May’s birding momentum continued into the first part of June. My best find was a singing quail on the 10th June whilst on one of my turtle dove survey visits. I continued to search for evidence of breeding UK RBBP species, with mixed success.
An out of county visit to see friends on the 11th, meant Sarah and myself could also visit Thursley Common at the end of the day. Thursley is a childhood stomping ground, and a place I love. The smell of soft coconut from the gorse, with the scratchy notes of dartford warbler and evocative warblings of curlew create a sense of wide open spaces more reminiscent of parts of Scotland than the densely populated south-east. We spent time looking at the lowland bog plants, such as sundews and bog asphodel, which were next to the remaining parts of the board walk that were not destroyed by fire.
On the 16th I joined a fellow ecologist friend for a nocturnal walk in Blean Woods RSPB reserve, where we had one of the best sightings I have ever had of tawny owl. The bird was perched on top of bare trees, in an open glade as the light began to fade. As we returned to the cars, we could hear two owlets calling out to their parents.
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