After a frosty night, today dawned sunny and clear, so my friend Tony & I decided to take a run out to Savernake forest to see if we could track down the elusive Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. There are known to be a number breeding in the area, but although I've heard them several times, I've yet to have a really clear view. Today wasn't to be the day either, with no sign or sound of them whatsoever. It was still very pleasant to spend the morning walking through the ancient woodland though, with lots of other wildlife activity. Walking along the main path, we watched a female Muntjac Deer picking her way through the understory.
We saw almost the full range of tits; Great, Blue, Long-tailed, Coal and Marsh -as well as lots of Nuthatches calling & hopping around up in the canopy. We also flushed a pair of Wood Ducks (descendants of escaped birds) from the pond. A pair has bred here a few years back, so it'll be interesting to see if this pair stick around.
On leaving Savernake, we took a little drive through some of the back roads around Aldbourne. It was a good morning for raptors, with 6 Red Kites, a dozen Buzzards, and 3 Kestrels all spotted in the course of a couple of miles. Lots of Red Legged Partridges scurrying around too. We stopped for Tony to have a looked at a pair of Brown Hares and were both surprised when one lolloped towards him, ending up almost at his feet!
After dropping Tony off, I decided to head out again, this time on the hunt for Water Voles. The population in the local area seems to be holding strong - fingers crossed - and there are several streams and waterways where there's a good chance of seeing them, with a little patience.
I was rewarded with some good views of this cheeky chap at the second site I checked today. I'm hoping to work with these entertaining little rodents a bit more over the coming months - got a few shots in mind!
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