Over the past few years I’ve had an early spring date in my diary to visit Thursley Common in Surrey to see Dartford Warblers. Experience has taught me that that best time to go is on a sunny day in early to mid-March. This seems to be when the males are at their most active and accessible as they will perch up on the gorse and blast out their song. The truth is that their song is not particularly pleasing to the ear being rather scratchy and certainly not up there with the best songsters but I guess the female Dartfords don’t see it that way! By early April the pair bond seems to be (re)established and the male and the female are often found doing a feeding circuit deeper in the gorse. I don’t like to go any later than early April as I want to make sure I don’t disturb them when they are nesting – doubly so as they are a schedule 1 bird.
With the atrocious March weather, the wettest for 40 years, I was thinking I would be giving this trip a miss this year but I was free this Tuesday on what was forecast to be a lovely sunny day so off on the 115 mile trip to Thursley common I went. The drive was totally uneventful until I approach the last mile along the small, wooded lane to the Moat Pond car park. I discovered that the approach road was closed and when I enquired how to get to my destination the chap at the barrier told me to follow the diversion signs. The problem was there either weren’t any or they were very well hidden! What followed was an incredibly frustrating and blood pressure raising 40 minutes going around the small lanes in circles trying to find a way in. Yes roads need to be closed for repairs etc but surely the diversions should be well signed!
I eventually worked out how to do it and arrived at a near empty car park – I guess most other visitors were having the same problem as me. I had intended to look for Wood Larks first but as I was much later than intended I decided to go straight to an area which has always been good for the Dartfords.
Being a resident insectivore on the very northern end of its range in the UK makes it highly susceptible to severe winter weather. In the famously cold and snowy winter of 1962/63 it is said that its UK population dropped to just ten pairs. More recently, thankfully, their numbers have increased due to warmer winters and well managed areas of heathland. The species is classified globally as near threatened.
The summer before last a devastating fire reduced much of the common to ash but mother nature had been hard at work and the yellow gorse looked in fine fettle. Small saplings were also taking advantage of the lack of competition and were pushing their way up to the cleared skies. Subjectively, the Dartfords seemed to be doing well, there must be some upside to climate change after all. I found 4 territories where pairs were doing feeding circuits, the male and female staying close together as they made their way around. As per above they were much more in the undergrowth than visits earlier in the year and in the 5 hours I was walking around I never heard a male sing once.
Last year in early March I was really spoilt by getting some clear pictures of singing males but this year my later visit gave mainly twiggy views of the birds feeding low down. Note to self – make sure I go in early March next year!
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| Last years much clearer pictures |
I saw one distant Wood Lark to add to my rather half hearted year list but again heard no song. Another reason to go earlier next year!
The day was completed by the Seagulls continuing their fine form with a 2 goal away victory over Bournemouth. This is, by some considerable measure, the Seagulls best season in the long 50 years I have supported them. I find it so gratifying that a team almost exclusively built on young talent that the club have found and developed are doing so well. Their very attacking style of football is so pleasing on the eye. I find it very gratifying to see my team doing so well compared to teams with billionaire owners and endless reserves who buy players at such inflated prices without any sign of a strategy and who hire and fire managers as regularly as fireworks going off.
Footnote – my blogs are posted with sometimes rather imaginative spelling and grammar due to my extreme dyslexia!
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