Took a trip to the Forest today. Parking at Great Berry Quarry I took a look at the beaver enclosure. There were several obstructions on the Greathough Brook that I would have liked to think were work in progress by the beavers but were more likely just debris from the recent storms. There was extensive evidence of wild boar activity along the fence, I hadn't seem any evidence of boar in this area on previous visits.
Facing the actual stone quarry are what appear to bt overgrown colliary spoil tips although I can't identify a mine at that precise location. These were striking because of the harts tongue ferns growning. These were only on the spoil and nowhere else in the area in which I walked.
Moving on the the Nags Head reserve I was lucky enough to get a redwing posing for me. I had just seen a flock of brownish birds two big for sparrows and too small for thrushes fly across but this individual stayed on a branch giving me an excellent view without using the glasses. I wasn't so lucky with the flash of green that could only have been a woodpecker although I did hear at least two individuals calling in the woods.
A stay in the lower hide wasn't particularly rewarding apart from some glimpses of a tree creeper which never stayed still long enough to focus the binoculars.
I haven't been posting much due personal matters but still have my eyes open. One thing that has struck me is the eastward spread of birds of prey. I have seen buzzards over Havering-atte-Bower but the big suprise in the past month as been a red kite over the M25 near Stapleford Abbotts in Essex. The skys still look empty by Chiltern standards though. A nice little spot last week was a goldcrest during a visit to Kew Gardens. I have downloaded the Merlin app which supposedly identifies birdsong. I have had little opportunity to try it out but a quck test in the garden showd that it correctly told me that I could hear jackdaws and a robin. I look forward to using it on the coast to see if it can distinguish the various waders for me.


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