It was a little quiet when we got there just after 9.30, there is quite a lot of parking and although the shop isn't open till the afternoon the toilets are! A couple of members of Staffs Council were there and one was having to tidy up a pile of rubbish that someone had dumped out of their car. I don't understand the mentality of that?! It's a beautiful place, full of birdsong from the minute we got out of the car..........and also the squawking of Pheasants, not quite as beautiful but certainly distinctive! A few ducks were waddling around the car park and there is a pond by the wood.
Straight off we spotted Treecreepers flitting between the trees, normally we struggle to see one but here were two and a bit further on we saw another three.
The woods were full of Lesser Celandine and Wood Anemones, looking lovely in the sun.....which brought out my first Peacock butterfly of the year along with a Comma. A day flying moth - Orange Underwing - settled on the path in front of us.
In the tops of the trees something large and brown flew quickly out of sight - a Buzzard! There were two of them sailing over the trees for some time. Then near the end of our walk one flew very low over us, amazing to see and the closest views i've ever had of them.
The walk we took around the woods is supposed to take roughly an hour but with how slow we walk and how often we stop to look at things and take photos we knew it would take longer. There are some steep bits and it was quite muddy but well worth the walk.
Chiffchaffs were all around, a Blackcap too, lots of Tits, Robins and in the distance a Woodpecker drumming, it never came into view.
All in all a great couple of hours, seeing the Buzzards alone made it worth visiting!
Lovely post and photos Pam - it looks a great place to walk and see wildlife. Feeling rather envious as I have never seen an Orange Underwing moth!
ReplyDeleteThanks :) I haven't I had to look it up when I got home!
DeleteLovely post Pam and a great set of photos, does look like a good place to go...
ReplyDeleteAmanda xx
Thank you! It was great but not somewhere you can pop to easily! x
DeleteConsall is not that far away from me, it's somewhere I've walked a few times (it's good for fungi in autumn and I had a great close encounter with a green woodpecker on the car park once!)
ReplyDeleteI was surprised that you were so thrilled to see buzzards! Are they not so common where you are? I thought they were pretty common all over the UK now but perhaps not - I can go and hang the washing out and see three circling overhead quite often and I see them a lot wherever I am around here, Kestrels too.
I really liked it, nice to see a Green Woodpecker!
DeleteBuzzards are everywhere, mostly though I see them alongside the motorways or as you say overhead - but usually quite a way overhead so I don't get to take so much time to watch them. I've not had one fly so close as one of them did there :)
Thanks for giving me the link to your post about your visit to Consall it sounds as if you enjoyed your walk around and you certainly saw lots of interesting birds:)
ReplyDeleteThanks Rosie, it's a great place!
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