Both visits produced excellent birds, however, no Nightingales were heard, despite this, other species, especially during the evening walk, held interest with my lovely group.
Woodcock 2 males
1 Cormorant
Mallard
Buzzard
2+ Cuckoos (males)
Wood Pigeon
1 TURTLE DOVE
Blackbird
Song Thrush
Blackcap - numerous
5+ Garden Warblers
2+ Lesser Whitethroats
Chiffchaff
Blue Tit
Bullfinch (several pairs)
Yellowhammer - several singing males
0500: I arrived at Foulden Common to a wonderful dawn chorus of 2+ calling Cuckoos, many Blackcaps, 5+ Garden Warblers, Lesser Whitethroats, Chiffchaff, Blackbirds, several Song Thrushes, and Yellowhammers.
Blackcap was the most numerous Warbler species with birds both seen and heard. 5+ Garden Warblers (singing birds) offered good song comparison with Blackcap, quite an easy task once learnt despite the similarities.
At least 2 singing Lesser Whitethroats were seen and heard, their 'rattling' song quite distinctive. A pair of Lesser Whitethroats was seen, the singing male and a female low down in a bush.
One particularly lovely section of mostly Hawthorn hedge scrub produced singing Blackcap, Garden Warbler, and a pair of Lesser Whitethroats sharing this now all to rare habitat.
I departed Foulden Common at about 0700 with the rising sun producing some warmth. On my way home I decided to stop at a particular habitat in Little Cressingham to check for Whitethroats, these were present but I was pleased to see two Lesser Whitethroats together passing through.
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Lesser Whitethroat at Little Cressingham 5th May (One of two birds seen together passing through)
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I will start this account by stating that this was intended to be a walk in search of Nightingales, however, none were heard. Despite this, the walk produced excellent compensation in the form of 2 displaying Woodcocks. We frequently saw birds performing their 'roding' display-flight, and on occasions. the birds were heard to call their unworldly "kworr-kworr-kworr", also the thin, sharp "tissick" was given. The silhouetted form of the Woodcocks is a beautiful sight to see and one example of this behaviour was a first for me. During 'roding' the female Woodcock is on the ground and calls down the male (I have never heard this), clearly the female did this as during the display the male Woodcock plummeted like a stone into woodland, clearly to meet his mate...remarkable behaviour.
A male Cuckoo was heard calling and was occasionally seen overflying woodland, a very distinctive silhouetted bird with an almost straight line running from the head, back and tail, with wings fluttered below the level of the body.
Once darkness fell we were treated to the brief song of a Turtle Dove, the bird only produced a single note "turr-turr", a beautiful song which for me is the epitome of a late spring and summers day.
Several Blackcaps and a couple of Song Thrushes were also heard. Despite the non-appearance of Nightingale, this was a successful visit with the showing of some scarce species, Woodcock, Turtle Dove, and Cuckoo.
I will end by thanking James Symonds for his assistance during this walk. James is the summer warden at Weeting Heath, he is a young man who has already accrued vast knowledge of birds and wildlife. I was so impressed by his passion for wildlife and it is encouraging to know that our wonderful countryside is in safe hands for James's generation and beyond, a remarkable young man.
Lovely post.
ReplyDeleteTruly superb song fest, even later in the morning.
A Willow Warbler heard as well. Sad about the nightingales.
Many thanks Mike for your lovely comments. Do you regularly cover Foulden Common? A wonderful site isn't it.
ReplyDeleteOnly occasionally I'm afraid but certainly a wonderful place. I think I've only found the tip of the iceberg as yet.
ReplyDeleteHi there, I live very close to Foulden Common and visit there at least two or three times a week. While still a decent place for birds, it’s sadly a shadow of its former ornithological self. It used to be an outstanding site for nightingale, with up to five or six males singing within earshot, but none reliably heard for eight years at least, which is why it may not have been the best choice for a nightingale walk! As you will have seen, the habitat is no longer suitable for them - the overmature scrub is bald at and up to a metre above ground level, thanks to lack of appropriate management and relentless grazing pressure from deer (esp muntjac), so no cover for birds that like the ground storey. Drumming snipe used to be regular over the wet central area, but now gone. Ditto grasshopper warbler, although the habitat still looks ok for them. Woodcock are hanging on, as you saw, and turtle dove was a nice record - once a regular breeder there, but as elsewhere rather scarce these days. The common is now managed primarily for its flora and butterflies, with grazing and scrub clearance to be intensified, so I don’t hold out much hope that scrub-loving birds will ever regain their former numbers there. Certainly nightingales have no chance without a helping hand, such as deerproof compartments (as has been trialled successfully at Bradfield Woods, for example).
ReplyDeleteJames Parry
Hi James, many thanks for your great insight to Foulden Common. Yes, I think the walk could have been titled differently. I have made a few visits to this location and I based my knowledge on Nightingales from various articles (which are clearly of some age now). Despite this, my group left happy having seen and heard 'roding' Woodcock and hearing Turtle Dove. From what you have told me James, Foulden Common was clearly an extremely productive site for wildlife. I just hope that one day the fortunes of birds improves if the proper management of the site favours the species which formerly occurred there.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for your post James.
This all sounds rather sad. Can there not be a better balance of management or is that just not possible? I believe Alderford Common used to hold Nightingale but not in the last couple of years at least, probably for the same reasons of scrub maturity.
ReplyDelete