Weather: Cloudy, cool, rain showers. From 9am.
A return to Reffley Wood 24 years after my first visit, which was my first birding outing, & I was pleasantly surprised that it was still there as I had assumed that the ongoing housing developments observed as I grew up would have eaten it away entirely by now. Fortunately the wood is now owned & managed by the Woodland Trust for posterity.
Around the entrance & tiny car-park: Blackbird & Long-Tailed Tit; Song Thrush in good voice, the first of a few around the wood; Woodpigeon, the first of very many.
Walking in the woods for: Blackcap, only a couple throughout the day; Robin, mostly adult with young; a Stock Dove on a branch over the path & as I watched it a Wren appeared feeding its following brood.
In pines near to the houses that border the wood, a good group of mixed birds: squawking Jay, Great Tit, Coal Tit, a scruffy-looking Willow Tit, Blue Tit & Goldcrest, most apparently feeding youngsters.
After viewing this group a piercing cry was heard, although the bird was not seen I later identified it as sparrowhawk.
After doubling back to the wood's entrance I headed to the new growth area near to the bypass for: Chiffchaff, Chaffinch, Swift, House Martin, Collared Dove & Dunnock.
On reaching the wood's edge I had more excellent views of goldcrest which was singing in the larger trees. I also heard but did not see skylark, goldfinch & a green woodpecker's yaffle as well as a willow warbler singing from deep amongst the younger & denser trees.
A low-key morning with most of the birds that I saw the first time noted again, although I was disappointed to hear nothing of the garden warblers or nuthatches, but maybe I timed the visit just a couple of weeks too late to at least hear them - maybe next year.
20 species, none new.
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