STEVE ASHTON'S WILDLIFE GALLERY

September 2008

Chambers Wall and Grove Ferry.

I arrived at Grove Ferry this morning, just before 8 o clock, and made my way to the ramp. Martyn Wilson and Allan Ashdown were there, I think, as there was a thick blanket of fog covering the valley, and even seeing them from 4 feet away was difficult. With birds at a premium around the coast at the moment, it was not a difficult decision to abort Grove Ferry for a while, and I returned to the car, leaving Martyn and Allan on the ramp, and arrived shortly after, at the fisherman’s car park at Chambers Wall. Take 2, of chasing the elusive Yellow-browed Warbler that I missed yesterday. Marc Heath was around the car park, and he had heard the Yellow-brow, so I returned down the entrance road, and walked back up the set aside land the other side of the hedge, and settled down patiently waiting for the bird in question to show. It is a bit more difficult for me to seek out these elusive warblers, as my power of hearing is almost nil, and I would struggle to hear Big Ben chime from Parliament square, so I rely wholly on sighting the birds. Whilst watching, I noticed 2 Lesser Whitethroats working there way along the hedge row, several Chiffchaffs, and a Pied Fly-catcher was sitting on a perch soaking up the sun. The Goldcrest numbers were still high, and I must of seen at least 12 in the section of hedgerow that I was watching. The newly planted fields had at least 100 Song Thrushes on them, with probably more Meadow Pipits, which is nice to see, especially as Song Thrushes seem a bit thin on the ground lately. At last, I caught sight of a movement in the hedgerow right in front of me, and when I got my binoculars on it, I was watching a Yellow-browed Warbler, and it made its way to the outside of the bush. Then 4 Greenfinches, all chasing each other, landed in the bush, causing a commotion, and spooking the Yellow-browed Warbler, and that was the last I saw of it. I then left, leaving another frustrated birder to carry on looking for it, noting a Peregrine Falcon flying low across the field to the side of the entrance track, as I returned to Grove Ferry. The fog had now lifted, and I rejoined Martyn and Allan. Birding was a bit slow, but I did record 2 Sparrow-hawks, 1 or 2 Hobbies, and Allan latched on to a Common Buzzard flying high Eastwards over the reserve. 3 Marsh Harriers passed high over the ramp Westward, and surprisingly even I managed to hear them calling, well once any way. There was a high number of Starlings flying around the reserve, and 3 Stonechats were seen flying over the reed beds. A Reed Bunting and a Blue Tit were the days photograph opportunities, which I gratefully accepted.