WRAG BARN

I was re reading my recent blogs and realised I'd forgotten to include accounts of another local golf course in Highworth which I have visited a couple of times. 

This is a pristine golf course, privately owned and is larger than the disused one behind where I live. There are three ponds on the course so I thought that they might provide extra interest for my walking and wildlife recording. 

The path to the golf course  is very narrow in places  where it skirts the edge of a field, but thankfully I have not met anyone coming towards me, apart from one occasion when I was nearing the end of the path so the oncomer could wait in the gateway. 

Most of the plantations on the golf course are new, and although a few butterflies were spotted there didn't seem many birds, although I saw one pheasant and heard a green woodpecker.  The first of the ponds I found, had a coot and a pair of Canada geese on it (perhaps this was the same pair I saw flying over Pentylands last week). At the second, there was the unmistakeable sound of a reed warbler. I sat at the edge and waited but only just got a fleeting glimpse of  the small brown bird flitting through the reeds. The final pond gave me a chance to find some early damselflies and dragonflies. I have not really been focussing on these insects but decided to take a few photographs, which enabled identification as a large red damselfly,azure blue damselfly, and seen but not photographed a broad bodied chaser. Another  green/blue dragonfly was seen, but I could not identify it as it never stopped where I could take a proper look! 

narrow footpath to the golf course

azure blue damselfly

large red damselfly

Canada geese

view from one of the ponds towards  Wrag barn

where I saw the reed warbler

Canada geese

LAST DAY OF LOCAL EXERCISE?

For the past couple of years I have belonged to a local U3A birders group ( for the less informed,  it is one of many groups designed to combat loneliness in the over 50s!) 

As we cannot go on regular walks together, it was suggested that members of the group did their own birding each week and submitted their sightings which would then be published in one document to the rest of the group. To date we have clocked up 60+ sightings during recent weeks, plus records of mammals, butterflies and other insects. 

Always one for a challenge, I try and achieve the maximum sightings I can each week, which obviously means revisiting sites to see the same bird species. So this morning I   went for a walk at Pentylands in a quest for whitethroats and willow warblers in particular. On entering the site, I immediately noticed  slight change in that there were less  whitethroats singing from the tops of shrubs and those that did, were frequently diving into the bramble bushes, where presumably they are nest building.  I did, however, locate at least 4 willow warblers, a few chiffchaffs and a couple of blackcaps. 

Whilst enjoying the surroundings, I got into conversations with a dog walker, who obviously was interested in wildlife himself, as he told me ( and showed me) a long tailed tit nest beautifuly made and concealed in some bushes. There appeared little activity so i am unsure if the parents are sitting on eggs or if they have already fledged.  I was also told about a bullfinch nest and a tawny owl nest but didn't find those. 

As it was still sunny, and somehwat warmer than expected, I took a different route back to my house, following the path of an old railway line, down to the village of Hampton. I took a footpath back across a field then followed the  hedgeline, where there were some hawthorn and bramble bushes, and here I saw a few more whitethroats. I found some thistles already in flower, and felt sure that butterflies wouldn't be far away, and indeed, soon spotted a female orange tip, and then my first large white of the year, the latter identified by its large size and definite black tip to the forewings. 

With some of the lockdown restricitions lifted, I am hoping I may be able to catch up on some of my buttefly spotting, although that may depend on the availability of parking  as many reserves have closed their carparks.

blackcap

willow warbler

well hidden long tailed tit nest

large white

WHITETHROATS AND WARBLERS

As Locksdown continues I have been regularly walking in the local area, but mainly in the Pentylands park area. I met an old aquaintance who is an regular walker and she told me how to reach Pentylands from the south, which meant not having to take the car to the bottom of the hill, but rather taking a footpath from the a gate in the cemetery and walking down through  a couple of fields and wooded areas until you get to the  'scrub' area of Pentylands. 

I have done this on several occasions now, and particularly enjoy the morning walks when the birdsong is at its best. There appear to be good numbers of whitethroats in this area all competing with each other, singing from the tops of the small patches of bramble, or hawthorn trees. I did meet someone who said a lesser whitethroat had been seen in the area but I haven't located it yet. 

Then in the birch trees there is a good chance of seeing and hearing willow warblers and chiffchaffs. 

I am hoping that some of the lifting of lockdown restrictions will enable us to go further afield to explore the countryside and find other species before too long. 

willow warbler

whitethroat

view over Pentylands park from the top of the hill

scrub area favoured by whitethroats

PENTYLANDS COUNTRY PARK

Having frequented Highworth's golf course for several weeks, I felt it was time for a change so I decided to drive down the hill to the north of the town ( a few minutes in the car) and visit Highworth's country park. It consists of five fields surrounded by hedge rows and is popular with dog walkers, but also has a newer tree planted area leading to a wilder grassy area with bramble and other bushes. 

Over the past couple of days I have been able to add a few more birds to my slower than usual growing year list. The beautiful weather has made it  a pleasure to be out; birdsong everywhere and more butterflies on the wing. I have been taking my walks in the morning this week to avoid the hottest part of the day.

New species  this week included willow warbler, and whitethroat, also my first swallows of the year. Also my first red admiral butterfly.

whitethroat

willow warbler

wren

part of Pentylands

male and female orange tips

willow warblers favoured the area on the left

view from entrance to park

HOLLY BLUE

Slightly cloudier and cooler for my walk yesterday, hence    the only butterflies seen were two   whites which were not close enough to identify. However, the sun came out again in the evening and I managed to locate a holly blue on the ivy in my garden, I have   been noticing  these little butterflies regularly for the past week, but they have been reluctant to land, merely flying from one side of the garden to the other, then up and over the hedge. This individual stayed around for several minutes in the evening sunshine, allowing me to get up close with the camera on my phone. The dark wing sshow this one to be a female. 

MORE BUTTERFLIES EMERGING

A late morning walk round part of the golf course today, and I was pleased to see    some speckled wood butterflies, five to be precise, presumably they must have emerged since yesterday when I saw none. I also managed to find a female orange tip, and another new species, a small white. albeit with part of its wingtip already  missing! 

Blackcaps singing again along with chiffchaffs and other species. Just caught sight of a couple of red legged partridges which I disturbed on the golf course and which flew off quickly over the hedge. 

just sufficient view of underwing to confirm this is a female orange tip

female orange tip

small white

blackcap

black cap from below!

LOCKDOWN CONTINUES...

With the continuation of 'lockdown' I again ventured out onto the Highworth golf course, after a cold start, it was gradually warming up and I was hopeful of increasing my tally of species found there so far. 

I soon spotted my first butterfly,  a white one, which eventually settled and proved to be my first green veined white of the year. I also found  a couple of small tortoiseshells and peacocks and some orange tips, one of which settled on a daisy long enough for me to get a photo, which was pleasing as they are not a species which you can often photgraph. 

Bird life was much the same, but with the addition of a couple of song thrushes and a few blackcaps singing... spring is definitely here!