Friday, 23 November 2018

Epsom Downs Surrey - Revisited!


Time is moving on at pace and my next birding adventure is just over five weeks away. There is still plenty of preparation to do which includes learning approximately 1000 species of bird that frequent the three countries that I am visiting.

The internal and external politics at Beddington Farm rumble on with one constant that the habitat is being destroyed and the key to the gates will only serve as a momento of past glories to the limited number of holders of it! 
The wind has been blowing in the direction of more pleasant pastures of late and saw me return to Epsom and Walton Downs for a few hours exploration in overcast and misty conditions. There always seem to be a good number of resting gulls on the racecourse and the bushes and shrubs are loaded with berries at this time of year.
A Buzzard and a Kestrel were the first entrants onto the raptor tally. Both incurred the wrath of local corvids who unceremoniously set about the individuals as they entered the airspace.
I logged thirty one species during the walk which included a Firecrest and a Brambling. Passerines were numerous and their true numbers were only apparent when a dog scurried along the small paths dissecting the trees. The result was a visual display of mixed flocks scattering in all directions eventually settling once the perceived intruder had passed.
Where will the wind take me next?!

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