Trip reports

Evening at Bavelaw

Wednesday, 24 June 2009

About 20 of us set off on a lovely warm summer`s evening. Our walk though the woods produced plenty of bird song, a very innovative song thrush - we were to hear about five more - but no one could find it! A few saw one of several singing willow warblers. We continued to the bridge where all the usual water birds were to be seen. A few also heard a distant cuckoo.
Not long till we were approaching the moorland, in the driveway of the large house Toby confirmed that it was a spotted flycatcher that we were watching, 2 more on the way back. There were swallows and house martins flying over the moorland, and 2 of us thought that we also saw a few sand martins, we saw several swifts throughout the evening. Skylarks and meadow pipits were singing everywhere and there were also a few snipe with an occasional drumming. Those at the back spotted a raven.
We were now well into bracken land with a steady flow of bell-less cyclists interrupting our viewing! However with Lesley and Toby`s keen eyesight - how does one find a singing bird in a sea of bracken! - we were all soon having brilliant sightings of whinchats, stonechats, reed buntings, linnets and even a whitethroat.
In failing light and being driven homeward by the incessant midges, there were only a few brief stops. The possible ring ouzel turned out to be a female blackbird, what a disappointment! 38 species in all and a most enjoyable evening with some excellent birds - despite the midges and the cyclists!!