Tree Pipit and Cuckoo at Woolmer Pond.

Saturday 15th April 2022.

A beautiful morning here at Woolmer Pond.

This Bank Holiday Friday, I took the long drive up the A3 to visit Woolmer Pond and all its gorgeous wildlife, hoping for more migrants and this morning, the site did not disappoint. Another clear night produced a slight frost and as I was driving up the A3, there was still a layer of fog in various areas. However, my first ‘port of call’ was to give the moth box some attention and although nothing new was present for the year, there was a reasonable number to go through including the following:

• 4 Early Grey
• 2 Light Brown Apple Moth
• 20 Common Plume
• 1 Beautiful Plume.

The ‘name of the game’ this morning was to get up to Woolmer Pond early as I promised my wife that I would take her out for breakfast! So, I arrived around 7.30am in the small car park and made my way through the woodland to the Pond. The woodland held several Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps that were in full song and a Siskin flew over. I nearly jumped out of my skin when a lady on a Cycle passed close by on the footpath!

Above, the footpath through the woodland on entering the Pond and a male Siskin above my head with a female nearby. It didn't help my bad back craning upwards to photograph the bird.

The male Blackcap by the perimeter of the Pond.

Fortunately, there was no fog on the Pond and checking the calm water, I picked out several Canada Geese, Moorhen and Coots on the water, while on the northern end, around a dozen Black-headed Gulls were present. I decided to walk anticlockwise first around the Pond, hoping to see my first Tree Pipit of the year, but none could be seen although I was sure I heard one. At least four Siskins were feeding on the seed cones of Silver Birch above me and showed very well as did a few Long-tailed Tits that shared the same tree. A male Blackcap showed very well as it was skulking around the ground foliage singing all the time.

A pair of Mute Swans, Geese and wildfowl were present on the water.

I found this Treecreeper preening itself high up in a Silver Birch. 

A pair of Lapwing flying over the Pond.

Walking back clockwise (there were no red flags today and so I could walk through the Forest and heath), another check on the water revealed a few Mallard, at least 3 Grey Lag Geese and a pair of Little Grebes, while at least three Lapwing were displaying over the Pond. Nearing the Cottage, the conifers just before held both Goldcrest and Coal Tit that showed very well above my head. I was hoping for my first Redstart of the year, but none were seen this morning nor yesterday either. Surely they will arrive here soon? A walk around the Cottage revealed a few Linnets feeding on the ground and a pair of Chaffinches flew up into the trees, but not a great deal else to be seen here and so I made my way to the Forest.

One of the settled Lapwing showed well on the Pond.

This female Goldcrest showed well in the group of Conifers near the Cottage.

A female Linnet in the garden of the Cottage. The male wasn't too far away. 

Walking towards the Forest, I accidentally flushed three Woodlarks which flew up and circled overhead with one individual in full song. More were seen later in the morning as I made my way around the Pond. I could hear in the distance a singing Tree Pipit and eventually, I found the bird perched high up on a lone Conifer as I enjoyed watching the bird singing for its territory. Also in the distance was a singing Willow Warbler and I clocked it flitting about in a Silver Birch not far from the large pond to the north. A male Stonechat was also seen here, flitting about on the Gorse bushes below the Warbler.

My first Tree Pipit of the year and well worth the wait finding this gorgeous singing bird.

Apart from singing Chiffchaff and Coal Tit, all was fairly quiet through the woodland, but after climbing up the footpath, I made it out onto the heath and almost immediately connected with a singing male Dartford Warbler. The scratchy song could clearly be heard, but I could not find the bird, but thankfully, I found it a bit later perched on a Conifer sprig. Another Tree Pipit was displaying close by and a third bird was also heard singing to the north. A good day for this species! Then, I heard the familiar call of a Cuckoo somewhere in the distance and after walking east to the viewpoint, I eventually picked it up perched high up on the top of a Silver Birch; my second ‘year-tick’ of the day. More Linnets flew past and a Lesser Redpoll was also heard, but I failed to locate the bird. Cannot win them all! A small moth fluttered over the main footpath and on further inspection when it landed, it turned out to be my first Common Heath moth of the year!

The singing male Dartford Warbler on the heath. 

The distant Cuckoo on the heath. I have to say that I was very lucky to spot it! 

The Common Heath moth.  

I walked back through the Forest, after checking the time and made my way clockwise back around the Pond. On the Pond itself, I was hoping for a Common Sandpiper, but the best I could manage was a tide flock of 13 Tufted Duck on the ‘mirror-like’ water. Andy House gave me a call to say that he was making his way to Woolmer Pond and wanted to know where the Tree Pipts were and after giving him directions, another Tree Pipit was seen singing on top of a Silver Birch! A Common Buzzard flew low over the Pond, much to the anger of the mobbing Black-headed Gulls.

One of several Woodlarks seen this morning. This was a showy bird on the north side of the Pond.

As I got my gear packed into the back of my car, Andy House pulled into the car park with fellow ‘Lazee Birder’ JB and while talking to him, a ‘flock’ of 7 Jays flew over the road! The drive back down the A3 produced a Great Spotted Woodpecker flying over and a pair of Red Kites soaring over the Clanfield area. A cracking morning bird's birding.

Above, the beautiful Tree Pipit to round off a superb morning and below, some film footage of the above bird.