Green Urban Birding - The Shorne - Cobham Loop - 5th November 2020

It has been a strange week so far. I returned to work on Monday after the aforementioned 225 days and as of this morning I was Furloughed once again. For how long this time is anyone’s guess but at least another four weeks and so I was determined to get out into the crisp November air this morning for a walk to blow away the confusion and anxiety of the last few days.

I walk up my road with my breath marking my progress and Black-headed Gulls watching nonchalantly from the root top aerials while a line of Starlings were plugged into the copper roof and solar panels of the church.

Black-headed Gulls

Starlings

First Frost

I had Rede Common to myself and from on top I could see that they surrounding area was shrouded in mist and that the common had it head poking out of the top.  There was plenty going on with Blackbirds being especially noticeable as they foraged around the path edges and squabbled over the hawthorns berries and last remaining apples. Most of the males seen were definitely non-local 1^st winters with black bills, slaty black plumage and a hint of brown in the wings. They were chunky too and looked long winged in flight.  There were also females around but these were pale rather than dark and included two of the spottiest individuals I have ever seen.  My final tally was 38.

female Blackbird

female Blackbird - honest guv!

imm male Blackbird

Redwings and Song Thrushes erupted from cover and there were more Dunnocks than usual grovelling around the edges with little shuffle steps.  I had three high flying ones too so perhaps these were also migrants. Two male Blackcaps and  Chiffchaff were found along with 18 Goldcrest which is unprecedented on the Common.Chaffinches bimbled west three Lesser Redpolls were with them while Jays were moving all around and inevitably collecting acorns from the bumper harvest. 

 

Redwing

Dunnock

Dunnock

Goldcrest

Blackcap

Jaycorn

 

Carrion Crow

Lime green balls of Mistletoe were dotted around various tree species and some was low enough to get up closer to for a look.

Mistletoe

Mistletoe

Bramble

Ivy

Holly

 

I dropped back down onto the London Road before aiming for Crutches Lane. A flowering Elaeagnus could be smelt before I reached it and few minutes there produced three Bombus terrestris, several Common Wasp, some Bluebottles and a single Episyrphus balteatus. 

Common Wasp

Elaeagnus

A late flowering variety of native climber - Clematis vitalba stellaartoisiensis

Crutches Tunnel - that sounds wrong

It was to quickly beome another day of tunnels, lines and paths

White Dead Nettle

Mist over Higham

Purple-throated Chimney Warbler

I said hello to the Roof Pigeons as I made my way down the lane towards Great Crabbles Wood which was shrouded in mist before cutting through the Orchard edge to see if there were any insects making the most of the warm leeward side of the now largely bare trees. There were some flies but nothing else so I went back into the wood for the rest of the path. A few fungi were to be found but I am really out of my depth with these but the woods were quiet and peaceful and calming. I made my way to the two huge Oaks and paid my respects. If anything they both look even more regal with their autumn hues.

Phaonia subventa - thanks Phil

 

 

Clumps of orange fruits exploding out of the spear shaped clumps of Stinking Iris threw fiery orange spots across the woodland floor where the leaves were so thick the path was barely visible and the biggest clump of Butcher’s Broom I have ever said also had the largest berries I have seen on this weird plant.

Stinking Iris

Butcher's Broom

Butcher's Broom

Leiobunum rotundum

 

I turned right and up the hill at Bowesden Lane, checking the scrubby field to my right for the slim chance of a chat of shrike. Jays were raucously calling all around and Crests and Long-tailed Tits followed me as I approached the large properties further up. The steady drone of ride on lawnmowers and leaf-blowers broke the otherwise calm and patches of naturalised Cyclamens were growing on the roadside banks.

Cyclamens

Holly

A tiny piece of flowering Hogweed had two nice flies on it and even more amazingly I could identify both. One was a Graphomya maculata and the second was my first Neomyia of the year and I reckon my bristle counting is correct and it is N viridescens.

Hogweed

Graphomya maculata

Neomyia viridescens

 

The Holly trees were laden with berries but I could not find any Firecrests this time although I could hear more Goldcrests in the gardens. I turned left at The Ridgeway and then into the ally footpath down to Woodlands Lane and straight across the road and into the Shorne Wood complex.

 

I followed my nose successfully through the maze of waymarked trails and managed to avoid most of the people out with toddlers and the hound. There were a few more fungi to be found including some huge discs that became funnel-like as they aged along with a handful of past their bestFly Agaric.

 

Lesser Redpolls and Siskins were feeding invisibly in the trees rather than just passing through and a party of content Redwings were sub-singing from one of the veteran berry dotted Yews. They ponds were still and glassy and I was not overly surprised to discover a single male Common Darter still actively hunting around the margins.

Common Darter

 

I carefully descended the steps to the Fairy Circle and could hear Ring-necked Parakeets around me as I did so. During the summer I had discovered a couple of pairs in this wood but there were certainly more today and they became a feature of the rest of the walk although I have still only had one over the house in 18 years. Unlike many, I love them and could hear a male singing from the chestnut canopy and could picture him sidling up and down a branch with wings out to flash those sulphur coverts at his intended while dilating his pupils in time with his tune.

Ring-necked Parakeet

 

A roving flock of at least 40 Long-tailed Tits skittered through the tree tops with Blue, Great and Coal Tits for company and Nuthatches and Treecreepers were tagging along too along with several Goldcrests.

I crossed over the A2 where the traffic appeared no different to previous days despite the start of the new Lockdown and followed the very muddy track down along side Ashenbank Wood where i had the drifts of Ramsons in the spring.

 

Redwings were feeding low down and I could hear them tossing leaves around and like in Shorne, one or two were chortling away to themselves. I emerged into Jeskyns and hung a left back up alongside the ancient woodland.  A Green Woodpecker was out feeding in the wet grass and I could hear a Stonechat but could not find it. This whole area looks great for a Dartford Warbler too!

Green Woodpecker

 

Jays crisscrossed the meadow and seem able to still make a racket even with a bill and crop full of acorns and two Bullfinches did likewise but in a more solemn and dignified manner.

There was more dew on the ground here and small webs shimmered with the weight of the melted frost but of the spiders there was no sign. My path took me through Cobham and then off into the Estate on my usual route home. The Lime avenue leading up to the House looked as fine in its autumnal colours as it did in summer finery.

 

Winter Wheat now grew where the sweet tasting Peas were and Skylarks and Rooks were poking around the two subsequent ploughed fields and there was a selection of flowers still in bloom in the field margin with Sow Thistles, Bristly Oxtongues and Dandelions.  Sunny fence posts had sunbathing flies and with help from Phil I can safely say that I have a Phaonia and Anthomyid amongst the numerous Calliphora. Two Crossbills called overhead and I could hear more Redpolls somewhere off in the trees.

Winter Wheat

...with Moles

Bristly Oxtongue

Dandelion

Nipplewort

White Campion

Anthomyid

Phaonia sp

The wood itself was bathed in low afternoon sunlight and I took my usual side path away from the main drag and unlike my last visit it was still with barely a leaf twirling to the ground.  Many trees were in fact very bare with the Ash in particular being almost completely denuded.

The Highland Cattle (and some hybrid things!) found me and appeared almost silently out of the Bracken where they were grazing on Bramble. The blond was seemed to remember me from our encounter a couple of weeks ago and they were docile enough to let me pass as I climbed up to the Doorway Chestnut and the Darnley Mausoleum. 

I am sure this and the black one are not pure Highlands

I love this one

  

There were still mating Yellow Dung Flies around the fresh pats and I even found a scratching post for the cows on one of the trees. 

Yellow Dung Flies

 

I was once more on the downward route home where I could turn my brain off, tune out and kick through piles of leaves like a carefree five year old...

Back over the Eurostar line

 

Light at the end of the tunnel