Again stayed local this morning and went to Woolbeding Common, which is another fairly high peak at just over 200m but not quite as high as Blackdown at 280m (I live pretty equi-distant between the two and can just see both from the house), but still with a sharp wooded north escarpment and a more gently sloping southerly aspect, which was historically proper heath and common with much gorse and heather, but appears a little abandoned and losing it's historic habitat, slowly reverting to woodland with much Birch colonisation. However, it is National Trust owned and it was good to see some active management with a large area fenced off with electric fence and a small herd of grazing cattle, which will do much for restoring the area to proper heath.
It was cloudy and still and actually quite warm and humid, but this did little for bird activity.
Chiffchaff (6), Swallow (7), Meadow Pipit (3), Green Woodpecker, Yellowhammer (2), Redwing (9), Mistle Thrush (6)
were the best of a small number of species recorded, although I'm sure I heard a brief song of distant Woodlark, but as soon as the ears were alerted it abruptly stopped. A lot of Fungi had burst through and I'm still not up to naming them but they looked good !.
I did slightly better at home later as a
Red Kite drifted West and a
Firecrest was a holly next to the house.
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| Woolbeding |
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| Puffball about to blow |
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| Whitebeam |
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