Green Urban Birding - Great Crabbles - Cobham Loop - 17th March 2021

It was hardly a glorious spring-like morning but as I have not been for walk from the front door since the 26^th February (when I forgot the memory card) I was determined to get out and have a wander while it was not raining or blowing like a banshee.

I wrapped up in multitudinous layers and ventured up the road and over Rede Common.  It was cold and grey but a couple of Chiffchaffs were trying to convince me that it was nicer than it looked. Three Jays crossed my path raucously telling everything that I was coming through and up above there was a steady passage of small groups of adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls heading west to populate the ever increasing inland breeding populations.

Red and White Dead Nettles and little spots of Cow Parsley were flowering but there was not an insect to be seen.

Cow Parsley

White Dead Nettles

 

It was nice to bump into Rob for a catch up for the first time this year and two Lesser Redpolls flew over as we talked before I dropped down onto the main road and headed towards Crutches Lane.

The verges at the far end were smothered in a carpet of Red Dead Nettles and Lesser Celandines with little pockets of Sweet Violets. Again, there should have been bees but there was no sunshine at all.

Lesser Celandines

Sweet Violet

 

 

I followed the inner path through Great Crabbles Wood where things have been moving on in a spring-like fashion despite the weather and patches of Moschatel and the first Wood Anemones leaves were pushing through the Bluebells.   

Moschatel

 

Lords and Ladies

Lords and Ladies

There were some fine Early Purple Orchid rosettes path side which will probably get trampled but the main area around the crater has narrowly avoided the attentions of the off road motorbikes that have tearing up the wood and my final tally was 57 which I was very pleased about.

Three variations of Early Purple Orchid

 

 

I found more Sweet Violets but nearly the whole bank was white rather than purple but like the others I found there was no scent whatsoever, probably due to the lack of warmth I the air!

Sweet Violet

A few Redwings moved off in front of me and I could hear Treecreepers and the usual Tits as well as the expected Bullfinches around the Blackthorn edges.

I followed the cycle path alongside the A2 finding several Holly trees infested with Phytomyza ilicis fly leaf mines and some nice flowering Blackthorn but the Sallow catkins that were left were too high to check for Hoverflies but I could not seen a single insect flying around them.  Med Gulls called overhead and I could hear Buzzards up in the grey.

Phytomyza ilicis

 

Hazel catkins

Blackthorn blossom

 

The wide verge is before getting to the A2 is often very good for low growign plant species and amongst the various Cranesbills and Storksbills there were great patches of Spotted Medick, Bittercress and more Celandines while around the edges I found Annual Mercury to compare with the Dog's Mercury that abound on the forest floor and several little clumps of Common Whitlowgrass.

Spotted Medick

 

Annual Mercury

Dog's Mercury

More Sweet Violets

Common Whitlowgrass

I crossed the A2 and followed the muddy track back along the CTRL before heading up the boundary of the golf course.  Mistle Thrushes mournfully sang in the Ash trees and two Green Woodpeckers were having a Yaffle-off over the drone of the A2.  I stopped for a coffee and just sat and closed my eyes and listened to the bird song whilst putting my consternation about my return to work on Monday to the back of my mind.  Not getting out for over two weeks in the run up to it has not helped.

 

I pressed on up and into the Cobham Woods enclosure before wending my way though the cattle tracks up towards the Mausoleum.  I collected some windblown lichen encrusted twigs to place around my own woodland floor and as usual in this section was accompanied by Treecreepers and two Crossbills flew over calling.

Parmelia sulcata

Parmelia sulcata

 

On my earlier walks this year I had seen the start of small clumps of what I believe are native Wild Daffodils appearing here and there and now those patches are blooming and looked splendid against the general dull and dank woodland around them.  I suspect that I was just a little too late last year on my first walks up here in April to notice them.

Wild Daffodils

 

The temperature was dropping again and it felt like rain was on the way so I decided to stick to the main path back home rather than wiggling any more through Ranscombe and sure enough it started just as I got to the top of my road. 

I returned home happy to have got out and pleased to have got back in touch with Spring and all its vibrant potential. 

The Common Frogs had been busy in the pond overnight...

I also went through my 2000 mile mark today since the 23rd March 2020...