Bird Safari - 23rd Feb

The weather was cloudy and cool. Highlights were Firecrest, Raven, Razorbill, Crossbill, Hawfinch and really close views of Goldcrest and a Sparrowhawk.
We started at Mark Ash Wood near Bolderwood in the early morning, went on to Hengistbury Head for the middle of the day and finished at Blackwater Arboretum for the late afternoon.

We arrived at Mark Ash to many singing Robin, Song Thrush and Chaffinch. Almost as soon as we were out of the cars a Lesser-spotted Woodpecker called in the woods. We walked in. A Green Woodpecker called nearby and a Stock Dove sang. We stopped and saw the Stock Dove and a couple of Great-spotted Woodpecker. Further on Coal Tit and Great Tit were singing and then a Mistle Thrush sang, which we soon spotted. Further on and a Firecrest sang briefly. However we couldn’t see it in the scrub. Then another Lesser-spotted Woodpecker called quite far off and a couple of Great-spotted Woodpecker started drumming to each other. Each time we heard any drumming we walked towards it and we wandered to and fro for a while with no luck. A Crossbill flew over calling and then a woodpecker flew from a tree away into the distance. It was probably Lesser-spotted, but the view was so brief I couldn’t be sure. As we walked back to the car we heard Nuthatch calling and saw Great Tit and Blue Tit.
We stopped briefly in the car park at Bolderwood and Lyz and Dennis quickly found a Firecrest feeding low down in a small tree. It soon worked its way up into the taller pines, but gave great views on the way. A Grey Wagtail flew over and we decided to have a short walk here. We saw Dunnock and Chaffinch feeding under the trees and a Wren sang. Lyz found a second Firecrest low down giving good, but brief views. The we were treated to a Goldcrest feeding low in a pine tree just a couple of feet away. Another Firecrest and a Mistle Thrush sang as we walked back towards the cars.
On to Hengistbury. After a quick cuppa in the café we walked along the track to look over the marsh with Skylark singing over the fields. It was a high spring tide and much of Stanpit was flooded. There was a lot of bird activity – most of it Black-headed Gulls and a flock of Wigeon. Further out on Stanpit there were Brent Geese and Lapwing with a few Shelduck, Oystercatcher, Redshank and many Cormorant. As we set off again a Blue Tit shot across the path and dived into the bushes in front of us. This was immediately followed by a female Sparrowhawk, which missed the Blue Tit and disappeared as soon as it had arrived. We watched a male Goldeneye diving in the water of Barn Blight. We then walked past Barn Field and up over the head itself seeing a pair of Raven flying off the top and a pair of Little Grebe on the Quarry Lake. There was a Heron in a pine tree by the heronry, but couldn’t see any nests. We got to the spit seeing a small group of Turnstone on the shore and soon found some Purple Sandpiper. We watched them for a while and counted 15 altogether. Dennis found a Razorbill and 2 Great-crested Grebe on the sea. As we walked back we saw a few Long-tailed Tit in the bushes.
After a late lunch we drove to Blackwater Arboretum via a brief and fruitless look for Great Grey Shrike near Puttles Bridge. At Blackwater we walked up the track and soon found our first Hawfinch at the top of a pine tree. It was then joined by another one for a short while. We walked round to our usual viewing place and saw several more over the next hour. We also saw a small flock of Siskin feeding in birch trees and a great view of a male Crossbill in the top of another pine tree. Dennis found a Buzzard circling over the distant trees. A great day to a full day’s birding.
Simon Curson