Trip reports
Chobham Common
Friday, 15 June 2007
The weather was very much in our favour with glorious evening sunshine so our spirits were high and expectations great for a good viewing of heathland birds. Would they disappoint or not!
Through a track leading to the heathland (trying to ignore the buzzing of the electricity pylons overhead in case you confused the noise with the churring of the nightjars) we walked along at a leisurely pace ears pricked for the slightest utterance of bird song.
We had good views of Dartford warblers (a first this year for me) if you managed to train binoculars in the right direction as they perched on top of the gorse desperate to get their song over and done with and then rushing for cover beneath the vegetation. Another more obliging sight was on a pile of dead branches beside the track in front of us.
A young Stonechat showed itself quite obligingly near the path and then on top of a path sign mum perched. We had a family group as the handsome male perched on top of a young pine and sang to us for quite a while leaving his wife to feed their brood. A couple of linnets fed on grass seed along one of the tracks. Skylarks could be heard quite clearly. A tree pipit displayed and then perched for a while on a small scrub.
The light was fading but the best was yet to come. In the gloom a couple of large winged birds crossed high over the path in front one altering course and flying high across us. This in fact was the best view we had of a woodcock. Distant views of these birds could give you the impression that these were large bats as the bill was hard to distinguish in the dark. We had several more distant sightings high above the trees. This was the most I had seen in an evening.
Janet guided us to a high spot along a wide track where we were most likely to view nightjar. Before long the churring started which is quite eerie and can be heard during daylight hours. Soon we had a couple of birds flying showing off their white patches on their wings to attract females. Our eyes had to get used to the light and the dark vegetation in order to pick them up but another flew in front of us and then over the path. Last year's view of this elusive bird was much easier being along from Teddington railway station on the side of an urban road during daylight hours! A tawny owl hooted several times while we waited for the appearance of the nightjars but did not show.
With the fading light and unwelcome company (midges!) we decided to make our way back along the track homewards. Several nightjars were still churring along the path as we made our way back to our cars.
Thanks again to Janet for quite a different birdwatching evening. Even the midges didn't get a bite (the use of insect repellent being very handy!).
Angela Gibson