Army Ornithological SocietyBlog Category | UK Birding
SPTA West
Woodcock and Wheatear
The area is open again after the big exercise and last weekend a walk around Imber Firs and Fish Hook was held with the theme being Woodcock and Wheatear. The weather was kind despite a horrendous forecast though the wind was strong. There is nothing to protect you from the wind blowing in any direction as it is a high point. Using the woods as shelter became rather important. Only a few hardy souls turned up including the Canadian Liaison Officer with his wife. The walk meant a survey of 2 grid squares which turned up 32 species. The stars were the 7 Woodcock (an addition to his UK list for one visitor to these shores) which turned out for us with some very good views. Unfortunately there were no sightings of Wheatear but for those who drove out by Imber Clump there was one on a post waiting for its photograph to be taken. A pair of Bullfinches put on a display for the group as did a large mixed flock of Starlings and fieldfares. Skylarks sang when the sun came out and Meadow Pipits provided a collective fly-past. Goldcrest sang from the woods and a Short-eared Owl quartered the ground close up, demonstrating to the group how it should be done.
The next day was the last Hen Harrier survey of the winter. I stationed myself at Copehill Down where the only excitement was a Yellowhammer singing and the distant murmuration of Starlings; only a few hundred thousand this time! The other teams managed to see Short-eared and Barn Owls flying by but no Hen Harriers. There was even a Little Owl by one Vedette. Spring must be on the way as Sand Martins and Swallows have been reported around the area as were a few Meditteranean Gulls (I dipped but they were in the flock somewhere). It does not seem Spring is here given the current weather but I am now keeping an eye out for arriving migrants.
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Hen Harrier Survey
Currently there is no non-exercise movement allowed on the Plain. This threatend to cancel the monthly Hen Harrier survey the Conservation Group conducts each winter. Fortunately we were given one window of opportunity last night as troops moved back into their main bases. It turned out a nice evening with blue skies and a fantastic sunset with red splashed around the cloudless sky. I was able to deploy 5 point surveys from the Conservation Group though only one saw any Hen Harriers. Most groups did see Short-eared Owls that had been missing since the snow arrived. The snow is long gone and the owls are back with 7 being seen. I located myself near a large Rook colony and the most notable birds were 2 Yellowhammers; it was very quiet in my location except for MAN trucks and Mastiffs. The Starlings, 7 km to our north put on a fantastic display and there must have been between 500,000 and a million birds in the sky forming equisite patterns before roosting in the scrub. This is the first time that I have seen them all up this winter. Unfortunately I cannot get close until mid March as the red flags are constantly flying until then.
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The Roar of the Wind
It has been very quiet on the Plain with only the rush or roar of the wind creating any noise besides the occasional cackling of corvids. There are large flocks of Starlings often with Fieldfares mixed in scatterd across the area. The Starlings still roost in their hundreds of thousands on the Larkhill Impact Area but I have still yet to see the whole body swarm around rather than just the initial arrivals. Woodpigeons are scarce as huge flocks have migrated to farmer's fields on the the valleys around the Plain. It is therefore rather bare except for the herds of cows and sheep in the temporary pens. This is all about to change as today was the last access day until mid March by which time the Plain should be alive with birds setting up their territories. There are still two Hen Harrier surveys to do and we have been given permission to do one this month during a small window of opportunity when we will not be mistaken for being shady characters! Not that I have found any "characters" in any Chaffinch flock which have been studied with care. The only highlight was when I was approaching a Vedette driving home tonight. A small bird was flying fast right to left to my front low across the ground. Following the dual action of an emergency stop whilst raising my binos, I latched onto a Merlin. Unfortunately it seemed to be on a mission and a few seconds later had crested the brow not to return. My return is now on hold and the re-opening will be celebrated with an organised walk. Other locations will have to be visited in the meantime starting with Blackburn Meadows tomorrow! (Dad's taxi being resurrected).
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Hen Harrier Survey and Waxwings
The snow finally arrived last Friday which curtailed the Hen Harrier survey on Sunday afternoon. In the end 3 of the 4 main locations were manned by 1 person each though I did have to walk in to get a view of area by the junction of Tinker's Track and Berril Valley. The other 2 sites (New Zealand Farm and Imber Clump) were accessible by 4x4 vehicles. No-one saw a Harrier though there are a few around. I followed the bourne in the Berril Valley and was rewarded with a flock of 53 Lapwing plus a Snipe and Short-eared Owl. These owls are becoming very common on the Plain! Unfortunately I had to cancel a planned walk last Wednesday as the snow prevented cars from getting into the centre of the Plain. This afternoon I went back to the Berril Valley and waded through the bourne and the snow. This time the Lapwings numbered 100+ and they were mixed in with a flock of 500+ Rooks, Jackdaws and Starlings in a catttle graving area. In the bourne there were 4 Mallards and I had excellent views of 5 Stonechats feeding on the flattened grass. In the woods on the valley side a Goldcrest called and there were two large flocks of 16 Long-tailed Tits and 40+ Goldfinch as well as a range of other woodland birds. Walking across the snow covered grass I disturbed a fox and 5 Roe Deer.
Berril Valley Bourne
Midweek I did go on a twitch as I was determined to see a Waxwing. Fortunately this one of 3 was only 15 minutes away. I also stopped at Hiperton Marsh were there was a large flock (100+) of Fieldfares and Redwings plus a Bullfinch pair and 2 Yellowhammers.
Waxwing at Jewson's Trowbridge.
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A Mumuration of Starlings
While the rest of the country shivers, here there is glorious sunshine. It was days like this last week that saw me out and about. We have our own mumuration of Starlings that gather near the COTEC site on the Larkhill impact area. They can be seen from the public road near Gore Cross (best viewpoint is 3rd flag from the crossroads). My first visit was to this viewpoint where there was quite a swirl in the sky as the initial birds gathered but as like most occasions they soon settled and awaited the mobs from other parts who arrived in the tens of thousands going straight in to roost. The second viewing was from 5km away. There were 2 clouds visible with the eye before the birds settled and again it was just the initial rush as soon others came streaming in with long lines of up to a kilometre long. They kept coming from all directions including over my head for the next half hour. It is difficult to estimate numbers but there must be over half a million if not more. This is an amazing display and I am still waiting for the Pergrine to fly through once most have gathered.
The other spectacle at this time of year are the numbers of Short-eared owls quartering the ground. From one spot deep in the training area with the car parked on American Road, I saw 5 owls in 3 different grid squares. There was a pair getting to know each other and 3 others all hunting, flying backwards and forwards across the ground with the occassional dive into the rough grass. The Plain was devoid of troops and the only noise was the wind and the call of corvids. There was a noisy interuption as a Merlin tried to grab my attention but I had my bins focussed below the machine to see what birds the RAF would disturb; more corvids! He soon left and I took a slow drive down to Bridge Crossing 3 where a lonesome Lapwing stood forlorn in the mud without a friend nearby. This year there are very few Lapwings around and I have only seen one small flock of Golden Plover. I the stopped near Stripwood to observe the Starlings and wait for any raptors flying over the ridge of which of course there were none. As an aside when I was driving home across the Plain last Wednesday I spotted a rare sight of some CR2 tanks actually training; the shrimps will welcome their return.
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