An outstanding afternoon's birdwatching with Avocets, Hen Harrier, Dartford Warbler, Spoonbill and a host of woodland species.
© Bob Ford/Nature Portfolio
Middlebere Lake |
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We were still in the car park when we started seeing birds - with Coal Tit, Marsh Tit and Nuthatch on the bird table.
Nearby a Great-spotted Woodpecker was drumming in a tree and we could hear Sika Deer calling in the woods.
Walking out along the Birdwatcher's Trail we soon saw lots more deer, mainly small groups of females with their young. Reaching the heathland we had a glimpse of a Dartford Warbler before the Avocets attracted our attention away from what proved to be a very skulking bird. We were watching the waders on the tidal creek known as Middlebere Lake when a pair of birds of prey appeared over the marsh - a Peregrine chasing off a female Hen Harrier! Sadly both birds soon flew off and we went back to the Avocets. Reaching the hide we found many more Avocets as well as hundreds of Oystercatchers, scores of Curlew and a few Redshank. Across the fields a huge flock of Brent Geese took off and landed too far away to search for the Red-breasted Goose we knew was with them. A Buzzard was sat on a tree as was a Kestrel, making a total of 4 different bird of prey species for the afternoon. The walk back to the car park revealed a group of 10 Little Egrets feeding in a field and a pair of Spoonbills which appeared in flight some distance away. A group of Sika Deer including a fine stag was one of our last sightings before we finished what had been a very enjoyable afternoon indeed. |