Woodlark & Kingfisher - 16th Feb 08

Started of from Blackwater at 7am this morning. Another clear but cold morning. As I walked from the car through Poundhill Inclosure Song Thrushes, Robins & Goldcrest were singing, Great Tits & Chaffinches were calling, as was a Crossbill from a tall Douglas Fir. Further on in, a Roe doe & her kid disappeared in to the trees.
Out on Poundhill Heath were a group of Red hinds. These were joined by a couple of herds of Fallow does that walked from the trees at the edge of the heath.

Got a rubbish pic of the Reds.


I walked past Queen’s Meadow & then along the Highland Water through Brinken Wood. Another herd of Fallow with one of the white does moved through the trees. Great Spotted Woodpeckers were drumming now & Stock Doves, Nuthatches, Redwings, Blue Tits, Wrens, Robins, Mistle Thrushes (fighting), Great Tits & Chaffinches were singing & calling. A Treecreeper was working a Birch tree just a few meters away from me at one point & a pair of Mallard & a pair of Mandarin ducks flew up from the stream. I also heard my first Kingfisher of the year call. They usually re-appear on the forest streams about now, thinking about breeding, from wintering downstream off the Forest.
I moved away from the stream deeper into the woods & heard the ‘ticking’ of some Hawfinches high in the Beech trees. There were about four of them flying about with one of the males breaking into song.
I carried on going through the wood, across the top of Wide lawn, into Hursthill Inclosure, Drivers Nursery, New Park Plantation & then back out at the stream further down at Bolderford Bridge. Along the way there were some more Fallow in Hursthill & New Park Plantation, & more of the same birds with Green Woodpeckers, Bullfinch & Coal Tits.
At Bolderford Bridge a Grey Wagtail called & as I walked back upstream Jays were calling in the trees.
I broke off from the stream & came out at the top end of Poundhill Heath. Here a Stonechat was flying from perch to perch, a Dartford Warbler called from some thick heather, a Buzzard called & two Fallow prickets were on the fence line of Poundhill Inclosure.
I walked down the edge of Poundhill Inclosure. Just inside the fence I could see a mass of writhing Wood Ants getting the morning sun & taking the warmth down into their nest.



As I was watching the ants I could hear a Woodlark doing his song flight above a patch of grassland near the Inclosure edge, anther first for the year.
I went into the Inclosure & back to the car. Some Siskins flew over & the Crossbill that had been calling when I started out was now singing too.