Dawn Chorus Walk

News

14 Jun

Written By

On Sunday 1 May 2016 The Watercress Way celebrated the launch of this website by a Dawn Chorus Walk.

With a waning crescent moon still shining overhead and a sheen of white frost glistening on the fields, a dozen brave souls set out from Couch Green car park at 4.30am for the annual Dawn Chorus Walk.Members of the Worthys Conservation Volunteers joined with The Watercress Way team under the guidance of Wilf Simcox to hear the wakening birds ring out their calls.Meandering along the old railway line, at first all we could hear were blackbird and robin.Too dark for them to feed, they sing out their territorial claims, reiterating their stake to a particular area, loud and clear.As we clambered out of the old railway cutting and headed down the lane to Martyr Worthy the variety of birds changed - goldfinch, chiffchaff, great tit and wren joined in the chorus. dawn1 Meeting the ghostly river Itchen just after 5am with mist rising eerily through the reeds we were rewarded by the sight of a heron and the sound of a sedge warbler - churrring in the reeds.Onwards to Easton where we noted the high pitched, mincing cry of the goldcrest hiding in a conifer; it's one of the UK's smallest birds and difficult to see!Then along the lane to Chilland partnered by woodpeckers; we heard the oft repeated yaffle of the green one and saw the bouncy flight of the greater spotted.Back over the River once more we heard warblers again - not only the Sedge but a loud burst of song from a Cetti's warbler too.Then we saw our rarest bird of the day.At first glance this bobbing creature could have been mistaken for a wagtail but in fact it was a common sandpiper - probably on its migration further north for the summer.One other (recently) rare bird we heard was the yellowhammer.Loss of winter habitat in the form of stubble seems to have reduced its numbers in Hampshire.Let's hope its distinctive "little bit of bread and no cheese" call is not lost completely. dawn2 Walking along the north bank of the river, the group took in the view across the valley to Avington Park as the sun now rising rapidly lit the tops of the trees.The White British cattle that the Hampshire & IoW Wildlife Trust has grazing on the recently cleared water meadows seemed to skulk warily through the marshes here.Apparently they're a breed that can trace their ancestry back to the indigenous wild white cattle of Britain.Now they're being used to maintain and increase the biodiversity of the land - selectively grazing the vegetation and so encouraging a wider range of wildlife to co-exist. Dawn3 A very welcome hot drink and some bacon filled croissants then helped to warm the group's frozen fingers.Grateful thanks to Wilf for his identification of the birdsong...and to Jackie and Mark Porter for their hospitality so early in the morning.Breakfast finished, we walked back along the old railway line to Couch Green adding mistle thrust and Nuthatch to a list that finally totaled 30 species. We returned home shortly after 7am.Bird guide: Wilf SimcoxReport: Charlotte Smith