MORNING WALK INTO YEO VALLEY AND THE TRACK TO CLIFTON MAYBANK
WEATHER: very misty first thing, then quite bright until 9:30am when rain started.
I was reluctant to go out when I saw the thick fog, but by the time I had eaten my muesli and downed my coffee the mist lifted and it looked quite bright with large patches of blue sky. So off I went, I even went without a raincoat, it looked that good.
Wild Garlic carpets the banks of the stream in many places
Despite my optimism the blue sky soon disappeared and a much darker bank of cloud was coming in from the south. I tip-toed through a flock of sheep and headed along the bank of the stream. It was really quiet as far as activity was concerned but there was still plenty of bird song.
I worked my way to the Kingfisher nest site, all I got there was a brief view of a pair of Long-tailed Tits and good views of a pair of Goldcrests. The Wren was singing but I couldn't see him, the foliage is now so dense that it difficult to see anything in the trees.
I didn't walk much further when I stopped to look at a Blackcap, to my left and three meters down I saw the Kingfisher and he didn't see me!! So I slowly took the scope from my back and set it up, I reached for my phone and the Kingfisher moved to another perch, but by the time I got my phone to my scope he had gone!! Oh well, nothing new there.
It then got really dark and I could feel little spots of rain in the wind so I set off back towards home. I mentioned yesterday that the farmer was going to stop walkers wandering into these meadows, it would be a disaster for me. Today I saw the farmer feeding his sheep so I went over and had a chat, the outcome was most satisfactory, he gave me permision to continue my walks, hooray!!
back at the beginning of the walk, the sky doesn't look good
As I left the valley, the Cuckoo started calling, this time it sounded as though it was calling from towards Clifton Maybank, so I made a quick excursion onto the track that leads that way. I climbed the hill and walked into a large grass meadow and from my vantage point I scanned the distant trees through the scope but the Cuckoo must have shifted position and I couldn't find him.
My extra journey was not in vain because I found a Starling's nest in a telegraph pole and a Linnet sat out nicely for me. Then it did start to rain so I legged back home as quick as I could.
Common Starling leaving the nest hole
a Linnet sat very nicely for me
When I got back home this little fellow was in my garden! They are not common round here so I was pleased to see him.
