The heather on the new heath is looking a treat at the moment.After nine years of restoration, it certainly is starting to look like a real heath now. Hobbies are still flying around, which adds even more to the experience!
The weather over the Bank Holiday weekend was a little changeable!.. a thunderstorm,heavy rain showers, sun, wind and it was fairly cool. It did however produce some dramatic skies , I took these shots on Saturday evening after the storm. Later on, the sky looked like a watercolour being painted in front of us, with a sheet of black filling in the sky over Sandy Warren, as we watched it approaching from the Gatehouse.
It's been exciting birding here today, the hobbies that we suspected of breeding on the new heath have been flying around with their young! It looks like at least three young, which is brilliant.They should be active over the next eight to ten days, so come up on a nice day to watch them before they head off back to Africa. A spotted flycatcher flew around the gatehouse car park as well.
Our warden, Andy Schofield, heard a woodlark on Sandy Ridge this morning. We had another report of one on land opposite the reserve entrance yesterday. A small flock of crossbills have been heard flying around, but they are rarely seen.Let's hope they stay and start to use the ponds near the hide for drinking , as they have in previous times.A lonely swallow flew over the new heath on Sunday and the huge mistle thrush flock has now shrunk to about twenty birds.A group of six red-legged partridges scurried over the field on Sandy Ridge, they are probably a family that have bred here on the reserve.
Almost 700 people enjoyed the Pantaloons performances of the Canterbury Tales last weekend. The sun shone for most of the time ( at least during the daytime performances!)and the evening performances were dry and warm as well. We have already booked the 'loons to come back next August, when they will be performimng both the Brothers Grimm and The importance of being Ernest-so lots of fun to look forward to again at The Lodge in 2012.