A new site and……….

……a new ‘tick’.

Today I visited a new site for me, situated on the Greensand Ridge just a few miles to the south of Milton Keynes it consists of mixed woodland surrounding Gorse covered heathland. My original plan was just to explore the area to see what was about. It was pleasing to see that there was a good amount of the ‘commoner’ birds around…Blue Tits in the treetops,Coal Tits feeding on the pine cones, Skylarks singing as they rose up into the blue(ish) sky, at least five Buzzards circling and calling overhead, and sightings of Jay, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Linnet, Dunnock…the signs were promising that this might be a decent site.

I then met two birders (funny how you can tell a birder from a ‘normal’ person!) and after exchanging the usual pleasantries I was asked if I’d seen the Dartford Warbler and if I hadn’t it was showing really well a couple of hundred yards further down the track. Now, I knew that a Dartford Warbler had been spotted somewhere in the area but I didn’t know that THIS was the exact spot!
I slowly walked down to the indicated area and there…singing it’s little heart out from the top of a small tree was a stunning male Dartford Warbler. I spend an enjoyable twenty or so minutes photographing it as it moved around from bush to bush.









With a brand new ‘life tick’ and some half decent photos I made my way home feeling rather happy.