Trip reports
Papercourt - by Peter Hambrook
Wednesday, 8 April 2009
After what was, originally, a damp forecast for our walk, the rain fortunately moved through overnight leaving a bright and breezy day for us to enjoy.
In the car park by Newark Priory Bridge a pair of jays was shuttling to and fro, a starling had a nest hole in an old tree stump and blue and great tits were busy feeding, accompanied by a typically noisy wren. A song thrush called loudly beside the bridge, allowing us to get it in the 'scope and causing a passing driver to ask what we were looking at, instead of crossing the bridge while the lights were in his favour!!
Heading up the road a short distance towards Pyrford we found the usual jackdaws around the old priory ruins, a stock dove was just visible (through a telescope!) in a far off dead tree, a pair of Egyptian geese crossed one of the river channels to try out the grass on the far side and a grey heron was flushed from another overgrown channel. Fairly quiet, so it was on via the riverside walk to Papercourt Lock.
Apart from disturbing some young cattle, the first part of the walk proved fairly uneventful until we reached the lock, which some early Easter narrow-boaters were negotiating. Checking out the rough ground behind the lock-keeper's cottage we soon found goldfinches, a pair of long-tailed tits and there were several male reed buntings occupying song posts in bushes. With a bit more searching a pair of stonechats was found very distantly, a few cormorants flew past, a sparrowhawk was seen circling before disappearing from view and a willow warbler was heard distantly. Migrants were not very obvious but as we continued along the tow-path a few blackcaps were heard, again at some distance, and chiffchaffs were declaring the occupancy of territory from the tops of tall trees. Wrens were everywhere along this strip, calling noisily, as was an obliging nuthatch that visited its nest hole just above us.
Crossing the Wey Navigation, we headed for the Papercourt sailing lake, via the scenic route, without encountering anything else of note. The pond behind the sailing club held only a number of tufted ducks and a calling little grebe, which declined to show itself. Being the school holidays, the sailing lake itself was full of mini-sailors being shepherded by safety boats, so there was not much to be seen there apart from a few great crested grebes, two of which started their courtship behaviour but gave up after copying each others movements for a minute or two. Walking back to the cars a distant fox was seen, while our final new bird was a mistle thrush hunting for lunch.
After an enjoyable but not particularly productive morning our total of birds seen or heard was 43. We also saw several butterflies, with peacock, speckled wood, brimstone and holly blue being identified. My thanks for their company to the four group members, and new faces, Freddy and Oliver.
Peter Hambrook