>>The demand for our Bird Walk on 4th February was such that Duncan Evered agreed to lead a second walk a week later for those who couldn't get a space on the first walk.
Duncan pointed out that even though it was only a week later, it was noticeable that the birds were getting more active as Spring approaches.
We followed a different route and again heard and saw a good range of birds, including a small flock of long-tailed tits alongside the robins and wrens in the trees and scrub alongside Troopers Hill Road.
News of the presence of a male Dartford Warbler on Troopers Hill has rapidly spread and there were several birders on the site. We had caught sight of the warbler last week, and were wondering whether our luck would hold for a second time, but this time we got an even better view. The bird was more active so while we first saw it perching on gorse, we later also saw it flying into the scrub and trees.
As well as the birds on the hill, we saw gulls chasing a sparrowhawk and a cormorant flying along the line of the river.
A second really sucessful event.
The final count for this walk was 27 species (including the Dartford Warbler, which is not shown on eBird). There were five species this time that weren't seen on the 4th, so the total number of species for the two walks together was 31.
