condor1992
Well-known member
Today was not supposed to be like this. I was supposed to get off the train, see the goshawks in the usual area, then get all the way to Santon Downham, see the lesser spotted woodpecker and, most importantly, visit Lynford Arboretum to see firecrest. It did not pay out like that.
The first phase was uneventful. Got myself extremely wet on the bike, but when I arrived, the sun came out. As I walked the trails and admired the conifer groves, I stopped to look at some toadspawn. As I looked up, I saw this goshawk flying straight towards me.
I completely messed up the exposure, and could only complain as it vanished behind the trees. This would not be the last time I would see that exact bird today. As I proceeded along the track, I noticed some very quiet, very high-pitched, squeaking bird calls from nearby. Something about them caught my attention, and I discovered two goldcrests chasing each other and singing in the young pine wood. Had these been firecrests, the Lynford phase could have been avoided entirely.
I went along the ride to the clearing where I saw the hawks last time, and didn't have to wait long, as a goshawk came up from the trees and began displaying at the far end of the clearing. The puffed-out white feathers under the tail immediately caught my attention, as did the protruding head and extremely large and broad wings. Remembering 2022, it from a certain angle looked very much like a bizarrely-coloured Bonelli's eagle. The goshawk displayed for a while, and then was lost over the forest, disappearing just as quickly as it appeared.
I lingered for a while. At one point, an entire swarm of birds of prey rose from the forest, mostly buzzards and, among them, a plus-shaped hawk which looked of a similar size to the buzzard. It displayed over the forest, and then approached, entering a dive practically overhead and plummeting into the forest nearby.
After this, I soon left, and went down to Santon Downham. Nobody had seen the woodpecker since the morning, and I took a walk around the area, seeing treecreepers and nuthatches along the way.
Failing to see the woodpecker, I decided to return another day, in better conditions. I knew where to look now after talking to someone I met. As I went onto the road and got ready to leave for Lynford, I discovered that the rear tire of my bike had burst. That cut my trip a little short, but I still saw cranes and that albino pheasant again from the train.
The first phase was uneventful. Got myself extremely wet on the bike, but when I arrived, the sun came out. As I walked the trails and admired the conifer groves, I stopped to look at some toadspawn. As I looked up, I saw this goshawk flying straight towards me.
I completely messed up the exposure, and could only complain as it vanished behind the trees. This would not be the last time I would see that exact bird today. As I proceeded along the track, I noticed some very quiet, very high-pitched, squeaking bird calls from nearby. Something about them caught my attention, and I discovered two goldcrests chasing each other and singing in the young pine wood. Had these been firecrests, the Lynford phase could have been avoided entirely.
I went along the ride to the clearing where I saw the hawks last time, and didn't have to wait long, as a goshawk came up from the trees and began displaying at the far end of the clearing. The puffed-out white feathers under the tail immediately caught my attention, as did the protruding head and extremely large and broad wings. Remembering 2022, it from a certain angle looked very much like a bizarrely-coloured Bonelli's eagle. The goshawk displayed for a while, and then was lost over the forest, disappearing just as quickly as it appeared.
I lingered for a while. At one point, an entire swarm of birds of prey rose from the forest, mostly buzzards and, among them, a plus-shaped hawk which looked of a similar size to the buzzard. It displayed over the forest, and then approached, entering a dive practically overhead and plummeting into the forest nearby.
After this, I soon left, and went down to Santon Downham. Nobody had seen the woodpecker since the morning, and I took a walk around the area, seeing treecreepers and nuthatches along the way.
Failing to see the woodpecker, I decided to return another day, in better conditions. I knew where to look now after talking to someone I met. As I went onto the road and got ready to leave for Lynford, I discovered that the rear tire of my bike had burst. That cut my trip a little short, but I still saw cranes and that albino pheasant again from the train.
