A healthy frost with a brisk breeze at least ensured no frost this morning. I went up to Blackdown, parking in Chase Lane, I will definitely do walk to Blackdown from home in the next month but not today !. Much needed heathland species were the target for the lock-down list. Colder weather and a change in wind direction may well have seen a small influx of wintering birds, then again it could well have thinned out the already sparse population and it appeared the latter had happened.
I did start with a small group of Crossbill and a couple of Linnet a single distant Redwing in flight was the only thrush I saw all morning. I then walked to the southern end seeing more dogs than birds. Eventually a, I saw a few Stonechat, accompanied as ever by Dartford Warblers, both were the main reason I came this morning. The sum of the rest, 4 Lesser Redpoll, 1 Skylark, 1 Grey Wagtail, 3 Goldcrest, Long-tailed Tits, a distant Black-headed Gull with 5 Moorhen on the Bellevue Lane ponds. It was nice to see a Group of 8 Crossbills drop down to the path to drink from a puddle. At least the sun was out !
Other than groups of Woodpigeons, there was no real movement, I saw a single Sparrowhawk very late this afternoon and a Buzzard on the ground on the way to pick Adie up from the station. My lock-down list of birds seen is now 46.
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| Stonechat |
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Stonechat
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| Crossbill |
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| Crossbills |
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Dartford Warbler
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