Red Kite, Ring Ouzel and first Speckled Wood of Spring - Broomfield Track 08/04/20

I headed for my usual walk on a beautiful spring day and was greeted by my first Speckled Wood butterfly of the year which made a good start to the walk. It was taking advantage of a patch of sunlight before leaving its perch to chase another Speckled Wood butterfly flying past.

Speckled Wood Butterfly

I had an enjoyable walk round but with no sign of anything particularly new in. The air was full of Skylark song and 2 Common Buzzard called to each other as they spiralled higher and higher above me. A nice surprise was 2 Red-legged Partridge exploding up from cover as I reached the halfway point and disappearing behind the hedge. I hoped that they might have settled in the field but there was no sign of them as I made my way further down.

I could hear a couple of Great Spotted Woodpeckers drumming as I passed the wood and a Green Woodpecker called loudly. A group of Dandelion heads caught my eye and I liked how I could see all the stages of the flower from flower to various stages of seed head in the same small area.

Dandelion heads

My walk got a whole lot better when I looked up to see a raptor coming and realised it was a Red Kite (104). Now that was a very welcome sight. What a beauty. I lost my balance as I tried for a photo as it came past and only managed the one nearer shot. By the time I could try for another it had already gained a lot of height but was still a real pleasure to watch and I could see that it had moulted at least one of its tail feathers.

Red Kite

Red Kite

Well chuffed I carried on only to find that the walk still held another very welcome surprise. Heading back up the path past the paddock I could see some Blackbirds in the paddock through the gaps in the Hedgerow and then caught sight of a stunning male Ring Ouzel (105). Luckily for me, though fairly obscured by branches and a wire fence, I was able to see it well enough to try for some photos. It became very alert as some dog walkers came down the path and then flew for cover. I felt so very lucky to have seen it. What a super end to the walk. I looked back over my records when I got home and found that the last time I saw a Ring Ouzel at Broomfield track was on exactly the same day, the 8th of April, but in 2013 and that time it was in the cow paddock. It must be a good day in April for them.

male Ring Ouzel

male Ring Ouzel

Birds seen this visit included: 6 Robin, 3 Wren, 12 Blackbird, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Wood Pigeons, 4 Dunnock, 1 Jay, 8 Magpie, 4 Goldfinch, 5 Chiffchaff, 8 Chaffinch, 5 Song Thrush, 8 Linnet, Rooks, Carrion Crows, Jackdaws, 5 Stock Dove, Skylarks, 2 Common Buzzard, 1 Sparrowhawk, 2 Kestrel, 2 Long-tailed Tit, 1 Pheasant, 2 Red-legged Partridge, 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Green Woodpecker, 1 Red Kite, 1 Ring Ouzel