Trip reports

Crook Peak

Wednesday, 20 May 2009

It was a lovely morning to climb the Peak, which we did 'the other way round' this time, going up to the gorse beds first, then walking down through the woodland for the latter part. The first birds were buzzard and raven and there was a fair amount of song from our resident birds and migrant warblers alike, a song thrush was making his voice heard from down in the valley, whilst robin, chiffchaff and whitethroat were not to be out-done. We heard blackcap and garden warbler, the two of these songsters testing our identification skills, but good practice nonetheless. As we climbed we could see house martins and swallows whizzing around the barns below and the calling rooks and green woodpecker joined in the chorus. A wonderful kestrel showed us just how effortless it was to hover in the wind and colourful linnets were busy trying to raise their families.
We were all disappointed not to see our target bird, the Dartford warbler. On arriving at the gorse beds we could see that deliberate burning had been taking place yet again. The blackened remains were evidence of another part of the Dartford's thorny home gone up in smoke. It seems that every time we visit, another section has been burnt, the gorse is 'managed' thus, but the birds seem to be living in an ever-shrinking habitat - or at least they did. The severity of the winter weather appears to have also taken its toll: the Mendips were covered in snow for some time, which would prove disastrous for this resident warbler that forages for insects in low vegetation. As I write this, several visits by birdwatchers have not turned up any Dartfords and apparently all Exmoor birds have now gone: perhaps there will be better news by the end of the summer.
To finish on a lighter note: we all thrilled at the sight of a male stonechat feeding his three speckled brown youngsters, in full view, voraciously taking whatever he offered them. Spring-time birdwatching at its best. Rosina Robinson