Graham brilliantly led us on a stunning walk on Sunday morning.
Firstly we set off to go up towards the quarry. We found it quite hard
to see the birds in the dense foliage, however, we witnessed
incredible singing with competitions between the blackcap and garden
warbler, chiff chaff, wren, blackbird and song thrush. Later we had
excellent views of a garden warbler in a group of silver birches and a
goldcrest flitting across the path from pine to pine. Although we
shouldn't forget the young toad, sitting in the middle of the path in
the wet grass, stolidly refusing to move away from our trampling feet
and any passing heron.
Down by the small lake the house martins with their firstborn gave us
a wonderfully acrobatic, aerial display. Feeding parents flew back and
forth to nests in their specially built wall. A pied wagtail
diligently fed its two young on the lake bank with mallard mothers'
proudly showing off their young before leading them into the shade of
overhanging willow.
It was two and a half hours well spent on a very hot Sunday morning.
Several of us learnt new birdsong and recalled other songs previously
learnt with the help of Graham and Dave and each other - a real
collaborative effort. Thank you to those nine members who were able to
turn out on Fathers' Day, some suffering from hayfever.
Let's enjoy the summer,
Madeleine
Photos by Lee Loveridge
