[Paul Rule]

Have not posted one of these for ages, mainly because I’ve not been anywhere.

This afternoon I took my Father-in-law on a short birding walk. He’s in his 80’s so had to keep the walk fairly short. For that reason I chose the short walk around our local Beechwoods nature reserve. Had hoped to show him Greater Spotted and Green Woodpeckers which are normally to be found there but this was not to be today.

We took the path around the edge of the wood returning and through the wood. Although it was difficult to actually see many birds, there was a good quantity of birdsong. Lots of Blackbirds and Chaffinches in full song and some way off in the distance Yellow Hammers and Skylarks could be heard. In some bushes a Whitethroat was briefly heard but not seen. In the wood a lone Chiffchaff was singing and Blue and Great Tits flitted among the bushes in good numbers, a lone Long Tailed Tit was also seen. Several Wrens and a Robin were also calling with numerous Wood Pigeons joining in from the canopy. A Blackcap also put in an appearance and unlike most of the other birds is sang its song in clear view from about 12 feet away. The last (and best) bird of the session was a Spotted Flycatcher, my 1st of the year (Well I said I had not been anywhere!). Which gave a nice display of fly catching. Shortly after this a thunderstorm could be heard approaching and a hill top wood no longer seemed the best place to be, so a retreat to the car and home for tea was in order.

Other things of note were a Purple Hairstreak Butterfly, a Lesser Stag Beetle and some rather fine specimens of bracket fungi including a nice clump of Oyster Mushrooms (well out of the reach of pickers).

A short but very pleasant trip let down only by the lack of Peckers.

[Andrew]

A nice walk for both of you. The other birds more than made up for the lack of 'peckers especially the Spooted Fly's antics!