A chill in the air and the crunch of frost under foot, it was a beautiful morning at Old Lodge Nature Reserve in Ashdown Forest.
Walking on the main path of the reserve, the first bird I noticed was a Raven. This massive member of the crow family flew past me, its deep, croaking call echoing throughout the woods. Among the trees were a few coal tits flying from twig to twig, feeding on the conifer seeds. A couple of goldcrests joined them, also feeding on the trees's seeds.
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| Raven |
The cold weather had brought the robins out, with one perched very festively on some holly. Walking through the now rather dull looking heather, a pair of stonechat were perched on top of a surprisingly flowering gorse bush. When you stop and listen, you can really hear how the stonechat's call sounds like two stones being knocked together!
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| Stonechat |
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| Stonechat |
Further round the reserve I heard the harsh call of the skulking dartford warbler, the same place I saw one last time! It perched on top of some gorse and at one point was chased off by a stonechat. As a great spotted woodpecker called in the distance, a kestrel flew over the horizon, hovering with such stillness despite the increasing wind. After a while of hovering in different places it gave up and flew off to try hunting somewhere else.
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| Dartford warbler |
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