Just got back from a lovely late evening walk round Old Lodge NR which is situated on Ashdown Forest.
The principal idea was to see Nightjar as i have not seen this bird before.
Was a lovely warm evening and the whole area was full of birdsong.
First off we saw several Redstarts with beaks full of food for the younguns.Walking on i saw my first ever Stonechats who seemed to be dividing there time between the feet of some pennned horses and singing on some fence posts.
The local Cuckoo popped out to give us his song from atop a lightning tree.
Entering into the Pine woods we had 2
Fallow Deer on one side and 4
Roe deer on the other which seemed totally oblivious to our passage.
Exiting the woods gave us a sighting of Tree Pipit and Meadow Pipit.........only told apart by the singing.
Heading back to the car park and the eerie call of the Green Woodpecker followed us then a sighting as he flew past.
The sun was practically down now so we sat down quietly to see if we could hear Nightjar but after 20 minutes or so we gave up.
Walking back the few yards to the car with the light all but gone we flushed a Woodcock which rose over us and away above the trees with its peculiar call following..........my first ever of this bird.
A perfect ending to a lovely evening walk.