A frosty start greeted
the brave souls that took the opportunity to venture beyond their front
doorstep. Once the sun had awoken a selection of fields on the Downs provided
feeding opportunities for the flocks of birds that had survived what had been a
very chilly night. Strategic positioning was to be the order of the day preferably
with the sun on our backs.
The flocks of Chaffinch, Goldfinch and thrush were kept
busy commuting from trees and bushes at the edges onto the thawed areas on the
fields. A passing cyclist or jogger would give an indication of the numbers of
birds in a mixed flock sending the group skywards only to settle back in their
original areas. A male Blackcap perched briefly on the top of a bush during one
such dispersal.
A walk across the
field turned into a game of pursuit with a group of Red Legged Partridge that
had been forced out into the open field to feed.
The group headed for cover
once the humans had been spotted trudging unwittingly towards them. A Roe deer
was spied in a small wooded area but made tracks as soon as our position had
been discovered!
A pair of Stonechat
was visible from a narrow track overlooking a field laced with scrub. The male
was the first to check us out perching on the top of scrub calling to the
female that joined in the observation.
A flock of Stock Dove, more Red
Legged Partridge were seen in the field beyond and a Grey Wagtail flew low past
us during our vigil.
Thirty two species
were logged during the visit with some regular species missing from the total.
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