Friday, 9 March 2012

Adder Nuff Devastation

We managed to see 6 different Adders yesterday, and even though it was heavily overcast in the afternoon we still managed to find 3. Pam discovered a pair of Crossbills at the top of a bare tree, but after lunch we had to put up with several noisy flyovers. Both groups saw singing Siskins, and a nice selection of other finches. We had fleeting glimpses of Green Woodpeckers through the day, but only heard a distant lark during the afternoon.

The most annoying thing apart from the compulsory dog mess was that the 'authorities' waited 3 weeks after the return of their Schedlue 1 breeders, and a fortnight after the Adders started to emerge, before they unleashed mechanised devastation on large areas. They had the whole of a very dry winter to do the much-needed job of cutting back the out-of-control birch scrub, so it borders on the criminal to make a start on this job just when Schedule 1 breeders have returned. In this day-and-age their contempt for the species they should be conserving verges on the moronic!
Singing Siskin
ditto
Adder [female]
Adder [male]
"It was the footprint of a giant hound" - in an area where they aren't permitted
Coal Tit (c) 2012 Richard Whateley
Record Shot of a Treecreeper (c) 2012 Richard Whateley
Record shot of a Marsh Tit (c) 2012 Richard Whateley
Record Shot of a Great Spotted Woodpecker (c) 2012 Richard Whateley

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