A MORNING WALK FROM NORTH PERROTT TO HAZELBURY PLUCKNETT
SUNDAY 12th February - North Perrott to Hazelbury Plucknett
WEATHER; dull and overcast with chilly breeze.
I took a late morning walk for a couple hours near Crewkerne and Hazelbury Plucknett to look for Chaffinch flocks with perhaps a Brambling or two with them. I parked by the church in North Perrott and walked through the grounds into the fields beyond.
It was very quiet I hardly saw a bird for the first twenty minutes and then I scanned afield which held 2-300 thrushes. It was an amazing sight and for the first time I saw more Fieldfares than Redwings, a good number of Starlings were also in the field.
Redwing
Greenfinch
In the hedgerow a little further along the track I found a small flock of Greenfinches with one or two Chaffinches but not a single Brambling was to be found.
Mistle Thrush
On the way back I saw three Mistle Thrushes and even more Fieldfares and Redwings, a Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard and a Goldcrest. The walk lasted two hours and I saw 15 species.
MONDAY 13TH FEBRUARY - A SHORT TIME AT RSPB HAM WALL THE 'LEVELS'
WEATHER; bright and sunny but a chilly wind
It was 2pm on a sunny afternoon and both Dawn and I wanted to go for a walk, so we jumped into the car and drove to the levels for a walk at Ham Wall. Unfortunately there was alarge traffic hold up at the junction of A361 & the A39, there must have been a bad accident there. We managed to navigate small country lanes and ended up at Long Drove where a Lesser Scaup had be wintering.
A sort scan of the main pool produced a sighting of the Lesser Scaup, but just like my last sighting of this very same bird it was distant and in poor light. I didn't even attempt to photograph it. Also on the lake was Common Pochard, Tufted Ducks, Gadwall, Wigeon, Shoveler, Teal, Mute Swan, Canada Geese and Great Crested Grebes.
a Little Egret.............I bet it can't touch its nose with its toes?
I'll give it a go
there we are!
your turn Bob
We then drove round to Ham Wall completely avoiding the long delays on the A39, in the meadow next to the car we saw a single Cattle Egret sitting all alone near a small herd of cows. For the next hour or so we ambled along the main track to VP1 & VP2. At VP1 I was hoping for a sighting of Glossy Ibis, two birds have been present for about a week and even this morning they we visible from VP1.
the view from VP1
But...........they were not showing when we got there. I scanned for a while, Dawn got fed up and started to get cold, so we moved on, dipping the Ibis.
a couple of Green Plovers (Lapwings)
At VP2 there was a good number of birds on view, nothing spectacular but we saw all the 7 common species of ducks, along with Great and Little Egrets, a good number of Lawings, a few Common Snipe and at least three Marsh Harriers.
I tried to persuade Dawn to stay for the Starling 'murmuration' but that was a no-no! We had an ice-cream back at the kiosk ihe car park before we set off for home. My year list seems to stuck at 165, but tomorrow I am going to the New Forest with Guy, so watch this space.