NORTH DOWNS & BEYOND

I recently spent a few days in the small but perfectly formed town of Shaldon, in south Devon, nestled on the southern flank of the mouth of the Teign estuary, where the river discharges into the Atlantic Ocean. Although not a birding trip, the optics, of course, came along too. Two dawn starts were made (31st March and 2nd April) where I walked southwards along the South-West Coast path, leaving Shaldon via a number of steep slopes before arriving at Labrador Bay, an area of farmland, copse, gorse scrub and hedgerow, managed in part by the RSPB - whose presence is explained by residency of a very special bird indeed - the Cirl Bunting. Coming from Surrey, I have few opportunities to watch this species, although I am old enough to have seen this bunting in my home county (way back in the 1970s and early 80s, although even then the population was down to a single pair). My two visits to Labrador Bay were blessed with clear skies, sunshine and shelter from a nagging and cold northerly wi...

I don't know what has sparked it off, but a number of birders on social media have voiced their dissatisfaction about the way in which certain organisations are managing nature reserves. Along with my thoughts about the Surrey Wildlife Trust's custodianship of Holmethorpe (see last post), there have been missiles lobbed at the Kent Wildlife Trust (Oare Marshes) and the RSPB (Dungeness). I can add my two-pennies about the latter... The reserve at Dungeness has come on an awful long way since my first visit in 1976. There has been much beneficial habitat creation, with 'new' reed beds that now support Bitterns, Marsh Harriers and Bearded Tits, and a mosaic of water bodies that are excellent for wildlife beyond birds. The visitor centre, when it was opened, was a massive step up from the wooden hut that used to stand there. And where there was just the one hide, at least nine are now scattered across the reserve. So, what's not to like? If I were being uncharitable, th...

I spent a pleasant morning at Pulborough Brooks RSPB reserve, spending some time wandering over the heathland restoration project, an area of the reserve that most visitors do not visit. In time, this small part of the greensand ridge will become a valuable habitat for many species. I came away with a series of moss and invertabrate images to try and identify at a later date. Back on the flood plain I was pleased to bump into Jon Winder, a visitor to this blog who has been kind enough to leave comments from time to time. After a good natter (and armed with some local knowledge for later in the year), I continued to do what I enjoy most - scope an open panorama and count what was before me. Most numerous were Lapwing (1400), Wigeon (850) and Teal (350), with lesser numbers of Shoveler, Pintail and Golden Plover. Six Little Egrets added a splash of exotica to the scene, and I was able to digiscope this Peregrine, sitting in a willow before it dashed across the brooks towards some ...