Peter Jones, "Hampshire Diary"
• Friday, May 1, 2009 - Tree Pipits on Baddesley Common
Took a lengthy walk around the common this morning.. had considered going further afield but the weather forecast seemed to hint at fog, which would have been really frustrating.
The Common was hard work as always, with plenty of quiet spells. Also got harrassed by the largest horse I have ever seen.. it was well over 6 foot on all fours! and kept licking my scope. Really annoying, really irritating. People moan about the barbed wire fence across the common but if it keeps that horse away from the footpath, then it is fine with me (I was the wrong side when i was getting licked!). There.. "horse" and "licked".. that should boost my hits for this page!
Most of the birdlife was along the furthest stretch of the common to the village. At least three Tree Pipits were singing, along with a Garden Warbler, and Cuckoo, new for me for the year. Only had a single fly over Woodlark today, and also a Wheatear is still on the common.
Other highlight was a Slow Worm on the path. Think he had been caught out by the sun going behind clouds as he looked totally dormant. Beautiful animal though.
One that got away was a very long tailed small warbler which flitted into gorse, but didn't re-appear. My initial thought was Dartford, but there was nothing to back it up. Later, I saw a Whitethroat about 50 yards away which could have been the same bird I guess.
Certainly struggling this year. When I think by this time last year I had found LEO, Montagu's Harrier, Osprey over the house, Firecrest, and Red Kite. It just doesn't seem to be happening for me this year.
I can ill afford "the one that got away!" |
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