siltmonkey
New member
Hi
I'm lucky enough to live 5 mins walk from Banstead Common, a relatively small but in my view wonderful patch of chalk downland on the southern tip of Greater London, surrounded by golf courses, farmland and a prison, of all things.
Unfortunately there's no water feature nearby but there's plenty of variety in habitat. There are open fields with wild grasses and flowers aplenty, serving up a huge number of butterflies and other insects, patches of scrub and native shrubs covered in wild roses and elderflowers, emerging birch woodland, maturing sections of oak woodland dripping with ivy and vines and lovely shady spots to sit down in!
I usually go early in the morning and amble around for a couple of hours, and always see something interesting.
Yesterday, among the dragonflies and blue butterflies, seemed to be warbler city - a large number of whitethroats, blackcaps, chiffchaffs, willow warblers and garden warblers, all of whose songs mingled with song thrush and blackbird to make possibly the most beautiful bird orchestra ever. The whitethroats have reared young, and a bullfinch also made his brief presence known.
A small flock of long tailed tits danced about in some birch trees, and the regular garden suspects like blue and great tits played their usual treetop tricks. A green and great-spotted woodpecker decided to show themselves in my field of view at the same time, which was rather decent of them.
The kestrel and buzzard didn't show themselves but I was rewarded with a sighting of a vole, and I have seen rabbits, foxes and badgers there at different times.
I have also been reliably informed that woodcock often winter on the heath and lizards are to be seen sunning themselves so there is plenty more to see.
All in all, a lovely little place to watch birds and other wildlife. I doubt you'd ever see a lesser-undulated three-toed garganule or whatever, but if you're anywhere near it, it would be silly not to go. Just remember to take a sun hat!
cheers
r
I'm lucky enough to live 5 mins walk from Banstead Common, a relatively small but in my view wonderful patch of chalk downland on the southern tip of Greater London, surrounded by golf courses, farmland and a prison, of all things.
Unfortunately there's no water feature nearby but there's plenty of variety in habitat. There are open fields with wild grasses and flowers aplenty, serving up a huge number of butterflies and other insects, patches of scrub and native shrubs covered in wild roses and elderflowers, emerging birch woodland, maturing sections of oak woodland dripping with ivy and vines and lovely shady spots to sit down in!
I usually go early in the morning and amble around for a couple of hours, and always see something interesting.
Yesterday, among the dragonflies and blue butterflies, seemed to be warbler city - a large number of whitethroats, blackcaps, chiffchaffs, willow warblers and garden warblers, all of whose songs mingled with song thrush and blackbird to make possibly the most beautiful bird orchestra ever. The whitethroats have reared young, and a bullfinch also made his brief presence known.
A small flock of long tailed tits danced about in some birch trees, and the regular garden suspects like blue and great tits played their usual treetop tricks. A green and great-spotted woodpecker decided to show themselves in my field of view at the same time, which was rather decent of them.
The kestrel and buzzard didn't show themselves but I was rewarded with a sighting of a vole, and I have seen rabbits, foxes and badgers there at different times.
I have also been reliably informed that woodcock often winter on the heath and lizards are to be seen sunning themselves so there is plenty more to see.
All in all, a lovely little place to watch birds and other wildlife. I doubt you'd ever see a lesser-undulated three-toed garganule or whatever, but if you're anywhere near it, it would be silly not to go. Just remember to take a sun hat!
cheers
r
