I awoke at 6.00am so decided to head off for a few hours birding, leaving Ellie and Tristan in bed. I drove straight up the A303 leaving the main road just east of Amesbury and heading out towards Newton Tony. I was pleased to see at least half a dozen Corn Buntings on the roadside bushes as I drove along, a few Skylarks were also seen. The reserve itself produced a few Red-legged Partridge, but little else...I was expecting as much as it was slightly too early in the season for the birds I had hoped to see.
So I retraced my steps and headed back west, leaving the A303 near Wylye and stopping off at Langford Lakes, a Wiltshire Wildlife Trust reserve that I had not visited before. I walked out to one of the hides and saw the bird I was after straightaway, a female Ferruginous Duck which was preening itself right in front of hide.
With the twitching done I spent another half an hour at the reserve adding House Martin to my year list as a mixed flock of hirundines fed over another of the lakes and a singing Sedge Warbler was another 2012 tick.
I started heading back home taking a bit of a detour across part of Salisbury Plain where I saw a couple more Corn Buntings and several more Red-legged Partridges...no sign of any of their grey cousins. So after a good few hours out and about I was back home in time for a mid-morning cup of tea!
No comments:
Post a Comment