Having spent the last couple of weeks away from Ashburnham, there isn't a huge amount of recent birding activity to report on. Having said that, on the Friday prior to my departure, I was fortunate enough to have one of my good friends and proficient birder, David Campbell, join me for a walk around the site. David works for Rare Bird Alert and is a professional guide, both impressive feats given that he's still only in his mid 20s. I knew that having David with me would likely mean that I'd be able to record at least an additional 20 percent more birds, not only because of his extra pair of eyes, but also because of his superior knowledge.
Unfortunately, despite the recent hot and dry weather, David arrived on site to a deluge of rain. Refusing to be put off by the weather we set off, choosing first to walk the length of Target Wood so as to minimise our risk of getting soaked through. As we headed down into the wood, we stopped off briefly at the sewage processing area. This would certainly not be high up on the list of places to visit within Ashburnham Place, but with an abundance of insects enjoying the bounty of food on offer, I knew that this would be a promising spot to begin our walk. I had visited this pleasant spot earlier on in the week and was rewarded with excellent views of several Grey Wagtails; the juveniles amongst them clearly indicating the presence of a family group. I had heard on several occasions their characteristic 'zi-zi' call overhead but now, it seemed, I had located their favourite haunt.
The pinkish base to the bill and white bib mark this individual out as a juvenile.
Sure enough, on this very wet morning, there they were, picking off the last few insects braving the rain. A good start to what otherwise would end up being a rather sparse birding session.
The rest of Target Wood delivered little else other then the usual species I've become accustomed to seeing; Nuthatch, Coal Tit, Goldcrest and Treecreeper, for example. Just as we were about to leave the area and feeling rather wet, David stood bolt up-right and motioned for me to listen. Over the sound of dripping leaves, out of the gloom, came a high-pitched, sharp whistle that we both knew belonged to a Kingfisher. I had totally overlooked the fact that the River Ashbourne runs along parallel to Target Wood and consequently, I was quite taken aback by the sound of this colourful species, its presence seeming almost out of place given the surrounding grey and dank.
After a brief coffee break and a chance to dry off, we headed out for a walk around the lakes, beginning with Front Water and then up to Reservoir Lake. Unfortunately, the rain became heavier and we were forced to seek refuge from the downpour beneath some of the thicker trees close to the Grove. We were half contemplating giving up at this stage but a hint of blue sky overhead beckoned us on. Our optimism was rewarded by a brief pause in the weather, just long enough to get back around Front Water and up into the stretch of Burrage Wood lining Broad Water. Having regaled David with tales of my Firecrest discovery, we spent some time scanning the large conifer where I had first located the individual for any further hint of this elusive species. After a few minutes, and to our delight, we were able to locate two birds frenetically flitting high up in the canopy. David informed me that such behaviour was a strong indication that these birds were parents and that there was probably a brood of young hungry Firecrests nearby. It seems my suspicions - noted down in an earlier post - that there was likely a breeding pair on site, were correct. We spent a further few minutes craning our necks upwards in an attempt to track down the nest but could not make one out within the maze of branches high up above us.
With the grey gathering above again we hurried around the rest of the lake, not wanting to linger for any duration. At the top of Ladyspring Meadow we paused briefly to scan Broad Water and were pleasantly surprised to see a Great Crested Grebe chaperoning a younger bird across the water. Apparently, several younger chicks were spotted with an adult pair earlier on in the Spring but then hadn't been seen for some time. I certainly hadn't noticed any younger Grebes around and I assumed that the Spring brood had succumbed to predation, probably from one of the local Mink that are said to live on site. The presence of this Juvenile - presumably now big enough to avoid the majority of advances from any opportunistic predator - meant that the Grebe pair had managed to raise at least one chick successfully and provided David and I, both rather sodden at this point, a happy ending to a rather dreary morning.
Ashburnham aside for a moment, the reason for my sojourn so early on into my new job was not because I'd planned an exotic trip away, but because - and far more excitingly - I became a Father for the second time to a beautiful baby girl. Sophia Wren (why not?!) Cogley was born on the 29th July and now our family of three has become a family of four.
Whilst Paternity Leave afforded me the opportunity to improve my cleaning and culinary skills - not that I avoid such chores normally I might add - I was fortunate enough to be able to spend a good deal of quality time with my two year-old son Josiah, a thoroughly energetic toddler who is fast becoming a bit of a birding expert. Lucy, my wife, won't mind me saying this but his knowledge of the more common birding species already surpasses hers. For example, he can already identify Oystercatchers, separate Coots from Moorhens, and has a particular penchant for geese, particularly Bean Geese??!! He truly is his Father's son.
Given his growing interest it seemed only right that the majority of our mornings together, while Mummy and Sophia slept, should be spent getting to know some of the birding spots around Hastings and St. Leonard's. And what a range of places there were to visit; we truly were spoilt for choice. Below I have included a few photos of some of the more interesting birds Josiah and I managed to track down; he's building up quite an impressive list of species, particularly for someone of his age. The birds included were photographed at a couple of my favourite locations, places Josiah and I have subsequently been back to on numerous occasions.
One of several Greenshanks present at Pannel Valley.
One of my favourite waders, the elegant Wood Sandpiper. Unusually, there were five of these scarce birds, again at Pannel Valley.
Perhaps more renowned for its waders and wildfowl, I bumped into this young Yellow Wagtail battling a strong South Westerly wind at Pett Level. This site also afforded me brief views of a rare Feruginous Duck, a species most often seen in Eastern Europe.