickly as it arrived it was gone, no more calls no drumming. In previous years we have hard birds conducting a circuit of a potential territory in Mark Ash Wood, it is possible that this bird was doing the same, moving through the high tree tops. A similar call later had us rushing around the trees but we think the owner of this was probably a Nuthatch.
We decided to walk up the hill through the copse. On reaching the top we flushed two Woodlark. The clouds were now breaking up and the sun was out, the rain shower having passed on. Away to the south east though there were dark clouds lingering giving a very atmospheric scene around the distant trees.
We followed at least four Woodlark around a clump of gorse bushes. Backed up behind them were birch trees that were holding the rain drops from the recent showers, with the sun catching the drops along with the white barks the bank of trees resembled a sparking silver wall with the yellow of the gorse flowers in front of it.
We had been watching up to four Woodlark in the area, singing from the top of gorse bushes and the Holly bushes. We followed one to the top of a holly where it sat and sang in the sunshine.
A different view to those we had a few weeks ago.
Finally the Woodlark flew off to join the others and I turned my attention to a Stonechat calling behind me. I could only find the female on the top of a gorse bush.
We decided to walk around to the view point where several other birders were gathered. They pointed out a distant white spec, that through a 'scope could be seen to be a Goshawk (we had left the scopes in the car as the primary target this morning was LSW and that required a good walk)
We stood and scanned as you always do here and managed to see the distinctive shape and flight of at least four Goshawks, albeit very distant, a single Sparrowhawk and a Buzzard. Behind us the Woodlark continued to fly around singing and a pair of Stonechat advanced close to us before realising we were there. This time the male showed really well.
The Goshawks seen we decided to head back to the car park, this time taking the high road through the copse of Silver Birch trees. At the top of the trees were a flock of about 20 Lesser Redpolls, yet another photographic challenge.
Hanging upside down they were ripping the buds apart, bits falling from the trees as they did so. Following them was difficult as they twisted and danced in the tree tops then flew to another area.
In most they appeared as silhouettes in the branches.
With the help of the camera though it was possible to see the pink forehead and flush on the breast.
Coming out of the copse we could make out the line of pines where the Goshawk was seen perched in the tree earlier. Scanning the ridge I was able to pick it out once again, still very dsitant but probably a little closer now.
Using the map we tried to determine where the tree was. it looked like it was along the main path, so we decided to give it a go and see if we could locate it. Which as you can imagine was impossible. We thought we had an idea of the area but the trees and the height just didn't seem right. In the end we had to make do with a very feisty Nuthatch calling in the trees close to the main path.
They are one of those little birds that is completely photogenic, mainly due to the positions they can adopt as they make their way along the branches.
The afternoon was to be spent at Blashford Lakes, a chance for Ian to visit the new Tern hide, both of us having delayed this treat for quite sometime. Our first stop though was to be the Woodland Hide. As we reached the turn the very familiar call of a Mediterranean Gull came from overhead. Looking up there were two adults circling the Silt Pond. In the hide it was all about securing a seat by the only opening window, the feeders were busy with the birds I had seen a few weeks ago. As a result I was reluctant to start firing away to start with. But then a little Bank Vole appeared in the vegetation below us and I couldn't resist it.
The key difference between a mouse and a vole is all about the head, the mouse has large eyes and ears and a pointed snout, while the vole has small eyes and ears and a rounded snout. The tail of the mouse is also very long compared to that of the vole. There are four species of Vole in the UK, Bank, Field and Water, with the fourth found only on Orkney, the Orkney Vole. The Bank and Field voles have a life expectancy of between three and nine months while the Water Vole can live up to eighteen months.
The Bank Vole would appear every so often foraging for fallen seed and chewing on the odd plant stem. Finally though I succumbed to the birds visiting the feeder, as always avoiding them on the feeder itself.
There were plenty of Goldfinches, they would argue and squabble amongst each other on the feeder but very well behaved in the branches.
The most numerous were the Chaffinches and last time I missed out on the Siskin, but today there were up to 5 around both sets of feeders.
A Great Tit looking very smart.
The Dunnock do not use the feeders, but forage on the ground beneath, they are also very flirtatious at this time of year and they can be seen chasing each other, and maybe more through the bushes and branches flicking their wings in display. We rarely see photographs of them, but on close inspection they are a lot more than just a "little brown job".
We were waiting for one particular bird but were pleased when a smart male Reed Bunting turned up.
We had seen several earlier but as the photographs showed it was difficult to appreciate their beauty high in the top of a Silver Birch tree. A Lesser Redpoll had been visiting the feeders here on a regular basis for the last few days. We had waited patiently and then finally it appeared on the feeder and then flew to the bushes. At first high up again and against the white sky.
But then it came down and closer and we could appreciate the lovely pink red blush on the breast and the bright cap on the head.
With the Redpoll gone we decided to walk on, heading towards the Ivy Lake South hide. On the silt pond to the left of the path was a male Tufted Duck. The water was very dark with interesting reflections. It was like a moth to a flame to quote a close friend of mine.
From the hide there were good numbers of Wigeon present, but no sign of any Kingfisher, although we did think we heard one as we left. The Wigeon though did come close to the hide.
Ian then had his first experience of the Tern Hide. Once again everything was very distant and we couldn't find the reported first winter male Long-tailed Duck. We walked around to the Lapwing Hide with the first singing Chiffchaff of the year by the gate and another as we followed the trail around to the hide. There were many Pintail both on the water and lining the banks. The water levels were so high the wooden platforms usually visible in front of the hide were completely submerged.
As well as the Pintail there were Wigeon, Teal, Shoveler, Gadwall, Tufted Duck and Pochard. In addition their were four pairs of Goosander, the males looking splendid in their full plumage, but remained too distant for any decent photographs.
I finally managed to locate the Long-tailed Duck on the north bank of the lake. It was diving with Tufted Duck. We searched for the Black-necked Grebe but without any luck. In fact there was very few Grebes at all, a few Great-crested and a pair of Little Grebe swimming back and forth in front of the hide.
Just before we left I was taken by the fallen trees and a pair of Pintail sleeping just out of the water.
It hasn't been a bad day, we managed to get several year ticks, those that you would expect to pick up at this time of year. The light was poor for photography as it seems to have been all winter. I can only recall one Saturday where we had still and sunny conditions. With the world in the state its currently in I wonder when my next post will be.
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