Norfolk, Suffolk and a little bit of Lincoln.

July 5th-7th 2013.

A little time off work, and away I headed towards Thetford in Norfolk. The target list was fairly short and my main aim was to improve my birding away from my local area and give myself time to experiment and improve my photography. I had chosen sites where I knew I would see target birds but the aim was to see what else I could find whilst at these sites.
RSPB Lakenheath was the first port of call, and the sun was baking hot. Along the path towards Fen pools gave sightings of Sedge warbler and a quick glimpse of a Cetti's warbler within 10 minutes of arriving. A male Kestrel flew into the corner of the woods further  along the path and I noticed both birds heading towards this corner several times during my visits.
At New Fen viewpoint Great crested grebes and Mute swans graced the water in front of us. A Kingfisher and a adult  Bearded tit gave us brief views before I took the long walk towards Joist fen viewpoint. A Hobby was hunting quite high overhead, probably catching insects on the wing. Once at the viewpoint Marsh harriers entertained us as they searched the fens and reed beds.

 This viewpoint is supposed to be a good place for Common cranes but not today. Whilst sat in the bus shelter type hide another Cetti's warbler called from a bush no more than 5 yards to my left but was well hidden. Again it called and then again. Deciding to have a look for the elusive blighter I failed to see anything nearby. What I did notice though was a yellow/green speck in the Popular trees next to the path I had just walked along. Putting the scope on it didn't help because the heat haze was strong and the distance was far. Was it a Green woodpecker or the famous Golden oriole ? it was hard to call at that range and in that heat. Returning to my seat the Harriers could still be seen and another Hobby flew around high. Grey herons stalked among the reeds and 3 Egyptian geese flew past us and around us before coming around again. A walk back along the river produced nothing, no swallows, no swifts, just the distant call of a Cuckoo.
Near the end of the river walk I noted Little grebe lots of Mute swans and a male Gargney .
Back at the car park I managed to lock my car keys in the boot and I had to call the AA. That gave me chance  to look around the car park area. Jays,Great spotted woodpecker and the call off a Turtle dove back towards the car park made me turn around. Somewhere near the visitors centre I heard the dove again, walking towards the centre I noticed it upon a wooden bridge before it flew to my left and posed briefly atop a tree before moving out of view.

The AA rescued the keys and off I went towards Weeting Heath.
You don't have far to walk at Weeting heath.50 yards or so and your in one of the hides, I chose west hide. Just in front of the hides is a grassy flowery strip of meadow that is quite tall and about 20 yards wide, behind this is a greener shorter area of grass where I counted over 20 Rabbits running around in the slowly dimming light. Over to my far left I managed to pick out a distant Stone curlew but it was not worth trying to photograph. I heard the calls similar to the more common Curlew but  I saw nothing. Then 3 birds flew across my field of view before landing to my far left and close to the first bird. I could still here calling as I searched the whole area then 2 birds flew from the left and landed to my right hand side giving better views but still quite distant.  I watched as these birds stood erect looking around with those large eyes, before running a short distance and pecking at the ground for food. Then after a minute it stood upright again ran a short distance again and stopped to feed again. It did this several times moving from my right across the ground and over to the far left again. These are cracking birds and something I have not seen before. Sadly I saw no Wood lark at this site one of my target birds. Though I did pick up a Spotted flycatcher in near darkness when I was leaving.

Saturday I had a quick run to a site that was given to me for Nightjars, called Firebreak 24. A large track between two blocks of trees in Thetford forest. It led to a clear fell area that looked superb. I would return that evening.
 
Back at Lakenheath I started by walking the riverside towards the New fen viewpoint, a Cuckoo was keeping its distance in front of me but constantly calling. As I turned left towards the New fen area a fluted exotic call came from the tall Poplar trees just by the path. Another birder was stood on the path looking into the trees where the sound had come from. Scanning the trees was pointless really but we did. After a few minutes and no more calls we walked down to the viewpoint.

The young Bearded tits were active but no adults today. The Marsh harriers hunted around the reeds and a Hobby flew from behind us and over towards the Joist fen area. Trying to photograph the Bearded tits between the reeds was hard and then another fluted exotic call came from the Poplar trees behind us sounding quite close. We stopped and scanned the trees again but saw nothing. A few more minutes chasing the Beardies and again came the fluted call of the exotic Golden oriole but no sighting. This happened several times before I moved over to the Joist fen viewpoint. Sitting in the shade of the bus shelter 2 Common buzzards soared in the distance and the Marsh harriers made a food pass above this huge fen. Two men with scopes sat on the benches in the sun to  our right, talking amongst themselves. One of these guys suddenly jumped up shouting " Cranes", and pointed towards the back of the fen. Two Common cranes had taken off and were rising as they flew across the back of the fen, a great sighting and also another target bird. we watched them drift away and sat back in the shade. The Cetti's called from the same area as the day before
so I decided to let it come to me this time but with no luck. As I waited a Bittern rose from the reeds flew 20 yards and dropped down again. Ten minutes later another Bittern rose and flew away from us before dropping down into the reeds. On the walk bact to the car a Kestrel flew into the same corner of the woods and one flew out moments later. Sedge, Willow and Reed warblers   sang from the side of the path and I picked up a Grasshopper warbler nearer the car park.
Next site was over the border in Suffolk, Lackford Lakes. A good place for Nightingales, Woodlark, Turtle doves and Yellowhammer  . The staff are very helpful though the site looks very family orientated. The paths are easy and the whole site is a superb mixture of woods, ponds, reed beds and lakes. My first stop was Bills hide. Grey herons and two Little egrets waded on the waters edge and two Green sandpipers pleased me when I found them. A Kingfisher flew back and forth across the hide but remained a tad out of reach for the camera.

Moving to the double decker hide I was expecting a busy packed hide but was surprised when it was empty, as I opened the door a window flap had been left open and I noticed a blue flash in the corner of my eye. A Kingfisher had landed within shooting distance so I slowly sat down and reached for  the camera, I rattled off 20-30 frames and the bird dived from its perch returning with a Stickleback sideways in it's bill. I watched as the bird bash the fish on the branch again and again shooting frames all the time, it then tossed the fish into a head on position before swallowing it whole.

 It was great watching this a few yards in front of me with the camera and good light. I rattled off about 80 shots and some results are the best I have ever taken of this species.

Moving around the site I noted lots of young Swallows, Blackcap, Swans and Greylag geese, Along with the odd Pochard and one male Red crested pochard that is a resident here. Lots of Cuckoos called around the reserve and a Muntjac deer stepped out in broad daylight. The briefest of sightings of a Pair of Yellowhammer, and 
several Whitethroats sang from the scrub. Birds of prey included Kestrel, Hobby, Sparrowhawk and Buzzard.  I imagine this site is superb in spring and winter and worthy of more visits.
As dusk arrived I headed towards firebreak 24 in Thetford forest covered in midge lotion and with a large supply of cold water. I stood on a piece of raised ground overlooking the area and waited. Within minutes I was covered in midges, they were in my eyes and ears and I must of swallowed a dozen.  Muntjac barked and I saw three in total, Woodcock flew above the trees and I heard the screeching of what was probably young Long eared owls. The Nightjars started and became very vocal as the light faded and several birds could be seen at fairly close range. I left as the light gave up and went to my hotel for a long cool shower.

Sunday morning I headed towards Boston in Lincolnshire and Frampton Marshes RSPB, another site I had not visited before. Leaving Lastingham the skies were clear and blue. As I drove along the country lanes Sparrows and Collard doves could be  seen, I slowed down and watched as two Red Legged Partridge ran for cover from the road side. Just before I joined the A1065 I noticed a bird soaring to my left so I lept from the car  and stood with my back against a large bush as the bird circled closer I noticed it was a Red Kite, grabbing some shots it must of seen me and drifted away.

Pleased with my luck I made Frampton by 9am.
Frampton looks a great site with plenty of walks, and the staff were helpful. I started at the 360 hide and noticed Little Egrets, Avocets, some with young and good numbers of Black tailed godwits. Along the paths I noted plenty of Sedge warblers, Goldfinch, Reed buntings and Goldfinch. The Reedbed hide had plenty of Gulls in front of it but no Mediterranean gulls. more Grey herons and more Avocets, and Godwits. A circular walk back towards the visitors centre produced a single Corn bunting and a single Yellow wagtail.
Plenty of warblers along the paths again and close to the end a small group of Yellowhammers flitted around one favoured area.
At the car park a Marsh Harrier was flying low over the fields but was distant, close by a  Little owl was stood on a fence post near a old farm building. After lunch I set off around again but this time towards the East hide. The first bird of note was a Little ring plover working along the edge of one of the pools and several more Avocets. At the bend leading towards the hide a couple were taking photos of something on the floor, beautiful, dainty Bee Orchids. These flowering orchids stood about 4 inches tall and looked superb in bloom.

At the hide a single Brent goose had remained also Ring plover, Redshank more Godwits and Avocets.
Leaving the site I was made to slam on the brakes as a large Adder slid across the tarmac in front of the car. I think it had been basking on the tarmac in the strong sunshine. Frampton Marshes is worthy of plenty more visits.  

Wykeham Forest. Flamborough Head, Bempton Cliffs. Filey Brigg and Tophill Low.

June 16th-18th 2013.

A good few days around North Yorkshire and part of  its coast line
was refreshing and productive. The whole area is beautiful and stunning. It is a place I will visit many times in the future I am sure. Starting off at Wykeham Raptor viewpoint early on Sunday brought good sightings of Goshawk and Common Buzzard. Along

with Chiffchaff, Chaffinch,Swallows and Swifts.A couple of hours at the viewpoint brought us no Honey Buzzards so we had a break and drove into the forest to check out a possible Nightjar site about a mile away. The site looked perfect and whilst we had a look around we noticed a Tree Pipit perched upon a branch with its back to us. The instant it flew a couple of yards from its branch another Tree Pipit flew from the ground towards us carrying a fecal sac. At the same spot a Garden Warbler sang endlessly behind us giving brief glimpses as it flitted around us. 

Returning to the viewpoint we heard

Turtle Doves only a few yards behind us but failed to spot them, what a shame. A short time later we had our first brief view as a Honey Buzzard rose and descended all too quickly. We didn't have to wait very long until it appeared again, sadly only briefly again. The Goshawks entertained us with stunning dives from glorious heights at breath taking speeds, one bird taking a Wood pigeon with ease from the valley below us. Shortly after this we had our best views as a Honey Buzzard flew from our far left above the tree line giving us chance to follow it in our scopes. On the way back towards the A170 and the hotel at Lastingham we noted Jay, Yellowhammer and many Whitethroats littered the hedgerows. Common Buzzards also soared over us.
Saturday evening we gathered at the Nightjar site. Several Woodcock passed over us as the light faded but sadly no Nightjars.
We gave it our best shot but neither sound nor sight of them left us deflated. We left around 10.30pm very disappointed. The site looked perfect.
I had a plan B though and returning to Lastingham I decided I would use it on Sunday night.
Sunday daytime was glorious with sunny weather, we headed towards Flamborough Head a great place. The walk around was good with sightings of Puffin, Razorbill, Fulmar, Kittiwake and the odd Gannet. Puffin numbers are better here than up the road at Bempton cliffs and the public masses don't overcrowd the area. Birds noted include Goldfinch, Whitethroat and Peregrine, along with large numbers of Starling  and common Gulls.

At Bempton Cliffs I was unsettled by the large number of people. I am not a person that likes crowded areas. I must admit though the Gannet views are good and we did pick up Corn bunting and Tree sparrow along the way.

Moving up the coast again we arrived at Filey Brigg a stunning place and much more my sort of area. From the parking area we climbed down as the tide was ebbing away. I noted a single eclipse Eider hiding behind some rocks and a Grey seal swimming just off shore. A single Shag stood alone at the end of the Brigg and 2 Sandwich terns flew over giving good views before returning 5 minutes later. As we walked along the slippy rocks we saw a big fat chunky Grey seal basking in the sunlight.

A singleKittiwake posed nicely for the camera whilst gulls flew all around us. Back up at the car park Linnets and Goldfinch scattered through the trees and bushes whilst a family of Sand martins lined up along the barbed wire fencing.

That evening just before dusk I set off for a clear fell area two miles from my hotel. This area looked perfect for Nightjars but so did the site at Wykeham forest the night before. Immediately the midges started to bite and they continued biting until I left. 
As the light faded a Green woodpecker flew into a area where I suspect it was nesting and then flew back out and away a couple of minutes later. A Muntjac deer barked loudly somewhere close by to my left and the first of several Woodcock flew overhead. Snipe could be heard drumming from the trees behind where I was stood.
I didn't have long to wait until I heard the first Nightjar Churning and then shortly after another. The strain on my eyes in this light was hard but when the first bird flew across my field of view it was worth it. Another view of another bird and endless churning in the background was pleasing. Moments later a Nightjar flew directly towards me clapping its wings just above me as it flew only feet over my head...Brilliant !

Monday morning I moved towards home via Top Hill low a superb site worthy of a visit. The single track road leading towards the site is worth driving along slowly. Lots of open fields and hedgerows could hold numerous birds though I only noted Swallows Swifts and Whitethroats. Walking along the path towards D reservoir, Reed buntings, Chiffchaffs and Sedge warblers sang from the thickets.

 



 Goldfinch gave excellent views and at least two Cuckoos called but remained hidden. Looking over the large reservoir I noticed Great crested grebes, Tufted ducks, Little grebe and Pochard. As I climbed down the steps from the hide a Common Buzzard glided overhead and behind the hide, I waited for it to drift back into view but it didn't...Damn. I tried scanning the bushes and ponds along the footpath for something special when I noticed a group of four men walk off the main path and flush a Barn owl from the new path they had taken, it flew across my field of view and directly over part of the reservoir from where I had just walked away from. On my way towards O reservoir I stopped at a small hide for a quick look. Within minutes I heard lots of strange quite loud  croaking noises from just in front of the hide. The noise was very close but for the life in me I could not see a thing. Straining my eyes and looking at the small area of water below I saw nothing. The croaking stopped. Two minutes later it started again and I looked and looked but nothing again, I then noticed some very small ripples on the calm water. Hidden in the ponds vegetation was a superbly camouflaged  Marsh frog. Laying on top of the water motionless and now again silent I was amazed by its colours and even more taken by the stunning golden eye  this little creature possessed... Beautiful ! Two minutes later it started croaking again and I was able to capture a few shots of it inflating its air sacks in some sort of mating ritual or showmanship.

At O reservoir I sat in one of the back to back hides as they are known overlooking the Marsh harriers nest. The chicks had hatched but had not started to venture away from the nest yet. This was made obvious when the male came from my left with food and the female rose from the reeds in front of me to meet him  and relieve him of his prize before descending back into the reeds. A Cetti's warbler called from the side of the hide before flying briefly below me through the tall grasses in front of the hide.

 

South Stack, Holyhead harbour,Cemlyn bay and a few good birds !

Star birds seen on this trip 19/05/2013.
Black Guillemot, Chough, Lesser Whitethroat, Mediterranean gull, Fulmar, Puffin, Common , Artic and Sandwich Terns.

Pictures in order : 1+2 Black guillemot, 3 Guillemot, 4 Whitethroat, 5 Chough, 6 Artic tern, 7 Sandwich tern. Click images for larger view. 

 

A very early start allowed me to arrive at Holyhead harbour around 8am. I had read that Black guillemot could be seen around the end of the breakwater in the harbour but not guaranteed. I also read that they drifted out to feed at sea often before mid morning. Good light and a calm sea helped immensely and after five minutes I had picked up 3 birds close to the breakwater wall, 2 minutes later I had another 5 birds, distant but viewable through the scope. As I watched and thought about taking a few record snaps a speed boat dispatched all but one bird leaving me quite annoyed but I did manage a few shots for my records.

Arriving at South stack I went on the search for Puffins. Walking the 400 steps down towards the lighthouse I saw rafts of Guillemots and Razorbills on the cliffs but no Puffins. Gulls sat upon eggs everywhere around the lighthouse and a single Rock pipit sat kindly on a metal handrail in front of me. On the way back up  I searched the cliff faces again and picked up one Puffin quite low beneath me. Back on the cliff top views of Stonechat, Raven,Goldfinch and Meadow pipit added to the list.                                                                        

Back at the car park I walked behind the café and was shown a pair of Fulmars. Also a distant Peregrine falcon looking out towards the sea from a high rock stack.
Lower down the road from the car park I was lucky to pick up Whitethroat, Lesser whitethroat, Mistle thrush, Linnet and Song thrush. Being pleased with all these birds I headed back towards the car. As I walked 2 chough flew overhead from behind me making their raspy call.

One minute later another flew and landed in a paddock just to my right hand side. Strutting around and digging at the soft ground I was able to grab a handful of shots before it flew away calling noisily. 

The next 45 minutes or so produced nothing new so I moved towards Cemlyn bay. A small lagoon separated from the sea by a shingle ridge it is well known for terns. On my way from the car towards the lagoon I spotted 3 Turnstone on the foreshore. Looking around the lagoon I made out Artic, Common and Sandwich terns  On the same water there was a handful of Mediterranean gulls mixed in with birds, also  3 Knot and several Dunlin probed the muddy banks of the lagoon.

After awhile I headed towards the Spit, a stretch of grassy land that is flanked by the sea on both sides. The sides of the Spit are  low but sharp and rocky. A good walk around produced Ring plover, Dunlin, Stonechat more Turnstones and on the way back towards the car Sedge warbler, Whitethroat and a possible Whinchat.
North Wales , Anglesey is a beautiful place and somewhere I will visit again in the near future.

 

 

Dotterel, Dippers, North Wales and my past Month of Birding.

 Highlights this month: Cetti's warbler-Spotted redshank-Little gull-Leighton moss: Black grouse-Hen harrier-Worlds end: Dotterel-Ring ouzel-Pendle hill.

Whitethroat

Stonechat

Hi, it's been over a month since my last posting and I have managed to get out several times. First of all I visited Worlds End a moorland between Llangollen on the west side and Minera not far from Wrexham on the east side. My first trip was good with Hen Harrier, Red grouse and the target bird Black grouse being spotted. The second visit was brief and produced Peregrine falcon, Buzzard and Black grouse again.
Locally has been quite good with visits to Moor Peace near Bashall Eaves. On of my first visit there lately I met Anne Pollard a keen Bird watcher and wildlife enthusiast. Anne has visited Scotland's west coast many times and has posted me video footage of Pine martens, Badgers and lots of photographs of various animals and birds that I will share with you in a future posting I hope.
One of the highlights of the past month was a climb up Pendle hill.
A great place for passing Dotterel this time of year. It had been a poor wet start to the day but at 2pm I ventured up towards the Trig point. Zig -zagging my way  towards the trig point I was lucky to

find 3 birds to my left that flew 100 yards away almost immediately. Sneaking and crawling slowly towards them I managed to get within 25-30 yards of them. Keeping low the Dotterel became more comfortable with my presence and ran about feeding, sometimes coming within 10 yards of my camera.

On my way down the hill I was fortunate to stumble upon a male Wheatear along the footpath fanning his tail feathers. I suspect this would be part of his courtship display ?
If anyone can confirm this I would appreciate it. The female Wheatear was several yards away perched upon a stone wall.

Another cracking bird seen along the slopes of Pendle hill this time of year is the Ring ouzel. A bird that I had dipped on in my last two visits onto Pendle. Whilst watching the male Wheatear strut his stuff I noticed  a blackbird type bird in the field behind the stone wall where the female Wheatear had been sat. Using the wall as a shield I noticed I had two male Ring ouzel coming from my left towards a stone wall just to my right hand side....I hope you like this photograph as much as I do ! I am really pleased with this photograph it is one of my favourites.

Before Anne ran off towards her highland retreat she tipped me off on a pair of nesting Dippers in the Trough of Bowland. On her advice I visited the spot where she had said and grabbed some decent shots of both birds grabbing grubs from the fast flowing stream. I could sit and watch Dippers all day they are so unique.

 Tomorrow I am visiting Anglesey chasing Chough, Puffins, Razorbills and with a bit of luck Black guillemots.
I hope I can make a great posting when I get back home !



 

 

Early days with the Canon 300mm L IS USM.

A few days of sunshine and the Easter snow retreating has allowed me the chance to get out into the countryside. I wanted to test the new lens as much as I could and gather a whole heap of images to download, study and compare when I returned home.
Leighton Moss was my first day out, and the first proper sign that this lens was going to work for me, but you decide. Click on the image to enlarge and look at the detail in these Gadwall.

The Gadwall is often overlooked but there is no question about its beauty when you study it closely. The male is to the left the female to the right.
A good test of quality is the sharpness around the eye, if you can nail this area everything else will also be sharp.

 A Coot and a Little Egret share the same pond.This image was taken from quite a distance, but turned out well.

I love this image, birds in flight are a utter nightmare to get right. Notice the eye is sharp and the motion has been frozen using a fast shutter speed, also there is little contrast with the background making this shot even harder to capture correctly. I doubt my old lens would of been as clear as this.

Whilst walking to get a better vantage point on a Great crested grebe that I had spied in my scope this male Goosander flew overhead. I raised the camera and only managed to get 2 shots at this bird, this image is slightly better than the other one.

The autofocus of the 300mm F2.8 is quick, probably 3 times quicker than the 100-400mm F4.5. Again I doubt this image would of been captured with the older lens.

A few minutes later i caught up with the Great crested grebe.It had drifted away slightly, but it did allow me several shots before diving and reappearing some distance away.

The last image that  I have added was not a intentional shot, it was taken as a test when I saw these Mallard ducks flying low over the water. I rattled off half a dozen frames purely to test if I had my camera set up correctly.When I downloaded them later at home I thought this one looked quite good and a little artistic.

It just goes to show that sometimes luck is with you and sometimes it aint . So far I am really pleased with this lens and feel that it has more to deliver yet, but obviously more practice will bring more rewards.None of these images have been enhanced in anyway, just cropped to size.

 

 

 

 

 







 

Test of Quality. Canon 300mm L IS USM F2.8

Two weeks ago I purchaced the much sought after and highly rated Canon 300mm L IS USM F2.8.I had become more and more frustrated with the Canon 100-400mm L IS USM F4.5. It had served me well for three years but I had noticed the autofocus struggling far too often especially in low light and at distance.

All the reviews I read placed the 300mm F2.8 amongst the best Canon lenses ever made, but with a 5k price tag it was out of my range.Pristine second hand ones on ebay can sell for around 3.5k. Luckily one evening I noticed one for sale on a birding blog site and struck a deal for less than 2k by swaping two lenses I no longer used into the bargain.
My first outing with the new lens immediatly told me that this was a piece of quality glass. Quite heavy but not clumbersome . The large objective lens allows tons of light to flood in and the autofocus works faster than a pissed off woman texting.
So far everything was looking good. The ergonomics of the lens and camera together work well allowing my right hand to work the camera and my left hand to cup and support the lens comfortably.
Though it is still early days for me using this lens iI am very impressed with it's performance. The first thing that hits you is that at close quaters its fantastic....as the photos below shows...please click to enlarge and notice the subtle tones of the feathering on this Lapwing, taken out of the car window under a pale grey sky.

Take a minute to look at the detail in the feathering and also the sharp edges along with the very subtle tones and colours.
The Lapwing is part of the Plover family, it has been called Northern Lapwing, Lapwing, Green plover and also Peewit.

Goshawks .. The phantom of the forest !

Amidst the beautiful rolling countryside somewhere in Lancashire stands a large mature conifer plantation.
Planted over 20 years ago these Sitka spruce, Norway spruce, European larch and Scots pine trees stand twice as tall as a house.

Surrounded by farmland and open countryside the wildlife of this area is outstanding.My first visit was mid February and the weather was mild for the time of year. Still very cold but dry with clear skies.
Arriving around 8.30am we stood in a felled part of the forest where new saplings had been planted between the old stumps and disguarded logs.
Siskins and Chaffinch flitted between the trees in front of us and two Song thrush showed just to right for a brief few moments.

Two skylark flew over us and out of view whilst Curlew called from fields behind us. Around 10.30am we moved into a secluded corner of the lower woodland that gave us open views of the farm and a good view of the main part of forest. The only drawback was the limited views to our left. We didn't have to wait long until a raptor rose from the large conifers just to the right hand side of the area we were watching.
Similar to a Sparrowhawk but as large as a buzzard this raptor was huge and powerful. A female Goshawk was soaring higher and higher and slowly out of our view. We waited fourty minutes or so and from the same place another similar but smaller raptor appeared circling  over the trees climbing in height but staying in view. This was the smaller male he climbed and climbed until he became a dot even in my binoculars......suddenly he plumeted like a Peregrine, faster than anything i have ever wittnessed. He dived towards the tree tops pulling back upwards a few feet above the canopy, climbing again he was half the height again in a instance before diving again towards the same spot.Rising again he climbed less and flew above the forest giving us views of his pale underside.

At the same time the female rose from the exact same lacation flying upwards for a brief few moments before descending back into the same trees.
Over the next few visits I was lucky enough to have views of Green woodpecker ,Grey partridge, Bullfinch, Raven, Snipe,Lapwing, Woodcock,Fieldfare, Blue tit, Great tit, Coal tit, and Goldcrest also a white cock pheasant was unusal.