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Redwings and Skylarks

Driving home from the station this evening I noticed a couple of birders in the lay-by in Stony Lane between Little Chalfont and Latimer. I have no idea what they had been watching but saw nothing interesting from the car. I have seen red kites in the Latimer area on a couple of occasions and once and egret flying up the Chess valley but just a crows and pigeons tonight.

Getting back to the title, I was struck by the combination of winter and summer last weekend. On Saturday I was walking in the National Trust woods at Ashridge. A flock of what looked like small thrushes kept moving away from me, I had foolishly left the bins at home and couldn't make a firm identification but would put a very high probability on a flock of redwing. I also saw a solitary muntjac who was quite unconcerned by my presence. At the NT's feeding station behind the visitor centre pied wagtails, chaffinches and great tits were all in evidence. The morning's walk was rounded off with lunch at The Greyhound in Aldbury. It was my first visit for a while and there seemed to be more emphasis on the restaurant but the food was as excellent as ever.

On Sunday summer seemed to be coming with yellowhammers visible along the hedgerows and a skylark singing in the fields.

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