A text from Mike, and an early morning walk out of our village into local Hertfordshire farmland. Put the scope up, peer into a dead tree on the corner of a copse and there, peeking out from the top of a pile of sticks, is a Hobby. Brilliant.
And that song? Some checking round and there on top of a bush is a male Corn Bunting singing its head off. Its been a few years since they bred round here so this is a very welcome return.
With temperatures soaring we sought an early walk in shade. We went to Wareham Forest again and chose Gore Heath because it had lots of trees on the OS map app. I wasn't expecting much in the way of wildlife, but the walks were nice and broad, which was a mixed blessing. It meant I got to see a mid-range large bird slowly making its way over, and the gull/raptor question was resolved in favour of a decent binocular view of an Osprey heading over presumably to nearby Wareham Channel in Poole Harbour. there was a distant Hobby, but also lots of sun.
Eventually we found a sheltered walk, and whilst going down there a Golden-Ringed Dragonfly whizzed around. We don't have this species in East Anglia, it is scarce on Thursley and Ashdown Forest, so my sightings have been limited to a brief encounter in Wales and a slightly better one in Dorset last year. It was a species I had really wanted to see properly for a while, and my limited views had only increased this desire, so it was nice to see this but I could have done with closer and longer.
Then a few yards further on I got closer and longer; one, possibly the same settled on a fence post beside me. What a beast! Views as good as anyone could hope for. It even posed for my iPhone.
Oh for heavens sake DD what's with the question mark? You've seen them lots of times before why would you start going all wobbly now? Well ...
Wareham Forest, and in particular the walk from Stroud Bridge car park, is becoming a favourite walk. Mrs DD likes the nice clear paths, the easy walking, the lack of people and the open aspect with some nice views. I like the wildlife of this ancient and unique habitat. Except its not ancient. This isn't the landscape that Thomas Hardy's characters would have known; when Tess stopped by Woolsbarrow she didn't look out over acres and acres of regimental Sitka Spruce. When Diggory Venn took his van across Egdon Hath he wasn't traversing large man-made tracks. But nevertheless it is a habitat with its own special inventory.
Our first walk had Tree Pipits, Dartford Warblers, Stonechats, Crossbills, and a Hobby. It had lots of Silver-Studded Blues, some Painted Ladies, and it had what was probably a Redstart.
The incessant singing was distinctive. A shortish fast slightly scratchy semi-warble. I eventually found the bird and got the flash of orange tail as it flew across and landed on a stump. And that's where it all went wrong. You know how a male Redstart looks? A dazzling display of orange, black, and grey with a white flash? Thats not what was at on the post. What was there was a uniform dark dull brown bird, orange tail apart. Think female Black Redstart.
I went off dissatisfied and returned the following day. Birds much the same - flyover Siskin, distant Cuckoo. The Odonata were excellent; a Downy Emerald, a Beautiful Demoiselle, lots of Four-Spotted Chasers and Keeled Skimmers. And the Redstart was still there, showing its dull brown plumage as well as one could wish for.
I've recorded the song. It's below. I've listened on Xeno-Canto. There's quite a range of songs on there. My song wouldn't be out of place. But Black Redstart also is variable. AI tells me Black Redstart has a distinctive gravelly bit, and mine has a bit of that on one song.
But logically, it has to be a Common Redstart. I assume its just not very good at moulting.
- and the song recording? It seems things on the internet are either really easy, or just impossible. Getting the recording from the phone to the web has so far fallen in the latter category. Perhaps there will be an edit at some point and it will appear here, but at the moment, no.
