The Standlake Birder

     Finally, it feels as though we may have turned the page on this everlasting winter. As I write this the sun has finally appeared and is shining brightly over our small holding. The salad tomatoes and pepper seedlings  have almost forgiven me for planting them in the gloom of winter and are starting to grow. The hanging basket annuals, petunias, bidens and lobelias, are out of the heated propagator and looking promising in the sunny greenhouse.   I’ve been toying with the idea of a visit to RSPB Greylake in Somerset to see and hopefully photograph a showy overwintering female Merlin. With the sun starting to warm the countryside and metrological spring starting on Saturday, she will soon be heading to her northern breeding grounds. So it was now or never and with some sun promised I made my way to Greylake a couple of days ago.   Greylake this time of year is absolutely teaming with winter wildfowl, mainly Widgeon and Teal with a smattering of Shov...

        I really struggle with these dark overcast winter days. Sometimes  it even  feels as though it never really gets light at all but heigh-ho spring is just around the corner apparently! With gloom forecast and delivered for this whole week so far, I was determined to get out somewhere for a days birding to cheer myself up. I had a look at various options but in the end decided on the New Forest for the morning and then Southsea for the afternoon as I fancied something a  little different and I haven’t been to the New Forest for a good few years. I had two New Forest specialties that I was particularly hoping to see, namely the Firecrest and Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. There have been a few reports of the Woodpeckers drumming from a particular tree at Acres Down but I was unsure of the exact location. So I asked my birding friend, Ady, who has been there and he kindly supplied detailed directions to the foresaid tree. My plan was to ...

     Glossy Ibis Our garden Greater Spotted Woodpecker has started drumming again on his favourite tree, a sure sign that spring is not a million miles away.  He does this as breeding season approaches to proclaim ownership of his territory and warn off any rivals. With this in mind, and a bright cold sunny morning forecast for Wednesday, I set off for the Wyre Forest in Worcestershire to see if I could locate any of my garden drummers much rarer cousins, the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. I arrived  in the forest just before dawn on a beautiful morning faithful to the weather forecast, perfect conditions for a bid of territory advertising.    I was further encouraged by a  Greater Spotted Woodpecker drumming loudly near the car park. I made my way to a spot that has been good in the past where dead partially rotten trees had been favourite drumming spots.  The drumming on old rotten trees is said to carry further. My experien...