Our walk began with a
Buzzard circling in the clear blue sky and with the promise of high
temperatures we followed the tree-lined disused railway track with the many
bird songs and calls testing our abilities. We heard Chaffinch, Chiffchaff,
Wren, Greenfinch, Coal Tit, Song Thrush and then were drawn to a couple of
Great Spotted Woodpecker chasing around in the canopy.
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| Song Thrush © Chris Robinson |
Moving off the track into open heath, we identified the three species of heather (Cross-leaved, Bell and Ling), Mouse-ear Hawkweed, Birds-foot Trefoil, Selfheal, Heath Bedstraw, Germander Speedwell, Meadow Thistle and the interesting Creeping Willow hugging the ground. The many Heath-spotted Orchids varied in colour from purple to white.
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| Selfheal © Richard Smith |
Butterflies flitting over the heather included Meadow Brown, Small Heath, Small Blue and Silver-studded Blue. We were surprised to hear the brief churring of a distant Nightjar and then the appearance of a Marsh Harrier overhead and then moving low to quarter the marshes beyond. Goldfinch, Meadow Pipits, Stonechats with their loud chatting and a Reed Bunting were seen among the Gorse.
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| Silver-studded Blue © Andy Skarstein |
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| Meadow Pipit © Chris Robinson |
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| Marsh Harrier © Chris Robinson |
Bog Myrtle and the white tufts of Cotton Grass announced the approaching wet area and stream where we came across Beautiful Demoiselle and many busy dragonflies darting over the water, including Broad-bodied Chasers, Golden-ringed and Emperor Dragonflies.
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| Hinchelsea Bog © Richard Smith |
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| Cotton Grass sp © Richard Smith |
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| Heath Moth © Chris Robinson |
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| Broad-bodied Chaser © Chris Robinson |
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| Marsh Harrier © Chris Robinson |
Sheltering in the welcome shade of the wood again, we enjoyed chocolate biscuits cunningly kept cool with a freezer-block and completed our walk through the wood and down the hill, passing another pond area and back to the carpark where Song and Mistle Thrush were moving over the lawns. A final treat was a low fly over of a Buzzard and hearing the distant calls of a Cuckoo. RP
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| Common Buzzard © Chris Robinson |
Our route
© Crown copyright 2023 Ordnance Survey.
Media 006/23.
The licence is valid until 31 December 2023